This the first blog of autumn. As I write, the mountains are a beautiful tint of purple and look as though they are on fire, as the mist is rising from the forest trees. I can quite understand how people living in such mountainous and wooded areas can suspect that they are populated with living spirits. Rising, spiralling mists can seem to follow you along a mountain path - and in an instant just disappear. Spooky!

In the past couple of weeks I have ventured in to painting a larger than normal (for me) canvass. I have always wanted to paint large - and I mean large - but have not had the courage. So this is a small step to achieving that goal. The image shows a oil painting in the early stage and is of Earl's Court on the Piccadilly line.

For anyone coming to Brighton Art Fair in late September I will have four smaller oil paintings of tube stations, exhibited at stand 88.

On the wood engraving front I have just started the drawing for the next in the View Subterranea series - it will be a picture based on a Holborn tube platform.

To the right is a small wood engraving of St Mary's Church, Thatcham, Berkshire. Thatcham is a town very close to where I grew up and a church has been on this site for many centuries. The current church is based on a Norman stone church started in 1140. This is the first proof of this image, and I think perhaps it needs a little more work especially on the sky. This is part of a series of churches I will be competing over the next few months.

Lastly, a sneaky photo that I took in August in the final week of the Royal Academy Summer show. The print rooms to me are my favourite and can spend a long time just looking at the different styles and techniques - amazing!

I have just been to see the Pollock exhibition at Tate Liverpool, showing some rarely seen work of his that he did in the years leading up to his untimely death. To me, Pollock is a strange artist whose colour drip paintings either grab me or they don’t. In this exhibition much of the work was black and white paintings from his ‘dark’ period. I am drawn to the monochrome and found these a lot more fascinating. Again, I do not find this work ‘easy’ to access, but as a distillation of his mental state – very powerful.

It is strange to be able to compare this late Pollock work to those of Agnes Martin – an artist I was not familiar with until I visited Tate Modern in Late June. Again, much of her work is not easily understood in a short visit. Many of her canvasses are very large – virtually white and only when you go up close you realise that the very pale paint holds together intricately drawn grids of graphite. Reading about her, I understand that these large expanses of canvass reflected not only her natural environment but also an attempt to quieten her restless mind.

For me, these have been two very powerful exhibitions. Some of the images and their influences will stay with me for a long time.

Here are several oil paintings that I have just finished. It is exciting to explore these underground spaces in this medium as compared with wood engraving - as it allows far more flexibility and colour adds a different dynamic.

The Tube stations are of Kennington and Finsbury Park. I caught the walls of the stations at Kennington just at the point of the adverts being taken down and replaced. I loved the way the historical layers underneath gave way to an amazing abstract colour display. In a similar way the wonderful balloon mosaics of Finsbury Park give a wonderfully permanent colourful artwork.

Having completed the finer details, including glazing, these pictures are now drying and will be varnished later this year.

My next Tube challenges in oils will be Blackhorse Road and Balham stations. Both are on the Victoria line - I love the blue of this Tube line, I don't know why, it's just a lovely bluey turquoise.

Just having a cup of coffee and this landed on the mat :) It is always lovely to receive this 'physical' confirmation.

I am so happy, I have just found out that my wood engraving, View Subterranea 6: Clapham North has just been selected for this years RA Summer Show.

Clapham North is one of only a couple of London Tube stations with a shared central platform. It makes for beautiful geometric angles with the double tunnel at the end of each. In this series I am taking the viewpoint of one of the tube's little-seen residents - Rattus norvegicus.

Good news this week: both my wood engravings have got through to the final round of the RA Summer Show. Just a couple of weeks to go to find out whether they will be hung in the print galleries.

This picture is a little (10"x8") still life in oil that is nearing completion. I just love lesser celandine with its butter custard petals, when it peeps through in the garden it really is a first sign of spring.

I incorporated a tortoiseshell butterfly that I found in the garden - it hibernated under a plant pot but didn't survive the winter. Its rich orange, red wings were still in good condition to contrast beautifully with the green leaves.

Just visited London to deliver two new Tube-themed wood engravings short listed for this years RA Summer Exhibition. Only the second round of judging with two more rounds to go, but I'm still very excited!

Just a little update on what I've been up to since the new year. I've really made progress on several oil paintings of the wonderful mountain scenery around where I live in the Valleys of south Wales. I'm also just completing a painting of Kennington Tube station, which you can see in the picture.

In the background, on the wall of my studio, you can just see two proofs of new wood engravings in my View Subterranea series: Clapham North and Arsenal stations. I am pleased with how these have turned out, and I think these will be the finished images.

Next on the easel will be Finsbury Park Tube station. This is such a colourful station, with its wonderful mosaics of hot air balloons.