Portland in London

Painting in in progress by a Portland quarry

I’ve been spending more time in London recently. For someone whose creative inspiration comes from time spent by the sea and rivers, the hectic pace of a major conurbation can feel claustrophobic.

But I’ve been finding solace in some unexpected company. As I walk through the city, looming over me are great swathes of Portland stone. It’s not only iconic buildings like the British Museum and St Paul’s Cathedral - the entire frontage of Regent Street is built from Portland stone, and the concave quadrants of Oxford Circus were carved by hand. 

I know this stone so well from my time spent painting in the former quarries in Portland, and there are quantities of Portland dust held fast in the paint on my canvases. It’s good to look up and see an old friend watching over me while I’m in the city.