The Natural History Museum is a fascinating place. It is such a complicated building, where every single column, every single arch base, is decorated differently. Beneath each pillar, facing toward the hall, stand statues of the greatest figures in natural philosophy and science history. The roof, made of iron girders supporting a glass ceiling, would be a nightmare for me to draw, which is why I was always intimidated and haven’t dared to try yet. Despite this, there is so much interesting stuff there to sketch, and when it is raining or the light outside is dull, I always try to go there to draw. This time, I focused on a view that included both Darwin and Newton, as well as the fossil skull of an ancient kind of elephant. I went crazy with all the bricks… #plebchain #grownostr #watercolors #art #artstr

I sat at one of the tables under the porch of the Weston Library and sketched the neoclassical façade of the Clarendon Building on the other side of Broad Street. A very unimpressive Christmas tree, poorly lit, was positioned outside the building. #grownostr #plebchain #watercolors #art #artstr

This stone gateway looks out place in the main hall of the Weston library modern building. The gate was originally the garden gate to Ascott Park, Ascott House, Oxfordshire. The house was re-built around 1660 and destroyed by fire in 1662. The gate was left standing after the fire, and subsequently bought and displayed here. I find the latin inscription amusing "If you are good, you can enter: Otherwise, not" #artstr #art #watercolors #plebchain #grownostr

One of the historical streets in central Oxford, Turl Street is lined with three colleges—Exeter, Lincoln, and Jesus—as well as several shops. It is dominated by what is now the Lincoln college library tower, which was formally All Saints Church. The tower is a prominent and very recognizable on the Oxford’s skyline. #artstr #art #watercolors #plebchain #grownostr

A pleasant autumn walk through the picturesque village of Iffley led me to cross the Thames at the Iffley Lock. In summer, I usually cross this lock while traveling downstream on my SUP. Unfortunately, this past summer I only dared to do so once, as the Thames was mostly more sewage than water. #artstr #art #watercolors #plebchain #grownostr

Arriving from a nice walk in Christ Church Meadow, I crossed the narrow pedestrian passerelle that leads to the punts parking spot behind the Head of the River. I sat there and drew Folly Bridge. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland originated as a story told on a boating trip which began from this very spot. #watercolors #artstr #art #plebchain #grownostr

South Park offers one of the best views of Oxford, especially at sunset. From here, you can see at least ten of the city’s iconic spires emerging from the greenery. It’s definitely one of the nicest spots around. Unless if it rained recently; in that case, it turns into a muddy trap. Still a nice view, though. #artstr #grownostr #plebchain #watercolors #art

Outside 'The Bear,' a sign boasts that the pub is the oldest in England. I suspect that every village and town in England has a pub making a similar claim. According to Wikipedia, the current pub stands on the site of The Bear Inn, which dates back to 1241. Over nearly 800 years, the inn underwent many changes, a series of owners—one of whom is said to have had a pet bear. In case you wonder, there are no bears around the pub today. #artstr #art #grownostr #plebchain #watercolors

My favourite feature of Holywell street is the huge tree protruding from the side of New College. #artstr #grownostr #plebchain #watercolors #art

On the day before drawing this view, I was standing almost on top of Mount Etna, looking at the fresh lava flowing from a safe distance of a few meters. An unbelievable experience. The volcano still looks impressive, as viewed from Taormina, fifty kilometers away. The day was very hot, and soon after finishing this drawing, we spent the rest of the afternoon in a hotel's pool. Good times. #artstr #art #watercolors #grownostr

I returned to the place of my very first drawing in Oxford, two years after my initial visit. This time I sketched the so-called Bridge of Sighs from the other side. This must be one of the most photographed places in Oxford. There was a constant stream of students in gowns posing in front of the structure with their families. As usual, I ignored all the people moving around and only drawn the buildings. Shall I start including people? #art #watercolors #plebchain #grownostr

Carfax is Oxford's center, where the city's four main streets meet. The Carfax Tower is all that's left of St. Martin's Church, which stood here for almost 900 years. The church was eventually demolished in 1896 to make room for road traffic. Ironically, 120 years later, two of the streets at this junction are now pedestrian-only. #art #watercolors #grownostr #plebchain

The Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest in England and one of the oldest in the world. This is the Danby Gate, its front entrance. This gate was shot at during the Civil War— incredible! If it were up to me, every building would still be massively decorated like this today, with niches for statues, rusticated surfaces, and inscriptions. Unfortunately, all we have now is plain concrete and glass instead. #art #watercolors #grownostr #plebchain

New College is not new, at least since 1379, when it was founded. This must be one of my favorite streets of Oxford old center; It is the summer entrance of New College: on the left, the wall of the cloister and on the right the sharp turn under the archway that leads to Queen’s Lane. #art #watercolors #grownostr #plebchain

Just below Magdalen Bridge, there is a very popular spot for punting. I've tried it myself twice, both times when friends were visiting and the weather was nice. It is surprisingly difficult to propel the boat forward in a straight line. Every amateur punter inevitably ends up zigzagging between the riverbanks, narrowly missing and sometimes hitting other boats. I have yet to witness anyone falling into the water, though. #watercolors #art #grownostr #plebchain

I see the bushes popping out from this old wall, and I hear the humbling message from nature: 'Everywhere is my domain. I do as I please. You are here with your walls only temporarily because I let you. As soon as you stop working against me, I will take everything back from you.' But it is said gently, with yellow flowers sprouting from a wall, and the wall is actually better for it. #plebchain #grownostr #watercolors #art

When outside it's always raining, what else to do better than going to the museum and drawing statues from the ancient world? These are from the Roman Empire: some rich English bought them (I hope...) and shipped them from Italy to Oxford. I guess they are kind of special here and better appreciated, while in Italy such beauty is often overlooked and taken for granted. Anyway, I think about the Roman Empire every day, in case you are wondering. #watercolors #art #plebchain #grownostr

I love to pass by the entrance of Oxford colleges, and peek inside if the door is open. This is Balliol College, on Broad Street. On that day, as usual numerous tourist were visiting. I asked the porter if I could stay there a bit and drawing. “Ok” he said “but don’t block the tourist passage”. So I made myself small and spent the next half hour drawing and answering tourist questions. #oxford #plebchain #grownostr #watercolors #art

The entrance to Christ Church Meadow from St. Aldates is always packed with tourists snapping photos of Christ Church College or taking selfies among the flowers in the War Memorial Garden. I was not able to properly render justice to the remarkable view here. In my defense, there are so many levels of vegetation and building overlapping. #plebchain #grownostr #watercolors #drawing #art

The Lamb and Flag Passage is an alleyway which runs through the famous Lamb and Flag pub on St Giles’ Street and leads to the Natural History Museum. When I cycle through it, I need to maneuver around pedestrians and slalom through the barriers put on the other end to prevent vehicle passage. The big horse-chestnut looks at least one hundred years old. It is amazing to see its awakening with so many budding leaves. Spring is here. #art #watercolors #plebchain #grownostr