I Love Drawing

In Derek’s own words: “Drawing gives you freedom to roam. A pencil and pad is all you need, and you can lean against a wall, in a pub, on a train, you can always draw.”

- Derek L Newton

Born in Southern England, my love of drawing really began in my late teens. I had left school at 15 years of age to start an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner, and remember while attending technical college drawing classes, which were a part of my apprenticeship, being told that I would make a better draftsman than carpenter.

By my early 20s I was married and during one particular rainy holiday, my wife Dot and I took a caravan in Norfolk England, and with no television or other comforts, we would venture out between showers and during one of our trips I bought a Broadlands Sketchbook which I still treasure today. This book inspired me to go out and sketch, a passion that has only grown over the years since that damp, grey skied holiday focused my attention and made me look at the world from an artistic composition point of view.

Although I now have my own studio and was recently elected to the Western Australian Water Colour Society, I still love nothing more than heading off with my sketchbook to explore Western Australia’s quirky country towns or the bustling cities in and around Perth and Fremantle.