Jacksons the Fishmongers

Do you know that feeling of going somewhere every day and being so familiar with it that you don’t see something special or obvious – and then feeling delighted when you notice it? That’s what I want to do with my art.

Today it’s the frontage of Jacksons Fishmongers on Queen Street in Newton Abbot. There’s a lot going on with the signage, sliding windows, and decorative elements above.

I’ve loved fishmongers ever since I bought my first microscope, age ten. I also bought a book from Bardsley’s Books on Microscopes and Microscopic Life where it suggested looking at fish scales under the microscope. I popped into the fishmongers on Lee Street on my 20 minute solo walk home from school and asked them if they had any fish scales so I could look at them under my microscope. They didn’t bat an eyelid, even though it must have been an unusual request from a ten year old. Having said that my older brother went to the butchers and asked for some fresh eyeballs so he could dissect them. Maybe we were just that kind of family. The fish scales were wonderful under magnification.

Jacksons is the place I get my fish and chips from when I’m in Devon, as the best alternative to Jacks on Westray when I’m in Orkney. At the front is a wet fish shop where, as a special treat I’ll buy scallops and cook them with garlic, red chillis, chorizo and fresh coriander leaves. It such a great dish all it needs to to be piled on a piece of sourdough toast. I’m almost starting to sound middle class here, aren’t I?

I found using a simple palette of these granulating watercolours to be the most effective when sketching.

Part of my Postcards from Newton Abbot series of postcard-sized ink and watercolour sketches.

Ink: Platinum brun sepia pigmented ink
Pen: Sailor Fude de Mannen fountain pen
Watercolour: Derwent Graphitint watercolours

More Postcards from Newton Abbot