Mark Hewatt

Tag: pastoral

  • Roadside Blue

    Roadside Blue

    We pass these structures every day on the backroads of Georgia—weathered barns settling slowly into the landscape. This piece comes from a reference photo I snapped years ago, capturing the specific texture of the vertical siding and the tin roof.

    For this study, I wanted to contrast the intricate, scratchy pen work of the aged wood with a bold, abstract splash of blue. It pushes the sketch beyond a simple observation into something more graphic and modern. A memory of the road, captured in ink.

    Technical Details:

    • 6×9 140lb cold press
    • Sakura Pigma pens
    • Acrylic swipe
  • A Fleeting Thought, Held

    A Fleeting Thought, Held

    This piece explores the visual and emotional dialogue between the enduring and the fleeting. The foreground is dominated by a vibrant bloom of bluebonnets, rendered with a delicate touch to emphasize their ephemeral nature – like a beautiful, transient thought taking tangible form. Their cool tones offer a moment of respite within the overall warmth of the composition, a temporary splash of serenity.

    The choice of a strong, almost cadmium orange-yellow for the sky was deliberate. It serves to create a sense of visual tension, a feeling of being enveloped or even constricted by the intensity of the atmosphere. This deliberate contrast in color and feeling aims to highlight the preciousness and temporary nature of the bluebonnets, making their ephemeral beauty all the more poignant against the persistent, almost weighty sky.

    Technical Details:

    • 9×12 140lb cold press
    • Sakura Pigma pens
    • Acrylic brush and swipe
  • Flowers and Undergrowth

    Flowers and Undergrowth

    I am sharing a new piece today that steps away from the ink and mixed media for a moment to focus entirely on pure pencil work. There is a specific kind of quiet intimacy that comes with a graphite study—it feels like a direct, unfiltered look into the sketchbook.

    This drawing is a study of the wild, tangled details of the undergrowth. My main goal was to play with extreme contrast and negative space. By heavily shading the background to create a deep, soft, almost hazy shadow, I was able to push the untouched white of the cold press paper forward. This allows the delicate petals of the flowers to catch the light and practically glow against the darkness.

    To keep the composition from feeling too heavy, I used sweeping, thin lines for the tall grasses. That fine linework gives the piece a lot of kinetic energy, which balances perfectly against the heavier, more textured shading in the centers of the blooms.

    It is a quiet observation of the forest floor, relying entirely on shifting values to find the light hidden in the shadows.

    Technical Details:

    • Mitsubishi graphite pencils
    • 9×12 140lb cold press

  • Mountain Stream and Masonry

    Mountain Stream and Masonry

    There is a quiet permanence in a stone bridge that I find endlessly compelling, especially against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Unlike the shifting water beneath it or the skeletal branches of the trees above, the bridge stands as a testament to craftsmanship and time.

    In this piece, I wanted to capture that contrast. The challenge was in the sheer variety of textures found in this mountain landscape: the jagged, individual faces of the foreground rocks, the weathered masonry of the bridge, and the delicate, almost ethereal network of the winter trees.

    Working in this monochromatic style allows me to focus entirely on the “architecture” of the scene—how light hits a rough surface versus how it filters through a dense thicket. It’s a meditative process of building layers to find the true weight of the place.

    Technical Details:

    • Mitsubishi graphite pencils
    • 9×12 140lb cold press

  • Illustration: Southern Barn in Late Winter

    Illustration: Southern Barn in Late Winter

    Pencil drawing of a small barn along the roadside in late southern winter.

    Technical Details:

    • Arteza graphite pencils
    • 9×12 140lb cold press

  • Illustration: Solitary Summer

    Illustration: Solitary Summer

    Illustration of an abandoned shack at the peak of an old farm field.

    Technical Details:

    • Arteza graphite pencils
    • 9×12 140lb cold press
  • Arrowhead

    Arrowhead

    Date taken: 3/28/26
    Camera: Pentax istDL
    ISO 200 | 1/1000
    M42 Petri 1.8/55

  • Fence in a Field

    Fence in a Field

    Camera: Nikon D5000
    ISO 200 | F/5.3 | 1/80
    Sigma 55-200mm

  • Flowers in a field with fence

    Flowers in a field with fence

    Date taken: 4/30/2011
    Camera: Nikon D5000
    ISO 200 | F/8 | 1/60
    Sigma 55-200mm

  • Rows of Hay at Rockwell Church

    Rows of Hay at Rockwell Church

    Date taken: 10/20/2012
    Camera: Nikon D5000
    ISO 400 | F/8 | 1/60
    55mm Focal Length

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