56) Bridge over River Afan to Aberafan Shopping Centre

The River Afan passes through the centre of the town, past the Aberafan shopping centre, and this bridge gives direct access into the shopping centre. It’s small and inoffensive, considering that it must have been built in the 1970s, and I rather like it. The building above the shopping centre is a tower block which was probably an eyesore from the day it was built. Certainly I don’t remember there ever being a time when I wouldn’t have rated it high on the list of Port Talbot’s ugliest buildings. It’s currently being refurbished, hence the sheeting and scaffolding.

27) Boats on the Afan line and wash

This was made on the same day as the previous sketch, from a position just a few yards further along the path, looking down on the boats that were actually on the Afan that day. . It’s far more impressionistic, since I made the conscious decision to apply as few ink lines as possible, and let the watercolour do more of the work. I quite like the reflections of the boats, and again, as my attempts at line and wash go, it’s not that bad.

2) "Mortal Coil" Statue - Town Centre

This statue is called "Mortal Coil" and it stands in the town centre, between the main post office and the River Afan. This is one of the first sketches that I made in ink, although in this case it's biro, which I've since discovered is actually far from my favourite medium for sketching. This is also one of the first sketches to which I applied a watercolour wash. I've done this from time to time, as you'll see, but I've never really been entirely satisfied with the results - I personally think I just don't have the colour sense to do this sort of thing very well. 

It was sculpted by Sebastien Boyesen, who also sculpted Man of Steel, at the other end of Station Road. It pays tribute to the metalworkers who have been so important to the town.