23) The Three Cranes and ship

There’s a pathway which runs from the Aberavon end of the plate girder bridge, all the way uphill onto the promenade of Aberavon Beach. It passes by the docks, and one of the most iconic sights in Port Talbot, the three massive cranes which unload the ships carrying ore for the steelworks. I’ve always liked the 3 cranes, although I’ve never actually sketched the three of them before. . If you look on the bottom left, you’ll see I’ve also included a small figure of a lady who was walking her dog at the time. She would also feature in the next sketch. She works well for me, in as much as she give a sense of the massive scale of the cranes and the ship, especially when you consider that she was a lot nearer than they were when I made the sketch.

3) Man Of Steel and new Railway Station - Pencil Sketch

This panoramic sketch shows Sebastien Boyesen's statue "Man of Steel" as well as the newly rebuilt Railway Station. I returned to HB pencil for this sketch. As with "Mortal Coil" this is another tribute to steel, and the men of the town who work it. I do like Sebastien Boyesen's public works of art in Port Talbot, and there's also a brilliant one in Newport too - however Man of Steel does remind me a bit of Expressionist official Russian Art from the Soviet era. I wish I could say that I like the new station. If I did say that, then my nose would start growing, as I'm afraid I don't like it at all. Apart from the fact that it just looks completely out of place, there's the acres of grey bricks which dull the soul.