Develop a drawing

The bottle ovens of the Potteries (the Stoke-on-Trent area that once produced world-famous tableware and sanitaryware) are fascinating subjects to paint. I have many photos of these iconic structures in various stages of decline. I find it incomprehensible that these important buildings – part of our industrial heritage and often decorated with beautiful details – are allowed to decay into a sad and neglected state to be lost forever.

This painting was to form part of a series with an industrial theme. It is an ongoing project that I keep adding to from time to time. Bottle ovens are difficult shapes to draw; apart from the challenge of symmetry, the proportions are awkward to get right. At first, they seem quite