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As a result of my special Cotswold Preview of the Country House Colouring Book drawings, I got a commission and a very exciting one! My client Michelle started life in Lancashire and is a supporter of the National Trust . She loves architecture and has wanted to invest in a piece of architectural art showcasing great Lancashire houses for her Cotswold home. Lancashire is very special for my client, 'both my heart & soul are in Lancashire, I'm just here' she movingly recalled in our 1st meeting at the studio. I knew instantly that this commission was deeply personal. I was sad to learn that Michelle's Polish parents had to start a new life in Bolton during the war in order to flee Nazi Germany, their new life in northern England revolved around working in the Bolton Cotton Mills, then still a thriving industry that began in the 14th century. Going through endless books in the studio, I showed Michelle examples of embroidered textiles found in collections of Lancashire properties. I told Michelle that some of my favourite embroidered textiles come from Eastern Europe and that I wondered if her Polish mother had chosen Bolton for perhaps her own love for embroidery. Michelle recalled her mother embroidering rather well and believed it was a great influence for her move to Bolton. We agreed that although this piece of work ought to be more architectural than illustrative, it would be good to include a small reference to the embroidery I discover in the Lancashire collections, a wonderful tribute to Michelle's Polish roots. Now I was aware that this commission was more than just depicting a great building and telling its story; it had to represent a family seeking refuge accross Europe, the industrial revolution, and it must tell the tale of the buildings once inhabited by textile entrepreneurs. It became clear that this work was going to be geographical as well as architectural. (Fig 1) Observing a map of Lancashire, I identified buildings that overlooked Bolton, they were Gawthorpe Hall, Turton Tower, Smithills Hall and Hall i' th' Wood (Fig 1). I was aware of Gawthorpe Hall and its fine collection of embroidered textiles, I drew a detail of a persian rug for The Country House Colouring Book . Gawthorpe is a National Trust property built by the Shuttleworth family and thought to have been designed by Elizabethan Robert Smythson , architect of great houses such as Hardwick Hall , Derbyshire . That was my first port of call on my property list to research but it's being restored and is covered in scaffolding so I wouldn't have got much out of it, pity. I was invited to visit by the assistant curator in 2016 though, really looking forward to it! The three remaining houses, Smithills, Turton and Hall i' th' Wood are positioned to the north; Turton is furthest to the north, then Smithalls and ever so slightly more south east is Hall i' th' Wood. I read that all three also look down over Bolton centre, its important to me that I represent their position to Bolton Town and in turn the view each has of Bolton, reflective of the awareness and mutual recognition entrepreneur and factory worker going about their day once had. Without the revolutionary cotton industry we wouldn't have the incredible 13th-16th century part-timber, part-stone houses such as these; Bolton textile industrialists thankfully used their wealthwisely and with their hearty, down-to-earth northern traits, were it seems, happy to preserve their homes in a more or less original state, never feeling the need to radically alter, obviously being quite happy to 'make-do'. I believe we owe it to this stoic Lancashire attitude, for without it we would not have rare architectural gems like the ones in question now preserved by the Town Council, all sitting high above busy Bolton. The industrial town, with its overall design & planning, could not be more a contrast in style to that of the old grand houses that are in short reach of it. Nowadays these houses are in fact more wrapped-up by the growth of suburbia, Turton and Hall i' th' Wood most certainly go unnoticed, hidden by trees and outnumbered by cul de sacs, the onset of a flourishing industrial 20th c Manchester . Quite rightly, the importance of providing leafier habitats for workers and their families became more important than a quiet onlooking, grand estate, So interesting this commission had become, it was very clear that it would obtain more narrative than just one property or indeed like any other I'd produced before. I'm to record industry, architecture, design, geography, planning, development and at equal measure, the hope and opportunity Bolton burst for centuries. Now I was itching to go to Bolton to begin my research; On a Monday I booked my B & B, typed up a two-day schedule, grabbed my best bud Rosie, borrowed a reliable car and off I went on the Wednesday 'oop-north.' AJ

For one weekend only Langford Village Hall saw the walls covered David Tenniers style in nearly 90 drawings of some of Britain's finest buildings, all feature in my first National Trust book The Country House Colouring Book , release date April 2016. I've been living in the Oxfordshire/Gloucs area for a year now and I've made many awesome friends, in particular my landlord who put me up when I got a bit stuck and found myself somewhat turfed-out on the street, he is now know as Jonnie-Legend. There's my mates at Colston Tennis Club and other neighbours I have to thank to for making the last summer just really great, especially whilst I created the mamouth 90 drawings for the book! I thought it therefore only fitting to throw a party and special preview for those people and get the hood together; some old and some new faces came out the woodwork including my patron John Penrose , my first ever boss Linda Weaven from Fairford and a school friends mum Ann Saunders. From London we had product designer and engineer Sarah Liddel and DJ Jonny 'Bizzle' White and my fave Boyz from Ealing plus Ben & Jules morley of Clive Morley Harps and Miles Gibson of Gibsons Organic Liquours. It was a very British affair with Union Jack bunting decor and a pop-up sausage 'n chip shop. Yummy marmalade vodka cocktails were served out of giant enamel teapots that were slurped out of the coolest fast food drink cartons with lids and orange straws. I did a little speech and then we danced the night away finished with a curry banquet. The night would not have been possible without the help of Jane Stevens of Langford, Isla & Alec Barton on food and drinks duty and Rosie my best bud that helped me finish off hanging the drawings. Thanks too to Cotswold Life Magazine and your great photographer for covering the event and The Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard . Stay tuned for coverage! The show remained open to the public for the rest of the weekend and I had visitors from all accross Gloucestershire & Oxfordshire. The response overall was great, visitors commented on what a wonderful way it is for history to be told through art, just that is fantastic because that is my goal. Visitors especially loved the cartoons I'd done of former inhabitants of the National Trust properties, plus the amusing animals. I was there to chat to everyone about the work and explain the history that inspired the piece if they wished. Most visitors were big fans of the National Trust , this is really exciting because its a good indicator that NT visitors will love the colouring book, Phew! It was a fantastic weekend and incredibly invaluable to receive the feedback that I did, and I got a couple of commissions too so very happy. Thank you all for coming and hope you had fun! AJ

Don't ask, yes, yes, I know well what you are thinking, 'fifteen years?!'. EXACTLY. There are a combination of reasons why I've not found the time to go somewhere hot for some years, and the last time was with school on an Italian cookery trip, as far as I'm concerned that doesn't count! A great friend of mine, a talented and hot-in-demand engineer and product designer Sarah Liddel ordered me to drop the pencils and join her in Andalusia. Sarah has been going to Andalusia since her early teens when her parents bought a lovely apartment in Nerja. Whats special about Nerja is that it has the mountains behind it and the sea in front, over my right shoulder (your right) is toward Morocco, the place that inspired my designs for a collection whilst studying at the London College of Fashion. I fell in love with Southern Spain almost instantly. Nerja was idillic with a palm tree lined promendade walk into town and rustic seafood restaurants with sandy floors on the beach front. The people are happy and polite and appreciated my constant regret that my Spanish was non-existant.... I don't think I've ever apologised so much. A group of very talented singers and guitarists dressed in 16th c Spanish dress followed us around most evenings (totes loved the breeches) and their powerful voices seranaded us along with our sizzling chorizo sausage drenched in honey, neither seemed to last long enough. I couldn't get over how affordable and healthy everything is there, I'm totally addicted to Pomegranates now and miss slicing and bashing it over thick yummy Greek yoghurt with my straw hat on, making notes and planning creative missions. I've enjoyed the pom in salads so far in life but became more curious about the fruit with Iranian roots whilst doing a spot of historical research at Chastleton House, Oxfordshire in August. At Chastleton you'll find it not in Ottolenghi inspired sandwich boxes of house guides but instead high above you cast in plaster produced in the 1620/30's. Chastleton is rare in that its a survival of a Jacobean interior and is totally untouched, it will take your breath away and half of its enormous impact on any brain that validates the crafted and unique is propelled by the extraordinary ceiling design that includes the Pomegranate. The fruit that symbolised fertility was part of Catherine of Aragon's emblem. Upon her marriage to her brother-in-law Henry V111 following the untimely death of her husband Arthur, the pomegranate was depicted alongside the rose, the symbol for the house of Tudor, The country was, like the King and his Spanish wife, staunchly Catholic and religiously followed Rome. The use of the pomegranate decorating the home was a celebration of these two people, distant cousins, two powerful nations coming together. This all changed when Henry no longer loved his wife, she who was incapable of delivering a male heir. The king wanted to marry his ripe mistress Anne Boleyn; the Catholic church was abolished, buildings and communities destroyed making way for Henry to create his Church of England. Pomegranates were, like any other symbolism of Catholicism, destroyed and forbidden, and likewise the tired, infertile and rejected Queen consort was no longer welcome amongst the walls of the houses of Barons let alone at court. So, for Chastleton to retain such a foreign symbol and one so Catholic after several centuries is rare and incredibly exciting, its survival is partly thankful to the inhabiting Catesby famiy's ill-fortune and inability to update their home throughout a 400 year ownership. Right: Henry V111 and Catherine of Aragon: Marriage woodcut showing the pomegranate and Tudor rose So, that is what the Pomegranate meant to me before Andalusia where the fruit covered my yoghurt and then adorned the drainpipes in Granada, cast in metal and proudly emblazoned woodwork and stone. The beautiful Moorish influenced city that could quite easily rival Rome uses pomegranate as a charge in heraldry just as Queen Catherine did for its less formal canting arms. I love that a fruit so readily available and freely picked off trees throughout the region is appreciated so much so that it proudly speaks for its nurturing soil, Andalusia's Granada......the place where both Moors and Catholics lived happily together, two people that appreciated the slicing and bashing of a pom just as I now do. Now, I'm slightly confused by the symbolism of our lion, what on earth was wrong with the apple? El Slavador Church, Nerja. El Salavador Church, Nerja: Incredible mannequins dressed in meticullously embroidered clothing stand in high alcoves. Everything is lavishly gilded. Nerja El Salvador Church: The first of the Spanish churches I explored and it contained this fine painting. Frigliana: My new favourite town, I especially love the name, who is Liana? Thats what I want to know. Unique metalwork adorns carved doorways, this is a detail from the entrance to Frigliana church. Alhambra Palace: I had a day at the Alhambra Palace. Its a gloriously tranquil place with views high above Granada and toward a mountain-filled landscape. There is no furniture inside the palace but it is a fine example of an architectural space made fine with walls covered in Moorish tiles that are stylishly timeless.

Just after I'd delivered my drawings and historical research to the National Trust in October, some super-cool friends of mine in the village offered me an ace studio space. Its a porter cabin and sits in a yard near to their house and just a stones-throw away from their magical harp business (est 1820), just off the A40 between Cheltenham and Oxford. It's BIG and is bright and clean so perfect for concentration and to develop exciting new ideas, it's been a superb year so far and this new space couldn't have come at a better time, 2016 will be a wonderful creative year for my art and research and I'm sure this new studio, complete with a pair of massive Cotswold sheep, a flowing stream and a new friend for Daphne called Purdy, will keep the artful coggs ticking over!

With my introduction and historical text for each drawing safe in the hands of the publishers, it was next time to think about the cover design. Meanwhile I met with my agent in London about another exciting book that he instantly thought would be 'right up my street', satirical, naughty, fun-poking and a play on the English language. I returned to the studio to work on illustrations and started reading endless Spike Milligan and Tommy Cooper scripts.