David Smith
@davidsmithartist.bsky.social
Visual artist with an interest in wildlife (especially solitary bees), ecology and growing food. Based in beautiful West Dorset, near the Jurassic Coast.
I was a little concerned for this Tern I saw down at West Bay this afternoon. It seems to have damage near its right leg, which it kept preening around. Sadly, there's not much I could do except hope. It seemed exhausted and only flew short distances. I fear the gulls will get it.
November 5, 2025 at 6:17 PM
I was a little concerned for this Tern I saw down at West Bay this afternoon. It seems to have damage near its right leg, which it kept preening around. Sadly, there's not much I could do except hope. It seemed exhausted and only flew short distances. I fear the gulls will get it.
I've been really enjoying the Savoy and red cabbage sauerkraut I made at the beginning of September, so I thought I'd try 3 cabbage kraut: red, Savoy and January King. I'll let you know what it's like in a month or two. #SlowFood #FermentedFood #OldManMakesFood #FoodPreservation #HealthyGut
November 5, 2025 at 5:43 PM
I've been really enjoying the Savoy and red cabbage sauerkraut I made at the beginning of September, so I thought I'd try 3 cabbage kraut: red, Savoy and January King. I'll let you know what it's like in a month or two. #SlowFood #FermentedFood #OldManMakesFood #FoodPreservation #HealthyGut
Swapped our usual Jurassic Coast for a few windy days in Cornwall. Nice view from our room.
October 30, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Swapped our usual Jurassic Coast for a few windy days in Cornwall. Nice view from our room.
The borlotti beans have dried beautifully, and beautiful they are.
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig #organic #RealFood #NoPesticides
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig #organic #RealFood #NoPesticides
September 20, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The borlotti beans have dried beautifully, and beautiful they are.
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig #organic #RealFood #NoPesticides
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig #organic #RealFood #NoPesticides
Our borlotti beans are drying nicely. They're not quite as big or bountiful as two years ago, but they are certainly as beautiful. I love the Dutch name of this variety, Stokkievitsboon, which means pole lapwing beans, named for the similarity of the patterns on the beans to lapwing eggs.
September 13, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Our borlotti beans are drying nicely. They're not quite as big or bountiful as two years ago, but they are certainly as beautiful. I love the Dutch name of this variety, Stokkievitsboon, which means pole lapwing beans, named for the similarity of the patterns on the beans to lapwing eggs.
Homemade tomato soup. A scrummy lunch with some to go in the freezer. Heinz tomato soup has 14 ingredients, this has 4. The tinned stuff isn't too bad: no artificial colours or preservatives. Heinz is cream of tomato so it has milk products. Mine is tomato and basil, plus a little onion and EVOO.
September 8, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Homemade tomato soup. A scrummy lunch with some to go in the freezer. Heinz tomato soup has 14 ingredients, this has 4. The tinned stuff isn't too bad: no artificial colours or preservatives. Heinz is cream of tomato so it has milk products. Mine is tomato and basil, plus a little onion and EVOO.
Madly dehydrating tomatoes to preserve the taste of Summer's bounty through till we can eat fresh again. (We don't buy tomatoes any more.) Such beautiful and nutrient dense things.
#tomatoes #preserving #dehydrating #GrowYourOwnFood #RealFood #organic #unsprayed #NoChemicals #NoPesticides #NoDig
#tomatoes #preserving #dehydrating #GrowYourOwnFood #RealFood #organic #unsprayed #NoChemicals #NoPesticides #NoDig
September 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Madly dehydrating tomatoes to preserve the taste of Summer's bounty through till we can eat fresh again. (We don't buy tomatoes any more.) Such beautiful and nutrient dense things.
#tomatoes #preserving #dehydrating #GrowYourOwnFood #RealFood #organic #unsprayed #NoChemicals #NoPesticides #NoDig
#tomatoes #preserving #dehydrating #GrowYourOwnFood #RealFood #organic #unsprayed #NoChemicals #NoPesticides #NoDig
It's nice to bring the sunshine inside. It's getting blowy outside and the Sunflowers are very tall this year, so I thought it necessary to harvest some. They do look great next to our beloved Carry Akroyd hare painting!
#GrowYourOwnFlowers #sunflowers
#GrowYourOwnFlowers #sunflowers
August 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM
It's nice to bring the sunshine inside. It's getting blowy outside and the Sunflowers are very tall this year, so I thought it necessary to harvest some. They do look great next to our beloved Carry Akroyd hare painting!
#GrowYourOwnFlowers #sunflowers
#GrowYourOwnFlowers #sunflowers
Whose is this? I find it difficult not to pick up feathers. I'm not sure from whom this one comes that I found in the garden today.
August 24, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Whose is this? I find it difficult not to pick up feathers. I'm not sure from whom this one comes that I found in the garden today.
It's that time again, time to save the sweetness and bounty of summer to take into winter. Dehydrating tomatoes: we like to call them sun-dried because we try to make sure our solar panels are producing the power to preserve them.
#GrowYourOwnFood #dehydrating #HomePreserving #Organic #NoChemicals
#GrowYourOwnFood #dehydrating #HomePreserving #Organic #NoChemicals
August 24, 2025 at 12:42 PM
It's that time again, time to save the sweetness and bounty of summer to take into winter. Dehydrating tomatoes: we like to call them sun-dried because we try to make sure our solar panels are producing the power to preserve them.
#GrowYourOwnFood #dehydrating #HomePreserving #Organic #NoChemicals
#GrowYourOwnFood #dehydrating #HomePreserving #Organic #NoChemicals
Last night I was looking through my last sketchbook and found this little trio of tiny feathers taped in with Magic Tape. I had found them in the garden, I remember exactly where, and stopped what I was doing to carry this treasure of beauty to a safe space.
August 23, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Last night I was looking through my last sketchbook and found this little trio of tiny feathers taped in with Magic Tape. I had found them in the garden, I remember exactly where, and stopped what I was doing to carry this treasure of beauty to a safe space.
Small Copper butterfly, Lycaena phlaeas, feeding on Common Ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris. Such bright and beautiful things that lift the soul. It's time Ragwort was freed from the prejudice placed on it by a vested minority: it's an important food plant for so many small lives #pollinators #WildFlowers
August 21, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Small Copper butterfly, Lycaena phlaeas, feeding on Common Ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris. Such bright and beautiful things that lift the soul. It's time Ragwort was freed from the prejudice placed on it by a vested minority: it's an important food plant for so many small lives #pollinators #WildFlowers
"018" From #BlackSquares365 - Indian ink & acrylic on black Khadi paper
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and still is for those not sold) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and still is for those not sold) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
August 20, 2025 at 7:34 PM
"018" From #BlackSquares365 - Indian ink & acrylic on black Khadi paper
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and still is for those not sold) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and still is for those not sold) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
"077" From #BlackSquares365 - metal foil on gessoed handmade Indian rag paper.
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
August 20, 2025 at 7:29 PM
"077" From #BlackSquares365 - metal foil on gessoed handmade Indian rag paper.
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
"016" From #BlackSquares365 - ink on Stonehenge paper.
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
August 20, 2025 at 7:15 PM
"016" From #BlackSquares365 - ink on Stonehenge paper.
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
These apples are a variety called Saturn, they normally should be ready for harvest at the beginning of October. I've just picked one from the tree: it was delicious. These need picking soon. No way this year will we get the succession of fruit we planted for!
August 18, 2025 at 6:14 PM
These apples are a variety called Saturn, they normally should be ready for harvest at the beginning of October. I've just picked one from the tree: it was delicious. These need picking soon. No way this year will we get the succession of fruit we planted for!
The first of our fresh chillies. We have them through the year, dried or frozen, but it's always a delight to have them fresh. It's been a day of harvests: tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, French beans.
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig
July 31, 2025 at 7:01 PM
The first of our fresh chillies. We have them through the year, dried or frozen, but it's always a delight to have them fresh. It's been a day of harvests: tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, French beans.
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig
#GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig
And why would you not go and pick some blackberries? At the supermarket they are £20/kg, these were free and didn't have the added chemical sprays or the plastic packaging.
#FoodForFree #Foraging
#FoodForFree #Foraging
July 27, 2025 at 3:43 PM
And why would you not go and pick some blackberries? At the supermarket they are £20/kg, these were free and didn't have the added chemical sprays or the plastic packaging.
#FoodForFree #Foraging
#FoodForFree #Foraging
Spotted in the garden today this Coelioxys conoidea, Large Sharp-tail Bee. It's a cleptoparasite of Megachile maritima, the Coast Leafcutter Bee, so I probably need to review my Megachile IDs. This is a female, and I saw a male a while back. #Coelioxys #SolitaryBees
July 23, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Spotted in the garden today this Coelioxys conoidea, Large Sharp-tail Bee. It's a cleptoparasite of Megachile maritima, the Coast Leafcutter Bee, so I probably need to review my Megachile IDs. This is a female, and I saw a male a while back. #Coelioxys #SolitaryBees
Some of our lovely neighbours gave us a couple of cabbages, so I made some sauerkraut (with added beetroot fresh from the garden) and a big batch of coleslaw (with beetroot, beet tops and carrot), which we had with some of our first tomatoes.
July 23, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Some of our lovely neighbours gave us a couple of cabbages, so I made some sauerkraut (with added beetroot fresh from the garden) and a big batch of coleslaw (with beetroot, beet tops and carrot), which we had with some of our first tomatoes.
I'm hoping that we might actually get some nectarines to eat this year! It's been some years since we had any. Usually slugs and snails get on the early fruits and moulds and other creatures finish them off.
#GrowYourOwnFood #GrowYourOwnFruit
#GrowYourOwnFood #GrowYourOwnFruit
July 23, 2025 at 10:14 AM
I'm hoping that we might actually get some nectarines to eat this year! It's been some years since we had any. Usually slugs and snails get on the early fruits and moulds and other creatures finish them off.
#GrowYourOwnFood #GrowYourOwnFruit
#GrowYourOwnFood #GrowYourOwnFruit
"011" From #BlackSquares365 - ink on black Khadi paper.
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject
July 22, 2025 at 10:52 PM
"011" From #BlackSquares365 - ink on black Khadi paper.
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject
"008" From #BlackSquares365 - Signo pen ink on Canford black paper.
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
July 22, 2025 at 10:41 PM
"008" From #BlackSquares365 - Signo pen ink on Canford black paper.
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
I'm selling off the unsold work from this project. In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and is for those still available) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
"005" From #BlackSquares365 - fine liner pigment pen on Bristol board.
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
July 22, 2025 at 10:31 PM
"005" From #BlackSquares365 - fine liner pigment pen on Bristol board.
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details).
"003" From #BlackSquares365 - acrylic on Bockingford paper.
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject
July 22, 2025 at 10:18 PM
"003" From #BlackSquares365 - acrylic on Bockingford paper.
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject
In 2018/19 I created an 8" square artwork from scratch every day for a year. Each piece was (and for those not sold at the time still is) a very affordable £40 (DM for details). #ArtProject