Alkefjellet, Svalbard, July 2018

Alkefjellet is an amazing place — home to around 60 000 Brunnich's guillemots and truly one of the wildlife wonders of the world. This sketch was done very quickly, a few pencil lines then watercolour sloshed on with a varnish brush.

I particularly treasure this picture. In the top left corner you can see the impression of Bruce Pearson's welly boot — testament to the very amusing and slightly rugby scrum like sketching conditions, huddled in the front of a little rubber boat at the base of the towering cliffs. Pure response to an extraordinary wildlife and landscape spectacle.

The image reproduced here doesn't really do justice to the freshness of the real thing. I have this picture hanging on the wall at home, a reminder of a fabulous and immensely fun day.