Simon Donnelly’s Lockdown Watercolour Art Featured in the Black Country Bugle
During the challenging days of the COVID-19 lockdown, Cradley-based commercial photographer and artist Simon Donnelly found a new outlet for creativity. With client work on pause, Simon revisited his passion for visual storytelling — this time blending photography with digital watercolour techniques to create evocative artwork inspired by the Black Country’s industrial heritage.
This unique series of digital watercolour paintings captures iconic landmarks around Dudley, including Dudley Castle, the Town Hall, and scenes along the Dudley Number One canal. Each piece is a tribute to the region’s rich cultural and industrial past, blending realism with artistic expression.
Simon’s work was featured in the Black Country Bugle, a publication renowned for highlighting the area’s history and talent. Readers praised the way his art evokes a sense of place and memory — offering both nostalgia and a new perspective on familiar sites.
This project is especially meaningful to Simon, as it also honours his late father, Peter Donnelly, a photographer who documented the decline of Black Country industry in the 1960s. Peter’s original photographs have been compiled in a special collection titled As If It Were Yesterday, preserving a powerful visual history of a changing region.
Simon’s lockdown art collection stands as a testament to resilience, creativity, and the deep emotional connection between people and place. It continues to resonate with local audiences and art lovers alike.
