Mark Clay
@mrclayox.bsky.social
Husband. Father. Charity Worker. Volunteer. Music and literature lover. Cat dad. Meta refugee.
Award-winning artist exploring memory, experience & mutability, especially in landscape; combining the systematic & the poetic. Oxford, UK.
Award-winning artist exploring memory, experience & mutability, especially in landscape; combining the systematic & the poetic. Oxford, UK.
What a treat it was to be in the Lake District last weekend and see Helvellyn and Red Tarn in winter conditions. Definitely not a day to tackle Striding Edge though. The sun was glorious but the wind chill was brutal.
December 2, 2025 at 7:24 AM
What a treat it was to be in the Lake District last weekend and see Helvellyn and Red Tarn in winter conditions. Definitely not a day to tackle Striding Edge though. The sun was glorious but the wind chill was brutal.
Reposted by Mark Clay
Farage's alliance with the US hard-right should alarm every British woman
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
Nigel Farage's alliance with the US hard-right should alarm every British woman
Women’s bodies are the new battleground as Nigel Farage aligns with the US hard-right. His link to the group that toppled Roe v. Wade puts UK reproductive freedom at serious risk, writes column...
www.mirror.co.uk
November 30, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Farage's alliance with the US hard-right should alarm every British woman
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.
November 28, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.
Reposted by Mark Clay
🚨WOW! The Petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy has now rocketed past 75,000 signatures! 🙏
LET’S KEEP GOING!
If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
LET’S KEEP GOING!
If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
November 27, 2025 at 9:38 PM
🚨WOW! The Petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy has now rocketed past 75,000 signatures! 🙏
LET’S KEEP GOING!
If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
LET’S KEEP GOING!
If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
I'm told that it's #NationalTreeWeek, so here is "Moonrise", a private commission from 2022. There is a layer of pastel colour beneath my usual profusion of graphite 🤗. I'm currently working on a new commission that I won't be able to show for a while. 🤐
#archive
#drawing
#pencildrawing
#archive
#drawing
#pencildrawing
November 27, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I'm told that it's #NationalTreeWeek, so here is "Moonrise", a private commission from 2022. There is a layer of pastel colour beneath my usual profusion of graphite 🤗. I'm currently working on a new commission that I won't be able to show for a while. 🤐
#archive
#drawing
#pencildrawing
#archive
#drawing
#pencildrawing
Reposted by Mark Clay
Hello, have you got a copy of "How to racially abuse people so they feel all warm & cuddly afterwards" by Nigel Farage ?
November 25, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Hello, have you got a copy of "How to racially abuse people so they feel all warm & cuddly afterwards" by Nigel Farage ?
Reposted by Mark Clay
The UK is losing up to £250m a day in lost tax revenue due to the economic impact of Brexit, House of Commons Library analysis for the Lib Dems suggests.
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
November 25, 2025 at 10:33 AM
The UK is losing up to £250m a day in lost tax revenue due to the economic impact of Brexit, House of Commons Library analysis for the Lib Dems suggests.
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
Reposted by Mark Clay
„Quiet, Piggy!“ Just think about that for a minute, and what it means to live in a time when a President can assault a woman in public like that without any consequences.
It‘s quite a testimony to the age of regression we live in.
It‘s quite a testimony to the age of regression we live in.
November 23, 2025 at 6:09 PM
„Quiet, Piggy!“ Just think about that for a minute, and what it means to live in a time when a President can assault a woman in public like that without any consequences.
It‘s quite a testimony to the age of regression we live in.
It‘s quite a testimony to the age of regression we live in.
Reposted by Mark Clay
Like Home Secretary, like party.
Labour are on a road to political oblivion with their Reform tribute act.
It doesn't win over anyone for whom putting the boot into forrins is their top concern. They'll always choose the real deal.
But it actively scares away everyone else.
Double own goal.
Labour are on a road to political oblivion with their Reform tribute act.
It doesn't win over anyone for whom putting the boot into forrins is their top concern. They'll always choose the real deal.
But it actively scares away everyone else.
Double own goal.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has seen her favourability drop 32 points among Labour members since her plans for asylum policy reform were announced
Cabinet rankings: Mahmood sees sharp drop in approval among Labour members – LabourList
Shabana Mahmood’s approval among Labour members has plummeted since her announcement on reform of asylum policy, exclusive polling for LabourList has revealed. The poll, conducted…
labourlist.org
November 22, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Like Home Secretary, like party.
Labour are on a road to political oblivion with their Reform tribute act.
It doesn't win over anyone for whom putting the boot into forrins is their top concern. They'll always choose the real deal.
But it actively scares away everyone else.
Double own goal.
Labour are on a road to political oblivion with their Reform tribute act.
It doesn't win over anyone for whom putting the boot into forrins is their top concern. They'll always choose the real deal.
But it actively scares away everyone else.
Double own goal.
Another 2 drawings of "A Never-Ending Way (Vol. 3)" are now complete. These are numbers 76 & 77.
I am grateful for the slowness and gentleness of this project. I expect I shall feel rather bereft when this project is finally completed in about 5 months time.
#drawing
I am grateful for the slowness and gentleness of this project. I expect I shall feel rather bereft when this project is finally completed in about 5 months time.
#drawing
November 22, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Another 2 drawings of "A Never-Ending Way (Vol. 3)" are now complete. These are numbers 76 & 77.
I am grateful for the slowness and gentleness of this project. I expect I shall feel rather bereft when this project is finally completed in about 5 months time.
#drawing
I am grateful for the slowness and gentleness of this project. I expect I shall feel rather bereft when this project is finally completed in about 5 months time.
#drawing
Reposted by Mark Clay
BTW, this is what Reform UK calls its ‘shop window’.
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/kent-council-report-46-5m-overspend-following-reform-takeover-400497/
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/kent-council-report-46-5m-overspend-following-reform-takeover-400497/
Kent council report £46.5m overspend following Reform takeover
Kent County Council is facing a financial blackhole of £46.5m as Reform's running of the authority continues to come under scrutiny.
www.thelondoneconomic.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:09 AM
BTW, this is what Reform UK calls its ‘shop window’.
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/kent-council-report-46-5m-overspend-following-reform-takeover-400497/
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/kent-council-report-46-5m-overspend-following-reform-takeover-400497/
Reposted by Mark Clay
It never stops.
The grubby donations. The profiteering. The lobbying. The lies.
“In 2019-20, as the UK was leaving the EU, Harborne gave £10m to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, since renamed Reform UK.”
They make damn sure they get what they want.
We get screwed.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
The grubby donations. The profiteering. The lobbying. The lies.
“In 2019-20, as the UK was leaving the EU, Harborne gave £10m to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, since renamed Reform UK.”
They make damn sure they get what they want.
We get screwed.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Cryptocurrency backed by Farage donor is used for Russian war effort, investigators say
Tether tokens found to facilitate scheme that enables sanctions evasion and launders money for the Kremlin
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:43 AM
It never stops.
The grubby donations. The profiteering. The lobbying. The lies.
“In 2019-20, as the UK was leaving the EU, Harborne gave £10m to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, since renamed Reform UK.”
They make damn sure they get what they want.
We get screwed.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
The grubby donations. The profiteering. The lobbying. The lies.
“In 2019-20, as the UK was leaving the EU, Harborne gave £10m to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, since renamed Reform UK.”
They make damn sure they get what they want.
We get screwed.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Mark Clay
UK Covid Inquiry concludes: 23,000 deaths could've been prevented if the March 2020 lockdown had been imposed just a week earlier.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
November 20, 2025 at 4:40 PM
UK Covid Inquiry concludes: 23,000 deaths could've been prevented if the March 2020 lockdown had been imposed just a week earlier.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
Sometimes you just have to make something that makes you laugh.
"Face Cream" (2016).
"Face Cream" (2016).
November 20, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Sometimes you just have to make something that makes you laugh.
"Face Cream" (2016).
"Face Cream" (2016).
Reposted by Mark Clay
We flounced out of the EU on the say-so of politicians who lied to us. And what a total shitshow that’s turned out to be. The polar opposite of what they promised. Now the call to flounce out of the ECHR. By the same people. Telling the same lies. Has the country been kicked in the head by a horse?
October 5, 2025 at 7:04 AM
We flounced out of the EU on the say-so of politicians who lied to us. And what a total shitshow that’s turned out to be. The polar opposite of what they promised. Now the call to flounce out of the ECHR. By the same people. Telling the same lies. Has the country been kicked in the head by a horse?
Reposted by Mark Clay
Palestine must remain in the forefront of global concern, as Israel seeks to deflect the world’s attention from its heinous atrocities in occupied Gaza and the West Bank, as well as expansionist ambitions in Lebanon and Syria.
November 16, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Palestine must remain in the forefront of global concern, as Israel seeks to deflect the world’s attention from its heinous atrocities in occupied Gaza and the West Bank, as well as expansionist ambitions in Lebanon and Syria.
Thanks so much to all the team at Oxford's Broad Canvas for giving the chance to show some of my drawings in their Little Gallery. It opens on Monday and runs to the end of November. Do pop in and have a look and buy some pens before I snaffle them all. 😁
#drawing
#artexhibition
#oxford
#broadcanvas
#drawing
#artexhibition
#oxford
#broadcanvas
November 9, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Thanks so much to all the team at Oxford's Broad Canvas for giving the chance to show some of my drawings in their Little Gallery. It opens on Monday and runs to the end of November. Do pop in and have a look and buy some pens before I snaffle them all. 😁
#drawing
#artexhibition
#oxford
#broadcanvas
#drawing
#artexhibition
#oxford
#broadcanvas
Reposted by Mark Clay
It's very brief and you could miss it after 1.5 hours (maybe Alastair and Rory did miss it), but at 1:30:00, Michael Gove admits that he and Vote Leave did not spell out the trade-offs involved in leaving the EU.
You don't say.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwrm...
You don't say.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwrm...
The Man to Blame For Brexit? | Michael Gove
YouTube video by The Rest Is Politics: Leading
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:10 PM
It's very brief and you could miss it after 1.5 hours (maybe Alastair and Rory did miss it), but at 1:30:00, Michael Gove admits that he and Vote Leave did not spell out the trade-offs involved in leaving the EU.
You don't say.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwrm...
You don't say.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwrm...
Reposted by Mark Clay
I was leafletting recently in a deprived area. I saw several Reform U.K. posters. Farage is a con man who will do nothing to improve the lives of anyone who votes for this company which is masquerading as a party. The BBC and other media outlets are responsible for giving him a platform.
November 2, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I was leafletting recently in a deprived area. I saw several Reform U.K. posters. Farage is a con man who will do nothing to improve the lives of anyone who votes for this company which is masquerading as a party. The BBC and other media outlets are responsible for giving him a platform.
Reposted by Mark Clay
"The Man Who Disappeared" (2018).
#Halloween is an infantile affair. We dress up in cheap costumes, and hide our real fears with sickly sweets and clichés. Real, bigger terrors are still there, lurking just under the surface, though. But we don't allow ourselves to think about those.
#drawing
#Halloween is an infantile affair. We dress up in cheap costumes, and hide our real fears with sickly sweets and clichés. Real, bigger terrors are still there, lurking just under the surface, though. But we don't allow ourselves to think about those.
#drawing
October 31, 2025 at 8:20 AM
"The Man Who Disappeared" (2018).
#Halloween is an infantile affair. We dress up in cheap costumes, and hide our real fears with sickly sweets and clichés. Real, bigger terrors are still there, lurking just under the surface, though. But we don't allow ourselves to think about those.
#drawing
#Halloween is an infantile affair. We dress up in cheap costumes, and hide our real fears with sickly sweets and clichés. Real, bigger terrors are still there, lurking just under the surface, though. But we don't allow ourselves to think about those.
#drawing
Reposted by Mark Clay
Attention Norfolk folk.
If the kids come round Trick or Treating tonight, and you don't want to open the door, just shout 'Prince Andrew Lives here now' through the letterbox to them and problem solved.
If the kids come round Trick or Treating tonight, and you don't want to open the door, just shout 'Prince Andrew Lives here now' through the letterbox to them and problem solved.
October 31, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Attention Norfolk folk.
If the kids come round Trick or Treating tonight, and you don't want to open the door, just shout 'Prince Andrew Lives here now' through the letterbox to them and problem solved.
If the kids come round Trick or Treating tonight, and you don't want to open the door, just shout 'Prince Andrew Lives here now' through the letterbox to them and problem solved.
Reposted by Mark Clay
“Privatisation was the experiment — and it’s failed. We have water companies pumping sewage into our rivers and charging us extra for the privilege.”
Zack Polanski says it’s time to bring water back into public hands on #BBCPoliticsNorth.
Zack Polanski says it’s time to bring water back into public hands on #BBCPoliticsNorth.
October 27, 2025 at 4:01 PM
“Privatisation was the experiment — and it’s failed. We have water companies pumping sewage into our rivers and charging us extra for the privilege.”
Zack Polanski says it’s time to bring water back into public hands on #BBCPoliticsNorth.
Zack Polanski says it’s time to bring water back into public hands on #BBCPoliticsNorth.
This double page #drawing is number 69 of "A Never-Ending Way (Vol.3)". The low, autumn light breaking through the trees makes for delightful contrasts of light and shade that are as challenging and absorbing to depict as they are beautiful.
October 26, 2025 at 8:18 AM
This double page #drawing is number 69 of "A Never-Ending Way (Vol.3)". The low, autumn light breaking through the trees makes for delightful contrasts of light and shade that are as challenging and absorbing to depict as they are beautiful.
Reposted by Mark Clay
Updating my LEGO White House
October 23, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Updating my LEGO White House