Painting The Paralympics

This poor painting has taken far too long, but was finally completed today.  This is just a personal impression of our visit to the Paralympic Equestrian event last year up in Greenwich.  We had such a fantastic day, despite freezing in driving rain and wind, and I wanted to convey the feeling of it.  In the front is Lee Pearson, who of course was a medal winner.

I don't know if this painting appeals to anyone else (I'm open to offers if you are interested in buying it!) but I am pleased that I managed to achieve what I had in my head for the past 8 months.  I have used watercolours and a Sharpie liquid pencil.

Hopefully my creativity will return with a vengeance now - our porch is finished (on the inside at least) which means I have been able to clear up the various piles of tools, coats, paints and packaging that have been cluttering up our house and my brain for the past 5 weeks. So no more workmen crashing about, a bit more peace and quiet and some peace of mind too. 

Just as well, as there is another commission for Derwent on the horizon, using Inktense once again and a subject I cannot wait to get started on!

Our apple tree is covered in blossom this year and no bad weather to kill the flowers.  Hopefully they will have been visited by the bees and winged insects and we will have lots of apples this year.  Last year we had none - what few we had died on the tree before reaching maturity.

I am not so pleased with my tomato plants - they have sufferd a bit from the cold snap we had a couple of weeks ago and are not looking well.  Mine are outside, unlike Midge's over at Soggibottom which are pampered in a greenhouse.  It does not bode well.....