Improvisation...

I had to find a subject quick for my painting demonstration at the local art exhibition yesterday.  As I had just finished the gannets painting and have a commission to make sketches for, I was at a bit of a loss for any inspiration.  At the last minute I decided to go with what I know and paint a macaw using Inktense pencils & blocks.  It was quite fun in the end and I felt a bit like a rep for Derwent, telling people how to use Inktense and raving about how much I like them - but it's true, these pigments are one of my favourite mediums.  Now let's see if I can finish it....

A Little Experimentation...

I bought a set of Liquid Pencil a couple of weeks ago, it has 6 hues, two greys, yellow, blue, red and sepia.  I couldn't really think of anything to paint with them off the top of my head so just did a little sparrow sketch.  I don't think the medium lends itself to much detail, this was quite hard to do and not being able to control the colours and brushmarks was getting frustrating.  However, I think for a landscape or something simpler, this is a great new medium.

The Fleet & District Art Society exhibition opens today at the Church on the Heath.  Hoping for a sale or two this year, fingers crossed.

Gannets & Other Paintings...

 This painting has been sat around for the past four days just needing the poo highlights painted in, but with a bank holiday weekend and everyone home, I just didn't get the opportunity.  Today, with the house to myself and a spare hour, it got done.  I'm very happy with how this one turned out, plus it was a lot of fun to paint.  Watercolour on watercolour paper, with acrylic 'poo'.

I've also been procrastinating over framing my paintings for the upcoming local exhibition - I've had a month in which to do it, but as usual left it to the last minute.  The exhibition starts on Thursday...actually, that makes me a day early geting them done, which is quite amazing for me!

I have a couple of commissions waiting in the wings, but have a few days free to paint something else of my own - not sure what yet, but I do have a new set of liquid pencil to play with...

On Procrastination...

 I made these cookies on Tuesday - using my new cactus cookie cutter and also picking more violas from the garden for the round ones.  Quite fiddly and time consuming, especially when I should have been doing this:

 I've had a month to get my paintings ready for the Fleet Art Society exhibition which starts today, so why did I leave it all to two days beforehand? Beats me, I don't know where the time goes!  Every year is the same, I think I have plenty of time, get involved with other things and then suddenly have just 48 hours to frame a bunch of paintings.  Usually something goes wrong - dog hair under the glass, glass breaking, you get the idea. This year I had no excuse not to have done these earlier as I no longer work at the school.  Luckily, everything went really well, no hiccups in the process and even when I discovered one of the paintings was a silly size for normal frames, I was able to find a frame to fit it in town within ten minutes.

So off they go this morning - let's hope I get a sale or two!

 The weather has been cold and wet for a while so I was at least unable to waste time in the garden.  Things are growing well and hopefully this current warm spell will push it all along - there will be lots of produce if nothing dire happens.

 I didn't sow these, they appeared earlier this year in a hanging basket, must have self seeded.  They look so pretty all together in their little terracotta pots. Not destined for cookies!

On the needles: Cotton summer top - could be next summer at the rate I'm going.
                         More little things for Nudinits - you'll just have to keep an eye on Twitter for them

On the easel -  Dog portrait, coming along nicely.

Exhibition Time

It seems a very long time since I had any work in an exhibition - our local art society has had to limit their exhibitions to one per year due to high fees for the local hall.  However, we have a little bonus this year with a week long exhibition being held at All Saints Church hall in Fleet to help celebrate the church's 150th anniversary, starting this Friday 4th May.

As usual, I left it until the last minute to frame my pictures - luckily it all went well and they are now ready and waiting to be delivered.  I have had it in the past where I left it until the day before the exhibition to frame a painting and then broke the glass - which involved a mad dash to the local glaziers just before closing time!

If you are in the area next week, pop in and have a look - the standard of work is usually very high and there will be plenty to look at.

Christmas Dove

This is the first post I have added since getting a new computer - boy, was it tricky!  My last computer blew up when we had a power cut a few weeks ago and I have been struggling along with an old reconditioned one, so thought it time to replace it.  But technology has moved on in leaps and bounds and half my trusted programmes now no longer work or if they do, it involves a great deal of convoluted jiggery-pokery (technical term....)  I do so hate getting a new computer as it takes weeks to get it fine-tuned to how I like it.  On the other hand, having a lovely smart screen that I can actually see properly now is a big bonus!

This bird is made of felt and has a little red heart sewn to his chest.

The tops of his wings, head and tail are all embroidered with gold thread and he hangs by some clear filament.

He will be on my stall at Tavistock Infant School Christmas Fair this Saturday - always assuming I make it that far.  I have 5 paintings that need framing to go in the local Fleet & District Art Society exhibition on the same day and in the meantime I am sitting here off work with an extremely painful infected tooth and unable to get on with anything constructive.  Perhaps it is my body's way of telling me it's time to slow down. If I can only hold out for 5 more days, I'll slow down then.......

What a Difference a Frame Makes.....

It is always so suprising to me to see the difference between one of my paintings as it is, just paper, and then when it is behind glass in a decent frame.  I am so pleased with the above painting  especially as the frame itself was quite a bargain and yet exactly what I was looking for. I almost don't want to put it up for sale in the exhibition tomorrw.....

I was quite lucky this time round that I had frames at home that suited all the paintings - couldn't have found a better match for this one either.

Or this one - and I managed to frame everything for once without a bit of dust or a dog hair sneaking behind the glass when I have already taped the backing down!

So if you would like to see these in the flesh, come to the Fleet & District Art Exhibition at the Harlington Centre in Fleet from tomorrow until Sunday.

My next post will be my 700th - have I waffled for that much?  I'm thinking about a giveaway...any requests?

The Cat's Pyjamas.....

Here he is, one fully jointed cat ready to be animated.  He now has a comfy red bed, a food bowl, a water bowl complete with removeable 'water', and a funky purple mouse-toy.

I can't wait to see him in motion - how weird will that be?  I love these random projects, such fun to try and free-style an everyday object in miniature knitting.

I spent most of yesterday mounting and framing 6 paintings ready for a local exhibition at the weekend.  Fleet Art Society will be holding their annual exhibition at the Harlington Centre from Friday evening until Sunday tea-time.  I shall be painting in situ Sunday afternoon, so if you are in the area come and say 'Hi'.

Result!

After being on show at the local Art Society exhibition, these three paintings have been sold.


I am surprised that both the jellyfish paintings sold quickly - I thought they might be a bit 'left-field'. Perhaps I should do more of this kind of work!


The three paintings that did not sell will now go in to my Etsy shop - perhaps they will find a home soon too!

I have been working on a private commission lately, but that is nearing completion - another couple of days should do it. After which, I shall be free for further commissions or to get on with my own choice of subject. If you are interested in commissioning a painting at any time, please do get in touch via the e-mail address at the top of the screen.

Beachcomber Wristwarmers & Mist Scarf

A while back I was very kindly sent some assorted yarn by Jo in Cambridge as a thank you for the many portraits I did for her and her family over the winter. I've been quietly looking for some suitable patterns to use it for, and this week had a bit of a brainwave while fingering the simply gorgeous Louisa Harding 'Cinnabar' cotton mix yarn. I have knitted up a pair of 'Beachcomber Wristwarmers' from the Coastline Designs edition of The Knitter magazine. I think you'll agree that this beautiful yarn and the unusual design have combined to make a very special pair of wristwarmers...and I am keeping them all to myself! (Notice how they cunningly match the bamboo top I made last week....



However, if you would like a pair of these, do get in touch as I would love to make them again - the pattern was really quick and very effective to do.


I've also been knitting this scarf using Sublime kid mohair yarn in a simply wonderful retro shade of blue. Much as I love this, it is going up for sale on Etsy as I only have one neck and an awful lot of scarves already.

Further to the previous post, that zebra painting is still causing me grief. I framed it yesterday as it is going into exhibition this morning. Could I get it clean inbetween mount and glass? Could I *&$%£^&*!!!! And to top it all, as I was struggling taking the painting in and out & cleaning it again and again, I managed to snap the corner off the glass. Ever seen a grown woman curled up in the foetal position on the floor moaning 'no no no NO!'? It was half an hour before the shops shut and I rang our local glazier who is a total superstar and had a piece of glass cut and ready for me ten minutes later when I screeched to a halt outside his shop.

So the darn thing is now framed and off today to the Fleet Art Society Exhibition which is being held this year at Calthorpe Park School, Hitches Lane, opening tomorrow until Sunday 31st May. If you'd like to come and see what all the fuss is about, as well as my cheetah & herd of zebra paintings, do drop in - all three paintings are for sale. I shall be demonstrating on one of the days - not too sure which yet - but it certainly will NOT be a painting of a zebra!

Glad This One Is Over!

Perhaps some of you were wondering about the lack of artwork on here lately? It's not just because I can't display the potato illustrations I have been doing, but also because the above painting has been such a sod to produce. Sometimes the creative process is described like giving birth - if that's the case, then this was a 12 lb baby, born breech and with the cord round it's neck and wearing a hat of thorns!

The problems started when I had just about finished painstakingly painting all the stripes on the main zebra - about a week's work. I decided I didn't like the line of trees I had painted in the background and tried to lift them out with water and a paintbrush. Unfortunately, the paper I had used (The Langton Extra Smooth) doesn't like having paint removed and clings on to it for dear life - the trees remained. So then I had the bright idea of using some bleach, diluted just a little bit, which I put in a small ceramic pot. (Can you see where this is going? It's excrutiating and I cannot believe my own stupidity!) I painted this solution over the trees carefully, but nothing changed, they were still there, dark as ever, and I leaned back to have a better look......knocking the bleach all over the painting, zebra and all. Luckily I always have a wadge of tissue on my desk and mopped up the mess as quick as I could and then walked away in despair, not wanting to see the destruction I had caused!

So, a couple of hours later I went back to see what I'd done now that it was all dry - there were several splashes on the zebra that had removed the paint but nothing like as terrible as I'd imagined. But the trees were still there.

Two days later and in a better state of mind I came back, patched up the zebra and tried to paint over the trees with some white gouache. Failure. Tried to paint over them with white acrylic.....three coats later and the damn trees were still showing through, mocking me. By this time the sky was also looking patchy and there was a horrible white line at the top of the trees. Tried to re-paint the sky with blue acrylic....got the colour too dark and it looked awful. And you could still see the faint outline of the trees. Painted over with a paler blue acrylic.....still too dark. Painted over with yet paler acrylic - trees disappeared but now the paint was so thick it made a ridge on the horizon. Walked away in despair.

Two days later, got out my new box of scalpels and it was a case of do or die. The sky and trees were removed with no mishaps and I painted a new pale, tree-free sky, and carefully glued the bottom section of the painting on.

The rest of the painting went as well as it could, although towards the end I realised that the line of trees had been ok really...so I put them back in, but much, much lighter this time!

I have never had such problems with a painting - possibly in the past it would have been consigned to the bin, but I'd already entered this in the Fleet Art Society Spring Exhibition, due in on Wednesday this week. Now let's see how I can bodge up the framing.........

Car-Booty & a Sneaky Peek!

Oh I just love the summer months when the car-boot sales start up again! I trudged round out local one today fairly disappointed at the amount of complete rubbish on display - who really wants a grubby snaggle-haired Bratz doll or someone's really quite nasty mis-matched china? But then, two stalls before the end, I came across a treasure trove - three cardboard boxes stuffed to the brim with knitting yarn at only 50p per ball! Boy, was I regretting coming out with only £10 in my purse!! But I still managed to grab all the above, a selection of the best bits and enough to calm my yarn cravings for a while....yes, I know I got a ton of mohair not that long ago, but every junkie needs their fix!

After that little windfall, I spent the rest of the morning at the local exhibition painting the above, my latest zebra. Please bear in mind that it is a long way from finished - even the bits you see aren't finished yet - but I thought you might like a taster.

Marigold & Spring into Art Exhibition

Finally finished the marigold - it started off as a brooch, but looked so nice with the embroidered leaves I decided to change it to a necklace. It took 3 evenings as I have stitched round the leaves this time, as well as adding a bit more satin stitch to the flower and a little ladybird. This is £20 + P&P SOLD
Two days until the Fleet Art Society 'Spring into Art' exhibition and I have framed four out of five paintings - just a little one to go but I ran out of masking tape. If any of you are in the Fleet area, come to the Harlington Centre to see the exhibition 3rd & 4th May. I shall be 'demonstrating' (well, painting while people walk past!) Sunday morning - I've started another zebra picture, back in the comfort zone!

Nasturtiums...

This is the watercolour painting I have been working on for the past week or so. I have a pot of nasturtiums in the garden that have been struggling throughout the very wet summer and now that the weather has improved, so have they. I have been sitting outside in the sunshine painting them in situ and it has been glorious! Admittedly the actual flowers I started sketching have died and been replaced, but it was surprisingly easy to keep the continuity going. I don't do botanical painting very often as I find it very difficult and the results not always satisfying, but I am fairly pleased with this one. I am considering painting a bumble bee somewhere on it, but of course when I went outside with the camera, every bee in the whole garden decided it was time to go elsewhere! This will be entered into the Fleet Art Society exhibition at Calthorpe Park School next month, but if anyone is interested in buying it before then, do please get in touch.

Next on the agenda is some 'bread and butter' work - I have a cat portrait to paint, which after taking a break from animals for a few weeks, I am actually looking forward to doing! Must also get back to the beads - I have had a lot to deal with at home the past week or so and have not felt like making anything much, but as of today with my daughter's first day at college a roaring success and my day job working out nicely, perhaps it's time to get back to the jewellery!