Deadlines

I'm going to hold you all in suspense for a few days!  Something particularly lovely is being painted and I rather quite like it so far...

Feather and cotton bud with ink

 On another note the Creative Drawing course has started at long last and I have black stained fingers as a result of spending two and half hours messing about with ink, cocktail sticks, lollipop sticks, cotton wool bud sticks, pieces of cardboard, a feather, a straw and a piece of tin foil.

Cardboard and ink

 My friend Heather loved it and created some fabulous expressive "lines" with cardboard and black ink.  My favourite was the feather together with the cotton wool bud sticks.

Viola

Watercolour

10" x 10"

Sold

 

I was asked to paint some violets for a September birthday, the only problem being that they flower during late Winter-Spring. 

I prefer to paint the real-thing and pondered this predicament.

Last Saturday I went to visit Beth Chatto's garden.  Hurray, there were violets for sale and one had flowers.  When I read the plant label it was called Viola odorata "Miracle Classy Blue".  I was particularly surprised but gladdened by this miracle, I bought it home and set to with earnest!

My friend Janet told me this: In the Language of Flowers, Violets mean "Faithfulness, Watchfulness and Modesty".  This painting is for a beautiful little girl :) and I am so delighted to know this; I shall definitely tell her Mum!

 



Hen Party

Watercolour

Sold

 

This painting caused quite a stir in the Spring Exhibition of Ely Watercolour Workshop.

One lady was convinced I'd sneaked round her house and painted her chickens without permission.  Day after day she came in, making us giggle.  My friends who had seen my hens tried telling her they were mine and even told her the names of them.  I don't think she was ever convinced!

Creative Expression Workshop

This is the work of Marianne.
I love the depth of this, I really feel that I'm the person dipping my toes into the water!
 

This is the work of Sandra. 
The rock is so solid and really depicts security and I can imagine myself standing there being refreshed.

This is my work.
I should have paid attention to spelling; I don't want to change it!
The silver spots are depicting manna - a picture I saw on holiday.  The rest I won't explain.

Today I did a workshop with ladies from church.

I asked them to create a work expressing the word "Refreshing".

Our time of creating art together brought us all joy, next time I hope for more people.

Before Zentangle

Marker on Keyboard

 

Three years ago I had a white keyboard, I doodled on it, bit by bit, through phonecalls instead of on paper.  (My hubby doesn't call this officially art.) 

 

Three months ago a work colleague tipped me off about Zentangle.  I've known for years that doodling aids concentration.  I like to think I practiced doodling before Rick and Maria came up with Zentangle.  For more info about Zentangle see the link:

http://www.zentangle.com/

Goodbye Ely Wool Shop

Mixed Media

Moleskine watercolour pad

 

This painting is in my sketchbook of Ely Wool Shop on St Mary's Street.
Sadly Sandra is closing the shop tomorrow, very sad to see it go.

I sat in the shop drawing and painting this one freezing day in March, warmed up by Sandra's cheerfulness and a cup of tea.

Gargoyle

Watercolour

 

I had a phase a few years ago of looking out for gargoyles.  I photographed them, painted them and created them in clay.  I even immortalised my dog in a gargoyle caricature.

 

This sweet little crowned lion was in quite a state of disrepair.

Featuring on the door posts of St Martin's Church, Fincham.