Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year to you all!






Yesterday Barry and I drove out to Frampton Marsh to take some photos in the fog! It was so gorgeous and I am very excited at the thought of getting down to some new work in 2011 and getting out to paint in the fresh air! I took some close up photos of some seed heads against the foggy background and I can feel some abstracts coming on! I need big canvases though and a huge studio. Hello Aunt Agnes... I hope your garage isn't too cold!

Also, to encourage subscribers and followers I am taking a leaf out of Loriann's book and will be a organising my first painting give away... details to follow... since I am having a little tipple before our New Year's dinner... I might get carried away and offer a 60" x 60" by mistake! I have now been doing this blog for just over a year so I think it's time to celebrate!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Our makeshift studio!



Studio!



Woody!


Well, Christmas has come and gone! I hope you all had a great time. Barry, Dad and I all went down to Henley Upon Thames to spend our Christmas with my daughter, Holly, her Dad his partner and of course Woody and Wilbur (picture next time)... It was a lovely Christmas, all mucking in and sitting around a lovely open fire. It was great to be together.

Now we are back to work. As you can see, we needed to make room for Barry in my makeshift studio! When you have to paint, you have to paint!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Almost Christmas







All scenes from in and around Biggar, Scotland

I can't believe that my last post was on the 8th December. I have been rather busy though. Barry arrived on the 15th December so I went down to London to meet him. Thankfully he came in before all the snow chaos began! We then drove up to Scotland to deliver a painting and managed to avoid getting stuck. It was just so beautiful up there and I just didn't know which photo to post! Needless to say I haven't had much time to paint. It's lovely having Barry here. Last year we were apart for Christmas, so this is a treat.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Wicken Fen after a hoar frost







After all this snow we have been having, I finally felt that it was safe to get out and visit Wicken Fen again to see how the cold weather had transformed it... and I was so pleased that I did! What a treat. I took over 200 photographs and am hard pressed to know which ones to publish here. So many beautiful ones! I walked to the Old Tower Hide thinking I would get a good view and would be sheltered. I did a quick pastel until my fingers started to freeze up!

Here is a photo of the hide in the distance.




Monday, December 6, 2010

An old favourite



Misty Meadow
9 x 16 Oil/Linen

I have painted this scene before, albeit with a difference. I took the reference photograph a number of years ago in France. We were staying with a friend in the Vendee region and I woke up early and the whole countryside was covered in mist with the sun just breaking through. It was glorious.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Before breakfast!


It was so beautiful this morning I just had to wander round the corner before breakfast and do a very quick (poor) sketch! It's been so long since I picked up my oil pastels and I don't have many colours or any tortillons here. I guess I am going to have to remedy that soon.



Meanwhile a bit of fun! I really needed to play after a few frustrating days dealing with shipping. So I did! All my packages came back two days after I shipped them. I was somewhat upset to say the least. Apparently I hadn't given enough customs information. I think I will continue building on these and then try them in oils.