Last one before Christmas ...

..... and mince pies, sausage rolls, bucks fizz, white wine, chocolate biscuits and coffee all on offer! 
Oh! And a spot of painting too .. tee hee ...
Really nice to see everyone at group this morning and I'm still working on the waterfall at The Priory Hotel .. thoroughly enjoying this one ..

Next group 10th January 2013!!!!!  Hasn't this year flown by!!!!

Happy Days!

Peacock fun..

... Wanted to do this to go on a couple of birthday cards .. pleased with him ..

Happy days!

Where I was born ...

.. this is a picture I've painted for my Mum ... It's where we used to live in Claygate, just down the alleyway behind the fountain ..

we passed this fountain many a time! ... My sisters and I would stand on the concrete blocks and push the buttons ..
Brings back memories!

So pleased I went ...

.. didn't think I would make group today as still very sore and uncomfortable, but I thought I might as well be sitting painting as well as sitting doing something else .. and I'm jolly glad I did.  It was lovely seeing everyone, we had a good giggle as always and I'm well pleased with the way my picture is progressing!

Happy Days!

Close up ...

... of the water feature from The Priory Gardens .. Started in group this morning ...

No masking fluid for this one!!!!

Happy Days!

That's sad ..

I was finishing off my painting of The Priory Garden today so I could start another picture in art group tomorrow .. I done everything apart from the white rowing boat, so I waited for all the top water washes to dry,  played with this watery watercolour ....

and then attempted to rub off the masking fluid .... rub, rub, rub .. but to no avail ... the fluid seems to have, over the course of the summer, merged with the paper and WILL NOT budge!!!!!!
Well there's one to remember .. don't leave masking fluid on for long!!!!!
Anyway.. I think the rest of it looks good!

Happy days!

Week two of new painting group

Carry on with my painting of The Priory garden .. concentrating on the boarders.

Happy days!

Ahh! A new Baby ...

I've done these for a family down the road who've just become Grandparents!  How sweet!

Happy days!

Whey hey ...

Class has started again, a new venue and a new day of the week ...
Working on this watercolour

 It's one of the Gardens of The Priory Hotel in Wareham, Dorset. A beautiful place.
It's nice to be back as I kinda lost my mojo over the summer!

Happy Days!

Sunny pic ..

... finished!

Happy, sunny days!

Creative input ...

The 'Cat that isn't ours' watched with interest as I sat painting outside in the lovely sunshine ... and came and added her creative input (her fur!) into my painting!!

Happy Days! 

Lovely Sunday ...

Today was interesting, we wandered round 5 of the Cambridge Open Studios with Big Blue One's Mum, walking 7737 steps ....
First stop was Rhiannon Thomas and her friend Lauren Rowden at one house.
Then across the road to Yvonne Jerrold in another house ..
Then we had a bit of a meander to Cathy Parker in her studio/house.
Along to Anne Culver and down the road to Susan Cupitt in her potters studio .. then we wandered back via an ice cream stop!  We then watched the final stage of the Tour De France which was won by Bradley Wiggins .. an Englishman!!!!

Pen and paint ...

I would have really loved a house like this when I was little .... I enjoyed painting this but think if I did another pen drawing I'd use a finer pen ....

First animal drawing ...

This was a hard one .... third attempt and it was good enough to give as the intended present for my lovely friend. Her two dogs Meg and Bracken 

  ... Had a photo to work from but the dogs had red eye which complicated it somewhat!

A few cards ...

Finished .. very pleased with it!

Well here it is ... Hickling Broads .. Finished .. I must say I'm really pleased with this one.

And also some really good news on the art class front .. I can carry on .. all the lovely people there and the tutor have agreed to start earlier than planned so I can go too!   



Very Happy Days!!!!

Still waters ....

This last two weeks in class we've been doing this painting of Hickling Broads ... Last week got as far as drawing and then painting in the sky,

 this week adding more of the foreground ...

either I'll finish off this week or in class next Tuesday!

 Well I've added more detail  .. all I need to do now is put a wash over the water!!!

Happy Days!

Happy Fathers Day

I painted this one for my Dad because I love him!
It's his gorgeous view from his dining room!

A Fantastic view!
Happy Fathers Day!

Tree .. Finished ..

Finished this one at home .. we worked on the tree in class but hadn't finished the grass in the foreground!

I likie this one very much ...

I'm very pleased  with this pic of the silver birches ... I love the colours, the composition .. everything!

Happy Days!

Sunny day ...

Today, to go with the sunshine, we started a sunny day picture ...

The masking fluid is still on the tree in the foreground .. another fun class!

Happy Days!

Wet road .. finished ...

Well... we finished the wet road in class today  ...

Then we did an estuary ...

Enjoyed the class again ... though both pics still need a little tweaking .....

Stage 1 & 2 of wet road ..

These past two weeks we've been painting what there's been a lot of here .. wet roads!!!

Week 1

This week

Still to finish next week are the puddles!  It's all very interesting thinking about wetness, puddles, reflections and shadows .. I do enjoy it! 

Like buses ...

Well there I'd been twiddling my fingers then .. BOOM!... loads of things wanted doing .... Logos, cards, posters and more cards!

Well I've done these two one for a birthday and one for moving ...

I'm in the middle of the logo ...

The posters are in my head ..

The other card's all but a brief at the moment!!!

Happy Days!

New term ...

.. pleased we're back now .. started the new term off with sky ...
It's hard!!!!!!

The cat that isn't ours ...

Here she is, snuggled on the bean bag .... the cat that isn't ours!

For my friend ...

... who sadly lost her Mother, who loved violets, a year ago ...

Peterhof Palace Gardens, St Petersburg

We went here a few years back.. stunning place! Loved it ... though we had a VERY HOT coach journey there!

The red rose

finished yesterday ...

Last class ... before Easter

And we did waves and light shining through trees ... as always, very interesting.

Spring has sprung ...

Finished this one today ... Pleased with it .. going onto my mother's day cards ..

Class this week was ....

.... drawing people!

Sunken Garden, Hampton Court ...

... but not the famous Hampton Court ... oh no! ...this is the sunken garden at Hampton Court Castle in Leominster, Herefordshire ... a lovely place to visit. I finally finished it properly today 5/4/2012 as I wasn't happy with the waterfall ... my art teacher told me how to make it better!

Painshill .. version 2

I painted this view in Painshill Park, Cobham, Surrey .. about 9 years ago (See 15th Nov 2011) ... now I've just done it again .. I like it!

le Hameau, Versailles

This took a long time .. it's ok ..
I'm sad that beacause it had taken so long the masking tape tore the paper a bit! Still can't be helped!

Happy Days!

Very pleased with this one ....

Done it today ..

Aldeburgh watercolour ...

Finished this one today .. V pleased with it ....

Finished ...

.... I think!!!