Missing the Rain

“A profusion of pink roses being ragged in the rain speaks to me of all gentleness and its enduring.” Missing the Rain 8"x9" Oil on canvas Ready to frame Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping William Carlos Williams ( American poet 1883-1963) I am so missing the rain that this quote attracted me even more.I could quite happily enjoy looking at,hearing and feeling rain everyday and its been two weeks , we are heading for a drought if we don't get some good inches of rainfall.

Fiery Threesome

Picture taken in daylight

Fiery Threesome
5"x7" Oil on canvas panel
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping
Ready to frame

This red chili is called habanero and is the hottest chili I have tasted. It does have a fruity flavour to it that makes it stand out from most.
I've taken this photo in not so good light so hopefully tomorrow I will take a better pic.

Faith



Faith
8"x9" Oil on canvas
Ready to frame
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.”  

J.M.Barrie

Apple of My Eye

Apple of my Eye
Oil on stretched canvas,5"x7"
Available £20 plus£5 post within UK,outsideUK £10 shipping

I painted this for this weeks challenge on DailyPaintworks ,which is to simplify an apple.Its hard not to keep going ,but I think I stopped before I went too far!

Southern France After Andre' Derain

Southern France After Andre' Derain
Oil on canvas 8"x9"
Ready to frame
Available £30 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping.

Something I should do much more is copy paintings by artists I admire and love.Its supposed to be the quickest way to learn,so this is my offering today .

Faded Rose

It was not in the Winter
Our loving lot was cast;
It was the time of roses—
We pluck'd them as we pass'd!

That churlish season never frown'd
On early lovers yet:
O no—the world was newly crown'd
With flowers when first we met!

'Twas twilight, and I bade you go,
But still you held me fast;
It was the time of roses—
We pluck'd them as we pass'd!

Faded Rose
Oil on Canvas Panel,7"x5"
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

Time of Roses by Thomas Hood

Orchid

This orchid was given to me by my husband on our wedding anniversary last week. This is not my favourite flower, after being married for so long you would think he would know that ,but bless him he still does'nt have a clue,lol!! I will say that where it really counts he is always there so I think I'll have to forgive him the little things.The whole idea of romance is pure hype and I don't mind anymore,I must be getting old.

Orchid
7"x5" Oil on canvas panel
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

This was painted in oils as I went all out yesterday and bought everything I needed to start.I'm surprised that today it was a bit of a struggle as it can turn to mud very quickly so every brushstroke has to count.

Portrait in oils

SOLD

Today was wonderful!!! Adebanji Alade ran an oil painting workshop on portraits in Cass Arts which is in Islington.Adebanji worked his magic and I don't know where four hours went.He is a truly gifted artist and an equally gifted teacher who can communicate his passion with humour and ease.I painted my first portrait in oils and I felt like I was in heaven,the look and feel of oils and the freedom with which you can move oils is so different to acrylics.It almost felt like  it painted itself,I don't know if that makes sense ,but I am hooked on oils.
Bringing the painting home was a bit tricky and there was a little smudging but on the whole its in great condition. This is painted from a photo of his wife,I must ask him what her name is so I can name my painting.

Spring Chicken

Spring Chicken
Acrylic on acrylic paper
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

Forsythia's always mean spring to me.I love them and they are everywhere,but unfortunately I just can't manage to grow them in my garden so I have to resort to asking for some from neighbours.As promised I said I would have another go at painting this little ceramic hen and I feel that I achieved a better result this time.I hope so anyway.I bought a variety of chocolate eggs and I could'nt resist adding one of them too.

Sunrise

Sunrise offered a very beautiful spectacle; the water was quite unruffled, but the motion communicated by the tides was so great that, although there was not a breath of air stirring, the sea heaved slowly with a grand and majestic motion.

Sunrise
6"x8" Acrylic on acrylic paper
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

Quote by George Grey

Hen and Eggs

This is a little ceramic hen I bought today and some candy coated chocolate eggs.Painting this has been a REAL challenge!! I think I am going to have to have another go because I don't feel I have done justice to this subject.Any suggestions would be greatfully recieved.

I am going to send this ceramic hen to a my dear friend Karla Uphoff,who is a very talented artist from http://karlasplace-karla.blogspot.co.uk/  .She will paint it and then offer it to anyone who would like to take up the challenge.
I think it would be fun to see this little hen appear on blogs all around the world and see how far it can travel.

Sing your Heart Out

"Just as the bird sings or the butterfly soars, because it is his natural characteristic, so the artist works."

Sing Your Heart Out
6"x8" Acrylic on  acrylic paper
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,Outside UK £10 shipping

Quote by Alma Gluck

Fragrant Red Rose

"The world is a rose, smell it and pass it to your friends."

Persian Proverb.

Fragrant Red Rose
6"x8" Acrylic on acrylic paper
Available £20 plus £5 within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

Orchid Sketch

The highlight of my weekend was recieving an email from my friend,a fellow artist and blogger.She bought my painting "wing and a prayer"  last week and she recieved it yesterday.This is the email she sent me!!

"Oh Azra, I could not believe what I saw when I opened that package. The painting arrived in perfect condition, and it is so much more beautiful in person than looking at it on the internet. I knew it was special when I saw it on your blog, but I had no idea of the intricate colors and rich brushstrokes. I almost feel guilty for having it instead of someone else. Almost! I have the painting on my bedside table so it will be the first thing I see when I get up and the last thing I see when I go to sleep."

 

Her reaction and support is something I will always cherish .

 

 

Spread Your Wings

The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? - it is the same the angels breathe.

Spread Your Wings
6"x8" acrylic on acrylic paper
Ready to frame
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

Mark Twain

Tea Rose

"The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart."

Source Unknown

Tea Rose
6"x8" Acrylic on acrylic paper
Ready to frame
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping

Serenity II

Serenity II
Acrylic on acrylic paper
unframed
Available £20 plus £5 post within UK,outside UK £10 shipping.

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.

Henri Matisse

Can Can

These types of roses with the frilly edges always remind me of can can skirts.


Can Can
6"x8" Acrylic on acrylic paper.
unframed
SOLD













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I've had a really great day today,the morning was spent cooking curry and rice for work ,then I met a friend for tea and a wonderful couple of hours chatting.Then the icing on the cake was buying this bunch of roses .

Playtime

Playtime
9.5"x7.5" acylic on acrylic paper
Available £20 plus£5 post within UK ,outside UK £10 shipping.

This is how I felt in every art class at school,there was no restriction.We could paint or draw in any medium,the object was to have fun.i hope that comes through in this painting.I've had these flowers (I've no idea what they are called) for a week and the colours are faded in some and they are falling apart.I've bought myself some glitter in different colours to add to the fun, although it does'nt really show up in the scan.

Wing and a Prayer

There are some amazing,talented,hardworking and struggling artists out there.With the beginning of the recession art was one of the first to take a nose dive.Now many  artists have reduced their prices drastically to compensate and to make those much needed sales.It is most definitely a buyers market out there.What I love about everyone is their tenacity and persistance to keep trying,to follow this dream of the ideal job....something that we love with a passion and getting paid for it.
My heartfelt goodluck and good wishes to everyone and whatever you do, don't give up.

Wing and a Prayer
Acrylic on acrylic paper 6"x8"
SOLD

For those who are living the dream,you are an inspiration and something we can all aspire to.

Applesauce

Well, Art is Art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know.

Applesauce
Acrylic on acrylic paper,6"x8"
available £20 plus £5 post within UK and £10 shipping outside of UK

Groucho Marx quote.

Swan sketches

I know having your kitten spayed or neutered is the humane thing to do considering the number of abandoned animals there are out  there,but today was the hardest thing I have ever done to another living thing.Our kitten was due to be neutered about a month ago and I just kept putting it off.We got a surprise when our Tony is actually a Toni!! We picked her up from the vets a couple of hours later and I've spent most of the day in tears.
To distract myself I 've managed to do some drawing and also keep an eye on Toni.

Strawberry Fancy

I am blessed with the most wonderful neighbours.We are always giving plates of food to each other,for me that means I get to paint a variety of dishes.This fancy dish I've kept, with my neighbours kind permission to paint.Now its done I will return it ,with some food.

Proud as a.......( Donated to Morrisons Cat Shelter)

In my art class at school I painted a peacock and a huge peony, and my teacher loved it so much he  hung it next to his desk .There it stayed for the entire year.That is one of my proudest moments. : )

Snow-White and Rose-Red

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Alot of my childhood was spent with my head buried in fairytale books and this story was one of my favourites.I could not get enough of books by Enid Blyton and Brothers Grimm .Saturdays you would always find me at the library and they were the happiest days of my life.

Smoothie

The only way I can get my kids to have fruit, and their not babies anymore ,is to make smoothies!! What a palava,I mean whats wrong with peeling a banana and eating it!