Pear

Pear
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
SOLD

Painting means bliss,escape,joy and so many other positive emotions.Its been nearly two years since I started painting daily, blogging and having contact with all the wonderful artists has saved my sanity ,as these two years have also been very testing times.Just the act of picking up a brush and beginning a new painting creates a little oasis of forgetfulness where I can lose myself.
So,my artist friends,I would like to ask how long have you been painting and blogging and what has it meant for you?

Flown the Coop

Flown the Coop
5"x7",oil on canvas board
SOLD

Our neighbours had family over from Ireland and she came round and bought this painting from me.She is a wonderful person,so full of life and warmth.

Pink Roses& Creamer

Pink Roses&Creamer
Oil on canvas board,7"x5
SOLD

A change from my usual style,I feel like scraping it and starting again!!! I wont though,maybe there is a charm about it???

Solitary Clementine

 



Solitary Clementine
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
SOLD

“I see myself forever and ever as the ridiculous man, the lonely soul, the wanderer, the restless frustrated artist, the man in love with love, always in search of the absolute, always seeking the unattainable”
― Henry Miller, Stand Still Like the Hummingbird

Solitary Rose

Solitary Rose
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
SOLD

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.
Twyla Tharp

Solitary Persimmon

Solitary Persimmon
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
Thomas Merton

Henny and Penny II

Things are slowly getting back to normality of sorts.Thankyou so much everyone for your thoughts and prayers,you guys are my lifeline in dark times.

Henny and Penny II
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

I was lucky enough to take some pictures of these chickens about three weeks ago.All being well I will be painting my way through them.

Henny and Penny

My thoughts and prayers go out to all that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy.I will be donating a painting on DPW as soon as I am able.
You may have noticed a break in painting,there has been illness in the family.Thank God he is recovering well,but  it has left me completely drained and frightened of what the future will hold.It does look like we will have to give up our work as it is the main cause of stress.Being self-employed is very tough,there is no sick or holiday pay.With the recession we were just getting by anyway.
All things considered though so long as there is life and health there is always hope.

Henny and Penny
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

As I painted this today I felt some sort of normality return,it felt good.

Aubergines and Pepper

Aubergines and Pepper
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
SOLD

Today has been the first really cold day of the year,its been windy,the leaves flying everywhere with sunshine and rain.I thank God for warm clothes and a warm home.I wish the same for everyone in the coming winter.I can enjoy the best of this weather,the beautiful colours and the fresh,bracing air,I am so grateful.

Aubergine

Aubergine
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

In retrospect I think I would have painted this aubergine at more of an angle.I have painted a second one which is a bit more lively but it fell face down when I was trying to take a picture outside.Its a case of  toast always falling buttered side down!! Anyway, the painting looks perfectly fine , I will take a photo more carefully tomorrow,hopefully it will be less windy.

Pink Rose in Glass Vase

Pink Rose in Glass Vase
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
SOLD

This little vase is my latest bargain buy. It was £2.50 and I love it and I hope to use it many times.I must confess my husband actually took me shopping for clothes and this is what I came home with,I must be mad!!

Pink Roses in Blue vase

Pink Roses in Blue Vase
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
SOLD

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
William Shakespeare

Black Grapes in a dish

Black Garapes in a Dish
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

These grapes and this dish seem to be made for each other.

Chinese Cabbage

Chinese Cabbage
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
SOLD

Full of vitamins A and C, and such a graceful looking vegetable.

Summer Meets Autumn

Summer Meets Autumn
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

Painting these blackberries was challenging but I think I got there in the end.

Chrysanthemums in Lily Vase

Chrysanthemums in Lily Vase
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
SOLD

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
Thomas Merton

Orange Rose in Blue Vase

Orange Rose in Blue Vase
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
SOLD

I have to go back to painting roses,I cannot stay away. I'll be known as the mad woman that tried to paint roses.Lol!!!

Fun

Fun
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
SOLD

I had great fun with this one!

Isolation

Isolation
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
Available,please contact me on
azraiqbal2000@hotmail.com

Painting is isolation by choice.Last weeks challenge on DPW was to paint a feeling and I had this composition in mind to paint only I left it till today to finish it! I don't usually put negative feelings into my work,well not deliberately any way.This  one had to come out in some way.Most of the time I am quite happy with painting on my own and yet there are times I crave company of my closest friends ,but  because I've kept everyone at a distance they are not always available for a heart to heart.Thats when the feelings of isolation take hold.

If it were not for my artist friends in blogland it would be so much harder to continue.

Fallen Gems

Fallen Gems
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

Autumn is truly a feast for the  eyes and I am loving every minute of it.

Beets

Thankyou so much for all your comments!!!

Beets
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
SOLD

The time between seeing something I want to paint and actually getting on with it ,is getting shorter.Before I started blogging years went by without picking up a brush,now its a matter of hours between each painting.I put this down to a number of inspiring events ,but  most of all blogging and the many, wonderful, talented artists that take the time to leave encouraging comments.

A Gift

A Gift
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

There's a beautiful apple tree about three houses away and the apples always look so shiny and red.I was given a bag of those apples and they are so sweet.

Cabbage

Cabbage
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
SOLD

 

I try to cook what is in season as often as possible and cabbages are fantastic in stir-frys and one of my favourites.

Leaf

Leaf
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus

Shake the Tree

Shake the Tree
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

What is more mortifying than to feel that you have missed the plum for want of courage to shake the tree? (Logan Pearsall Smith)

Persimmons in a Dish

These persimmons have been calling to me for days.

Persimmons in a Dish
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

Do my artist friends have tired eyes syndrome?? I find myself looking at everything with a view to paint and by the end of the day my eyes are so tired!! I think maybe thats why after a few weeks of regular painting I don't have a choice but to give my eyes a rest to see anew.

Red Roses in a Jar

Red Roses in a Jar
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
SOLD

 Yes,I'm back torturing myself with painting roses again!!

Figs II

Figs II
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

These figs were given to us by a neighbour ,they are so different in colour,shape and taste from the shop bought ones,really sweet and irresistable.

Pot Of Gold

I have no time or energy for painting today,but I could'nt resist posting this picture I took at about 5.45pm today.

I wish for all my blogging friends a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,may you all find abundance ,health and happiness.

Chicken Licken III

Serenity
Acrylic on watercolour paper
Available please contact me on
azraiqbal2000@hotmail.com

I loved  reading all the replies to my question about favourite artists ! My question for today is tell me about your favourite painting that you have created.Provide a link if you can and I would love to know why its your favourite.My favourite is this swan painting,it makes me feel proud to have created it,the colours are in harmony and the light on the water.Most of the time I am very critical of my own work so it makes a refreshing change to be proud of a painting.

Chicken Licken III
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

Todays painting is another from a collection of chicken photos.

Onion Blues

Onion Blues
Oil on canvas board
Available,please contact me on
SOLD

I'm so enjoying these colourful onions and this one was a challenge but I think I got there in the end.

Figs

I would love  to know from my blogging friends who is their most favourite artist ,either present or past and why.

Figs
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

I began admiring Jack Vettriano and still do love his work,but my present favourite is Donna Walker.I always look out for her work on DPW,her simplified landscapes are almost abstract.Having a recognised style is something we all strive for and her work really stands out.At the craft show back in June I met an artist and he gave me a valuable piece of advice.He said that in order to succeed an artist has to stand out.I've realised that achieving that is not an overnight task,but a work in progress.I suppose the key is not to give up,keep trying and the best of all, enjoy every brushstroke

Fig

Fig
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

My aim since I started this blog has been to be more loose with my brushwork and to use more paint.Its been a slow process but a very enjoyable process with only myself doing the pushing.I do feel ,especially with the last few paintings that I am succeeding in my goal.Just moving paint around on the canvas and liking the results is total bliss.

Sprouting Onion

Sprouting Onion
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
SOLD

Groceries everywhere are selling bowls of fruit and veg for a pound,some fresh some not so fresh.My first concern apart from dinner is what can I paint.I saw this bowl of onions and they had the most amazing colours,pinks,purples,yellow ochre...

Flowers in a Jar

Flowers in a Jar
Oil on canvas board,12"x10"
Available please contact me on
azraiqbal2000@hotmail.com

I love the simplicity of glass jars and the light captured inside them.

Zen Apple

Zen Apple
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
Available,please contact me on
azraiqbal2000@hotmail.com

Is there anything more peaceful than painting an apple,it makes me feel truly zen like. : )

Glad To Be Painting

Glad To Be Painting
Oil on canvas board,7"x5"
Available,please contact me on
azraiqbal2000@hotmail.com

I bought these gladioli and freesias at a reduced price and they are fading fast.Hopefully I will be able to paint a few more before they are done.

African Violet

Thankyou so much guys for all your comments,I love recieving each and every one of them.
We as women are performing a juggling act with our lives,our  families ,trying to do our best for everyone and at the same time desperately trying to make time to feed our souls too.

I am not complaining,I love my life,God is good .I  have to work hard for a living but there are opportunities to make things better and the will to keep working at it is in my hands.

Red and Shiny

These are great apples to paint,they look so beautiful displayed at the front of the grocery shop.

Red and shiny
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

There is a definite freshness in the air,glorious Autumn is on its way.I always feel a sense of excitement,the colours are so inspirational.

White Nectarines

White Nectarines
Oil on canvas board
SOLD

These peaches are gorgeous,they have a heavenly aroma and the sweetest taste.Painting them was a joy,and I used more paint than I usually do.Its something I always set out to do but don't always succeed.It is all about practice,practice ,.....

Late Summer

Late Summer
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
Available,contact me on
azraiqbal2000@hotmail.com

Strawberries are always irresistable to paint ,if I buy a punnet of them and don't paint them I feel quite grouchy! Grapes are a different story,green are the hardest ,black are the best,they have lovely highlights.Am I boring anyone??

Strawberry in Dish

Strawberry in Dish
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

It has been the most glorious late summers day.The sun has shone all day and I've managed to dry loads of washing and catch up on some painting too.This one was easier than I anticipated ,its those elipses that usually take so long to get right, but its definitely getting easier.

Wild Ones VI

Wild Ones VI
Oil on stretched canvas,no need to frame 12"x9"
SOLD

This, I think will be the last of the wild flower paintings for this year.These flowers have been a joy to paint ,the process has really opened my eyes to all the beauty that is normally taken for granted.

Perseverance

Perseverance
Oil on stretched canvas,9"x12"
SOLD

This composition became a stumbling block and it took a few days to get past it.I absolutely cannot abandon a painting so I end up struggling and wasting many days in the process.I am so glad to have finished this and I can move on.

Solitude

Solitude
Oil on stretched canvas,12"x9"
SOLD

Part of being an artist is solitude,working away at whatever is our latest piece of art.That peaceful space is something I have always enjoyed.I remember as a child spending time by our local pond making little dishes out of the wet clay,and coming home covered in mud and clay,much to my mum's dismay! Great times indeed.

Plum trio

Plum Trio
Oil on canvas board,5"x7"
SOLD

These plums have the most gorgeous colours and just begged to be painted.

Wild Ones V

This painting is the fifth in my wild flowers series.

Wild Ones V
Oil on canvas board,5"x7".

Wild Ones V
Watercolour 5"x7"

Autumn begins in just over three weeks and I can see the signs already.Leaves are changing colour and the silver birch on our road are dropping their  seeds all over the place,most of them it seems in my house! Still they are beautiful trees and I enjoy them at every stage.I always look forward to autumn,the crisp fresh air,the colours and a feeling of potential.