Poinsettia III

I have found that the more I explore a particular subject the freer I get. Anyone who has seen Billy Elliot will understand when I say its like electricity, whatever it is you create, be it dance, music, or a painting.

 

Poinsettia III
oil on  oil paper
8"x 10"

 

Poinsettia II

Its so great to get back into the swing of things. Thank you all so much for your encouragement!!

Poinsettia II
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"
 

Poinsettia

As soon as these beautiful, vibrant plants appear in the shops I buy one. They don't usually last very long, but this one seems to be hanging on.

Poinsettia
oil on oil paper
8"x 10

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the holidays and have seen the New Year in with health, good fortune and peace.

 My heart goes out to the flood victims here in the UK, they have suffered terribly over the last few months and in the last few days. I hope that with the help of the authorities and the kindness of strangers they get their homes and their lives back soon.

Its a steely grey day today and rain has just begun to fall at three in the afternoon. I've painted this landscape with colours that speak to me of a quiet new years day.

 I have set myself a challenge of posting a painting everyday for the rest of the year. A tough challenge indeed, but I have been finding excuses galore not to paint this past year and I feel I need to pull myself up.

Happy New Year!
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

The Storm Will Pass

I took a photograph last year around March time, the clouds were heavy, a few drops of rain just starting to fall. Finally its painted and I feel much happier.

I heard this song yesterday on Radio Lab, its Ben Howard  and its called Rivers in Your Mouth, love his voice and that guitar is sublime..




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4vX6Uo9BO8

The Storm Will Pass
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Roses Roses III

Its a drizzly, grey Sunday, perfect for painting.

Roses Roses III
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Roses Roses II

"Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.”
― Rumi

Roses Roses II
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Roses Roses

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.”
― Rumi

Roses Roses
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Act of Kindness

 

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Aesop

 

Act of Kindness
oil on oil paper
10" x 8" 

 

View From a Train

On my trips to London I like to take lots of photos as the landscape speeds by. I love London and the joy I feel begins as soon as I step on the train. Painting this landscape felt pretty good too.

View From a Train
oil on oil paper
8" x 10"

Carnival

Then there are days when you want colour, lots of colour.

Carnival
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Close

Painting roses is hard enough, painting them close up is a mission. It took a few attempts before I was reasonably happy. I think because they are such a challenge, I can see myself painting roses until I'm very old.  :  )

Close
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Quiet

However much I love colour, sometimes I feel that less is more. Which brings me to a song I love, its called Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSKrC7dGcY

I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday.

Quiet
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"
 

Pink Rose in Blue Creamer

I tried to keep it simple with as little brushstrokes as possible.

Pink Rose in Blue Creamer
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

With or Without

With or Without
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

After painting colourful flowers for the past five years I find myself really looking at the foliage that comes with them. I am amazed at how beautiful leaves can be so decided to paint without the flowers. Which brings me to the song that is my personal all time favourite, so far anyway.....With or without you by U2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSdTa9kaiQ




Blitz

I met this delightful dog last year when I went to see my friend in France.

 My heart goes out to all the people who have suffered the atrocities in Paris.

Blitz
Ink and wash on watercolour paper

Sunny Day

Today we've had rain, winds and now beautiful sunshine. I feel blessed to have a warm home and the health to enjoy all the drama of English weather.

Sunny Day
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Chrysanthemum Sketches

The sun is out, after about a week, and I have time to sketch/paint.  :  )

Chrysanth Sketch
watercolour, ink wash on cartridge paper

Chrysanth Sketch II
watercolour, ink wash on cartridge paper

Harvest

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Quote by Robert Louis Stevenson

Harvest
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Never too Late

It is never too late to be what you might have been. 
Quote by George Elliot

 

 

Never Too Late
oil on oil paper
8" x 10"



 

More Pages from my Sketchbook

I'm still having a great time making use of my sketch book from our local Tiger store where I bought my little travelling chicken. She is still happily enjoying the hospitality of artists around the world and having some amazing portraits painted in the process.

Gladioli

Some more loose flowers in acrylic, ink pen and pastel.

 

 

 

 

A Page From My Sketchbook

I've been playing around with pen and watercolour. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to experimenting with a combination of mixed media.

Pansies
pen and watercolour
 

Be Present

You might think that you need to be in the right frame of mind or have the space to be creative. You don’t, all you need is to be present.

Azra Iqbal

The Royal Academy of Arts asked me for my advice as an  exhibiting artist and the above was my contribution.

Be Present
oil on oil paper 10" x 8"

This is something that I need to remind myself from time to time. :  )

Tulip Fields

This was a challenge simply because there was so much colour.

Tulip Fields
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Grove Farm

I've been painting while listening to this album, love her voice..Part of the Process by Morcheeba


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwi1UEPPlkI

Grove Farm
oil on MDF
8"x 12"

Mixed Flower Sketch

I began this three days ago and finished it today.

Mixed Flower sketch
pencil on cartridge paper.

A Lesson Learned is a Lesson Earned

I painted this pear composition over two years ago and did not post it because I thought it was not good enough. Today I just happened to be going through some storage boxes and saw this painting. I looked at it and thought, actually this is worth keeping. I'm so glad I didn't tear it up at the time, I think this is why you should reserve judgement on your own work for at least a year or so before you decide to destroy it.

A Lesson Learned
oil on canvas sheet
8"x 9"

Boardwalk Babes

A beautiful sunny day, perfect for taking a stroll on the boardwalk....

Boardwalk Babes
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Cherry Brandy Roses II

Its a beautiful autumn morning, the sun is out and I'm painting again. :  )

Cherry Brandy Roses II
oil on oil paper
10"x8"

Cherry Brandy Roses

A beautiful bunch of the most amazing roses were given to me nearly two weeks ago and I've been eyeing them longingly, but I just could not pick up my brushes to even start. Today I gave myself a good talking to and here is the result.  :  )

Cherry Brandy Roses
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Addiction

“Creativity is a drug I cannot live without” – Cecil B. DeMille




Addiction
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Summer Sunset

Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.

Quote by Elbert Hubbard

 

Summer Sunset
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

 

Memories

Sometimes  you catch the edge of a scent from the past
, or a combination of colours that remind you of a childhood dress that you loved so much. This painting is a celebration of those memories.

Memories
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Pears and Roses

My pink/green/white roses are still going strong and the pears were a gift from a neighbours garden.

Pears and Roses
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Uphill

Passion is different than desire. People that are successful recognize passion. You have to be willing to work at it. I love the image of pushing a boulder uphill - it will flourish you.

Quote by John Schneider

Uphill
Oil on oil paper
10"x8"

Pink Roses

I have this beautiful bunch of pale pink and green roses, I could be a while with these.

Pink Roses II
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Pink Roses
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Very Plum Plums

Sweet, juicy and the most beautiful colours, I just had to  interrupt what I was doing and get back to painting still life again. Has anyone seen The English Patient??

Very Plum Plums
oil on oil paper
8"x10"

Change

“Half of me is filled with bursting words and half of me is painfully shy. I crave solitude yet also crave people. I want to pour life and love into everything yet also nurture my self-care and go gently. I want to live within the rush of primal, intuitive decision, yet also wish to sit and contemplate. This is the messiness of life - that we all carry multitudes, so must sit with the shifts. We are complicated creatures, and ultimately, the balance comes from this understanding. Be water. Flowing, flexible and soft. Subtly powerful and open. Wild and serene. Able to accept all changes, yet still led by the pull of steady tides. It is enough.”
― Victoria Erickson

Change
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Gentleness

Gentleness

oil on oil paper

8"x 10"

 

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.

Mahatma Gandhi

A Beginning II

Had more fun with this one. :  )

A Beginning II
oil on oil paper
8"x 10!

A Beginning

Every day is a beginning, what a blessing to wake up to a new day.

A Beginning
oil on oil paper
10"x 8"

Make Each Day Count

Something I have to remind myself, otherwise one day melts into another.

Make Each Day Count
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Peace

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
― John Muir, The Mountains of California

Peace
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"

Poppy Fields

Not exactly obvious, but the fun in an abstract is to get it just right. Have I achieved that my friends??

White Ladder by David Gray is one of my top ten albums, I must have listened to it a million times and it always sounds good.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsDMjet0fyo&list=PLQGX2r3T1iMtsewsns3UkHMy43FU3hgxB&index=1

Poppy Fields
oil on oil paper
8"x 10"