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I’m finishing this week with a big painting under my belt.
I have been slowly working my way through my French countryside inspiration (that’s dating back to last summer; that’s how slowly!)
I’ve fairly recently discovered Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylics and I. AM. IN. LOVE. I love the texture of them when painting with it and matt feel.
I love using acrylics for textural painting as you can layer up colours and textures with different mark making tools which frees up the painting process and allows for some unexpected bonuses (happy accidents!)
Although it is big and took some time (and many layers) I really enjoyed the process and love the finished piece – Patchwork Countryside.
Off for a G & T now – wishing you a great weekend.
The Alhambra wouldn’t have lived up to expectations if there weren’t a few tiles to inspire some pattern designing.
And as you can see I wasn’t disappointed in the least.
Miles and miles of them. These are the survivors of a hard edit!
Endless colour and pattern inspiration. 
I have just begun to scratch the surface of the design inspiration they prompt.
Here’s a little peek at some pattern WIP which has to remain a little bit secret 😉
Happy New Year one and all – I wish you a happy, healthy and fulfilling one. I got this new mug for Christmas- it’ll help keep me focused for 2016 while I sip my tea 😉
Here at home it’s been a busy time of visiting open days for prospective universities – we’ve covered some miles in the car and on foot!
Last week we did Oxford and Cambridge back to back – two fantastic cities covered at breakneck speed but the weather was lovely and if you follow me on Instagram you’ll see some snaps I took.
And speaking of Instagram, I had seen from someones feed that the Natural History Museum on the Oxford University grounds was worth a visit and so I ducked out and did just that and boy was I pleased.
Apart from the usual bones and stuffed creatures they had fantastic displays of butterflies and insects which is what I had wanted to find.
I wouldn’t want to encounter any of these without plate-glass between us but they are fascinating and endlessly inspiring for design work.
I snapped so many pictures that I had to delete all my music files off my phone just to make enough space to continue – that’s dedication!
Just through the Natural History museum is the Pitt Rivers museum.
The museum began when Lieutenant-General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (long enough name?) gave a collection of around 30,000 objects to the University of Oxford in 1884 – you can read about it here.
It is an eclectic collection of objects to say the least but it did put a smile on my face because some of it is just so random.
I loved the textiles (sadly it was very dark so the photos aren’t great).
And as if all that wasn’t enough fun, imagine my joy at finding ‘my’ book in the gift shop 😊
Hard to believe that I started this painting twenty days ago at the 2015 Patchings Festival as part of my demonstrating.
I never find it easy to paint whilst being watched, but people love to see how you go about your work and it makes the event unique and is a great talking point. So I was slower than in normal studio conditions and I also set myself quite the challenge putting pink flowers on pink floral, throwing in some lace-work and tackling that composition from above.
I didn’t get it finished at the festival so in-between travelling up and down the country looking at University open days with my youngest, I’ve been fiddling with this.
Gonna call it done now; successes, flaws and all!
I’m currently packing up ready to head to Nottinghamshire on Wednesday to set up my stall at Patchings Art Festival again this year.
It’s a great day out especially if you appreciate art or like to make art and crafts – lots of demonstrations and materials to buy. If you fancy coming and want a free ticket then I have a couple – email me today (Monday) and I’ll get them out by first-class post tomorrow (UK only). Maybe see you there!
Day 18. Fifteen Years Ago. Younger, fewer lines and grey hairs and entertaining a five year old while our toddler sleeps.
It’s Moseley Arts market again tomorrow – was the last one really only four weeks ago?
Time seems to have condensed itself recently, don’t know if the days just feel shorter because of it getting dark earlier or whether my expectations for what can be done in a day are too great!
I have been in my painting cave this week re-stocking these hand painted notebooks. They are a labour of love, I’m not gonna lie, but the emphasis is defiantly on love.
The painting of these really gets my creative juices flowing for other projects and I just love doing them. Plus I added a ‘belly wrap’ (get me) which just finishes them off nicely.
9-3pm Alcester Road, Mosley, tomorrow 🙂
La Tamise Derain
Today I am loving the amazing colours of Andre Derain.
Derain Bateaux a Collioure
Along with his mate Matisse he founded The Fauvist movement – after spending a summer together experimenting with their new style they exhibited their work to much critiscm.
Derain L’Estaque
The dramatic colours caused the critic Louis Vauxcelles to ridicule their work as les Fauves, or “the wild beasts”, marking the start of the Fauvist movement. Art history lesson 101 for today 🙂
Derain Trois Arbres
Well Mr Vauxcelles it’s those crazy colour combo’s that I find so inspiring, so there!
Derain L’Estaque
PS Note to self, why aren’t you being a wild beast and painting those woods across the road?
