Happy New Year

I'd like to wish all readers a very Happy New Year indeed. May 2009 be filled with light and colour, inspiration and creation, health and happiness, warmth and love. I'd like to leave you (once again) with this lovely quote from T. S. Eliot: For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.

More filming

Although we haven't fully finished the editing work on our first DVD - we thought we'd push ahead and film the second DVD anyway. We made sure our schedules gave us a full free day, with no interuptions. We managed to film everything we needed and even had a couple of tea breaks in between. We have learned so much from the first film - all sorts of little things that make a big difference. Having my kitchen roll already torn into strips saves time, having a soft covering on top of my easel platform stops the sound of the brushes being laid down. I'm sure we'll still be learning new things when we are on film number 20 !

Back to normal

Christmas must be well and truly over - the letterbox rattled this morning and I was pleased to receive an invitation to take part in a Spring exhibition. Plus, the confirmation for a week long solo exhibition has been received, this will take part in the late summer. I've already been working on paintings for the solo exhibition and am just over halfway there with new content. Good job I have too, as these events soon come around.

Days off?

Even on days off, it's never really a proper day off, (thank goodness). Today, whilst shopping for my very last minute bits, I bumped into a student of mine, who promptly booked herself into a class in the New Year. When I returned home, I had a quick coffee break in front of the PC and checked my e-mails. Some last minute orders had been sent in and they are now packaged up ready for posting. The phone rang - another 2 bookings for a February class. It's nice to juggle the non-painting side of business in with the Christmas preparations. In a mad last minute decision, I thought I'd really get ahead of myself so I have an easy day tomorrow. So - the bird is now cooked, ready for carving. The sausage/bacon rolls are cooked also and the stuffing balls have been made and they're cooked too. The table has been fully laid and looks a treat. The white wine is chilling and the after dinner mints are cooling in the fridge too. The icing on the Christmas cake has hardened nicely, my containers groan with mince pies, cheese scones, buns, fruit cake, sausage rolls and biscuits with reserves in the freezer. With 4 days of entertaining ahead of us we're looking forward to every minute.

Our Winter Painting Subject

I've been asked to paint something with a Christmas Theme for the Heartlands Oil Painting Workshops in December. I thought about a Christmas Pudding, I thought about mince pies, I thought about a beautiful plate of turkey and all the trimmings........but once I got over my distraction with food, I knuckled down and made this vignette painting entitled 'Watching'.

I hope the students will enjoy painting this little fella. I have just one space left on the December 2nd class and 3 spaces left on the December 9th Class. If you'd like to book a space on either of these classes, do drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk or call me on 01473 311938. Heartlands is in the pretty village of Gipping, just outside of Stowmarket, Suffolk. It lays between Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, just off the A14.

A Righteous Path

Today I worked on a new painting subject. This is a quaint little composition with a bit of everything. Some subtle pastel mountains, some foliage and grass, a pretty little church, some birds, some fencing and a pathway. This is available straight away as a private class subject. As most of my painting subjects, this is aimed at beginners. No previous artistic skills or experience is necesary to make this painting. Simply follow my easy step by step guides and you too can return home with a painting similar to this one. If you'd like to see my availability for private tuition please give me a call on 01473 311938 or drop me an e-mail on info@ayoubart.co.uk At just £65 for a private class, which includes refreshments and lunch plus all the materials and equipment you need, this is a very relaxing and rewarding way top spend half a day. If you bring a friend, you get a £5 discount.......each.

I'm stuck............till tomorrow anyway!

Today, after pretty much another full day of painting, I decided I still had a little bit of creativity left in the brushes. I prepped a fresh canvas and just squirted a small amount of black, white and grey oil paint onto a fresh palette. I didn't know what I was going to paint, I just made a start to see what would flow. It was an exercise to unwind and 'get loose' more than anything else.

I stopped when I reached this point as I was tired. I was very tempted to just push in some foreground bushes and throw in a large 'bravery test' tree.......but I didn't. It's not always wise to paint when you're tired. I think I'd rather leave this one until tomorrow to see what to add to finish this painting off. If you've any suggestions please drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk

Alan thinks the painting should stay as it is...... so I'll consider that option also.

Aurora

Today I had a painting session with a dear friend, Marion. We'd arranged our painting day a couple of weeks ago and we were both looking forward to a whole day of pure painting indulgence. We worked on a version of Bob Ross's 'Northern Lights'. Although we were sat side by side, using the same colours, we very quickly took off on our own tangents with this painting. Marion has many rows of mountains, fading into the distance, with a glacier and stream running between them. Here's my version, 'Aurora' which is availble to students as a new Painting Subject.

A new acrylic workshop

Quite often, when painting 'Sunbeams', (the painting at the top) we take our break just before laying on the oil colour wash. When this painting is in it's black and white form, it is quite a dramatic piece. From this, several other compositions have been born from diptych to triptych to letterbox style canvas. Sometimes we've colour washed them, sometimes we've left them and given them a clear wash before adding in white flares and light beams.

This has proved to be quite a popular painting and so I have decided to run a short class, lasting just under 3 hours. We'll be making this black and white acrylic painting 'Wanderings' on Saturday September 6th at the Green Room in Stowmarket. The class fee is only £30 and includes all equipment, refreshments and your 20 x 8 inch letterbox canvas. The painting can be gallery wrapped (which means we can easily paint around the sides of the canvas). There will be no need to frame it and it will be dry within minutes. As there is no use of colour, it can actually hang in most homes and will make an ideal present.

A new painting subject

We have another oil painting of a waterfall scene to add to the portfolio. Free Falling is a warm landscape with several shades of soft yellows and warm orange-browns. This is suitable for beginners and is available immediately as a private class option.

September Painting Subject

With almost a full day in my studio, I've managed to finish off a new class painting subject, I've restored 4 old canvases, half finished another class painting subject and had a big tidy up. The completed subject is called 'Picnic Spot' and we'll be painting this on Sunday September 14th at Capel St Mary Village Hall. The class will start at 12.30pm and will finish around 5.30pm. If you'd like to come along and give this painting a go, do drop me a line at info@ayoubart.co.uk or call me on 01473 311938. At the moment, the Apollo Studio self-catering accommodation is available. You can find details of this cosy little home from home here: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/38.html

Art Popping

During the week I've been working on some more Pop Art Portraits. I've had several celebrities in half finished states dotted around the house. Today I managed to complete a few of them. I'm always open to suggestions as to who you'd like to see portrayed in Pop Art. So if you have any ideas, do drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk, I'd love to hear from you.

Here's one of my finished pieces - entitled 'Golden Years'

We learn new things all the time

My local art group often have guest artists to give demonstrations of their specific media or style. I, myself was a guest demonstrator, showing the wet on wet oil painting technique, over a year ago. I loved the group so much that I joined.

Today we had an artist giving a talk and demonstration on composition, shade and colour using acrylics and pastels. The demonstration was concluded with a short step by step workshop.

You can see here a wide range of landscapes completed by some of the members. It's great to put our finished results in a line so we can see the difference in styles amongst ourselves.

Mood, pressure, type of brush and variety of colour mixes ensures that even though we follow the same guide, all paintings, whilst they have their similarities, will look different. So today, I've learned a few more tips about both art and teaching whilst enjoying the company of friends and colleagues who put together a rather tasty buffet.

Some New Work

This week I've scheduled my agenda so that I have some time to spend in my studio. With nothing but a wide open vista and my free-range chickens pecking around me, I'm in my element. I've completed some new paintings which will be suitable for classes aimed at beginners, no previous art skill required (YES REALLY). You'll find the new subjects here: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/15.html

On top of that, I've also found time to indulge myself in creating some artwork just for me. With an exhibition coming up in July I really wanted to submit something a little different.

With just one more day of painting indulgence to go, I have no idea what I will paint or where my mood will take me.

The painting shown here 'The Peaceful Evening' started out with nothing more than a colour selection. I had no pre-set ideas with this, I just shook the painting right out of my brush.

What goes on in my classes

If ever you wondered what goes on in my classes look no further. If you click on this link http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/16.html you'll be taken to a page which shows a selection of photos taken from a variety of classes over the years. One of my all time favourite photos is of this lad - absolutely engrossed in his seascape. (And yes, he did end up with paint on his nose!)

Leftovers - Part II

..............................but there was still paint left over and plenty on all the brushes too, so I decided to make yet another on a smaller canvas this time!

I'm in my element when playing around with green paint (my favourite colour) and woody scenes.

Leftovers

Earlier this week I taught 'Woodland's End' a pretty emerald woodland scene. At the end of the workshop, as always, there was some paint left over on the palettes. I decided to have a play around with another panoramic canvas and threw this little number together. It just shows how different a scene can look with various sized canvases - plus it put good use to paint that was destined for the bin.

Serenity

I've had some projects on the back burner and today I've managed to complete a couple of them. Next month I'll be introducing some panoramic canvases to my beginner's oil painting workshops. Here's the AyoubArt project for Capel St Mary on 6th July - a gentle seascape called 'Serenity'. This is for absolute beginners and is an ideal painting subject to hang in your own home or give as a gift. It's hard to see in the small image, but the sky has some twinkling stars, theres some gentle water movement and a couple of gulls checking out the lonesome yacht.

Lap work

Today I really wanted to have another day in my studio but unfortunately the very wet weather and a severe power cut put paid to that idea. But all was not lost...............I have several Pop Art projects on the go at the moment. With half finished celebrity faces laying all around the house, they are a great thing to pick up and work on in fits and starts. As these portraits are made using acrylics, I can work on my lap. So, although I wanted to work on a rather special oil painting project, instead I've completed 2 Pop Arts. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I'll be able to work in oils tomorrow, while the creative mood is still with me.

Incidentally..........................I am able to teach these Pop Art Portraits to beginners. If you're interested in painting your own idol's portrait this way please contact me on 01473 311938 for details. Alternatively you can view other student's work on my website HERE

The Crossing

This Bank Holiday weekend has been spent painting. On Saturday I enjoyed the day in my studio and worked on this bridge scene 'The Crossing'. I got quite carried away with this and took a lot of time tickling in some really fine details. It's put me in good stead for including a bridge in future painting projects, which was the main aim of the exercise. Now I need to develop a painting, with this stone bridge, that can be taught in an oil painting class in the 5 hour time slot.

Spring's Here........

This week I had set aside some time to complete some new class painting subjects. I have several scenes that are in development and they really do need finalising and fine tuning. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the weather has been so glorious that it seems a shame to be indoors painting. I managed to find a happy medium (pardon the pun) and split my time between working in the garden and working on some paintings.

Here's a couple of new additions to the Class Subjects' Gallery that you might like.

'Flare' - a rather different mountain scene

and

'Spring's Here' - a pretty and colourful floral composition

We'll be painting 'Spring's Here' at Heartlands in July.

For details of my classes please view http://ayoubart.co.uk/17.html

For details of the painting subjects available to beginners please view http://ayoubart.co.uk/15.html

- or you could make enquiries to Sue Warne of Ayoubart on 01473 311938

Smokey

Some exciting new tuitional DVD's have just been released in the UK. Portrait Artist Valerie Stewart, from the USA, had recorded several pet portrait projects. A 10 disc DVD set is available which gives you 4 DVD's on preparing your canvas, under painting your project, expanding your portrait and finishing touches. A further 6 painting projects are included with step by step guides showing you a variety of cats, dogs and a pony. They are on promotional offer for just £67.50 including postage and packing HERE: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/121.html On May 10th the offer ends and the price will go up to £83. Alternatively you can purchase single DVD projects at just £13.50.

One of the DVD projects is a lovely cat 'Smokey'. The composition is an extreme close up, which really appeals to me. I have a kitten very similar to the one in the project and thought I'd give it a go. Above you can see step 1, step 2 and my finished result. As it's painted in 3 stages it is an ideal project to do if you only have an hour or so to paint.

Climb every mountain......

I've been working on some mountains today - Bill Alexander style. I've been sent some photos of the Himilayas and have been asked to develop a painting from the photos to teach to a beginner in a private lesson. Here's what I have so far. Unfortunately I was interupted at this stage and didn't progress any further. It was a nice interuption catching up with old friends, we sat and drank coffee amongst a table full of oils and brushes.

You can see one of the many snaps I've been sent to use as reference material.

Pop Art

As well as teaching the wet on wet oil painting technique, I also teach pop art. Pop Art is made in acrylics and is only available as a private class. I can take up to two students maximum for this to allow for 100% personnal guidance. The Pop Art classes also run for approx 5 hours and the subject can be either taken from a family photo or a celebrity. If you wish to paint a family member, I will need the photo sent to me by either e-mail or post a week in advance to make sure it is suitable for Pop Art. If you wish to paint a celebrity I will need to know the name also a week in advance. This allows me to play around with images for the best possible representation. Tomorrow's private student wishes to paint Robbie Williams so today, in an exercise to experiment with colour mixing, I have painted my own Pop Art version as a guide. He's hanging on my lounge wall to dry and his eyes follow you everywhere! If you'd like to book a Pop Art Workshop, drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk or call me on 01473 311938

Easter Offer

As you're all no doubt aware, I am the European Distributor for Darrell Crow Studios. Darrell produces a variety of tuitional DVD's showing extremely detailed, step by step demonstrations in wet on wet technique oil painting. We are currently offering a massive £30 saving on his Basic Techniques in Oil Painting Flowers, currently on sale at just £53. The offer closes on April 1st, when the 13 DVD set returns to £83. The price includes postage and packing. If you'd like to take advantage of this offer Click Here: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/116.html and you'll be taken to the shopping basket. You will receive approx 26 hours of expert tuition which you can follow at your leisure at home.

Once upon a time.....

Way way way back, when I first thought about teaching the wet on wet technique, I had a couple of eager young 'Guinea Pigs' who patiently let me practice with them. Micheala, a young teenager and daughter of a neighbour was enjoying art at High School. Her art lessons with me went hand in hand with her school work. Micheala has now left school and is working, soon to take her driving test too! She has painted a few paintings on her own and given them as gifts to family and friends.

Stacey, another young lady, happily let me try out new subjects on her and her friends a few years ago. She has since painted both privately and in classes. Although she's not attended a class for a couple of years, we met up late last year at an Exhibition. I was stewarding at the time and walked around with her browsing the many works. Stacey had just purchased her house and proudly informed me she had decorated it with her own works of art. 'Sue', she said, 'I learned the technique from you and now I'm painting my way'. Many thanks for your guidance'.

More recently, another student has been showing me her 'home' work. Joan has learned the basics and she is now confidently experimenting with all manner of colour and tools. Joan is currently taking part in an Easter Exhibition and has already has sold several of her paintings privately. You can see her Bluebell Wood above.

Regular students, Katie and Des, have made all manner of paintings covering a wide variety of painting subjects. They take what they learn from a class and use it in their own way. You can see examples of their work on their own blogspot showcase here: http://wwwkadeart.blogspot.com/ After learning how to make an animal portrait, Des used the technique and created a wonderful oil painting of their pet cat, Tizzy.

Once the technique and the brushes have been mastered the world is as big as your own imagination. It just goes to show that oil painting really is great fun for everyone and a very rewarding hobby.

Wildlife Painting Subject for beginners

If you'd like to learn to oil paint a wildlife subject, here's an ideal starter taken from a design by Jack Kolber. 'Swimming Free' shows 2 whales enjoying the depths of the ocean. We'll be painting this in a class on the 17th May in the Green Room, Stowmarket - but if you can't wait till then, the subject is available as a Private Lesson. Don't be put off - this really is a simple and very rewarding oil painting to make. If you'd like to take part in this class, just give me a call on 01473 311938 and I'll book you in. At the moment there's a wide variety of Painting Subjects ,at several different venues, showing on my website here: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/17.html

Keep an eye on this page - there's some different subjects coming up very soon too........

Jack Kolber of Magic Brush Art

Jack Kolber ACI, one of the US's leading Alexander Instructors, has a wonderful DVD series. His 3 tuitional DVD's contain 13 painting projects ranging from wildlife, landscapes, seascapes and florals. I am now able to supply this DVD set direct from the UK. For just £22.50, which includes postage and packing, you can enjoy Jack's step by step instruction and produce some wonderful oil paintings from home. You'll find details showing you how to make your purchase here: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/117.html

Earlier this week I painted the underwater scene 'Lost World' with Jack (shown above)........quite different, I'm sure you'll agree. You can see Jack with his friend, tutor and mentor - the late, great Bill Alexander.

Intermediate Level Certificates

This week I have started to present students with certificates. Once a student has attended 4 AyoubArt classes, they will have reached an Intermediate Level. This level widens their range of painting subjects. Many students achieved their Intermediate level a while ago - but - it was suggested that some form of recognition would be nice. A covering letter, issued with the certificates, explains the new options.

Heartlands

Once a month I use Heartlands as a painting class venue. Heartlands, in Gipping, is a converted stable and it's rustic charm has not been spoilt. Heartlands is a holistic centre, the place to go for remedial therapies. Often, as I arrive, the owner is playing ambient cleansing music which lifts the spirits as you enter. With colourful crystals hanging in the floor to ceiling windows, the light is fabulous for my AyoubArt painting workshops. It's surrounded by fields and woods - barely a single car will pass on the nearby lane. In summer we take our lunchbreak by the pond, on the lawn, often to the amusement of nearby rabbits who like to sun themselves. I've seen deer on my journey to this venue and I've walked in Gipping Woods, with bluebells in full bloom. Here you can see a couple of yesterday's ladies enjoying their country oil painting workshop. Are you tempted...........?

At the end of today's private class, I used the left over paint to make this little abstract. It's actually a brilliant way to unwind after a class and it's nice to make something from paint that would have ended up in the bin. I'm calling this one Espresso........

Point me at the sky......

...is the title of this new waterfall painting. It seems that waterfalls in purples and greens are very popular with the students. I've been experimenting with several versions of this painting, before finally being content with this particular one. The waterfalls have been near, far, left, right - we've had cascades, rocks, reflections..........all sorts. I think this particular composition allows for the most light and will be very easy for a beginner to accomplish in just one class. We'll be painting this in Capel St Mary Village Hall on Sunday the 6th of April. The class will start at 12.30pm and will finish around 5.30pm. The cost is just £45 per person and that includes all the equipment and materials (plus refreshments) you will need to make this 16 x 20 inch oil painting. Do call on 01473 311938 or e-mail info@ayoubart.co.uk of you would like to book your place. A £20 deposit will be required and the balance is payable at the class.

Little People

Today I've been fiddling around with some more landscape scenes that will be suitable for complete beginners to paint in my AyoubArt Oil Painting Classes. For one of the projects I wanted to create a nice warm snow scene in brown, cream and ochre tones......... I also wanted to give it that little something extra. What a difference it makes to the painting to have these little silhouette figures. I'm calling this one 'Remember a day'. A gift voucher for a private lesson to paint this romantic scene would make the ideal Valentine's gift, don't you think? It'd last a lifetime too.

High Hopes

I've been working on a new painting subject, a mountain scene. It started off in Landscape Format, I've tried several different compositions, respositioning the mountain, changing it's shape and colours. Finally the project came together today and I'm quite happy with the finished result even if I did change to Portrait Format. I'm calling this one 'High Hopes', named after one of my favourite songs. After a few practices to increase my speed, now I can complete this in under 20 minutes it's ready to put into a class. To teach my paintings in a class of up to 15 students I need to be able to paint these subjects in under half an hour - that way I know we can finish in around 5 hours, have time for a mid-class break, without compromising on the standard of work or the quality of tuition. There's 2 things I won't compromise on: One is space and the other is quality. High Hopes will be the painting subject for my class on Saturday 16th February at the Green Room in Stowmarket (details below). If you'd like to attend this class, do call me to book your seat.

Blue Bells

Several of my students have been asking me to have a Blue Bell Wood as a painting class subject. Although I already have a Blue Bell Wood painting I thought I'd make another one. In this new AyoubArt design we give our tree's a much more rugged texture on the bark. We also pay attention to the varients in light and dark in the bushes and the foreground grass. Our Blue Bells too are carpeted in the background, yet much more defined in the foreground. We'll be painting Blue Bell Knoll (shown above) on Saturday 16th February at the Green Room in Stowmarket, IP14 1RA (Just off Aldi Car Park). The class will start at 10am and will run until approx 3 - 3.30pm. If you'd like to come along please call Sue Warne 01473 311938 or e-mail me on info@ayoubart.co.uk to reserve your space. The class costs just £45 per person and all equipment and materials are included plus refreshments. The Green Room is very close to a little Bakery who will make you a lovely fresh roll for your lunch - I make sure we have a break before they close so students can pop over, if they wish. New students will each receive a FREE 2 HOUR DVD on basic techniques of oil painting, worth £11.50. If you bring a friend along to class you can take a 15% discount EACH.

You're never too young to learn to oil paint

In this weekend's class we had a young girl of 12 years old. She kept the pace with the rest of class, even having time to pop over to the shops to get a bottle of coke in between demonstration stages. As the class progressed she became more and more intrigued by the effects of this wet on wet technique. By the time we reached our foreground 'chunky' trees she had decided she not only wanted to add some fungi growing from the bark of one tree, but also some ivy growing up the side of another. Matilda is with me again next month when we will be painting the countryside scene shown above. I wonder what she'll decide to add next time? Some rabbits? A deer? There's some spaces left on this class if you'd like to join us - just visit http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/ for details or contact Sue Warne on 01473 311938

Intermediate Painting Classes

Students who have taken a few AyoubArt Classes and are familiar with the wet on wet technique involved can progress beyond a basic landscape. Last week Peggy took stage one of her Tall Ship painting, The Cutty Sark. Peggy is in her 70's and undergoes her first cataract operation this week. When you see what she accomplished in her first advanced class you'll find it hard to believe.











Tomorrow, Mr Stevens tackles his first wildlife project - Leon. For now, you can see Barbara's version of Leon. Barbara is another student of mine and recently took part in a local Art Exhibition. She sold a total of 4 of her 6 paintings.

To qualify for one of these painting subjects you only need to have taken 4 AyoubArt Classes at only £45 each. A 15% discount is available EACH if you come in pairs. This applies to both my scheduled classes and the private classes.

Just for good measure, the third advanced painting subject I offer is a popular scene of Bamburgh Castle. You can see Lynn's version here. Both Leon and Bamburgh Castle can be completed in a single 5 hour private lesson for only £65. The Tall Ship will take two 5 hour private lessons.......... You'll be able to see the difference the second lesson makes in a few weeks time. We have the rigging, the nets, the rat lines, shadows in the sea and many other embellishments to add as yet. If we get time, we might ewven throw in a couple of seagulls too!

A Few Spaces Left........

Next Sunday I'll be hosting my first class of the year. We'll be painting this lovely atmospheric woodland scene called 'Ever Green' on a large 16 x 20 inch canvas. The class is being held in Capel St Mary Village Hall, The Street, Capel St Mary, Nr Ipswich/Colchester, IP9 2EQ. The Hall has disabled access and is roomy, warm, light and airy. Car Parking is available right outside. The main bus-stop is also right outside. The hall is situated adjacent to the Co-Op, a handly place just incase you fancy a sandwich or other snack. The classes are just £45 per person, but if you bring along a friend you can take a 15% discount EACH. All materials and equipment are provided for you plus light refreshments. I keep my class capacity to just 15 students to ensure each and every one of you receives personal attention.

I have just 3 spaces left on this class, so if you'd like to come along, just call me on 01473 311938 or e-mail info@ayoubart.co.uk and I'll book you in.

Having a play around

Today I've enjoyed playing around with the development of new painting designs for my wet on wet painting classes. I've been working on a mountain/lake scene and a moody river scene, both inspired by Bob Ross. I've also been experimenting with new colours and new tools. Next week I'll be introducing a new painting knife to the class. As you can see from the photos above and below, this knife really makes good work on tree highlights and lowlights.

Grandma knows best.

This oil painting lark can certainly have an effect on your clothes. I've tried all sorts to get oil paint out, some things have been more effective than others. But, I happened to stumble upon a really good little product that I can offer to students. Grandma's Secret Spot Remover. It's a brilliant spot remover which can remove oil, grease, PAINT, make-up, grass, clay, inks, blood, sauce, coffee, rust stains, tar, fabric bleed, tumeric....in fact ANY kind of stain. It's environmentally safe, it's bio degradable and has no chlorine or phosphates. It's in a handy pocket/handbag sized container and ONE DROP will do the job. Now here's the thing.....a few months ago I had an accident with a tub of paint brushes. The tub tipped over and fell against a cream curtain. One of the brushes was filled with deep purple oil paint, which fell down pretty much the length of the fabric. With my spot remover to the rescue I applied a couple of drops to the oil patches and presto - gone! At just £5.50 (including postage and packing) if this little bottle helps you to save just one pair of trousers or top (or full length lined curtains!) then it will pay for itself. You can buy this from my website here: http://ayoubart.co.uk/21.html Just scroll down to the secure shopping basket.

All work and no play.......

I recently joined a Leisure Centre at the nearby Belstead Brook Hotel. It's my little peice of paradise - although I do share it with friends and family when I can. The Leisure Centre consists of a very well equiped gym with an excellent team of instructors - but best of all it has a tropical Spa. The Spa has the warmest ever swimming pool, complete with palm trees, a little island and even a coffee bar! I can take a guest along for just £10. The jacuzzi is hot and the jets pummel the stresses and strains away in seconds - and if that doesn't work you can always unwind in the Sauna or Steam Room.
................so, after the second painting day, Kathleen, my current student and Apollo Studio guest, accompanied me to the Spa for a well earned hour of pure indulgence.
We didn't need a lot of rocking that evening..........

No rest for the wicked........

AyoubArt was straight back to business on January 2nd. With a guest flying into Stanstead airport for a stay in the Apollo Studio - http://www.apollostudio.co.uk/ I had some shopping to do and an apartment to prepare.

The Apollo Studio is an on-site accommodation, self contained from just £35 per night. It's really handy for long distance students. This snug apartment has a wet room, fitted and equiped kitchen, relaxation area with TV/DVD/Stereo and bedroom. To date we've had guests from Norway, France, Spain, Portugal, US, Ireland and all over England, Scotland and Wales. Some guests have been from just up the road, simply wanting to make a long weekend of it.
Whether you chose to stay just the one night, a weekend or a week - the village has just about everything you could wish for, including some really nice woodland strolls. For just £10 a welcome pack can be ready for your arrival, containing essentials like milk, bread, butter, coffee, tea, sugar, eggs, juice, biscuits and marmalade. If you want to be really lavish, we can arrange for champagne and belgium chocolates to be chilling in your fridge - just incase you were celebrating something special.