Another scorcher !

This morning I woke up to another beautiful morning. The house was all still and quiet and I could see the brilliant sunshine through the window, beckoning. So, without thinking, I threw on some clothes, grabbed my sunglasses and set off on my bike. I'd intended a 7 mile route. A 'Road Closed' sign put paid to that......in a good way. I took a diversion, probably adding another 3 or 4 miles to my route. Through the country lanes with rape fields in bloom I pretty much had the roads to myself, apart from a few pheasants, a squirrel and some rabbits. I met a couple of cyclists en route, all geared up in their cycling shorts and streamlined helmets. Me....well I just ambled along with my bottle of water and camera in the shopping basket of my 3 geared bike. Here's a beautiful scene I stumbled upon. I was home by 7.30am and guess what......... The house was all still and quiet - few snores coming from the bedrooms.

Hot Hot Hot

Has it been a hot one where you all are? Yesterday morning at 9.30am Pauline, Alison and I set off headed for Stowupland again. We're organising a ramble for the WI ladies in August. Today we had a second trial run, taking in a different route. Pauline and I decided to cover a walk that we used to enjoy when we were about 10/11 years old. A slightly shorter walk this time led us through a farm, several fields and many country lanes with the occassional little stream. We stumbled upon a farm with an open day event. In we popped and spent a little while looking at the animals and stalls. We sat on a bale in the sun and enjoyed 3 cups of tea and 2 slices of cake for just over £2.50 for the lot ! A familiar face from my past school days served us too. I have to laugh at Pauline as she issued a warning to Alison. 'Be careful what you say and do and watch out when she gets the camera out as it could all end up on Sue's News" she said. Mmmmmm. Would I be so cheeky? I think not. Instead I shall leave you with a photo I took of a couple of cows.

Jimmy Carr Twitter - ed

There I was on Friday night, winding down ...... getting ready to watch a film ...... when I received a text message to say 'Jimmy Carr has just Twitterd about you' !! I couldn't resist quickly re-booting the computer just to see. Sure enough - he had. 2 subsequent text messages have asked me for my autograph. Stop it you lot !!

Jimmy Carr

On Friday I had 2 very important places to visit in town. Firstly I had an appointment with my hairdresser, Jim. His wit and banter is cheeky and it's always a good tonic to pay him a visit. My second appointment was to deliver something to another Jim who is equally well known for his wit & cheeky (!!) banter. Remember a while ago I made this oil portrait ......... ? Well, I need to deliver it to the theatre as my gift to one of the funniest comedians I've ever watched. I really hope he enjoys it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Pumpkins throought the letter box

I've been known to receive all manner of things through the post from various students and readers. Today's post was interesting. Pumpkin plants !! May I say Liz, your packaging was brilliant and your plants have arrived safe and sound. In fact, they have travelled far better via Royal Mail than the little basil plant I picked up from a neighbour and tried to bring home in the basket of my bike. I think most of the soil got shaken out with each bump I rode over.

Art Demonstration for SODA

It was my pleasure to travel to nearby Needham Market last week. It was a beautiful sunny and hot day so the roof was open and the music was on. My legs were positively burning through my jeans with the heat from the sun. I decided, as I had ample time, to take the scenic route and avoid the A roads. It's such a delight driving throught the narrow country lanes and to see the trees full of green once again. I was booked to do an oil painting demonstration for S.O.D.A, the Society of Disabled Artists. A small, friendly and intimate group and very welcoming. We had some giggles, I had some heckles and it's all in a very pleasant day's work.

Garden work

I'm not enjoying the cold snaps we've been having. Like fellow painter Liz, my runner beans have been ruined by frost and not one has survived. Luckily I've got a few more in pots behind glass and I'll get those planted out maybe in a few weeks. I've a couple of hanging baskets planted up that are in the greenhouse for the time being, and a few outside tomatoes that are still indoors until I'm pretty certain they too won't get taken by the cold nights. Yet, my strawberry planter is looking lovely with a few fruits and plenty of blossoms. Our 3 grape vines are really springing into life now. This year I really must make Warak Aynab - a Lebanese dish of stuffed vine leaves, delicious. My peas are slow to grow but at least they are alive still as are my pots of sweet peas. Whilst on the subject of gardening, I was recently given the most delightful Burgundy Ice rose bush. It's been sat in a pot on my patio for over a week. Today I found the ideal spot for it, slap bang in the middle of my front lawn. The label says it thrives in most soils and needs an open sunny position - well, that's just what it's got. (It also says it will bloom throughout the Summer - so fingers crossed).

Ever had the feeling you're being watched.....?

Our grey tabby, Ziggy, really loves painting lessons. Well, he loves having students around is what I mean. This morning he reached the door before I did when he heard a knock and sat on the doormat waiting for me to open it. He then followed the students to the painting area to make sure they settled in OK. His next move was to curl up on a chair, totally hidden from view by the table covers. He then had a nap and is often heard snoring. He emerged again at lunchtime incase there was any food on offer. Normally at this point he would return to the chair for another nap during the second half of the class. Today he had a surprise. Today he decided to take a more active interest in the painting subject ................................just incase it might flap it's wings and fly off the canvas. Yes, you guessed it, today we painted 'Feathered Friends' . And Ziggy didn't take his eyes off Kate's painting. You can see him here watching Kate's progress. I think we can safely say the painting was realistic enough to fool the cat.

Art Class

How lovely. Last week I opened my emails and received the most touching message from student and friend, Sue Grant. I'm going to have to get this printed out on parchment paper and get it framed. It'll look just right next to my ACI Certificate. Thank you Sue, that's so lovely and I will treasure this. xx

ART CLASS - By Sue Grant

Hurray, Hurray, art class today.
Off I set in my Honda Jazz,
Full of joy, and full of p'zazz,
What will be the subject today?
Will it be blossom in the month of May?
Or perhaps a sunflower and a busy bee,
Or sunbeams glancing off a leafy tree.

Hurray, Hurray, art class today.
I pick up the canvas and paint it white,
Put in a sky, but that's too light,
Add some more blue, says teacher Sue,
And a cheeky cloud, that's what I'd do.
Tap in some bushes and distant trees ,
A few flowers here and some busy bees.

Hurray, Hurray, art class today.
At last the painting's looking good,
But whoops, I wonder how I could
Paint my jumper white and green,
And both my hands a delicate sheen,
Of blue and red and yellow too,
But never mind, along comes Sue.

Hurray, Hurray, art class today.
Sue has grandma's paint remover,
It moves the stains off like a hoover,
So soon my painting's back on track,
The only thing I think it lack's,
Is a touch of white to highlight here,
And a bit of shadow to bring the trees near.

Hurray, Hurray, art class today,
We walk around with Oohs and Aahs,
I love your distant trees afar!
That cloud is great, I love your sky!
And what effect has that water nearby!
We praise each others' works of art,
And leave the class, so sad of heart,

But never mind, it won't be long,
I'll soon be back to sing my song,
'Hurray, Hurray, art class today'
To paint a picture in wonderful hues
And hear my family's aahs and oohs
The thing that I would like to say
Is just how much I enjoy the day.

Beautiful colour scheme

I'd like to show you a really delightful colour combination. Judy purchased my Golden Lake and Bamburgh Castle DVD's and she's been having fun painting them both in a variety of colours. It's great to see what other people make of these compositions and I love to see the results when students put in their own personalities. This beautiful bright blue and mauve, I think, work really well together. Judy writes: 'I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed painting the Golden Lake, but best of all the Bamburgh Castle, I've used other colours as well and they all look good. Had 4 framed and got good comments from the art dealer.' Judy is hoping to make some painting sales to help finance her 15 year old Grandson gain a world title in Tae-Kwondo in Portugal later this year. He already holds the British title. I'm sure you'll join me in wishing Judy all the best with her painting sales, they look beautifiul as they are, they look even more fabulous with their frames.

New venue for painting classes

I'm going to try a new venue - the Church Hall at Stowupland. This lovely light, spacious and airy hall is just perfect for a painting class. Our first class there will be on Thursday 8th July and we will be painting the Northern Lights. You can find details of the class HERE. Our class will start at 10am. The church is located between Stowupland's Post Office and the Primary School. There is parking in the church layby. It's a pretty setting. On a more nostalgic note, I can remember standing outside the church waiting for a wedding to finish. There was one particular person in the entourage that I wanted to meet - none other than football legend (and my West Ham hero) Bobby Moore. His daughter was a bridesmaid at the wedding and very pretty she looked too. I met him again a few years later, can you believe, in the gold souk in Bahrain !! I was shopping for an engagement ring at the time. Anyway...... I'm, getting distracted now......... if you'd like to come along and paint the Northern Lights in July, do drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk or give me a call on 01473 311938

New Classes - New Subject

After today's 'Sunbeams' class I wasn't in too much of a hurry to clear things away. In fact, it was the perfect time to complete a little painting project I started work on a couple of weeks ago. The paints and brushes we used in 'Sunbeams' are exactly the ones I want for this project. Several weeks ago I came across a delightful photograph shown above in sepia tones. I've been wanting to create some quicker painting projects for new classes in the summer. The Green Room in Stowmarket is now available again and I've booked a couple of Saturdays in June and July. These classes will be shorter and cheaper; the paintings will be smaller too. You'll be able to paint in the morning and be done by lunchtime. 'Up', which is my version of the photograph, will be the subject for our June painting - details of times, price and date can be found on my Timetable page HERE.

Oooooo - my back

This morning, feeling energetic, I thought I'd shuffle a few bits around in my studio, making a bit more space than I had before. Too nice to go indoors I followed my shuffle up with a potter. I planted up a couple of hanging baskets with my craft fayre plants. I planted and caned up some sweet peas (I just LOVE the smell of sweet peas). Next, I potted up a very fragrant baby basil plant and found space in the greenhouse for my new hot chilli pepper plant too. At this point I wondered whether to wash my hands and go back indoors and make a start on another version of my 'Feathered Friends' painting (the original sold over the weekend and I no longer have one for display purposes). Looking at my fingers I decided while I had muck under the fingernails I might as well get all my gardening bits done and out the way. So......I do have an achey back from weeding and clearing, but I also have sown my beetroot, parsnips & carrots. My potatoes have been planted up too. I've found a nice spot for my 2 new clematis and camelia. All my forget-me-not plants are now either in pots or in the garden and everything has had a good feed and watering in. Now the potting shed is clear it must be time to get some more bits on the go! i didn't quite have the time to do the bird painting - but I did managed to paint a stack of canvas black which will come in handy for tomorrow's class and future projects.

Bigger.............and better!!

The organiser of the Village Fayre wasn't quite sure what an art demo entailed. But now that she does she's selected an ideal (and bigger) spot in the hall for us to have next year. We'll be able to set up a make and take area too so members of the public can have a little go at some artwork. We'll also be doing a one day Christmas Bazaar there too in November, so I need to get my thinking cap on and make some pretty Christmas designs. I've managed to take some snaps of some of my demo paintings, many of which will make ideal new class painting subjects. All but one demo painting sold in it's wet state which was great as I didn't have to worry about transporting them home. Here's a snap of the last painting I made, sold from the easel as the last brush stroke went on. It was propped up on the floor and took on several different moods as it was hit by bright sunshine and later as the clouds drew in. I had a really interesting chat with the village Vicar. He was asking me about my classes, my students and the subject rapidly turned to faith - faith in your teacher. As he made his way to the next stall you could see the cogs ticking over as he said, 'I feel a sermon coming on'. As I wind down with a glass of wine and think about the lovely people I've met, the neighbours and school friends of over 35 years ago I really have to give a huge, huge thanks to my very dear friend Pauline, who encouraged me to give this fayre a go, who put in loads of effort, remembered to bring sweeteners, and done her best to keep me away from the cake stall. xx

Forgetting the most important thing.....

Is this a sign of old age? I hope not! My car was loaded for today's demo - with the exception of a couple of things which I had left in plain view on the dining room table. Despite this, I managed to tear out the door, forgetting the most vital piece of equipment. Of course, I didn't realise my predicament until I arrived at the hall and started to set up. I mean, how can you begin to do a demo when you didn't bring your paints with you? With the words 'You Plonker, Rodney' ringing in my ear I had no choice but to drive home for them. I was up and running by about 11.30am, so all was not lost. It was great to see some familiar faces, being born and bread in Stowupland. The clock most definately turned back to Primary School years and it was great catching up with some childhood schoolmates - and some old neighbours. But - one of the best results of the day was a delightful lady who had a plant stall. I've stocked up with some more vegetable plants for an absolute song. The lady in the queue in front of me spent £25 on garden plants and I'm thinking there's easily £75 - £100 worth of products there had they been on display at any garden centre.I managed to steer clear of the home made cake stall, but did give in to a slice of cake in the afternoon. The hall ran the most amazing coffee shop, also providing full lunches which was really successful. A very short stroll down the road, in the local Church, the flower festival is on display. Sadly I didn't manage to have a look at that, I must pop and see the arrangements before they are taken down.

I'm your man?

Yet April ends with the basics of another portrait completed. I wanted to get this prep work done so it can dry in time for the weekend. I can work on this at any quiet times I might get during my demonstration day at Stowupland Village Hall. With my car all loaded and ready for an early morning start I hope someone wakes me up before I go-go. I can remember seeing this chap live on stage at Wembley Stadium several years ago with both my daughters in tow. The day's events featured a wide range of superstars from Eurythmics, Bowie, Stereophonics, Robbie Williams to mention just a few. There was someone there for each of us. This chap appeared about three quarters of the way through the chairty concert and his entrance on stage was one of the best I've seen. As he spun round to face the audience, sat in a huge red leather and chrome chair in centre stage his black hair, white, white teeth and gradient sunglasses were sheer class. If you're a fan, I'll leave you with one of my favourite tracks (and a rather clever video) HERE