My 'other' hobby

I'm at it again. It's been a while since I had a bake up and today was the perfect day for it. With the house to myself all day long I switched on the radio LOUD and had a good look in the cupboards. With eggs beginning to pile up again, first on the menu was 3 large farmhouse fruit cakes, followed by 2 dozen rock buns. Next up, a home made white loaf had the kitchen smelling wonderful combined with 8 pints of rich leek and potato soup. We have quite a lot of apples to use, so they went into 2 family sized apple pies, the rest were stewed up and popped in freezer bags. The customary tray of flap jacks were thrown into the oven, as it was on.....and whie I was on a roll with the pastry I thought I'd do a tray of large cheese scones. Although I sit here with an aching back after nearly 5 hours in the kitchen, it's so rewarding to know the freezer, fridge and cake tins are full of goodies. Aren't Alan and Steffi going to have a nice surprise when they get home?

Well and truly bitten by the bug

It's not unusual to try a wet on wet style oil painting lesson and get bitten by the bug. After, all it's exactly what happened to me a few years ago and look where I am now! However, I don't think I've ever had someone book as many painting lessons as my new best friend, Cassie. Basically, she came along for one session and booked up every single class, with private sessions in between. Today was one of her private sessions - and she brought some friends with her too. What a lovely way to paint. You know everyone else in the class - and that's where the banter kicks in. All of my ladies are American and it was lovely hearing the sunny accent again - the last young lady who spoke it here a month ago was Joyce Ortner. Cassie's friends are total newbies to oil painting and were a little sceptical that they could achieve a masterpiece with their current skill sets and knowledge. Of course, anyone who has tried this technique already knows different....as long as you are shown how, explained why and demonstrated the whats, whos and the wheres, it's 100% possible.

Cheeky

Yesterday I caught up with all sorts of bits and bobs, some things arty - some things not. It took up most of my day. I was determined to get some painting time in, if only a few moments. As my WIP work is continually set up now in my new studio, everything is to hand. It makes things so much easier to paint, without disrupting the main house. I knew I only had about an hour, so, I changed the colour of Robbie Williams eyes from blue to green (still loads more to do on him so I won't bore you with a photo just yet). Another project I have on the back burner is a portrait of sorts. I want something very soft and gentle, very feminine. My new lounge doesn't have a single thing hanging on the wall and I want something quite different for an alcove. As you can see, there's loads more to do to this, I've really only laid in the underpainting and just 2 flesh tones. But, it means I did manage to get some painting time in and I'm a few steps further with both paintings' progression.

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.

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.

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.

Learn to paint by DVD

Let me tell you about Meera. Meera recently came along to a painting class at Heartlands. She drove for approx 3 hours to get to me, sat for 5 hours painting mountains, lakes, pine trees and clouds. She drove home after the class with her first ever oil painting masterpiece. And her painting was beautiful - really beautiful. She was beaming. Meera purchased a Lowell Speers DVD from me, the monochromatic seascape. Recently I received an email from Meera and attached was a photo of her painting which was made just by following the tuitional DVD. I think you'll agree she has made a fabulous version of this tonal seascape. If you'd like to have a go at this painting project you can find the details of the DVD HERE at just £9.50 delivered to your door.

Something else to keep my fingers busy

I was recently given the most fabulous acoustic guitar. Now I don't know one guitar from the next, but friends who know about these things tell me my new toy is a proper gem. One of my birthday surprises was a guitar lesson (following an impromptu and delicious tapas lunch). I received a guitar chord and scale book and an essential tuner. All I'll say for now is...........I look at guitar players totally different and with even more admiration than ever before. I don't think I've ever tried to learn something that seems so fiddly and complicated in my life. If I can one day play a tune I'll be very surprised. But, I'll not let it beat me and it's early days. So, if any fellow guitar players out there have any words of encouragement to offer, I'll really love to hear from you. Was it the same for you too at the beginning? Were you also overwhelmed by the many chords, notes and finger positions? Boy does it hurt your finger tips too.

Seascape Painting Workshop

I have a seascape painting class coming up (see HERE for class details) and I've been asked if it's possible to paint this in black and white instead of blue and white. The answer is 'YES'. And as soon as my daughter returns my camera I'll take a snap so you can see what the greyer tones look like.

I just love green

Last week in class I painted one of my favourite paintings 'Woodland's End'. I love this scene as it contains a huge variety of greens and limes - my favourite colours. It's been a while since I taught this painting subject and we all really enjoyed messing around with it today. I decided to have a mini version on the go - you never know, it might end up being framed - might even go into exhibition. It shows the students how easily you can adapt the same brushes to work on small scale - plus, painting small-scale is an addition that my intermediate students have the option to do for a nominal fee (painting subject permitting). The mini-paintings make great gifts. They actually look great hung together in a collection too.

When it's Spring again....

I mentioned Spring.........and this morning I got the distinct impression it really was just around the corner. As I drove to Heartlands the sun was bright and streaming through the window (must get my windscreen washed!). Had there been a touch more greenery on the trees it could have passed for a fresh March morning. Interestingly, in today's class were students who had been painting with me for over 2 years. There was also Marlene, a complete beginner. I asked Marlene if she was nervous bering in mind the other students' experience. She was. But, within 20 minutes after the class started she realised that a complete beginner can slot in very easily indeed. In fact, if you had pulled a complete stranger off the street and asked them to pick out who was the novice, who were the regulars and who was the teacher, they'd be hard pushed to make that decision. Don't believe me? maybe you should give it a go - it's a money back guarantee to all first time students and I've not had to give a refund to any of my students yet. I've added more Heartland's dates to the Class timetable HEREif anyone would like topaint in this idyllic rural setting.

One place left.......

I had an opportunity to start today's class at 10am instead of 12.30pm and very, very luckily all the students who were booked in didn't mind the earlier start. Of course, an early start meant we were done and dusted by 3pm and it was good to clear away while it was still light. And for once, I can keep everything to hand as I'll be teaching 'Cold Snap' again on Tuesday at Heartlands in Gipping, near Stowmarket (10am - 3pm). We have space for one more student and if you'd like to have a go at this pretty pastel mixed media painting, do give me a call on 01473 311938 or 079500 32557. Full address details can be found HERE.

Easy Access

One of my students made her way to me via public transport from London today. There's a direct train from Liverpool Street Station, leaving at around 8am, arriving just after 9am in Ipswich. It only takes me 10 minutes (at that time of day, traffic permitting) to get to the station so I was able to pick her up and we enjoyed a hot drink and shortbread before the class started. It was Rebeka's first time ever at oil painting and she was amazed at the results she achieved. I'm eagerly waiting to see what her friends and family think of her work. 'They'll never believe I made this all by myself', she kept saying. So I took photos for her on her phone camera, which she eagerly sent to her fiends. Rebeka reeled off all the other paintings she wanted to make, so I think she'll be taking that train journey a few times. I was able to secure her painting and protect it so she could take it home with her. She was guarding it with her life when I dropped her back at the station!

Art For Fun

Yesterday was the first meeting of the year for the Art For Fun art group. Many of us turned up to a very frosty hall to spend a couple of hours catching up with news and working on our varying art projects. While we were waiting for the heating to be sorted out I chatted to several members. I was thrilled to hear one member had sold the painting she made in the acrylic workshop I gave the group some months ago. Here's what we painted (shown above). Well done Carol. Another member showed me her version of the same project but using a different colour group. Another member had made a version in watercolour, filled with rich crimsons, blues and purples. All great stuff indeed. I worked on something that will save me a little time during tomorrow's class. If I can mix business with pleasure like this I really don't mind. (Thanks for the lift Angela - looking forward to seeing your finished Guinea Fowl.)

Rain.....(or snow) stopped play

With treacherous road (and path) conditions and the forecast of more snow on the way we have to be sensible about private class appointments. I've been contacting students since the snow came in December, giving them the option to cancel and re-book. So for anyone with up-coming classes scheduled, don't worry about last minute cancellations. I'd rather we are all safe than sorry. Although the main road through the village is clear, the pavements are thick ice. My heart was in my mouth several times yesterday as I walked to the Post Office. Quite often, walking in the road was the easiest option. And the few yards I have to walk to my studio, storage unit and chicken run are just as bad. We know it's bad when the chickens won't come out. The amount of times I venture out to crack the ice off their water.............

DVD Number 2 - Bamburgh Castle

I'm pleased to have been in some of your Christmas stockings this year. The Bamburgh Castle DVD, despite being a very British landmark, has proven to be as popular overseas as it is here in the UK. I haven't received any photos of finished paintings just yet, but I'm sure they will start to filter through quite soon. One customer, Irene, writes: I have just sat and watched the dvd and found it excellent, you explain everything in a way that is easy to grasp and found all your tips and method of working very informative.I have learnt loads in the 100 min. it took to view the dvd.
I am new to oil painting and have just started using water mixable oils and I am sure I will be able to follow your instructions using this other type of oils........ If you'd like to add Bamburgh Castle to your tuitional DVD collection you can find the shopping basket for it here. At just £11.75 delivered to your door you can paint this in your own time in the comfort of your own home.

Website statistics

Some more of the stranger word searches that have landed unsuspecting visitors to my website are: Raku Pottery / Jim Jam Game / Postal Strike Delays / Caravan Kit / Bunches of Mushrooms. No doubt somewhere on my website, even on pages that have been removed from public view, there will be a combination of these words and phrases. Another interesting aspect to my statistics are the locations of visitors. Just yesterday hits were received from Switzerland, Canada, Indonesia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Japan, Italy, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Uruguay, Sweden and China, to name but a few. Unfortunately when I see the names of some of these countries I know I will also have spam mail offering me anything from cheap frames, reproduction prints, the daily lottery wins and the regular requests to kindly accept millions of dollars into my bank account.

Same composition, different method

Sometimes in a class, depending on the type of painting we are doing, I can offer students a variety of colour schemes. Unfortunately, this is not one of those times. I just thought I'd show you 'Serengeti Solitude'. I'm sure you're thinking it's exactly the same as the painting below, only a different colour and a different sized canvas. In part you'd be correct in your assumption, but the two paintings are made in entirely different ways. Which one do you prefer? I think my preference would be the blue.... Aren't those acacia trees just something? They remind me of the Cedar, the emblem on the Lebanese National Flag.

Doin' the mess around.......

After a private floral class last week, I didn't clear everything away as I normally do. Instead I left out all the paints and soft floral brushes so I could have a mess about with different brushes and various flower types. I also had some sample canvas to try out and it was the ideal time, on Sunday afternoon, to have a play around. The canvas was good, and the thin layer of medium sat nicely on the surface, which means the priming layer was more than adequate. I experimented with the different Alexander floral brushes, the floral brushes I stock and some brushes from another Company. You just never know when you are going to find a new gem of a brush and whether it would be worth stocking or not. I then filled a canvas with daisies, poppies, geraniums, hydrangeas, leaves and a chrysanthemum bloom. This gave me a chance to play around with the brushes and also try different mediums, comparing shop brought mediums to home made medium mixes. So all in all a great afternoon. I'm really loving the daisies, poppies and chrysanthemum blooms and they would be ideal little flowers for a beginner to do. I'll have to see if there's a way I can put them together to make an interesting and pretty painting composition.

Revive your brushes

As I was setting up for today's class, I found 3 x 1 inch landscape brushes that hadn't been properly cleaned. The bristles had gone a little hard, too hard to apply medium with, that's for sure. I decided to use those brushes anyway and very easily rejuventated them to their former glory within minutes. Out came the brush cleaning bar and within seconds they were clean, soft, supple and fragrant. Although I don't recommend using the soap bar with your large (1 inch and 2.5 inch) landscape brushes, it is possible to clean them if you are very, very careful. The secret is NOT to have your brushes in contact with water for a length of time. Just dip your brush into luke warm water, wiggle it over the cleaning bar and work up a lather into the bristles with your fingers. This will loosen any residue medium and paint. Quickly dip your brush into clean lukewarm water to rinse and remove all traces of water immediately, using an old towel or kitchen roll. After this, tightly bind your bristles with clean kitchen roll, which will ensure all traces of water are absorbed away. If you stick to this method your landscape brushes will survive the cleaning process. I showed today's students just what the cleaning bar was capable of as I handed them a very old, stiff 1 inch wide filbert brush. They could barely bend the bristles over. Within minutes, after working it over the cleaning soap bar a couple of times it was as soft as new. At just £3.50 a bar, delivered to your door, if it saves just one brush it would have paid for itself. If you'd like some, you can find the shopping basket for it HERE