My first........

Just to draw your attention to the August 8th painting subject in Capel St Mary - an old 'un but a good 'un. Mangrove Oasis. This painting was the subject of my first ever 'big' class many years ago. Boy, was I nervous that day. It's been painted several times since and each time I introduce little changes to it. I've just updated the class gallery to show a more recent version of the painting, which was made recently in a private lesson - in fact, I made two again, a mini and a maxi version. If you'd like to come along and learn to paint this vivid scene with me in August do drop me a line or give me a call on 01473 311938. If I have your deposit for the class before the end of July I'll give you a complimentary small canvas so you too can paint a mini and maxi version at the same time.

A gift for a friend

Thanks to a couple of students (who were armed with camera's on Saturday) I can share a snap taken from a recent class. On the left you can see Hazel. On the right, with her back to us, is her friend Pauline. Pauline decided to book the seascape painting workshop as a total surprise for her friend, who was a first time painter. An unusual birthday gift, yet a gift that will last forever in memory and on canvas.

Pauline paints frequently and recently took part in the Needham Market exhibition. She managed to sell over half of her paintings. Fingers crossed she'll have more sales in another exhibition in May. If you'd like to surprise a friend or loved one with a painting class (or a private lesson) AyoubArt Gift Vouchers can be purchased by clicking HERE

Birthday Celebrations with a difference

At an oil painting painting workshop last month we had a party of 5 girls who were celebrating a 40th birthday. All of them were first timers at painting too. As the birthday cake and nibbles were being passed around they easily mastered the various techniques and produced really lovely paintings, as did the rest of the class. If only I had a pound every time someone said 'I can't believe I just made that'. And I wouldn't mind a pound everytime I heard 'No one is going to believe I painted this all by myself'. If anyone is interested in making a group booking to celebrate a special occassion, do give me a call on 079500 32557 or drop me a line so we can negotiate rates, venues and painting subjects.

A different kind of commission !

Last Monday I had a massive baking session. My daughter, Soha, took the 2 sponge cakes into work the following day as is the office custom for birthday girls. They were sliced up and by 10.30 in the morning they had both gone. In an email she said 'The cakes went down well - everybody loved them and said what a good cook you are'. She later said that one chap reckoned it was the best cake he had ever tasted. As I sit here checking my emails after today's workshop I have to giggle - you see, I've just received my first cake commission! Soha writes 'The bloke who said your cake was the best that he has ever tasted wants you to make him and his wife one…he’s Indian and his wife is moving here from India 30th March, he said in return he’ll get her to make you some somosas and bhajis.' Well, exchange is no robbery '

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.

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.

Old friends

A couple of weeks ago I had a visit from students who are more like long lost friends than customers. They first started painting with me a few years ago, travelling all the way from York. It was great to catch up with all the news and chat, and of course, it's the first time they've seen me since I lost all the weight too, so they had a very new-style Sue teaching them today. They left with a goodie bag of Victoria Sponge, Cheese Scones and Cinnamon Fruit Loaf, (well it stops me being tempted). I'll be seeing them again in class tomorrow where they will be swapping from the acrylics and Pop Art to more wet on wet traditional oil painting. After this re-union I caught up with another student who I haven't seen since 2007. It was great to catch up on news, but most importantly, we'll went over the ins and outs of becoming an Alexander Instructor. Fingers crossed we'll have another member from Europe enrolling on the course.

FREE DVD OFFER !!!!

Just to get the month started and to whet your appetite, why not take advantage of the FREE DVD OFFER? Details can be found HERE. Thanks to Valerie Stewart and our 5am virtual chat whilst both of us were in our pyjamas! Simply place your order and you pay only shipping and handling. GET YOURS TODAY!!!

More Valerie Stewart tuitional DVD's now available direct from the UK

A greater selection of DVD's has been added to the website. You can now purchase all of the Valerie Stewart Pet Portrait DVD's direct from the UK with immediate availability. You can choose your own packages as these exciting and comprehensive pet portraits are available as a 10 DVD starter set OR they can be purchased individually. There are a total of 15 DVDs to choose from. The 10 DVD set alone covers 12 different portraits. You can find the shopping baskets, more information and the relevant images HERE

Private class chit chatter

With a private class, it's quite a different experience to a group class painting. For a start, it's up close and personal. The students and I get a good chance to chat as we paint. Today's lady, Anne and I certainly had a lot to talk about. Apart from our mutual interest in art, Anne spent several years in the Middle East and is more than familiar with the Emirates. So we covered ex-pat life in sunny Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. My first proper job at the age of 16 was in the Sharjah Carlton Hotel. There were only 2 hotels in Sharjah at that time. My office was opposite the reception, see here, on the top left, just behind that row of plants. Anne is also the mother-in-law of a student of mine who emigrated to Canada several months ago. It was great to go through the photos of Anne's recent visit there to see how the family are getting on and what their new surroundings look like. If you fancy indulging yourself in a private class, at the moment it's only an extra £20 above normal class price and includes a lunch. If you bring a friend you can take advantage of a £5 discount each. I can take up to 4 students in a private group booking too, if you prefer to have an exclusive painting party with friends. Plus YOU get to choose the painting subject from the ever growing gallery. Call me on 01473 311938 for more details/availability.

Woops - a - daisy !

I had a bit of an accident when hanging the Serengeti painting up to dry. I have several nails in walls around the house and that's where my wet paintings get sometimes get hung, plus it gives me a chance to live with them for a bit. I gallery wrapped this painting (or, in layman's terms, I painted around the edges). Just as this painting was in position it slipped from my hands it hit the lounge carpet on it's side and then fell face down. A bit like buttered toast really. Did I panic? Nope! Out came Grandma's Secret Spot Remover and within seconds the BLACK oil paint was removed from the carpet. But that wasn't all.......I had a big black smudge across the front of the painting. So out came my trusty wipe out tool. Off came the smudge and it was soon repaired and back to normal again. If this happens to you - for £5.50 the spot remover will take out paint stains from clothes and furnishings and for £5.99 the wipe-out tool will take out any random blobs from your paintings. You can see a little indentation on the bottom picture that was caused by pressure - this will become flat again as the painting dries out.

Lets get Tropical, Tropical

A woman's perogative - I've made a couple of changes to my Class Timetable. I'm changing this month's painting subject at The Green Room (Saturday July 25th) and next month's painting subject at Capel St Mary Village Hall (Sunday August 16th). I've been influenced by a couple of things: 1) The rather hot weather we've been experiencing the last few days and 2) The photos from my daughter's holiday. She spent a couple of weeks in the Caribbean and during that time she took a boat trip to Paradise Island. Fingers crossed the sun will be shining and the windows and doors will be flung open when we paint this. If you'd like to come along do give me a call on 01473 311938 or drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk There's a couple of new techniques involved, just to keep you on your toes. You can see a much larger image of this painting in the Class Subject's Gallery HERE

Bamburgh Castle - now available to all levels

My Bamburgh Castle painting is probably one of the most popular choices for private classes. However, as it stands it's only open to intermediate students (students who have attended 4 painting workshops). There is a way this painting can be taught to beginners and we'll make this the subject for Sunday July 5th 12.30 - 5.30 at Capel Village Hall. If you'd like to paint this scene, do drop me a line or give me a call. If you're a complete beginner, why not give this pretty castle composition a go and impress you're friends and family. I'll take the class through the method step by step from start to finish, no rush, no pressure and a lot of fun. We'll be painting this on a panoramic canvas as it works well with the composition.

One for the kids (and the grown ups) this summer holiday

Swimming Free - that lovely whale scene which was designed by Jack Kolber, a fellow ACI in the States, is a painting that is absolutely ideal for children. Its always nice to have children along in a class and us adults learn a lot from their sheer bravado. I think it's time to make this a painting subject for the school summer holidays so any children who are budding artists can come along. For those of you with children, it's the ideal painting subject for mum/dad and son/daughter to paint along together (plus you'll receive a £5 discount each on your class fee too.) I'll be having 2 'Swimming Free' workshops in August. One in Capel (in Suffolk near Ipswich) at a weekend and another one in East Bergholt (in Essex near Colchester) on a week day. This link will take you to the CLASS TIMETABLE so you can check on the dates and other painting subjects currently available. If you're interested in these classes, just give me a call on 01473 311938 or drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk to book your seat. Everything is supplied for you - all you need to do is turn up with a smile and a desire to learn something new.

Dingly Dell

I've been wanting to make a new bluebell wood scene suitable for a painting class. Finally, I have one that I think will be suitable for our 7th June class in Capel St Mary. If you'd like to have a go at 'Dingly Dell' do give me a call on 01473 311938 or drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk We'll start at 12.30pm and we'll finish around 5.30pm. As always, I try to introduce new things to the regular students and in this class you'll discover a natty way to highlight your trees and add detail into your foliage highlights. We'll also be introducing a new couple of new colours to the palette.

New Class Subjects.

For the last few classes, I've been taking along paintings of mine and letting the students select the subjects for future painting classes. Their input has been great and it helps me to make a decision too.

A couple of the paintings they have selected can be completed in just 4 hours, instead of the usual 5 hour session. So......we'll put these into my Saturday Classes at the Green Room in Stowmarket and we'll have a discounted rate for these shorter lessons. One of the most popular paintings 'The Lightning Tree' will be taught to complete beginners on Saturday, February 29th. The cost for the class is just £40 per person and if you book with a friend, you can take advantage of a £5 discount EACH. You can find the details, location etc here: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/17.html

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.