Green is the colour of the week.

I've been in my element this week as all the classes so far have been green compositions. I could paint in greens and limes all day long, there's just something about the colours that delight me. It's my favourite colour - although you'll rarely find me actually wearing it.

Greens, I think, suit black canvases perfectly. While the black basepaint was out I thought it might be a good idea to get all the canvases prepped for next week's classes too. I like to do these in batches and it saves time for me in the long run.

Here's a snapshot of a small portion of yesterday's painting subject- my old favourite 'Mangrove Oasis'. It was the subject of the first 'big' class I ever taught. I was asked if I ever get tired of painting it - my answer is simple: It's green and it has trees and I could paint this sort of thing 7 days a week. But, interestingly, I do get tired of painting some class subjects. When that happens I simply remove them from the website. It's no good me feeling slightly 'anti' before a class, I have to love what I do or I'm not giving my students the best I possibly can. So - that may answer the mystery of why some subjects seem to come and go.

Not a dry eye in the hall.....

Well, I can safely say all of the students who have taken part in the portraiture seminar have left the class with amazing paintings. We've had a few guests drop by this afternoon to admire the work and their feedback has given the students good reason to smile. I'll pop some images of the actual portraits on the website over the next few days so you can see for yourselves.

I have to take this opportunity to thank my lovely nephew, Edward. He has been ever vigilant in fetching paints, keeping the refreshments on the go, running errands at the drop of a hat, taking photos - the list goes on.

We were particularly touched after lunch today when Valerie, Edward & I were summoned to the dinner table. The lovely Pauline shushed everyone up, pulled a sheet of paper from her notes, stood up and read this:

Dear Sue
Your unassuming attitude
Your generous nature and servitude
Deserve a special mention in all our books
(And so does Robbie Williams' good looks)
For you - no gift - maybe a cup of tea
And a great big thanks for your Company
A special mention though,
About your cake
That recipe, I would like to take
Back home with me - so -
When I get a minuteI can bake, and not paint,
When my heart's not in it.
Please remember to keep in touch
'Cos we all shall miss you so very much

NOW

Dear Valerie,
A bouquet of flowers -We thought of that,
But you've no time to enjoy them -So that fell flat!
We all agreed that
Whatever we choose
'Twould be a waste
'Cos you're off on a cruise.
We all subscribed for this gift -You've not had
Then decided the dosh
Go to Edward instead!

This dear lad has been so good
Making us drinks & offering food
He deserves recognition for all
He has done
And we must say it now
Before we're all gone.
He's waited on us
Hand and foot -
But you, dear Valerie......U CAN KISS MY BUTT !!!
(I love you tho' xxx)

As Pauline read the Edward paragraph she walked around the table towards him and emptied a jug into his lap. The student's had made a secret collection and presented it to a very surprised and stunned teenager. Pauline's poem touched all our hearts having us laughing one minute and welling up the next.

What a lovely lot you are - and what a lovely job I have when it brings folk like this into my life.
I love you all and hope to paint with you again sometime soon.
From the heart - thankyou
xxxxxx

A new painting subject

A little while ago I received a message from a student of mine. Katie wanted to book a class and asked if it were possible to paint something from the Sue's Gallery selection rather than the Class Subject choices. And from that request we now have a rather pretty - and different - painting subject that is suitable to be taught in a class. I'm putting this new painting ' Feathered Friends ' as the Capel class subject for June, it will probably be the painting subject for July at Heartlands once I sort out some new dates. See HERE for details and if you CLICK HERE you'l find a larger image of the new painting subject.

Changes to classes

Over the last few months we've all seen the price of fuel steadily increase. Combine this with increased hall hire rates, delivery charges, canvases, paint and other sundry costs things have been creeping up. In an effort to maintain my current class prices I've decided to cut back on the snacks / nibbles / lunches that are given during classes and private workshops. This will take effect as from 1st April. For anyone who has a Private Class Gift Voucher issued before 31st March, your lunch will still be included when you book your lesson.

Painting Class for Art Group

I had a lovely drive to the village of Fressingfield on Monday. For about the last 20 minutes of the journey I was surrounded by pretty, rural countryside with chocolate box cottages - and to top it all, the sun was shining brilliantly. The ladies of the art group there enjoyed an oil painting lesson. Learning the many special effects we can make with various brushes, they all returned home with lovely paintings (and all so different too). The venue was right next door to the pretty Fox and Goose Pub. It's rumoured that Johnny Depp was in the area a few years ago, house hunting. It seems that while he was scouting for a home in the area, Johnny went into to popular Fox & Goose Inn. But he didn't have a reservation and all the tables in the 18th century inn were already taken. If it were me, I'd make room - wouldn't you?

Get outta the kitchen

I decided to spend a lot less time in the kitchen. Regular readers will know I often have up to 4 hour sessions at a time, creating all sorts of tasty things with my increasing supply of free range eggs. Despite the reduced hours my productivity has increased - and it's thanks to a long awaited piece of equipment. Last week I decided to treat myself to a food processor, which has cut my manual time by loads. In no time at all I've whisked up a family sized quiche, a chicken and vegetable pie, half a gallon of vegetable soup, 2 dozen buns, 2 fruit cakes, 2 trays of fruit, coconut and choc-chip flapjacks. This means my cake tins, fridge and the freezer are quite full. Plus, there's quite a few attachments I still haven't used yet. I can remember well over 35 years ago my mum getting the state of the art Kenwood Chef. It had so many attachments and accessories and we enjoyed her weekend home baking sessions. She was much more adventurous than me (but my eggs are better).

Tiddlers and Intermediates

Half of today's students opted to paint a tiddler. That's what we now call the mini canvases. It's an option I give to my intermediate students (painting subject permitting). You see, an intermediate student could be sat next to a first timer in a class. This often means an intermediate student will finish a little quicker than the beginner - so - they have more than enough time to carry on working on the smaller canvas - PLUS - it stops them fiddling with their main painting. To qualify for intermediate status you need to have attended 4 painting classes with me. You'll receive a certificate to mark your new level too. In this time I know a student will be fully versed with many of the different effects we can get from the various brushes. The tiddler canvas can be painted at an additional cost of only £5 - and for that amount I know you'll find they make great personalised presents for friends and family alike.

New painting subjects - New dates

I've just updated the Class Timetable page and added several new class dates and images. You can find larger images of the Class Subjects by clicking HERE. You might be interested to see how 'Peaceful Evening' looks when painted in a lighter way too. If you'd like to attend any of the workshops, do drop me a line or give me a call on info@ayoubart.co.uk - 01473 311938 - 07950032557

Another portrait project

It's been lovely, to get back into a bit of portraiture again and I'm glad I thought ahead and prepped a canvas in advance. Yesterday afternoon I worked on a close up shot, a little frustrating at first but I soon got in the swing of it. Considering this underpainting stage is made using just one colour, I managed to cover my whole palette with varying tones. This first stage was made using just 3 brushes and of course, I had the lovely Valerie Stewart right beside me. Well..........on screen anyway. I used Valerie's Demo DVD to guide the order of things and to remind me of the different strokes used. One thing that amazes me, Valerie is painting a classic portrait of a girl in her DVD tuition, yet from her tuition we are able to adapt the technique to any subject we choose. You'll be forgiven if you do not recognise the subject at this stage......but if you nail it straight away I know I'm onto a winner. There are still some slots left on the Valerie Stewart 4 day Portrait Seminar in June if anyone is interested in learning this technique with the lady herself....... details can be found HERE.

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

More dates

Just a quicky to let you know the class schedule has been updated with more dates and painting subjects. Private Classes are available inbetween these dates subject to availability. Please call me on 01473 311938 or drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk if you'd like to book tuition or have any enquiries.

Word Searches

People find my website by a variety of ways. When I view my statistics I'm often smiling at the wierd combination of word searches that seem to pull up my website. Yesterday I had a hit from someone searching 'where to get a tattoo of husband's name'. Another hit came from 'arabic lettering'. A third hit came from 'dip in horizon'. Just a handful of examples for you, and I'll make a point in future to mention further bizarre search words.

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.

A little more progress

If you've been reading my FORUM you would have seen more stages with the portrait. Here's how things looked a day later. I've emailed my progress to Valerie, for her feedback and I was delighted at her response. She writes:
Actually, an excellent job!!! Don't do too well, I'd like to be needed when I get there!!! haha

Keep up the good work! You're definitely on target!!!

Love,

Val

So - totally motivated by her comments I am going to prep another 2 portraits ready to paint outside, in the sun.

A quiz while we paint

Neville, a regular student of mine, often poses a thought provoking question during painting workshops, (remember several weeks ago, whilst painting the stars into the Northern Lights painting, he wondered who sang the original version of 'Swinging on a Star'?). Neville keeps us entertained with his quizzes and today none of us had the answer to his question. Our little church is painted in using a sable brush. 'Where does sable come from?', asked Neville. He had us foxed until we could get home and google it............. Would any readers have been able to answer him on the spot? Incidentally, we'll be painting the Northern Lights again on Saturday 25th April from 10am till 3pm at the Green Room in Stowmarket. If you'd like to attend this class, do give me a call on 01473 311938 or drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk

An Unusual Lesson

I conducted a rather unusual lesson the other week..........my students had supplied me with a swatch of curtain material and a photo of their new settee. They wanted nothing more than to paint their own contemporary or abstract artwork to hang in their soon-to-be decorated lounge. I'd explained that this would not be a follow my lead/step by step workshop. Instead, I would give them a wide selection of brushes, a few pointers, illustrate some special effects and be on hand if they needed any assistance. The palette had already been selected, so pretty much anything they made would have gone with the decor. We started off by putting masking tape over some areas and blocking of sections of canvas and blending various tones. As the day progressed some rather pretty effects materialised. Here's one lady's almost completed piece and she's absolutely delighted with it - a pretty oriental cherry blossom theme that will compliment her home beautifully. She may be back to paint some more on different sized canvas to hang on opposite and adjacent walls. I bet that will look really nice, and will make for quite a talking point too.

A new type of painting class?

This morning's demo was a lively event. I demo'ed this particular Art Group a couple of years ago and I've been a member ever since. Now, the first time I gave a talk I was fine, I didn't really know a soul. This time though was a little different as I'm really familiar now with all the other members. And this time.........I was a little nervous. I really wanted to give my friends a good talk, a good show, something a little different. The way to present a very different and new slant on the wet on wet technique came to me in an inspired early morning flash. I woke up at around 5.30am with a great little idea - and I put that idea into practice for the first half of the demo. I was thrilled at the end of the talk to be asked back AGAIN! So, with our diaries at the ready we've scheduled in a painting workshop. Once again, my supplies were popular as there's equipment and DVD's on offer to suit watercolour, acrylic, pastels and other. My main painting was raffled off, to raise funds for the group and it's gone to a really good home too. One lady was telling me that her nephew would love to learn to oil paint and would more than likely be interested in painting exactly the way I did during the first half......... 'It would suit him perfectly'. Now I'm wondering if I just might have struck upon a new-style oil painting class.......I'm not giving too much away at the moment, but I'll run the ideas by some of my regulars and see if they would be up for it. Isn't it great how one thing often leads to another.

Money Saving Art Supplies

As I pulled off the dual carriageway this morning, heading towards Stowmarket, I was delighted to see the Tesco's roundabout filled with pretty yellow daffodils. In the brilliant sunshine they were a treat and a sure sign that Spring is only just around the corner. The warm sun stayed with us for the best part of the day, and it allowed my students to take their paintings into the courtyard at The Green Room so their black acrylic base coats could dry off rapidly. I had a huge amount of questions at the end of class regarding wet-on-wet oil painting supplies. I'm lucky in that I am not tied in with any particular Company and can pass on details of the many various brands that I personally recommend for this particular technique - all tried and tested and guaranteed to do the job and give brilliant value for money. I was delighted with one particular comment I received from Rob; 'You've saved me £15 already on the thinners alone!'. It's no secret in saying it's my mission to get as many people oil painting as possible - plus - I can show you how you can set yourself up without having to spend a small fortune. In this current economic crisis, the £15 that Rob has saved will easily buy him a couple of brushes, a tube or two of paint and a canvas.

The first result

I've just received the first photo of a painting made by following my DVD. THis is Lee's picture, you can see he's changed the canvas around to portrait instead of landscape and it alters the composition in a really lovely way too. The picture was taken on his mobile phone and sent by text to me. I think you'll agree, he's done a marvellous job. In his text message to me he says 'Now THIS one I like....' And for anyone who knows Lee, they will know he is his own worst critic. If anyone else wants to text in a photo - you can do so on 079500 32557Look forward to seeing some more.... and well done Lee

Talks, Guest Speaker, Live Demonstrations and Art Groups

I'm having an office day today. It started with a trip to the stationers to buy new files, binders, a couple of diaries (you don't even want to know how many diaries I have on the go!) and other bits and bobs. It feels great to get on top of the paperwork, having it all processed and filed away. I've been scheduling my demonstrations too. I give talks and live demonstrations to all manner of groups and societies, not necessary art orientated. If you'd like a quote on a 90 minute demonstration for your group or society, my prices start at just £45 for a 10 mile radius. I also give painting workshops to Art Groups. this evening I've booked in my first one for the year. As the group are covering the cost of the venue and the refreshments and can guarantee a minimum number of students, we can negotiate a mutual discount. I can teach up to 15 people, ensuring all students receive adequate individual attention. Feel free to contact me on 01473 311938 or info@ayoubart.co.uk if you think this might be something of interest to you/your group.