Back To Nature

It looks as though we are finally having a bit of proper summer weather here this weekend and I have all the windows open to let the scent of roses into the house. Someone asked me the other day where I get the ideas for some of the more abstract work I do and the answer has to be, more often than not, nature. In my garden, on walks I take with Sam, I can't help but be fascinated by the songs of the birds, the way grasses move in the breeze, the colours and textures of leaves, trees and the landscape in general.

All this feeds into what I make and makes life so much more enjoyable too. When did you last spend time at rest in your garden or the local park? Do it today if you can, even if only for fifteen minutes or so. Just sit in a chair, lie on the grass, or shelter under a tree if it's raining, and pay attention to the sights, sounds and scents around you. I promise you'll feel all the better for it!

Last of the Summer Wine

Autumn has arrived. Time to say goodbye to lengthy, warm days and the sun waking me too early in the morning. I gather what will probably be pretty much the last of the sweet peas as the winds begin to whip through the garden and whistle in the chimney. I have had the First Fire ritual - the lighting of my wood burning stove for the first time in nearly five months - and basked in its warmth. The flowers fill the room with a heady, summery scent; I chose particularly fragrant varieties to grow this year and will sow more soon in anticipation of starting the cycle again.

It's also new shoes season. Another pair of my favourites, would you believe those are the same shoes and were once the same colour? They have served me faithfully for two years of twice-daily, lengthy dog walks through mud, grass, gravel tracks, ice, snow, rain and sun and I have finally worn through the soles. So, into retirement they go. Or at least semi-retirement: they're so very comfortable and soft I doubt I'll be able to let them go completely! Some goodbyes are best delayed.

In The Backyard

My garden is looking quite lush now (thanks to my daughter's hard work clearing up) so I've been spending some time repotting plants and sowing seed for dwarf French beans and foxgloves. This corner is mainly herbs and bee fodder: lavender, sweet peas, apple mint, rosemary, violas, oregano and buddleia, with climbing rose Spirit of Freedom and a particularly graceful little clump forming bamboo at the back.

At the other side is the glorious Ispahan scrambling over my new garden arch. I love to go out there on a still afternoon, stand underneath it and be enveloped in its swoon-worthy scent. It is an old damask and so non-repeating but the few weeks of spectacular flowering are well worth the anticipation! Filling in the background are a Boston ivy and the instant sunshine of yellow leaved jasmine which needs a good summer to flower here but is also quite intoxicating when it does. As you may have guessed by now, scent in the garden is vital and I try to have as much of it going on as possible!

Reasons To Be Cheerful

I have spent the last week being a very sick bunny and as a consequence need cheering up. So today, as I am feeling slightly more together, I started painting some sheets of watercolour paper just with random splashes of colour because I have a few half-formed ideas about a project I want to try. And also because colour has a wonderful ability to lift my spirits.

The daffs in the garden continue to bloom which inspired me (before I was laid low) to go out and photograph some of the neighbourhood cherry trees. For one glorious week or so at this time of year they are stunningly beautiful, laden with delicate white and pale pink flowers, making walking around the streets beneath them quite magical!

A Small, Good Thing

Well, several actually. Moments from my day: the paperbark birch in my garden; daffodils in a pot braving the frost; the blessings of a wood burning stove; Sam in his favourite spot. Very cold and wintry here, keep warm everyone.

Patience, My Love, For Spring Will Surely Come

I haven't painted anything in a while. Often, ideas for work will come to me in that borderland between waking and sleep; unfortunately, the next day I frequently can't remember them, which is why I really should keep a notebook by the bed.

This watercolour started life with a bird who spoke to me, everything else followed from there. When do you get your best ideas? I'd love to know.

The Uninvited Guest

As I was sitting at the computer the other day I became aware of a regular tapping sound coming from the kitchen. It would go on for a few seconds then stop, only to resume again. Eventually I decided to go and check it out and this is what I found. A very young blue tit was perched on the window frame pecking away at the glass as if he wanted to come in. Every so often he would stop pecking and flutter his wings, then go back to pecking again.

This went on for the best part of an hour until eventually he gave up and flew away. But the day after he was back again and this time he had a young friend with him. The friend wasn't so impressed with this routine. He watched the peck-flutter-repeat business for a few minutes then left, but our original visitor carried on for some time until I frightened him away unloading the dishwasher. What was he doing? We could only conclude he was reacting to the reflection of himself or the trees behind him but it gave me a great chance to get up close to a bird that is normally quite skittish and observe just how beautiful and subtle were its markings and colours. Small miracles.

Nature Walk

I always love it when I can find new and creative ways to use existing pieces of work. For this journal the inspiration came from a bunch of collage tags I made last year. I enlarged one and printed it out then backed it with kraft paper and added a metal washer and string ties to make an unusual cover. I'm really pleased with how it came out and can just imagine sitting on a windswept beach jotting down ideas and observations along with a sketch or two in it!

'Tis The Season

I know it's that time of year when we're all running around like headless chickens (apart from those supremely organised individuals who have everything perfectly under control - hey there must be some, right?) so I'd like to share the perfect antidote to all that chaos with you. It's called Scribblecast and it's the brainchild of my dear friend Amy.

A series of videos, the episodes feature the landscape and wildlife of her beautiful Pacific NorthWest home, cooking tips and recipes and footage of her creating her stunning artwork. Try the one above out and then follow the link for more. No matter how busy or otherwise your day has been, sitting down and watching one of these short videocasts will chill you out and put a big smile on your face. Works for me.

Thanks For Asking

This is my favourite place in the world right now. My back yard measures just 14'x14' and has two trees in it, three climbing roses, black bamboo and oh, lots of other stuff too. When the roses are in bloom and the trees are in full leaf I like to just sit under the canopy and drink in the colour and fragrance. It's almost possible to forget that I'm surrounded by bricks and concrete in this enclosed little place and I love it!

As my regular readers may be aware, I've been having health issues for some time now. Well, I've recently been diagnosed diabetic and hypertensive and both these conditions are now being managed so I'm hoping I'll find my energy levels picking up a bit now. I'm very grateful to everyone who has shown concern, offered advice and generally gone out of their way to let me know I'm not on my own. You all rock.

(Ab)normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Far From Dull

Apologies for the lack of activity on this here blog lately. First off, I haven't been creating very much for various reasons and so haven't got any new art to show you yet.
No, I have however got a house which is falling to bits. OK, slight exaggeration, but my electric wiring has decided to only partially work leaving me with no functioning plug sockets upstairs. And the bath sprung a leak yesterday, as I discovered when water started coming through the living room ceiling. Sigh.

So, in lieu of anything arty, take a look at this little guy.

The Remains of the Day

There is a particular time of day which I love, especially when I'm by the sea. Late afternoon with the sun sparkling on the water and long shadows and golden light. Heaven!

Barrow

The wonderful gals of Studio33, of which I am extremely honoured to be a member, are having an art blitz online ~ check out the blog for more details.

A few of us are very interested in standing stones and ancient monuments and have been working on pieces with that theme. This is one of mine. For those not familiar with them, standing stones, long barrows and earthworks are a feature of many cultures and Britain and Ireland are particularly rich with them.

Simply put, long barrows were created by our distant ancestors to house the dead, generally constructed of stone and earth, and today are regarded by many as sacred, magical places.

For sale here

Lucky Days

White rabbits! Pinch, punch, first of the month! Well autumn is just around the corner here. I've noticed some of the trees starting to turn already and it's noticeably cooler in the evening and morning.

Even though we've had a pretty awful summer I'm rather looking forward to it. I love going for walks around the neighbourhood to see the changes taking place and savouring that feeling of preparation, battening down the hatches, which seems to be in the air.

So here's a young lady wrapped in her shawl. Maybe she's doing the same thing.
For sale here

Hope all my US friends are having a great Labor Day weekend!

The Yellow Wood

A little acrylic painting I did yesterday, inspired as you might have guessed by Robert Frost's Road Not Taken. I love the irony and wistfulness of that poem, it's a shame it gets misread so often.

Anyway this was done using my painting 'trowel', a new toy which I love experimenting with and which is much more freeing than brushes, for me at least.

For sale here

Valley of Rain

I am going to start building an Ark. It has rained so much here, and throughout most of the UK, that it doesn't feel like summer at all. I have lush plants in my garden but it's not warm or dry enough to sit out and enjoy it.

Anyway you know the saying about making lemonade, well here's mine. I did this piece on gessoed board and was pleasantly surprised to find that it produced a rain-like effect with a little help from me.

For sale here

Tall Poppies

Yesterday I was feeling unwell with some sort of bug and I wanted to make something pretty so I dug out my watercolours and did this. I have a fondness for Welsh poppies, they look so bright and so fragile, and I'm always sorry to see them battered by the rain (of which we get a lot here in the north-west!). So I painted them with a stormy sky in the background, shining out cheerfully.

For sale here

Queen of the Night

I am making a conscious effort to do some bigger pieces of work, well bigger for me anyway. My normal size range doesn't go beyond about 4x3 usually so it's something of a challenge to do. This is 6x4. Ok, not a lot bigger I know but it makes a change.

So, this is the fairy queen in her garden. She didn't start off as a fairy, but part way through painting her she whispered to me that that's what she was and you can't very well ignore royalty now can you? The flowers in the picture are a night-blooming proteus named Queen of the Night, which also happens to be my favourite Mozart aria too.

For sale on Ebay here