A to Z CHALLENGE L - P

More from my self inflicted A to Z challenge.  Seen or heard on tv in alphabetical order, and now being painted in alphabetical order. We are currently watching a programme called Italy Unpacked, where a chef and an art critic travel around lovely Italy.

Ok you guessed, they were at a fishing harbour.  And what did I see but an 'L' for Lifebelt

Yuk, next thing the chef is cooking 'M' Mussels slimey things

Can't remember the link here but it's food again and 'N' Nuts (which is what I am doing this challenge)

Need I say more 'O' for Orange which was a pain to get right and is very flat now I come to look at it!

Of course, to cook  the chef needed 'P' for Pans - they were big chunky heavy pans, but I thought they were boring to paint so picked this limey coloured one.

And yes, honest, I did wait for them to crop up in correct order.  So much so that I lost the plot in the programmes I was watching, I was so busy listening and watching for a letter.

I am enjoying this challenge, for various reasons.  It is making me paint things I wouldn't normally paint.  I am trying the odd colour that is not one of my most used colours. Painting small and large. Using small and big brushes, different colour mixes and most of all experimenting with different techniques and textures.

I must admit that the next batch was difficult to catch something in certain letters and took a while before I had the final letters of the alphabet. Q, U, X, Y & Z. but I managed it!!!  In a fashion.

Have a wonderful weekend to all my blogging pals.

A - Z CHALLENGE, I to K

Latest batch of my self inflicted challenge.  To paint things that cropped up in alphabetical order, either seen or said, and drawn all of them in order, and now painting them in alphabetic order.  We have just left a crime programme behind 'H' handcuffs.  Now we are watching Italy Unpacked, where two chaps, one an art critic and one a chef, tour Italy.

'I' for Italy - this was easy as it came up on the introduction to the programme then I waited for ages til the next letter revealed itelf to me ...............

'J' for jacket that one of them was carrying (not like this one though, but thought his was boring to paint).

Next  the chef was cooking and chopping, so 'K' for knife.  But I confused people on facebook who thought my mind was still on the crime programme, or suggested that my husband better watch out.  Come to think of it, he has disappeared, perhaps he accidently fell  into the chest freezer in the garage (wicked chuckle here he he he)

A TO Z CHALLENGE D-G

Continuing from 'D' for Dyson, here are some more challenges, that I set myself, to paint subjects that I saw on tv as they cropped up but as they cropped up in alphabetical order.  I was watching a Crime and Punishment programme, hence the theme of the last two paintings but the first two are during the adverts

Glamorous woman on perfume advert was wearing 'E' Earrings

There's this advert for Mercedez cars that uses chickens and makes them dance,  great, I thought  'F' for Feather now back to the Crime programme ......................

Aha now they find the murderer's gun 'G'.  But that one was a pistol,  this one reminded me of my childhood and thought it was a bit of fun.

Ok you guessed, the villian was arrested so we have 'H' Handcuffs.

Boy is this challlenging me. No choosing, literally whatever was said or seen in order.  So now we are waiting for 'I'.  Wonder if you can guess

By the way.  It's lovely of you to comment on here but if you already see these paintings on facebook, please don't feel you have to comment again.  

Have a lovely cosy weekend, wrap up warm if you are northern hemisphere and eat plenty of ice cream if you are southern hemisphere.

A - Z CHALLENGE !!!!!!

Don't ask me how my brain works, I've no idea.  How I came up with my next project is quite beyond me. It's like this ............  I decided to paint subjects from A to Z that I saw or heard on tv, but that I spotted in alphabetical order.  So, sometimes there was a wait between letters.  You will see what I mean in a minute. Then I drew all 26 of them, so good sketching practice, some smaller than others.  Now I am in the process of painting them, and yes you guessed, in alphabetical order.

To start with we were watching a Crime and Punishment Programme (American).  Trouble is because I was watching and listening carefully, I lost the plot, literally.

'A' - The programme started in a bar hence the Ale.

'B' The suspected killer was - yes clever you - was wearing a belt

'C' - Crime was committed in New York, so obviously there was a street scene with the yellow cabs.

Ok, so up come the adverts, mind alert, ah ha ............

'D' For Dyson cleaner

Whatever will crop up next I wonder.

BLOG AWARD & VAN GOGH SKETCHES

First of all thank you Rita Vaselli for passing on the Versatile Blog Award, I am very flattered that you chose me. Rita, as many of you know, is a warm person, brilliant artist, and has a way with words that each post is like poetry.  I will pass on my award at the end of this post.

Recently I went to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, where you could photograph the paintings!! I would like to share some of his work that isn't commonly seen in books.

In his 10 years of painting he produced about 800 paintings and 1000 drawings. Here are some of his sketches.  I particularly love these intimate sketches, hope you like them too ......

If you look at the tiny sketch on the right hand side you may recognise it as the potato pickers or similar

Apparently he worried a lot about people, perspective and this combines both, and was a total surprise to me.

Now back to the Award.  The rule is to pass it on to 10 more, but I would love to give everyone an award but have decided to pick just two who are still blogging and making me smile despite adversity in their lives, they are being positive and still blogging through it all.  Best wishes and hugs to them both and hope this gives them a little lift ..................

http://traceyfletcherking.blogspot.co.uk
http://nuggletonbythesea.blogspot.co.uk

Also to pass on 7 things about myself.  Hm now let me think ...........
1. I hate peas
2. I love to exercise my chuckle muscles
3. I conducted an orchestra once (well I was only 5 years old)
4. I hate to upset anyone
5. My favourite painting in the whole world is The Fighting Temeraire by Turner
6. Love to use bright colours when I paint (must try and soften them)
7. I loathe housework.

Happy Versatile Blogging everyone

CHRISTMAS COMMISSIONS EEEK!!

Was asked to do a couple of paintings for 'special' people this Christmas, for them to give as presents.  Well I can tell you I found it extremely stressful.  I don't know how you artists who do it on a regular basis cope. It took me ages to even start, I was so nervous about it.  I so wanted to do a reasonable painting and didn't want to disappoint them.

First of all my niece wanted a painting for her hubby who is mad keen on cycling.  Well actually he wanted me to paint them in his strip but she had it framed for him, so he didn't see it until Christmas.  He is in the lead and my nephew is second. I've put it on my desktop this morning, eeek can see where I could have used more care. But pleased on my blog cos paintings always looks better on tinternet small.

Next up a friend asked me to paint their bungalow for her hubby, as he loves it so much.  Well I thought to myself - boring, it's a building, don't like doing buildings - but didn't want to let her down.  So again took great care.  As with the above I used tracedown first, didn't trust my drawing skills when it's for someone close. This is what I came up with.  I put a shadow of them in their kitchen window.

This I fear is bare in the sky, feel I should either have put at least some birds in the sky just to give it life, and a bit more colour (it is a bit washed out on the screen).

Well commissions over, massive PHEW!!  Festivities over and back to normal. Painting for myself.

In my next post I would like to show you some Van Gogh paintings from the Museum in Amsterdam, that you might not have seen, including a sketch or two of his.  I love those personal items.

Have a wonderful weekend, and keep WARM!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Here I am back on terra firma.  Two weeks on the high seas for Christmas and New Year.  I am not a good sailor so it was a big risk at this time of year.  The Bay of Biscay was NOT kind to us.  Average of Gale Force 9!  Spectacular to watch the waves though.  For once I wasn't seasick.  Had some new pills recommended, but took further precautions and wore wrist bands and ate crystalised ginger too.

Great fun really seeing people upright and the ships floor at an angle, everybody left and then everybody right.  Like doing a drunken sailor dance.  Tottering on heels when 'poshed up', when I don't usually wear heels.  Hanging on to the shower room door handle while sat on the loo.  Bracing yourself in bed by firmly planting your feet apart, so that you don't fall out of bed! A drawer opening and shutting with the motion of the ship. So nice to sleep back in my own still, calm, unmoving bed.  Yahey.

We had a wonderful time though.  So many little children on board, and the excitement when Santa appeared down the funnel!  Christmas at sea and he even came to me, he kindly brought me the gift of a cold!

Highlight of the Ports of Call was Amsterdam and a visit to the Van Gogh Museum, and I want to share some of the paintings we saw when I down load them.  One's that you don't normally see in the main books.

In the meantime I wish you a Wonderful Healthy and Happy New Year full of special things.  Everything you wish for yourself and loved ones.  If you paint I hope you find lots of inspiration and not a lot of frustration.  And I thank you for your visits to my blog. 

I send you a card (last year's I admit, not time this year to paint one).

And here is me having a great time on New Year's Eve.

Luv' from Polly xx