BUM, DRAWERS & TURNER

Had a call from Lady Lever Art Gallery on Thursday morning, that a place was available that day on a sketching and painting outdoors workshop, free, no charge. Panic you can imagine.  As it was about 90 mins away. And I hadn't had my breakfast! BUT I made it with time for a cuppa. Phew.

It is a beautiful art gallery near Liverpool, built to house the works of art bought by  a man who built a beautiful village called Port Sunlight, for his workers to live in.  Famous for it's Sunlight Soap and I think Persil is a Lever product.

Because of the rain we first sketched in the gallery.

We had three subjects to paint.  First one a Statue.

2nd - View through a doorway.  I did this view because there is a W M Turner exhibition on at the moment, which I absolutely loved.  Most of the painting are watercolours.

3rd a piece of furniture.  This is a cabinet from 1670, loads of little cubby holes.  Wish I had taken a photograph of this.


These were 20 min. sketches.  After lunch we had to paint one of these sketches but using unrealistic colours, wet in wet washes washes blending and ending with pen.  So because the Turner exhibition was special to me I painted that view.

So a fabulous last minute arty day and great fun as I love wet in wet.

HAVE A FAB WEEKEND EVERYONE. 

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

Had such a busy week.  Gardening mostly, so painting with plants!  Anyhow here is my arty news.

Easter Challenge, kept til the last and done with care.  Sue D'Arcy-Masters husband is connected with the Southport Lifeboat Station, and challenged me to paint the old station (a new one is going to be built) with the boat in front of it. So this is what I came up with.  Guess what, they have had it framed and it is going up in the new building when it is finished. How lovely is that!

I wanted something to put in pencils that have been kept at the back of a drawer.  I thought I might use them if they were to hand, so made these.  I stuck on all the Easter Challenges that you out there set me, so I can remember the fun I had over the Easter weekend painting them. Empty baked bean tins and glue that doubles up as varnish were used.

And I took my last brusho mini workshop.  I think they all enjoyed and learned from what I passed on from my workshop with Joanne Boon Thomas.  This is one of the paintings we did (we managed 3 in 2 hrs) and this was by the far most successful of the ones we did.  More brusho is being ordered and the word is spreading.

I am hoping for a quiet relaxing week this week.  Putting my feet up and the odd afternoon tea.

Enjoy whatever you are doing, wherever you are.

LAKE DISTRICT EN PLEIN AIR

While in this lovely area, I went out with a proper artist, and we managed to find two fine days to paint on the spot.

I am still recovering from painting this one!!!!   It kept raining so I kept picking up the seat easel and running to shelter, however, one of the times I tripped, fortunately a chair broke my fall, or I probably would have hit my head on a wall.  But boy did I hurt my hand, and my knee.  Should have painted the bruise, it was large and full of rich colours!  It is the view from Allan Bank, a small National Trust property on a hill overlooking the lake at Grasmere.  Wordsworth once lived there.

Sizergh Castle Near Kendal.  A lovely spot with beautiful sloping gardens. I felt I ruined this, as at the last minute I decided to darken the water.  Anyway it was a lovely spot and I enjoyed myself.

Have a wonderful weekend to one and all.

MEMORY SKETCHES

Had trouble getting into my blog!!  Wonder if anyone else has had problems today.

Anyway, here are some personal sketches of my recent visit to the Lake District in the North West Corner of England.  Six of us hired a lovely stone cottage and these were all sketched around Grasmere (of Wordsworth fame, the poet) I wandered lonely as a cloud ta da. Also there is a wonderful Artist and his father  well know in this area. If you like Lakes and Mountain paintings do check out this artist, sadly no longer with us, William Heaton Cooper.

Here are me little ole sketches.  Done in a small W & N sketchbook using water soluble stabilo pens and a touch of an Elegant Finewriter pen too.

View from the Daffodil Garden across the River Rothay towards a lovely tea room with outside space.  This Village is built in Lakeland stone which is a beautiful colour, similar to the water in this picture.  

Right in the centre along side the small green, there is this Gallery of Heaton Cooper's paintings and also a well stocked Art Shop (I always buy something, can't help it)

Most of you know I hate painting flowers - so can't believe what is happening to me, I actually sketched a couple of wild flowers tucked in under a wire fence.  On the other side were new little lambs, black and white. Ahhhh

View from right near our cottage overlooking the fields filled with sheep and lambs

One of my favourite places in the whole world!