OLD WELLIES

Just thrown these wellies away, they were so uncomfortable, and I now have a spanking new pair of flowery ones.  I have painted these ancient ones for posterity.

****!!!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING!  Tried to download my pic from my computer and have been blocked by google. Yesterday I felt really sorry for Laura Moore,(check her blog it's excellent) now it is me who is incensed and I am downloading  a file to picasa as I speak, before I can download just one photo onto my blog.  Is anyone else in this situation?  Laura was complaining about it on facebook. Flipping heck (thats not what I'm saying in my head). Life should get simpler not harder.

Quite frankly, I've lost interest in the wellies now.  Sulk, sulk

Added this today Monday, downloaded Chrome and can now download pics from computer, thanks Sharon!

Have been trying to set up a page on Facebook.  Am I worn out mentally.  And I havent finished yet.  Taking a welcome break and back to my blog.  I saw Sharon Whitley had painted her walking boots, they look really worn out, do look at them ...... here are mine

I now have a more comfy pair, pity about my feet, which are not made for walking!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I can't begin to tell you how inspirational I've found starting  my 2 blogs Painting & Nonsense (where I hope to make you smile)  and My Watercolour Blog which is more serious. I've met some lovely people and you have given me the joy of painting back.  I thank you.

I wish my arty blog friends a Wonderful 2013.

If you have your health you have wealth
If you have friends you are rich
If you have arty bloggy friends you have inspiration a-plenty
(Polly: 31.12.12 A.D.)

My New Year Arty Resolutions

1. Paint more often
2. Paint different subjects and media
3. Experiment more
4. Don't use ultramarine in every painting
5. Enjoy the battle, be brave and have fun throughout each battle

Have you any arty resolutions?

LAKE DISTRICT

We've just come back from spending Christmas in the Lake District.  Typical Lake District weather!  Even so it was still very beautiful.  I never tire of the views. 

This is a view of the lake at Grasmere looking towards the village.   It's no wonder Wordsworth loved it so, and William Heaton Cooper painted it so often.   Every day and every hour the light is changing, never mind the changing seasons.  It is one of my favourite places.

ROBIN OR SOMETHING RESEMBLING ONE

Here is the watercolour of a robin, done without a photo. Yes, I know that's brave!  You may guess it's a robin, but thought I had better tell you so that you weren't wondering if it was or not.  Busy week.  Art Club do, Art Class get together, day out with my lovely Sister and that's for starters.  So this will probably ..... not definitely ..... be my Christmas blog to you.

Friends are gifts you give yourself.

 Have a wondrous Christmas wherever you are.  Luv from Polly

FEELING CHRISTMASSY AT LAST

Went to my art class yesterday and forgot to take my photographs so this one is sorta made up.   I had a few conversations and helped wash the tea things, so this is all I got done!  Well I tell a lie as I have a robin too (he is terrible really I needed the photo) but want to splatter some snow on him.

Next week about 40 from the club are going to the pub next door to our club room, followed by a sorta normal club with mince pies etc. We usually have Jacobs table and quizzes! Are any other art clubs having ' a bit of a do' ?

HAZEL SOAN WORKSHOP

My hubs brought some lovely apples home, which reminded me of a painting I did on one of Hazel Soan's wonderful workshops.  She used all different reds for these apples. How exciting was that, when normally you add a little red here or there. It was painted on Khadi paper.  We wet each apple first and then added either transparent washes or opaque, and looked at the effect of adding a tiny amount of yellow, to give the apple a glow e.g. Cad Yellow which pushes into the red wash, or Indian Yellow,  which gives a very soft hint of gold.  Her control of the paint is so easy for her. This exercise is on her DVD The Essence of Watercolour.

 I know on her courses and holidays she usually uses a limited palette, but here she introduced me to Scarlet Lake, Quinacridone Red, Quinacridone Gold, Perylene Green and Indanthrene Blue. Yummy, as she would say!  The course was about colour, and instead of painting boring squares of this and that, we experimented (yes that is Hazel too) with these lovely hues. She explained lifting, staining, opaques etc in a  very exciting way. And did you know that opaques are easy to spot in your palette as their colour is really bright, yet the transparent ones are so dark that you can hardly tell what colour they are.

 We painted Masai, grapes, landscape, her favourite elephants etc. I now have my main palette and one with my special colours.  A very inspirational weekend.

CAREFREE DAYS NO. 2

I've had some good advice by fellow bloggers Sharon Whitley and Laura Moore to crop my original painting of Carefree Days.  Well, like a good little pupil I have done as I am told, and yes teacher(s) always know best.  Here is the result, but only tried using photoshop.

Perhaps a little grey/brown in the sky, would give it more atmosphere.  Could even crop a little more. But I can see the improvement, can you?

Many thanks.

CAREFREE DAYS

This painting has been taken to the four local exhibitions I enter each year.  It has run it's course and has been taken out of it's frame, to be tucked into one of the large boxes I have full of finished and 'in progress' paintings.  It was one of those paintings that I hardly remember doing, so to me I think was a success.  I now have 5 paintings framed and ready for next year.  I feel that I haven't painted so well this year, my inspiration has left me for most of the year.  My working area at home has been in dire need of  repair (lean-to come conservatory) has been so damp and smelley that I havent worked in there for 18months or so, so have only worked at my art class and club.  The conservatory is having to be rebuilt ££££ so I will get my studio back.  But will I get my inspiration back ............ I hope so.

I feel the sky is too pale and plain and I should have splattered more water.  Perhaps you have  an idea to improve it.

 

I really do appreciate anyone who has taken the time to look at my blog(s) it makes my day!!!

 

At the moment I am asking people to comment on Modern Art, ( it makes me feel grumpy), on my other blog, if you would like to leave a comment I would be chuffed.

 

http://pollyluvspaintingetc.blogspot.com

dated 25 November 'Liverpool Art Exhibition'

PAINTING PAULINE

Recently at our Art Class, we had a model  She was excellent, sadly my work wasnt.   It's something I know that I should work on.  So for once you will see not my better work but something I battled with.  Each one is about a 20min sketch,  A2 cartridge paper using a large squirrel brush, with minimal or no drawing.  The monochrome one is done using pigment similar to paint Rembrandt would have used and is made basically from burnt wood and tar.  Lovely to use, no drawing.  Here are four of the six sketches that I did. I enjoyed the battle!

Sorry pics all over the place been trying to place them, impossible.

I went to a contemporary art exhibition at the Liver Bldg in Liverpool. Was not to my liking!!!!!!!!!!!  If you would like a rant about modern art please leave a comment on my other blog pollyluvspaintingetc.blogspot.com dated 25 November 'Liverpool Art Exhibition' would love to hear other peoples opinions...................