NEIGHBOURS CLEMATIS

Naughty Polly pinched some of my neighbours Clematis.  Well I digress here.   By kind permission of Beverley Wells (wonderful flower painter) I have copied a painting of her Irises (second painting) to give me an idea of how to paint and enjoy painting, freely painted flowers. Enjoy being the main objective.The painting  I am dead chuffed with.

First here is my first solo effort in this method, without the use of a 'safety net'.  To be honest it isn't too bad for me but I started to fiddle and lost my 'lost and found' edges and fiddled with the left hand one now overworked. Looks better on tinternet!

A gentle hesitant foxtrot of a painting

My problem is I am too tight when painting flowers and Beverley is trying to encourage me to dance with the brush.  I feel I am on my first week of Strictly Come Dancing (or Dancing with the Stars if you are American). So the steps were laboured but there was some semblance of a flow and a couple of times I lost the routine. Yet still quite quite enjoyed it.  I don't know how many marks I would get, but hope I wouldn't be kicked out in the first week!

A tango of a painting! (Kind permission of Beverley Wells)

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

EACH ROOM OF THE HOUSE

I have decided to paint something from each room in the house, just something simple and just for a change.
So in effect, I have challenged myself!  So obviously I have made it not too challenging, so no flowers, no boats, no buildings, no portraits - Hooray. I am very kind to myself ..............

Living Room - My poor old hands get very dry, so I always have some hand cream nearby.  This one is pro age.  I haven't noticed my hands turning younger yet.  Should I sue the company?

Dining Room - Not knives, forks etc as you would imagine but a candle. A friend of mine bought me this lovely National Trust Candle.  It smells so lovely that I don't want to burn it yet.  What a lovely thought it was too.  Can you smell it?

Hope you had a lovely weekend.  Today we had sun and it was warm. Extraordinary.  Had to grab this day with both hands as it may be the only summer day we get!

LONDON'S WEST END

This is the third time I have attempted a night scene in watercolour.  I'm finding it really, really, difficult. Getting colours dark enough yet not muddy is really hard in watercolour and I feel this subject would be better in oils or pastels.  But old intrepid here will not give up.  This is my best night scene so far.  Wonder if anyone else has tried this subject,  I haven't seen any on blogs. Oh, and by the way I wasn't drunk when I painted this, the paper was cockled and that is why the lines are crooked, so there!

I've had three days cutting back on my internet use, and it has been nice to have a life! Reading, lunching out, gardening etc.  Can I last any longer without my internet friends? Now that is the question.

ANNIE ARKWRIGHT'S NEW JOB

Meet a friend of mine.  Annie Arkwright from Accrington, in Lancashire. Those of you who followed my other blog pollyluvspainting will have already met her. I aplogise for the Lancashire dialect I have written in, to some of you it may seem like a foreign language.

Annie worked in t'local library. Unobtrusively working her socks off, till one day she came across 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and thought it were an art book on colour mixing, but it weren't it were about sinful sex!  It changed her life, eeh ecky thump by gum it did!  Prim Annie joined a dating agency and met many a twerp.  Now of an evening, she's gorra new job as a lucious life model at Accrington Community Centre.  All the folk think she's a reet grand model as she's a fine figure of a woman!  Who is that painting his heart out? All agog? Could it be Woody has found out who the woman walking through the woods is. Is he stalking Annie.  Woody Eckerslyke!

To read more about Annie and my other friends go to my other blog pollyluvspainting and click on the label 'friends of mine'.  You will meet Fag Ash Lil, Woody's brothers and cousin, Willie Eckerslyke, Kenny Eckerslyke and Diddy Eckerslyke and a few more.  They are quite a mixed bunch.

LILY OF THE VALLEY

Can you believe it, I have painted another flower. I wonder am I sickening for something, this isn't like me at all!  I may have caught floweritis from all you flower bloggers!

For my next post I will be introducing you to Annie Arkwright.  Who is a friend of mine.   You may want to catch up with her story on my other blog Pollyluvspainting and the label is 'friends of mine' before she appears here.   Those of you who have visited this blog will know that I have several unusual friends from the Lancashire area!  I have combined my 2 blogs now, so I welcome my followers of the other blog here to  this one.

SHARON'S CHALLENGE

Sharon Whitley's Challenge this month is of Cwm Idwal and the photo was taken by Gary Jones.  What a spectacular view, it fer takes yer breath away!  Although it is so awesome I felt that it wouldn't make a good painting.   However, when I got stuck in (very technical artistic term) I really enjoyed it.   I decided to use a limited palette of french ultramarine, burnt sienna and raw sienna, and, unusual for me, is painted small only 29cm x 20 cm.

I couldn't resist putting the real photograph taken by Gary.  How lucky to be able to walk so high and capture such breathtaking beauty. I thank Sharon for using this pic and for Gary for sharing this beautiful view.  Brings back memories  walks that I did way back that took my breath away.

BATTLING WITH LILAC

Was getting too confident that I was getting into painting flowers until I tried to paint this Lilac, now I know why I have avoided flowers for so long. A little success went to my head!  Took me ages, ages and more ages to get to this not yet finished, but can't face it ever again, stage!  There is a lot of mud here!!!!!!! However, it looks better on tinternet but will am posting it to show that I really have tried ever so hard and am, for once, determined to try another flower, BUT another day.

Also, yesterday, I tried out some new brushes, which feel so different. I played safe cos I wanted to spend time practising and for speed traced (with tracedown) some children I had done once before, but this time I had them playing marbles (do children still play marbles I wonder or is it one of those health and safety worries). Anyone remember their marbles.  I had a lovely collection.

Have a wonderful Bank Holiday.

TWITTER

This is the only time you will see me comment on twitter!  Loose reference to a bird I don't know the name of and where I got it from, so if someone knows please let me know.  All I know is that it isn't one of my photo's.  Not as if I sell my work but if I paint something from someone else's picture I write their name on the back.

So it is entitled 'Don't Know Bird' or 'Non Compus Birdus'.  I am venturing forth on my journey to paint anything - Jack of all trades and master of none - that is my goal at the moment.  I have been inspired to paint this little bird by watching a video of Karl Fletcher who goes by the title The Watercolour Journal on facebook.  Brilliant!  Check it out.

I thought it was going wrong so added a touch of salt, spatter, cling film and w/c wax crayon.  Not too bad for me!  May be trying another bird one day ............

Now what can I paint next?

GRASMERE HOLIDAY

Been to The Lake District for a week. Grasmere my favourite.  The Gem in the Lake District's crown as far as I'm concerned.  Six of us hired a cottage.  Many laughs, good food and even a little painting too, despite the wind, rain and cold.

The National Trust has taken over a house that had a bad fire in 2011 and has opened it up to the public.  It isn't a fancy mansion or a stately home but a large house that has been cleaned  and is now free from fire damage. (well some rooms are still closed off)  It is a hands on kind of place and one room has a long table, lots of drawing implements and even plastic aprons for little ones.  They let me sit and paint a view of the lake at Grasmere from one of the windows.  Not my best painting but painting on the spot is not the easiest thing to do, and to do such a view justice is an impossible task.

Here is my view from Allan Bank compared to the actual view.  A lovely memory, far better than any photograph!

The house is part way up a hill although it looks flat. I exaggerated the island, which is hidden by the trees, as it is an integral part of the Lake.  Yep, I have more muscles now from chopping down those old trees.

I came home to find I have lost my place on Joanne Boon Thomas's brusho course, as the email asking for my deposit came while I was away.  Talk about bad timing!  I was so looking forward to it.

I came back to so many lovely paintings by my blogging friends, and while I will try and look at them all, I doubt if I will have time to comment on them.  I intend to do more painting and less time on t'internet.  Wonder if I will keep it up, well perhaps the odd sneaky look now and then.  Happy blogging

PS Had to add that I have now heard that I am actually on Joanne's Brusho course.  So chuffed.

ENGLISH BREAKFAST

What is in my head is a surprise to me sometimes. Well I wanted to paint a full english breakfast.  Don't ask me why. I only have one when on holiday in a hotel, and not this big I may say.  Too many calories by far.  Was quite a challenge but for once I am pleased with the outcome!  Funny how the things you think are going to be a problem sometimes give you the most satisfaction.

No calories when you are just looking!  But you can't smell that lovely aroma.  Ah well.......