FAMILY TREE

'FAMILY TREE' SEEMED THE MOST APT NAME FOR THIS PAINTING AFTER IT WAS PAINTED!
DADDY TREE, MUMMY TREE AND LITTLE BABY TREE!
SERIOUSLY THOUGH -ITS A LOVELY WINTER SCENE WITH THE SNOW ON THE GROUND AND THE TREES.
PAINTED IN OIL ONTO STAPLE FREE BOX CANVAS AND MEASURES 16IN X 20IN
PRICE IS £130 INCLUDING P+P IN UK
IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE GET IN TOUCH
VIA THE WEBSITE www.paintingmyway.co.uk

Bathroom

After living with the terracotta colour in the bathroom for more years than I care to remember-its going to be painted white like the rest of the house!It will take a lot of coats to cover it though!
The cupboard in there was painted in this crazy green and terracotta bark pattern at the same time--must have been the artist coming out in me even then-it was before I ever started painting on canvas! Anyway I have some new plans for the bathroom too--watch this space!

Summer Day -Feb 14th class

There are 4 places left for the Summer Day class on Saturday Feb 14th.

This has proved to be one of the most popular classes that I run.
It is suitable for all ages and abilities.

You will learn how to use various brushes and also a painting knife.

Its a lovely calm painting that looks great in any setting.
I will have a couple of variations of this painting in class so everyone can make their painting different in various ways!
If you would like to join this class please get in touch via my website www.paintingmyway.co.uk

Happy Birthday Sharon

My little sister was 38 yesterday so we met up at the Squirrel last night for a bite to eat again.We had a lovely time, Bill had a job to get a decent pic of me and my son Jim cos Jim kept pulling faces -as usual!
Its a rare thing to get my little brother , sister and me all on one photo--have printed them off to give my mum for her birthday! None of them like their photo taken!
I couldn't resist the Caribbean sundae again-and it was just as good as the last time!
We all met up again today at mums for a buffet-- didn't have any breakfast cos we knew there would be loads to eat.

I was really chuffed/surprised to find that I have lost 3lb over Christmas /New Year after all the niceties that we have consumed.
Bought new electronic scales and have checked and it was right!!!
Diets will not be starting tomorrow as planned cos there are still to much niceties to finish up-but obviously the exercises is paying off!!!

Teddy

Meet little Teddy-isnt he just gorgeous. Hes a Westie x Welsh terrier and belongs to our dear friends Jan and John.
He had a visit to the vets today and Jan called by with him-he was into everything bless him.
He was fascinated by his reflection in the mirror, climbing up my plants to have a better look!!

Class of Jan 17th--Winters Walk

This painting has been requested by a couple of my students so there is only 4 places left in this class.

Its fun to do as are all of the classes I run!

Created in acrylic and oil this painting is always very
This painting is suitable for all ages and abilities
If you are interested in joining this class please get in touch with me via the website www.paintingmywy.co.uk

or give me a ring on 01584 872013 if you have any questions about this class atmospheric.

latest class updates--Stormy Skies--Nov 8th

I have just 3 places left for the Stormy Skies painting.

This has proved to be a very interesting subject in the past.

We use just black and white oil paint in this painting-its very interesting to see just how different pressures on the brush produce such different effects. There are many shades of grey through to black in this picture-all produced with ease with just brush strokes!

There will be the option of adding in a palm tree or three to the finished painting.

Suitable for all abilities-even first timers

you will learn to use several different brushes and the palette knife in this class.

If you would like to join this class please get in touch via the website

www.paintingmyway.co.uk

Back to Normal

Im starting to feel well again after being poorly with a chest infection all week. Havent done anything all week.
Should have been on the craft market today but didnt feel life facing the cold winds and rain-so stayed in!

So normal service is being resumed now-looking forward to class on Saturday!

Bills Garden

Well the weather has been dry today for the first time in ages, Bill has been out in the garden and its looking great.

The top stage of the garden was the last to be done and it was a real wilderness with bindweed and wild strawberries taking over.

Its been a real transformation, the area has been weeded and stone put down--there is somewhere to put the wishing well that Bill made a long time ago and has never had a proper home!

We have some plants to put in that we bought when doing the other 2 stages, so hopefully the weather will hold til that's done.

Theres been lots of trimming and pruning going on, the ivy had made it across the net on the pond to the other side almost-now its all neat and tidy again.

My herb garden is going to have a sort out tomorrow, the big bay tree is in for a major cut back-it may even come out and be put into a big pot.

I hope the weather holds til its all finished now, we will be packing away the garden furniture and BBQ cant see it being used much more this year !

Bill says as soon as he packs away the wind out sunblind we have over the patio door the weather will pick up again!

He said it would turn nasty when he put it back up there earlier this year and he was right!

Sales

I had a lovely surprise yesterday afternoon--my friends Jan and John went to collect my paintings that were in the Ludlow Art Society exhibition that finished yesterday--when they got there 2 had been sold!

''Big Brown Birch Trees'' which is a massive 36in x 36in and ''Path Through The Whitcliff Birches '' ( A large Diptych )seen in this photo of the exhibition were both sold.

I dont know if the same person bought them or not yet.

They hadnt sold on Wednesday when I was on the door but there was lots of interest in them.It made a great weekend even better!

I had already started another Birch Tree Diptych while at Onslow park, so I must crack on and get them finished now!

Places left in Classes

I updated the numbers a couple of days ago, which are seen lower down the page--these have changed a bit with new bookings-new places left are as follows

6th sep -Oriental Dawn--2 places left
20th Sep--Emerald Woods--4 places left
27 th Sep --Summer Day--3 places left
11th Oct--- serenity in green--3 places left
I am awaiting a couple of calls back soon about classes so these numbers will be changing soon, I will update asap I know anything.

Class date for Stormy Skies--Nov 8th

This is another of my class subjects that has proved popular over the past year in my Painting My Way classes.

Stormy Skies is always popular as it always gives great results every time.

You will use a variety of brushes as well as the painting knife-something that when mastered will lead you to many fantastic results!

If you would like to join this class please get in touch via the website

www.paintingmyway.co.uk

it is suitable for all abilities form very first time onwards.

Jake and Paddy Parrots

Every day is a laugh a minute with the parrots. Jake learns something new everyday.

Bill had a sneezing fit the other night and all Jake has done since is sneeze and say in my voice ''Oh dear Jake'' ''Poor Jake''

When we went away for a couple of nights to do a demo at Wellesbourne Art Society, my daughter and her boyfriend moved in to look after all the livestock--when we returned Jake was talking in her voice--we knew exactly what they had said to him cos he was saying it all to us!

He soon learned to do Paddy's squawk too, but after we covered him up for doing it once too often( A little voice was then heard coming from the covered cage''hello'' ''hello''-he knew it wasn't bed time as he could still hear the TV!!) he soon learned it was not a popular thing to do--and now he tells Paddy to '''Shut up'' when he starts doing it! Its hilarious to hear.

They are sooooo intelligent and the best way to learn them something they do is wrong is to just cover them for 5 mins.We also use a clicker -the sort you use for training dogs.

Its amazing how quick they learn new things when you click and give them a treat.

Jake will copy Bill whistling any tune, he listens intently to everything we say to him and you can hear him practising new words all the time.

The next door neighbours love it when we put them outside-as we do most days when its fine-under the sun blind so they don't get too hot.

Jake talks away all day and he chats back to them over the fence!

Yesterday we had a shower of rain in the early evening-Paddy was upside down straight away enjoying the soaking, wings spread and really loving it--Jake wasn't so keen-never has been a lover of water!. They have to be showered regular to keep their feathers in good condition, so he has to put up with it!

Jake has also learned that if he puts his head into his stainless steel food bowl whatever he says echos so that is his favorite thing to do at the moment!

I dont think we have watched a complete programe on the TV since we had him--we end up watching him instead!

Class of 26th July--Private class

We have a private class today--one very lucky little girls birthday pressie!

Lots Coming Up

We have lots of things coming up on the agenda soon! We are off to Wellsbourne Art Society for another demonstration on Tuesday. We were there in November and they enjoyed themselves so much they asked me back. Ive been working on some new paintings to show them in the demonstration, and Im sure they will find them inspirational!
We are booked into an olde worlde pub for a couple of nights, so we can take in some sightseeing as well!!

I am busy making more lists for the pet sitters---now we have Jake the new parrot there is a whole load of new stuff to add to the already long list of do's and do not's !!!!
Jake really is a darling, he learns new words and expressions so quickly its unreal!! You really do have to watch what you say in front of him!!
We cover him up with a black cover at night when we go to bed and we do not hear a peep out of him until we uncover him in the morning--then he docent stop talking! I don't think we have watched any TV program all the way through since we had him!
He is so amusing, he shouts Hello Bill, Wheres Bill?
Trying to get him to say Hiya Di at the moment!
Bill is having fun with him--he whistles a tune and Jake repeats it exactly note for note back to him-hes a really clever bird.
He will be spoiled rotton no doubt when we are away as are Paddy and Sparky and the fish whenever we go away.
As long as he has plenty of company and someone to talk to him, Jake will be happy.





We are using a clicker to train him and he is responding so well to it.

Blimey!!!!!!

As I was making the last post about the pigeon, Bill yelled up the stairs to me ''come down quick''when I rushed down I saw that a sparrow hawk had flown under the net that covers the fish pond.

It had obviously been chasing something (not Bills friendly pigeon I hope!) and got under the one end of the net that has been raised up by the one big plant that lives in the corner of the pond.

It was just hanging off the net, so I grabbed the camera and got these couple of shots of it.The fish all dived to the bottom, thinking it was a heron maybe.

Bill just lifted the net at one end a bit more and off he flew down the field.

he was a beautiful bird and I expect he has a young family to feed as well-nature is cruel sometimes but everything has its place and you just have to accept it.

Hope Bagot

We had a great day at Hope Bagot yesterday-although it didnt stop raining all day!

There was a constant stream of people through the door of the vilage hall where we were.

The children all loved having a go at the encaustic art and some beautiful paintings were produced during the day.

Craft Fair

We are on the monthly craft fair tomorrow on the square in Ludlow.
As usual I will be demonstrating the technique I use in class as well as doing encaustic work too!
Lets hope the weather holds out-sounds a bit iffy by the forcast!

Can You See----?????

I painted this abstract a couple of weeks ago, using a canvas that I had used during the advanced class to show students different ways of doing things.I used up some of the green paint left over from the class and created this painting that I called "Woodland Green"

Yesterday my friend Jan called to say she had been looking at the pic on my blog and she could see some eyes in the painting--when I looked I realised that there is in fact a cats face.If you look at the darker part of the painting it is quite clear! Very odd!

The painting has now been re-named "Woodland Green Cat"

Joyces Latest Painting

We had a great day today, Joyce had taken a look at a copyright free book that the SAA sell and chosen a picture she would like to paint.
We had a real laugh at the different colours that we added to the sunset sky, but when they were all tickled with the tickling brush and all the colours softly merged together and the effects were really beautiful.
When the bushes and palm trees were added in the black it really made a big difference.We used the rubber ended tool to make the water lines instead of the usual knife which worked very well.
She also added some little daisies to the painting she did yesterday, they are easier to do once the painting has had chance to dry off slightly and Joyce really enjoyed doing these!
Joyce is going back to Bradford with lots of helpful hints and tips-along with my fact sheet which will help her through the different stages of the paintings.She also has bought some art supplies from me, knife, paint etc.
I will be packing her paintings up safely when they are dry and posting them to her by special delivery in a couple of weeks time.