Todays Class-Stormy Skies

Well the first day back doing the classes in 2010.
We had a few less than expected turn up--the snow stopped Sue-who had to catch up with work as she had been unable to get into work because of the snow!
Val missed the bus and she lives out in the sticks so couldn't get here,
Cath got in a muddle with the trains and phone numbers and Sybila had to go into hospital and her partner John didn't want to come without her!
So that left us with 8 students!
Jan has been quite a few times before
and doesn't seem to get any nerves now-we had Linda come for the first time-her hubby Patrick came to me last October for the first time and made such a stunning painting of Forest Pool that he treated Linda to a gift voucher for her birthday!
All the others, Vikki (Jans daughter) Sam, Gemma ,Lin, Elaine and Gary were all with me for the second time!
We had great fun as usual-everyone got stuck in very quickly with their skies--Elaine chose to do hers in Van Dyke brown so it would be different to Garys--and it worked really well too.
Everyone was amazed by how different they all turned out at each stage--all completly different-but all very stormy!
We had a bit of cussing going on under the breath when it came to using the knife to do the waves!! There is a definate technique with it and until you get the pressure in the right place its hard to get the correct result! Linda seemed to pick it up right away -no problems but some of the others found it a bit harder to start with but all got there in the end!

We took along some of the chocolates and mince pies left over from Christmas as well as the usual biscuits -hoping the students would help eat them-Sam loved the maltesers and Bill helped her find all of those out of the tin-and quite a few of the others went as well during the day, I think after a few classes we will have used them all up!

Elaine and Gary were telling me how they had been painting at home-they have been and bought easels, oils and acrylics and have painted lots of different versions of Mystical Moon-including a daytime one which sounded great!
We will see them again for Winter Wonderland on Feb 13th and Mellow Moods on March 27th
We will see Jan, Vicki and Lin for the new painting subject "Grasses" on Feb 20th
Gemma and Sam are coming to the Birches on May 15th.

Lying Beneath The Birches

Lying Beneath The Birches
Description	Painted in beautiful soft shades of browns and creams with a touch of very pale blue where the sky is showing through the tops of the birch trees. To lie down and look up through the trees is something most people have done when children--and something we should do more often in adulthood! Its one of the most relaxing things you can do--watch the clouds floating by and listening to the birds! The painting is 24in square and all the sides have been painted for a contemporary look.It has been varnished to protect it. It is part of my most recent series of paintings looking up through trees.
Size	24in x 24in Price is £205 please contact me through my website if you would like to purchase this painting.Price includes P+P in UK by special delivery-if you are outside the Uk please contact me for details www.paintingmyway.co.uk I have logged all of this series of paintings with www.protectmywork.com

Beautiful Sunset

Ive managed to get some interesting shots of tonights sunset-for the second time in a week, Bill has jumped in the car and taken me camera in hand as we tryed to get to a good place to catch the sun as it goes down behind the hills! We almost made it tonight, got some interesting shots that will make for a good painting when I get time to do it!

Class of June 14th "Poppy Field"

Again back by popular demand 'Poppy Field'
This popular painting subject always has amazing results -even with first time students.
If you would like to join this class please get in touch via the website
www.pantingmyway.co.uk

Update On Stormy Skies class

I have just one place left on this class. As you can see from this picture of a previous "Stormy Skies" class , we get fantastic results-even from first timers.

If you would like to join the class on April 19th please get in touch via the website
www.paintingmyway.co.uk

St Laurences Church

I happened to have the camera in my bag as we went to Tescos after the class today, St Laurence's church was standing out beautifully against the dramatic sky behind it.

Almost certainly a future painting subject!

Some More Pics For Jan!!!

The latest sky pics were all taken traveling to and from Wellsbourne last week.Every picture was taken out of the car window as we were going along.When I got home and loaded the camera onto the computer I found that I had taken 222 pictures in just over a day,mainly of trees and skies!!!

They are all good for practising techniques, and Jan was going to have a go at skies before the next class, Ive certainly given some food for thought again!!!

Spaces In Class

I have 2 spaces left for the class this weekend-- unexpected-- Jack wont be back from Scotland to bring his wife Yvonne to the Tropical Summer Day class, so if you are interested in joining us this saturday please get in touch through the usual www.paintingmyway.co.uk
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Todays Class

Today we had Jan who was with me for the 5th

time and a first timer Samantha who had traveled from Albrighton, near Cosford.They both did a beautiful version of Snowy Day.

We didnt start painting til nearly an hour later than planed--I had a few things to show them on the computer that another of my students-Sharleen. had been sending me during the week!

One of the things gave us some ideas for a future painting class--if we can get a volunteer to model it!!!!!!!!!!

The whole day was a great laugh, as usual--it never fails to amuse me the conversations we have while painting tranquil scenes!

Its amazing how different the paintings turn out when doing a class, Sam's was a lot more 'hilly' than Jans with steeper sides down to the pond.Sam also turned out to be a natural at trees, and with the big tree up the top of the fields behind us as an example, she turned out the most beautiful tree!

Jan has got more confidence each time she comes to me and tackled her tree with far less nerves than normal.

Sam is coming back with some of her family to paint the birch tree painting early in the new year, I have set the date for 9th Feb for that one, I have some people waiting for me to set dates for the new year so will sit down and sort that out when I get a minute.

For Jan !!!!!

In class today, Jan said she was going to practise doing some skies at home,all the above photos have been taken by me and should provide some interesting material for her to work from.

SOme of the pics have been taken on wednesday night while traveling back from Shrewsbury, some are from St Audries Bay and some are outside our back door!!!

Todays Class

Here are todays students Jack and Sharleen.

We have had such a laugh today, in between the serious painting.

We tryed out some new tools today--Lydl the German supermarket have had art materials on offer all week, and I picked up this pack of 5 rubber tipped painting tools, designed to remover the paint from the canvas---they worked a treat and at only £1;99 for 5 a real bargain. Sharleen is off to buy up all their stock tomorrow for me, I had the last pack from the Stourport branch, the sets of fan brushes were good too-and again just £1;99 for 5

Chip came along and really behaved himself-Paddy didn't think much of having a poodle in the house and scared him out of the living room-even though he was in his cage!
There were plenty of bikkies on offer for him (and us )

Half way through the session I bought out the singing hamster toys that had us all cracked up, then out came the shelbies and furbies!! We were like a load of kids, laughing and giggling!

Sharleen has gone home with 2 new 'pets' a baby ferbie and an adult one-I know they will have an excellent home and they will probley enjoy a trip to the office on monday!

Oh and Jack the bottle of wine went down a treat thanks!!!!

Craft Fair

Here is ''Little Ted'' looking after the stall yesterday! It was really warm when we set up yesterday morning but as the day went on it went really cold! I was glad of the heat of the lights and the encaustic iron!

It was fairly quiet, but the encaustic stuff went well, got to get another order in tomorrow.

It was a pleasure to see Jan from the classes again, she was very patient and waited for Bill to fetch the latest batch of painting knives from the sorting office--its sods law that the first day you go out of the house early the delivery you've waited in for over a week turns up!

Tomorrow

We are on the craft fair tomorrow, lets hope that the weather keeps fine.We are having a different stall, to usual, the old one was quite exposed to the elements. We will be on the opposite side to normal and we will extend the stall backwards, as we do on the sunday, so we have lots of room for all of the stands and loads of paintings.

Kenchester Tea rooms

We had a busy day yesterday, first we went over the Hereford to hang the paintings at Kenchester Water Gardens Tea Rooms. They certainly brightened the place up.! We just had to sample some of the beautiful home made cakes that were on the counter along with a cup of coffee!

Karen who runs the tea rooms has started doing a carvery on a Sunday with a choice of meats and 7 veg's.

Im sure we will be popping by shortly to try it out!

After we had finished there we went to the other side of Hereford to The Wyvale Garden Centre where we will doing demonstrations and craft fairs in the near future.

Its a massive place and they were in the process of putting out the christmas decorations. It promises to be a great venue to be at.

Ledbury Art Society

We went to Ledbury today to do a demo for the local art society. There was a good turn out and it was a very interesting morning for everyone concerned!

There were lots of questions from the very interested audience-who had never seen the like before!

Everyone was amazed to see the speed at which the paintings developed, paintng on a black canvas proved to be new to everyone there, most of the people there were watercolourists and the technique I used with the oil paints was quite a novelty to them!

I painted Winter Wonderland and Summer Day for them, and Lesley won the Summer Day painting and Jill won the winter Wonderland one.

Both said they had never won anything before in their lives so they were chuffed to bits with their prizes!

Hen Party

I will be having a group of girls at our usual venue on the 13th Oct to do an ''encaustic'' hen party.
The 'hen' is a Ludlow girl, and Paula the organiser of the hen party was looking for something different for them to do in the afternoon.

We ruled out the oil painting because with the drink that will flowing it might get a little messy!
Also with the encaustic, their paintings will be dry for them to drop off at home before they go back out in the evening!
I am sure the day will be great fun for everyone concerned!!!
It will make a change to have something other than tea or coffee while doing a class!

Beautiful Night

we were very lucky again with the weather while away,we only had one day of wet weather and that was just for a few hours. we were rewarded that night by this beautiful sky.

I have so much inspiration from this beautiful place, I shall never run out of painting material!!

Lilian---star pupil!

This is lilian painting her waterfall painting.

She wont mind me telling you that she is 83 years old.

We met lilian last year when we at St Audries.She said then''I feel like Ive known you for years,'' ----the feeling was very mutual!!!

Lilian painted her first painting last year and she painted 2 more this year.

The waterfall painting was much admired by everyone who viewed them--- all the paintings were put on display next to the dining room, and she actualy had someone want to buy her painting, but she didnt want to sell it!!!

Her grandaughter claimed her black and white birch tree painting last year, saying it was beautiful. Lilians son Graham who is the bar manager at St Audries wanted her to paint the poppy field painting which she promptly did and gave to him!

When she returned to Neath her grandaugher said to her that she had found her vocation in life, must say I agree.Lilian is a natural and although I said she was quite capable of painting at home she said she would wait til next year cos she enjoyed the classes so much!

I have a feeling that we will be seeing more of Lilian well before next year!!!

Her son Graham is the bar manager at SA and he had requested that she paint the poppy field painting. She did so and no one could tell hers from mine

Another Sunset

Another of the beautiful sunsets--I never tire of seeing them!

Stanton Lacy WI

We were at Stanton Lacy WI last night-its just a small group,as are many of the country WI's.

We had such a laugh there, Dorothy won the draw and chose Winter Wonderland as her prize. I donated Summer Day to the group to use for raising funds for their chosen charity.