Stormy Poppies Workshop Jan 30th

After having to chop and change the workshops of late because of the weather, Gloria and Margaret were happy to come to the house to paint their chosen subject... here you can see Margaret adding depth to her stormy sky.

Gloria also found it easy to add loads of depth using just black and white oils..

The painting comes together really quickly.. both ladies got the hang of the knife very quickly, and the waves were done in just a few minutes..

Just about to start the poppies...

the grasses are going in--

Lovely results ladies!

Jan 26th Workshop " Birches"

We only had 4 in for the Birches yesterday, 5 of the people booked in for last weeks cancelled workshop couldn't make it this week....Christina did mange to get here though! She chose the large size  40in x 12in canvas.....it takes a lot of trees to cover that one!

Lesley made it from Hereford...she also opted for the large canvas...and chose the soft sage green and cream combination..

We met Sandra at the Tenbury Apple Fest last year--one of the few shows that went ahead in the awful weather we had...Ive noticed that the number of bookings is down on previous years because we didn't do as many shows as normal....anyway although Sandra was quite nervous to start with she soon settled down to it and the nerves soon went! She chose to use the silver paint for the birch trees...it catches the light beautifully..

We know Daniels Mum as she works on the same  market as us..Daniel chose the 12in x 24in canvas and the shades of browns that would match his bedroom. He followed my instructions very well and he really enjoyed himself..

adding the detail..

Lesley soon had the hang of doing the trees...

Daniel adding his large birch trees..

nearly finished Christina!

Sandra found her confidence very early on , deciding that she wanted to add a large black tree in the foreground...and she made a brilliant job of it!

Bill had to carry on with each stage of my painting while I supervised the students--he is a dad hand at Birches now!

The end results....

Loved Christina's picture....

Daniel 's masterpiece..

Sandra's beautiful painting..

I love the green and creams of Lesley's painting....she made a cracking job of it!

It was lovely to have just a few brushes to clean when we got home--made a refreshing change to be honest! As soon as that was done we sat down to relax with a Tia Maria and Baileys over ice--the perfect end to the perfect day!

Jessica's 9th Birthday Party

Jessica wanted a painting party for her 9th birthday. She had been with her family a few years ago to one of my workshops and painted Summer Day... today we decided that The Birches would be a good one to do...its acrylic so it was dry for all the girls to take home..

Jessica was lucky that she had  enough room at home to hold her party...we had everyone set up around 2 big tables...

The paintings soon took shape...

dryng off their paintings...

adding detail to the trees,,,

Jessica's Dad had a go as well...

they loved every stage of the painting....

well done everyone--lovely results!

If you would like to hold your own painting party--the cost is just £15 per person if you opt for the smaller 8in x 10in canvas..or you could book for a normal size canvas workshop..please contact me via the website www.paintingmyway.co.uk

We stopped  on the way home for a carvery at The Punch Bowl , and the snow kept coming down while we were in there....we had a bit of a scary journey home as the roads were solid ice beneath the snow....we were very glad to see Greenacres I can tell you!

Birds In The Garden

We have a wide range of birds here in our garden--Bill puts loads of food out for them all year round and it pays off.....these are some of the visitors we have had today.....above is the male Brambling..beautiful colours,it can be mistaken for a chaffinch from a distance..

a female Brambling--not quite as colourful-but still a pretty little bird.

Loads of Brambling feeding on the floor..

We have had loads of thrushes here today.....

The Nuthatch has been here a lot--even saw him on the floor eating which is very unusual for them..

The Woodpecker stopped off on the washing line pole first of all...

then landed on the fat balls---the little Tom Tit wasn't fazed by him at all...

The Robin is always around...saw 2 of them today..

We have a few wood pigeons coming here to feed....they are comical birds...

The Starling is a beautiful bird...pretty markings...

We love to see these lovely little birds--Long Tailed Tits...they come in droves-feed quickly and are gone as quickly as they come...

Close up of a Long Tail Tit

Mr Blackbird after the mealy worms Bill puts in a tray in the curly hazel tree....

I'm not 100% sure if these are Thrush or Red Wings.....they look very alike until they fly off--and you can see the red under the wings of the Redwings! I didn't see them fly off so don't know if they are or not!

the birds Christmas wreath is being eaten--but wasn't touched until Bill laid it down--scared them to death when we had it hanging up! All sorts of birds have been feeding on it...

The Nuthatch in his usual position upside down,,,,

The robin after the mealy worms.. how lovely it is to see all the little birds here--we have many other sorts visiting us regularly--that I haven't taken pictures of,,,, we are very lucky--all Mum seems to get is pigeons!