Latest Work

Here are 2 of my latest works. The black and white monochrome one attracted a lot of interest over the weekend as I was painting it.

Lots of people came back again and again to see how it progressed-some of them over the 2 days!

It is painted in acrylic paint on 2 deep edge staple free box canvas, each measuring 30cm x 70cm so quite a big piece of art.

I can add some colour to it as I have on my other paintings in the series, using melted wax to add some bluebells or foxgloves if required. The price including P+P in UK is £200 if you are outside the Uk please get in touch.I use special delivery for my UK delivery-it is trackable, insured and next day delivery.

The other painting is more' girlie'.

Again painted in acrylic on a deep edge box canvas measuring 70 cm x 30cm.

Winter Reflections is painted in shades of lilac and purples with some shimmers of silver to add lots of lovely detail.

The beautiful shades of purples that light up the sky are reflected in the cold water. I have used a special shimmering pain to add the water, and it looks very realistic.Then to make the trees sparkle, a holographic paint is used over the top.It twinkles slightly in the light.

The sister painting to this has been sold.

price for this is £120 including P+P in Uk. as above.

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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Fish

Its quite difficult to see propley but one of our golden orf in the big pond has become very twisted,he dosent seem to be in any distress but he cant seem to swim in the direction he want to when feeding!

He is becoming Z shaped, havent been able to sort out whats wrong with him yet but dont suppose there is much that can be done!

Another Good Day!

We had a trip to Hereford today to stock up with some big canvas, as usual on the way home we stopped for a coffee at Kenchester Water Gardens.

We usualy end up buying a new fish or two for the aquarium, so after having a browse and ending up with 10 neon tetra,2 femail fighting fish,1 male guppy, 1 male swordtail and 5 rosy barbs--well we have got a very big 4ft tank that was starting to look a bit bare, we went into the tea rooms for a drink.

It has recently changed hands, so we were chatting with the staff and as usual I asked if I could leave some of my flyers with the other bits and pieces they have on their windowsill. They said yes and then asked if I had any paintings they could hang in the cafe!!

The walls were rather bare so we quickly worked out how many we could put up and we are going back tomorrow to hang them. I will take along my camera and take some photos of how it looks before and after! Got to get cracking and print some labels for them now.

Great Start

I have had a great start to the week. A new gallery opening on the south coast has asked if they can have some of my work for their gallery. Fire In The Sky will be hanging alongside some very prestigeous artists work--

Henderson Cisz, Jean Picton and Duncan Macgregor will all have work hanging there, so Im with very good company!!!

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Chris the owner of the gallery, has also bought the 2 paintings that I painted to raise money for The British Heart Foundation. He is hoping to raise even more money for the charity by selling them in the gallery.

Hen Party Fun!

Here are some of the results of todays hen party ! We had some really beautiful results,Emma' the hen 'soon got the hang of the special tool and produced the lovely flowers picture.

We had all sorts of weird and wonderful things appear in the wax!

It was hard to get everyone away from the table to have some of the nibbles I had supplied!!! They were really engrossed in doing the encaustic art!

Todays Class

You can see the results from todays ''Poppy Field'' class.

It was the first time that I had tryed out this painting in a full class and I was very surprised at how different they turned out.

Even from the very start when we put the blue sky in , they were all very individual,and by the time we came to do the poppies everyones personality was starting to show through!

It was Jacks very first time painting and he was very surprised at how easy it was, he said afterwards that he really felt that he had achieved something--which he had.He is coming to the next class so he must be happy!

He was a very easy student to teach, he seemed to take in everything I said at each stage and produced a lovely painting.

We varied the paintings a little and added some cornflowers to some of them just to make a little change.

Evonne was quick to add some little flicked out bits to the cornflowers to ,make them look more realistic.Once she added some smaller poppies to the right hand side of her painting to balance it, it was just beautiful.

Jan was very bold with her poppies which turned out beautiful---I think she was a little dubious about them when she first started,but everyone loved them--very impressionistic!

Ive told her to have a look at Google images--poppy paintings.

Sharleen was very keen to learn how not to be not so heavy handed! She has painted at home and thought that the results were ''too heavy handed''. Today she produced the most beautiful subtle poppy painting.The background was blended until very quiet and muted and then she painted the most lovely stylized poppies, a beautiful finished result!

Carol is the flower arranger and she always paints the flowers soooo easily.It comes natural to her-she always knows where to put them without being told!! Because she does flower arranging as a hobby she's one step ahead of the rest of us!

Hayley is Carol's daughter and she was a little more scared of putting the poppies onto the canvas--the first one is always the worst, after putting on the beautiful background it can be hard to put that first blob of red paint and start the poppies!

However the painting turned out lovely--very subtle as are most of Hayleys paintings!

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!

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

Hello From St Audries Bay

We are having a great time at St audries .The weather is beautiful and it looks like staying that way!
I have had to buy a new laptop since we arrived as I had a problem with the old one, I have yet to work out how to load the pictures on here, so you will have to wait and see the results of the classes.
Many thanks to Darren the computer wizz who has set up my lap top so far-he is a gem!

New Classes

I have been inundated with requests for new classes. I cant fit in any more classes this year so I promise I will get some dates sorted out while I am on the painting holiday at St Audries Bay .
I will ring all of you that have enquired about particular classes and let you know when they will be held, before I advertise the classes on my websites.

Exhibiton

I

have had a great response for the ''From Small Acorns'' exhibition. I have people from a long way away coming to exhibit their work.It is growing bigger every day and with room to put around 150 paintings, promises to be an exciting time for everyone concerned!

I have recently heard from one of the ladies who attended the class that was held at the college a few months ago, Nikki showed her painting to some friends and one of them was dying to have a go, so Nikki is buying her one of my gift vouchers for her birthday and they will come to Ludlow for a class.I am looking forward to meeting up with Nikki again.

I have also heard from one of my Hadnall WI ladies--she has booked herself and her daughter in law in for the Tropical Summer Day class, she phoned yesterday to book another place for Christine whose home we did the class in.

That means that that class is now full--in fact its more than full--we have an extra one to normal but thats not a problem-I have taught this painting quite a few times in classes now so 7 instead of 6 people wont be a problem!

From Small Acorns

After announcing at the beginning of August that I will be holding an exhibition of my students work, I have given a lot of thought as to what it should be called and

I have decided to call the exhibition ''From Small Acorns'' As from the old saying'' From little acorns mighty oaks grow'' which is exactly what I see happening with my students when they come to me.

They walk in the door the first time and are usualy a bag of nerves and convinced they will fail to produce a decent painting---- they leave full of confidence and pleased as punch with what they have achieved--its the best part of this job.

I will be having a children's section as well as the adults. If there is any wall space left I will maybe hang a few of my own!!

If I have not already contacted you about putting your paintings into the exhibition, please get in touch-- via the telephone preferably.

There is no charge for putting the paintings in the exhibition and if you want to sell them you are free to do so--after all one of my students Catherine has sold 4 out of the 5 paintings that she has done in my classes--the last one for £180. She said she had priced it high because she didn't want to sell it!!
Its a good reflection on my teaching though and Im as pleased as punch for her!!

The way the year is going it will soon be here!!

Paper Boy

When we came out of Saturdays class this is what we saw outside--Cheek-a--boo the shropshire star paper -pony! He was waiting while his owner popped the paper through the letter box-isnt he cute?

Saturdays Class

I know----- I said I wouldnt be on here til next week!! well after todays brilliant class I couldnt resist it!

We were working in just black and white paint and the results were just astounding!

Shirley had the prize for the tidiest palette-the result can be seen here! This was her palette at the end of the class--amazing!

From left to right--Yvonne,Carole,Jan,Pete, Sharleen , and Shirley.

What great time we had today--Yvonne and Sharleen were both with me for the first time.

Yvonnes hubby Jack, had dropped her off at 10am and when he came to pick her up he asked how much had been sketched onto the canvas first-when I said nothing he was amazed!

They had quite a distance to come from Upton Upon Severn

He has booked for the next class along side his wife-the next class is now full.

Carole, ( and her daughter Hayley)

Jan has put the most touching message in my guest book,on my website http://www.paintingmyway.co.uk/ It makes my day when I get feedback like this.It has to be one of the most satisfying jobs in the world.!

I forgot to take a photo of Jans painting that she did last week.She bought it back this week for Bill to varnish and frame.

The difference it made was astounding. It is to be a present for her daughter birthday, she will be pleasently gobsmacked when she receives it!

You can see it in the background of the photo of Shirley signing her painting.

Carole who is very talented in other ways than painting presented me with another of her beautiful dried flower arrangements, done this time to match my kitchen, after she found out I have a silver theme going on there, I was so touched with this thoughtful gift.

Bill had traveled to Leominster this morning to fetch Carole, because her daughter Hayley was going to a wedding, Carole had said she would come on the bus, but we wouldnt hear of it-Bill set up the easels in the room and while I prepared the canvas and put out the paint, went off to fetch her from Leominster--its all part of the service!! as was varnishing last weeks canvas and framing them.

Latest Painting

This latest painting in my ''Manic series'' is called ''Get Knotted''

Painted on staple free box canvas, coloured threads mingle with each other and are nearly knotted together.

There is a lot of depth in this painting, the more you look, the deeper it gets.

Very vibrant and colourful it measures 80cm x60 cm and is for sale at £150.

I have just spent half an hour putting all the latest paintings on www.protectmywork.com

Its a great site and well worth while doing if you are an artist.

Bargains At Onslow Park!

I was really chuffed when a fellow stall holder came by and said she had a little artist Teddy just like Tom the artist teddy that was sitting on my stall, I just had to have him, so Tom has been joined by Tony the artist teddy!

I went for a quick browse on Monday morning before the marqee opened to the public and found this beautiful handmade earrings in the form of little palettes complete with little brushes.

Commission

Tonight me and Bill went for a drive to nearby Corley Church. I have been asked to paint it as a commission for someone. I have taken loads of photos and will make a start asap.

We are on the craft market tomorrow so will maybe make a start on it then. Ive also got the glass portholes to start soon too!! Its all or nothing lately!

Nice To Be Appreciated

I have hd some lovely surprises over the past few days-on Saturday Carol presented me with this beautiful arrangment that she had made as a thank you gift for me, its really beautiful and is sented with rose oil so my room is filled with the most beautiful scent all the time.

I had a letter from Jan (Mrs Subtle!!!) who attended the class at Hadnall a couple of weeks ago thanking me for a great time and booking herself and her daughter in law in for the Tropical summer day class on the 10th Nov.

This morning I had a lovely letter from Alice who I met on Saturday at Onslow Park. She was a very keen student and created a beautiful encaustic painting.Her dad came back first thing on Sunday morning to buy an encaustic set for her as she was so excited by the experience.

Unfortunatly I had sold out of everything except for my demonstration set and a pack of card, I managed to make up a box of waxes out of my own and we eventualy managed to make up a set for Alice to start creating at home. Its so nice when youngsters take the time to say thank you. I will be writing back to Alice and enclosing a few more encaustic cards for her to frame and hang on her wall!!

Saturdays Class

We had a fantastic time in last Saturdays class.

Carol, Hayley, Jan and Mandy were as keen as can be to get cracking on ''the birch tree's'''

Jan was 1 st time artist who was a little nervous to begin with but she soon settled down and within minutes was saying what fun it was.

Carol and Hayley are now old hands at this painting lark--this was Carol's 9th picture and Hayleys 6th.

Mandy has been to me once before, but has done a couple of brilliant pictures at home which she showed us photos of.it was a beautiful sunny day and we went outside to flick the paint at the paintings to do the bark on the trees.Everyone managed to get freckles at this stage!

We used the encaustic pen to add detail of pink melted wax afterwards.

Everyone is bringing their paintings back for this Saturdays class for Bill to varnish them.

Jan is also having hers framed into one of our contemporary black frames for her daughters birthday. What a lovely surprise she is going to get when she opens her present!!

Jan and Carol are coming back this Saturday to paint Stormy Skies.