Thursday, October 20, 2011

Watercolours On Holiday part 2

Ive bought lots of bits and pieces of arty stuff while we have been away..yesterday I got some charcoal and some watercolour boards...along with some new acrylic silver paint--a different brand to my normal one....I started the scene above with some soft pastels and oil pastels-followed by charcoal....very interesting to work with..
after using the soft pastels,oil pastels and charcoal I decided to add another medium--watercolours....and I quite liked the end result....
I then tryed watercolours on a tryed and tested scene---using the silver acrylic paint to add detail....it worked well-though doesn't show up well in this photo...
this one is pure watercolour..and I'm quite happy with it...done on the watercolour board, will be mounting it ready for my stall on market on Sunday..
another one done on watercolour board--I have used  the silver acrylic paint to add detail to the sky and water--it doesn't show up in the photo..

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Aberystwyth Holidays-day 4

After a nice lazy morning watching TV we set off for a ride round the coast to Cardigan...what a lovely little town,,we always end up there when we come to this area. After a mooch around the charity shops we headed back and stopped at Newquay.....
parts of the beach is covered in shells--couldn't resist picking some to use in my next huge seascape I have planned for when I get home..
some very interesting rock formations there as well
some beautiful waves crashing n the rocks
then on the way back there was some stunning skies...
can feel a painting coming on....
just crying out to be painted this one ! I will be getting the watercolour paints out again in the morning..have been and bought some other bits and pieces today---including charcoal which Ive never used before...have also bought along my soft pastels and oil pastels as well...will see what the weather is like..will stay in the caravan and paint if the weather isn't great--otherwise we will be out and about in the area getting more inspirational photos!

Stormy Seas

After the calm mill pond sea when we arrived on Saturday it was lovely to see the wind whipping up the waves yesterday....
Bill admiring the view...
mind you don't get wet Bill!
and watch that giant seagull doesn't carry you off!!!!
I just love it when the sea is rough--will have a wander down there today -its been really windy so it will be looking even rougher today!
after all that fresh air we had worked up quite an appetite,,,,,ribeye steak with all the trimmings...the mushrooms were topped with garlic butter and dolchette cheese and was to die for!

Watercolours On Holiday

I bought along my watercolours on holiday just in case we had some days when we ddint go out because of the weather.....Ive not touched them in around 4 years so Im well out of practise..I couldnt find my big watercolour mop brush at home so picked up a blusher brush from the local £ shop and it worked a treat!  So I spent an enjoyable evening having a play with them and was quite pleased with the end results! I will be mounting them and sticking them on my website when I get home!
Great fun using salt and tissue to create the different effects..
a touch of pink warmed this one up..
this is my favorite one--really pleased with the crashing waves on the beach..
a bit more work required on this one but am pleased with the way its coming on..

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Aberystwyth Holidays

We arrived in Abber yesterday to find the  bright sunshine had followed us there! We quickly unpacked the car--good job we don't have kids to bring with us--there was no room for them....everything bar the kitchen sink is us when we go away! We went for a lovely walk down the seafront---it was really busy with people making the most of the lovely weather!
as usual, lots of photos to use as inspiration when I get home--I have bought along my watercolours for a change-haven't used them in ages-so might have a go with them tomorrow if the weather changes!
One of the nicest war memorials Ive ever seen stands on a hill over looking the sea...
beautiful....

one thing I always do before we go away is to check out places to eat/stay on Trip advisor--one place that came up with great reviews was The Druid Inn just outside Abber---on our way in actually.Sunday dinner to die for most of the reviews said.So We stopped on the way yesterday and booked us in for 1pm today. So just cereal for breakfast for us before heading there for lunch...to be honest its the sort of place you wouldn't stop at when driving by----it looks quite ordinary .....but its a hidden gem.....
waiting patiently for food.....
and boy was it worth waiting for....roast beef,Yorkshires pud and roast potato  and horse radish sauce came out on the plates--followed by 2 huge dishes of veg,carrots,broccoli,cauliflower,cabbage,mash potato,boiled new potatoes and a gravy boat full of delicious gravy...it really was good and loads of it...
how could we resist? Home made bakewell pudding and apple pie .....the bakewell was the best Ive had..though it really was struggle to eat it...at £9.95 each for 2 courses you cant go wrong...and we will be going back there again for sure!
After all that we needed to have a walk and we headed for Borth and we found the loveliest little gallery there along with the artist Eve Smith.  After we got talking and she knew we were from Ludlow she asked if I knew a lady called Kay --it turned out I did --she had been to some of my classes in the past! Isn't it  a small world? Kay used to stay nearby on holiday and used to call in and see Eve... I was able to let Eve know that Kays hubby isn't very well and that was proberly why she hasn't seen her recently!  Eves work is just beautiful--she works in oils and has paintings in every size and colour there--she hasn't got a website yet and so I pointed her in the right direction of Affordable British Art that is run by my dear friend Ros---its an easy to use website that I have many sales off, and I'm sure Ros will be having Eve on board soon....

some more of Eve's work,--I love her use of colour--very dramatic!



this lovely bench has been made by a local man from one piece of cedar....isn't it wonderful?
lots of changes going on in Borth,, a new sea defence is being built there--£13,000,000 is being spent to help protect the beautiful town from the sea.
I love the scenery in the area--we always took the kids there for a holiday when they were little--
I will be painting this scene tomorrow I think..
We went on to Clarach Bay  after Borth and had a little mooch..picked up some drift wood that I will be using in my paintings when I get home.
I love the way the sun is catching the sea on the horizon
Eve's gallery--The Art House--if you are in the area call by and have a look...

Polymyalgia Rheumatica

This could be a bit of an epic post!!!! 
Polymyalgia Rheumatica....what a mouthful....its a nasty illness that affects mainly the over 65's..unfortunately I have it as well at my age !
  It has been creeping up on me for at least 4 years that I can trace..its been so easy to put down aches and pains to age,weight,cold weather etc etc when in reality it has been PMR.

 Ive had aches and pains in my legs and hips for ages-years in fact but it hasn't stopped me doing anything-in fact the only times I have never noticed it much  is during my workshops when my mind is so focused on what I'm doing that I haven't noticed anything much amiss--until we have stopped and its been time to get in the van to go home! Then in recent months Bill has had to help me get up the step into it!
Then the past 6 months or so its been hard to lift my arms at times and I had to keep stopping and painting in short bursts... 
My knees have been the worst thing to deal with--they didn't like going up and down steps and stairs,off chairs, getting in and out of the car has been hard at times as well--at its worst I have been unable to drive at all!  The pain in them was dreadful..
But the strange thing is Ive always been able to walk for miles on the flat--so it has been a bit of a puzzle when Ive been to the doctors with the symptoms.X-rays revealed nothing at all..so I was just taking the maximum dose of painkillers and anti-inflammatory which was doing very little at all..

The illness reached its peak a 6 weeks ago when it suddenly went into my back and neck with a vengence--I couldnt move at all in bed, couldnt get out of bed or off the sofa---I couldnt hardly move..Bill put the tens machine on my back for me with no effect--I was in such agony..so back to the doctors I went...
She gave me some extra strong anti-inflammatory tablets which worked ok and took the edge of the pain but gave me the most awful tinnitus you can imagine,,after just 2 days and 4 tablets I had 6 whistling kettles going off inside my head...it was awful...and constant--no let up at all.
After checking them out on the internet I found that it is a side effect of the tablets and could be a permanent thing I would have to live with....  not  a great prospect at all..
I stopped taking them and went back to another doctor who sorted out blood tests and 2 days later I was diagnosed with PMR....at least that is what the new doc suspected I had!
She gave me some very strong steroids (20mg) to take and said if it was PMR they would be like a miracle and I was to ring her in 3 days time and let her know how I got on.Well I went from not being able to get off the sofa without Bill pushing me up to shampooing the carpets right through the house 2 days later! A miracle was an understatment to say the least!

With the pain gone all I had to contend with was the bloody tinnitus--in many ways it was worse than the pain--it drove me up the wall--never going away-sometimes going quiter and playing games with me as several times I thought it was going away--only to come back with a vengence..I had to resort to wearing earplugs when drying my hair and hoovering as any loud noise started it off worse again...
Anyway back to the docs I went after 2 weeks and another blood test---feeling quite on top of the world and with NO PAIN at all only to be told that the steroids have made my blood sugars go through the roof--so the doc told me to cut them back to 15mg and see if it made any differnce to them.
Well after just one day at that dose I was almost back to square one with the pain--has 15 mg on Saturday and couldnt move on the Sunday
It would seem after speaking with some very knowledgeable people on a PMR support group that the steroids need to be cut back VERY VERY slowly or the pain comes back because the tablets havent had time to work properly.So I upped them to 17.5mg and have stayed on that since then -the pain is held at bay--its not as good as when I was taking the full 20mg dose but its not too bad and it hasnt stopped me doing anything I want to..

Ive been back to the docs again last week and she wants me down to 10mg asap--which is going to be impossible to do quickly..
There is no way Im going back to being in that pain again--and no point in taking the steroids if they are not ging to be doing their job of clearing the inflamation in all my muscles...It looks like its going to be a bit of a battle between my PMR and my diabeties and my doctor  until I see the rheumatlogist early next month! 
The good news is the tinnitus has finaly gone away by the look of it---it gradualy got quieter and with time in between episodes this last week and today its stayed away -was there when I woke up for a few minutes but has stayed away-so Im confident its gone for good.

The good news is that PMR can and does burn itself out in a few years--and I figure as Ive had it for at least 4 years its reached its peak and will go quickly now Im on the right medication--fingers crossed anyway.

Ive been lucky that I have never had one of the other bad symptoms of it and that is the tiredness--its never effected me at all---burning the candle at both ends as usual...

Every blood test Ive had for the past 4 years has shown the markers that indicate PMR were raised--but because I had other issues going on like an abcsess the results were always put down to that....anyway its being sorted out now thank goodness--looks like the docs will have to treat the diabetes as well as the PMR as it will be impossible to get down the steroids as quickly as they want me to just due to the nature of the illness....have had a bit of a run in already with one of the docs about it--but its my body and Ive got to do it at a pace that is right for me..hopefully the specialist will sort me out once and for all soon!
I'm  feeling great  now and can go up and down the stairs like a 2 year old--we have walked miles today on holiday...and thats how it must stay!
Sorry about the epic length of this post..but lots of my students have been asking how I am and I promised them Id let them know when I knew myself what was happening!
So Im noise and pain free now-and enjoying a week at Aberystwyth where I can relax and rest until Friday--we have a class of 10 so far for Saturdays Stormy Poppies class.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Eardisley WI

We were at Eardisley WI last night to do a demo.Its about 3/4 hour away and we arrived early and got set up before the ladies did their part of their meeting.I'm never sure just what the people at a demo are really expecting....there are always a few surprised faces at the beginning when I explain that I will be painting 2 oil landscapes from start to finish in front of them in the next hour! I start with the black canvas and explain what I'm going to do...and then in just seconds I have a background of bushes and trees ...the water goes next..and in no time at all I have a finished painting--I take the painting round to show everyone close up and they are always amazed at how much detail there is in there..all the time I am painting I am also chatting to everyone about the workshops I run and my paintings etc.The second painting is quickly finished and passed around...people are always interested by it and it gives them the confidence to want have a go! At the end of last nights demo I ended up arranging  to go back there and do a workshop in April. Virginia had been in my workshop on Saturday and had got instantly hooked--she had bought along some of her friends from the craft club..Sue from the club had a quick word with me and within minutes she had 10 names from the room who wanted to come and paint! We soon sorted out which painting would be a good one to do for the ladies and we settled for Mellow Moods.A quick call today from Sue and she confirmed that she has 15 possibly 16 people who are going to learn to paint Mellow Moods on April 14th next year..looking forward to it ladies!
there were a few artists in the audience who asked some interesting questions.....
Virginia and Margret-winners of the paintings...my Bill had a big kiss and hug off Virginia who was chuffed to bits when he pulled her ticket out for the paintings...excited wasn't the word for it!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Stormy Poppies Workshop Oct 22nd

There is a lot of preparation for some of the workshops-some more than others..  Stormy Poppies is painted on a 12in x 24in chunky canvas using oils.  As we cant paint the sides of the canvas during the class because of the difficulty getting the wet painting home we prepare the canvas by painting the edges with black acrylic paint and then varnishing them.It means that the painting looks more  ''finished'' and is ready to hang when you get it home! As we are going away to Wales for 6 nights on Saturday the canvas have been done today so we don't have to start doing it when we get back off holiday!  You can see them drying off in the garage in the photo above!
I'm looking forward to doing this workshop again,its a lovely one to do--always great results even for first timers, there are just a couple of places left in it--if you would like to join us please contact me via the website www.paintingmyway.co.uk