Reeds In The Breeze Sat 14th June

We have had a very busy weekend--a class of 10 ladies on Saturday, Kinver Show on Sunday and another workshop on Monday...so catching up with the blog at last!

Gill (left)  is from Bournmouth-but was staying with Jane in Shrewsbury..Jane has been once before to paint The Birches,,,, Gil chose to do the moody grey version...and what a brilliant job she made of it too...

Sam and Dawn loved it-they couldn't believe how easy it was..

Laura (left) came down from the Wirral with her friends Ruth,Sue and Angi---and Ruth (middle) came along with her mum Bev..

Jane mixing her paint ready to do the poppies...

It was such a beautiful day everyone went outside at lunchtime to enjoy their lunch in the sun!

Gill made a great job of her painting--first time for her but she wants to come again!

Dawn loved every minute! Nobody can believe they are able of producing such good paintings first time--and I love watching them grow in confidence as the class goes on..

I love the colours used by Sam..another first timer..

Bev has painted before but never using my techniques..

Ruth made a cracking job of her painting...

First time for Laura--she came down from Liverpool with her friends---all of whom were convinced they wouldn't be able to paint anything worth hanging on the wall--how wrong were they then?

Everyone soon gets their own style and way of doing things-they make decisions very quickly too about where to put things and how much...Laura is adding just a few poppies here...

Sue was brave and added some long grasses they went above the horizon line--lovely--they add a lot of distance to the painting but it can be quite scary to do!

Ruth adding the final touches to her masterpiece..

The finished results---and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again...The girls from Liverpool have asked I we can go up there to do  a workshop--of course we will-if they can get a min of  12 people and a room...But I have only 3 dates left this year when I can go--all the other workshops already have bookings in!

Lovely results from the Liverpool  4 lol..

Jane and Gill..well done!

Bev and Ruth--lovely paintings!

Sam and Dawn --lovely work!

Busy Busy Times Coming Up...

Its the start of our busiest time coming up now...We are on the market on Wednesday 11th June--and the weather looks like it will be good for a change!

 Thursday 12th will see us dropping in some paintings to be on display as part of the Ludlow Art Trail, which is a part of the Ludlow Fesival.. mine will be on show on the first floor of The Wine Bar , in Quality Square, Ludlow.

Saturday 14th June I have a large workshop painting "In The Breeze" one of my most popular workshops--and one I never get fed up of teaching either!

Sunday 15th June we are at our first big show of the year--Kinver Show-Worcestershire-its a lovely show--and we always do very well there too! It will be an early start for us-as we have to be there for around 6.30am...so the brushes will have to be cleaned as soon as we get home on Saturday...

Monday 16th June we are at a new venue for the workshops--Severn Valley County Park,Alverly, nr Bridgnorth .I am teaching "Summer Day" again..its a beautiful setting and we will be able to look out at the views while we are painting! We are really looking forward to it very much.

Wednesday  18th will see us on the market again....lots of lovely stalls there on a Wednesday, a real mix of things..

Saturday 21st--the longest day--the nights will start drawing in after tonight! What a thought--haven't had many days warm enough to sit out at night yet!
I will be teaching The Birches to a wide range of people--this one is so much fun to do-a wide range of colours and canvas size-so something to suit everyone!

Sunday 22nd June we will be up bright and early to be on the market again this time its a  Craft and Garden market so should be lots of plants etc as well as lots of lovely crafts for sale..

Wed 25th will see us at the market yet again..

Thursday we are having yet another early start as I'm heading to a school in Birmingham to teach 10 children how to paint--not sure what subject we are doing yet-am waiting for the Headmaster to get back to me about that...I love teaching children-they dont have the inhibitions that many adults have!

Friday will see us loading the van and setting off to Shobdon airfield so we can get set up for the lovely Food, Drink and Flying Festival..the show is on  Saturday28th  and Sunday 29th but we always get set up the day before so the Saturday is more relaxed! Its a great show and we have supported it for 9 years now since it was a very small affair--its been great to watch it grow each year...

Wed 3rd July will see us at the market again.,,

Friday 5th July we will be setting off with the caravan to Bromyard  Steam Gala --its quite a way from home so it will be a good chance to try out the new caravan and check its all working ok...
The show is a huge one and runs over the weekend 5th and 6th July..

Wed 9th July market again...

Saturday 12th July we are doing another Hen Party-this time in Stourbridge...what brilliant fun we have at these do's....its a great idea for a hen party..and lovely to have a beautiful painting to keep as a memory of the day..

Sun 13th July you will find us on Ludlow market again for the Craft and Country market..

Monday 14th July we are off overnight for Bills birthday pressie off me to him..staying overnight at a lovely hotel before going Segway-ing the next day...I am joining him as well-we have seen it a few times on TV and it looks great fun..

Wed 16th Ludlow market..

Friday 18th,Sat 19th and Sunday 20th July will see us at a fab new venue---Festival At The Edge...we will be taking the caravan again and meeting up with good friends there who are also doing it! We will be able to set up the caravan and van behind our stalls,,there will be campfires,storytelling and plenty of wine flowing over the course of the festival--am really looking forward to it!

Tuesday 22nd July we are doing a birthday painting party on Clee Hill...

Wed 23rd Ludlow market

Sat 26th July is the Poppies workshop oils on black canvas--great fun and still a few places left in that one ..Bill will have to get me set up in class before heading over to hand in the paintings for the Church Stretton Arts Festival before 12pm!

Sunday 27th is the Book and Craft market in Ludlow.

Wed 30th is Ludlow Market

Friday we will head over to Tenbury show to get set up ready for Tenbury Show on Sat 2nd Aug..a fantastic show--lots going on for all the family---one thing to remember though is that dogs are banned from the showground..

Sunday 3rd Aug we will be up very early to get over to Churchstoke Fun Day..never done this one before but we were invited so will go and see whats its like--it promises to be a good one with 8,000 folk through the gates....will be bloody tired after doing Tenbury though!

Mon 4th Aug we are stewarding on the door at Church Stretton

Wed 6th Aug is the market...before packing the van and heading over to Burwarton Show to set up ready for the show the next day--

Thursday 7th  Aug---Burwarton--another early start--but worth it-I will be in the demonstration building...we have decided to take part in the new Scarecrow trail too---so have to find time somehow to make one!

Sat 9th Aug is the Stormy Skies workshop-which is nearly full already..another of my favourites..

Sun 10th Aug you will find us on Ludlow market again -this time for the Craft and Country market..

Wed 13th Aug is Ludlow market

Sat 16th August is the Tropical Sunset workshop in acrylic and oils--great fun to do..

Sunday 17th---A Day Off!!!! Hooray!

Wed 20th Ludlow market

Sat 23rd Aug we will be heading to Onslow Park Steam Rally nr Shrewsbury with the caravan ready for 2 days of fun on the bank holiday weekend....Sun 24th, Mon 25th Aug are 2 of our busiest days of the year at this show--and its lovely to go for a mooch at night and see and hear all the smells and sights of the old steamers..

Wed 27th is the market again..

Sat 30th Aug is The Waterfall workshop--always great fun to do..

Sun 31st Aug is the Book and Craft market in Ludlow..

Wed 3rd Sept Ludlow market

Sat 6th Sept is the Cats in the Tree workshop---wonderful results in this one last time--acrylic on a chunky 12in x 24in canvas...lots of scope to be very different in this one!

Sun 7th Sept is another new venue for us--near to home this time..Brimfield Vintage club show..

Wed 10th Sept is Ludlow Market

Sat 13th September is Summer Day workshop..

Sunday 14th we are off to Blackpool for a well earned 3 night break...

The rest of the workshop dates/markets  are on the website until Christmas ..

I'm bloody knackered just typing this lot!

Its a bit of a joke that I'm supposed to take it easy with the condition I have--Polymyalgia Rheumatica....I have seen the specialist today and he thinks I may also have another condition as well...rheumatoid arthritis--that will be a bit of a bugger ..but if I have there is nothing I can do about it and will still keep on working ..he wants to try me on a new drug in the near future..not sure I fancy it after googling it--the side effects are not good but will cross that bridge when we come to it..

If you are round and about at any of the shows please call by and say hello...

Serenity Workshop

We had a lot of fun on Saturday as usual--Ive lost my list of names again-so apologies to start! I do know some of them though! Helen above chose the soft green shades-as did I..Its amazing how just the change in colour can alter the whole mood of the finished painting.!

Jackie had the dusky lilac shades which makes it quite warm..

Amazing that is is a first time student...lovely trees in the background!

Students had the option of the path running form either side of the canvas...it works perfect whichever way they decide to do it!

Another first timer---they all amazed themselves with their results!

Loads of laughs all day with these 3 sisters--they had us creased at times...first time above!

Rachael (I hope) has been before....her 2 sisters were first timers...

Everyone managed to get the angles of the snowy path correct first time...usually there are some paths done that would be impossible to walk on!

Looking great!

I think everyone agreed--the fences were the scary part of the painting!

Rachael has been a fantastic customer of mine-introducing lots of people to my workshops..thank you very much xxx Most of today's workshop have already booked up for another, plus another lady who has seen some of the paintings created by one of her friends has also booked up to come with them..We will look forward to meeting them all again in Sept for Foxgloves and Dragonflies..

Shouldn't moan about having a sunny day--but it made the photos turn out rubbish :-(

Well done girls!

Beautiful results girls!

The Hereford 6 !!! All friends of Rachael's,,lovely when you get a group who know each other! Less nerves then!

Back home to relax after cleaning the brushes...nothing like a nice glass of Cava..

and it dried the washing lovely after too!

Young At Art Club Demo

We had a lovely evening last night over at The Queens Head Wolverly , Kidderminster doing a demo for the Young At Heart painting club.Some of the members have been over to Ludlow a couple of times and done a workshop with me recently..

 Most of the artists haven't used oils before so there was a lot of questions from them which I love- it makes for a more interesting evening.They all found it very interesting--especially the speed at which it can be done! I will look forward to seeing some of them in the future!

Winners of the raffle-Sandra and Tim

Lucy's Hen Party

We travelled over to Wolverhampton yesterday to do Lucy's hen party...18 lovely ladies met at the room--most of them came armed with bottles of bubbly and wine! Lucy and her Mum had attended one of my workshops here in Ludlow and decided on the day she would like a painting hen party! All the other ladies were new to painting and as usual they doubted that they could create anything like the ones put up as examples!

Everyone soon settled down to paint-glasses of wine to hand,   lots of giggles about using bashing and tickling brushes---but they all used them easily-as if they had done so for years!

all hard at work..

Rekha arrived in high heels thinking she would be painting sitting down, so off came the shoes-only for her feet to get really cold---so she wrapped them up in a tartan rug! How she didn't fall over I do not know!

There were loads of lovely goodies to eat--I was very good and didn't have a cake ,,though I couldn't resist some cheese and biscuits! Someone had worked really hard making these beautiful cupcakes!

YUMMY...

Lucy -stood on the left of the photo said that they all enjoyed the day very much,,and they will be coming over to do some workshops maybe!

Didn't they do well?

Wonderful results..

18 very happy ladies...

It was pretty amazing but we actually finished earlier than expected so I got Bill to fetch the encaustic kits off the van so we could have a little play with it...the girls loved it...

It wouldn't a hen party without the appearance of some willies would it? I showed them how to do some in the wax using the special tool ;-) the finished picture was for her MUM!!! I hope she liked it lol... well the day went by so quickly it was unreal..we didn't stop laughing all day.. we have another hen party to do in Stourbridge next month and also a birthday party too...so busy times coming up..We are over in Kidderminster tomorrow evening doing a demo for the Young At Art group-some of the members have been over to Ludlow to do a couple of workshops already-so it will be lovely to meet the rest of the group..