Storm Brewing

Well, 10 days away and I've just spent the entire morning going through so many of the blogs I've missed whilst sitting at the exhibition.  If I haven't left a comment, I'm still getting there.  So, still no painting yet.  Or maybe I'm just putting it off - no I will definitely be going into my studio this afternoon, or at the latest, tomorrow morning.  This afternoon I may just have to watch cricket and rugby - it is, after all, Saturday!

So now I'm being brave and posting a painting that I did on a course I did in February.  This canvas is BIG (for me) being 40" x 30"!  It was done in acrylics and I find that I don't like acrylics anymore - they dry too fast, especially in the heat.  I did like the size though, but in the end, hated the painting. 

I was the only one who hated it - oh my sister didn't like it either.  Everyone else in the class thought it was amazing, but I don't know whether they were just being kind.

Anyway, because I haven't done a thing for 10 days, I thought I would let you have a look at what I call "A Red Mess" but actually has been titled Storm Brewing.

(What about 'Picnic Time for Red Teddy Bears' ??)

Timber Wolf

I'm finally getting used to the colder weather and quite enjoying going for those bracing walks in the fields of snow. I never knew snow could be so noisy.. crunch, crunch, crunch as you walk - as a result haven't seen any deer or badgers yet.

Some time ago, I painted this picture of a timber wolf and gave it to my son. I had forgotten about it until I saw it on the wall of his office. I specially painted it for him as he loves wolves - most of us have a closeness to some type of animal - mine is dogs and his is wolves.And to that, another little (sad) story. The wolf population last century was decimated in Sweden. Only a tiny area in the very north of this cold country was left. With the conservation policies in place, this population is slowly increasing and as a result, there are more sightings of wolves up north.

However, one lone wolf came down too far south and was roaming the countryside south of Stockholm. Unfortunately it was living off the fat of the farmers lands and taking out the occasional sheep. The farmers weren't charmed and shot the animal. A huge outcry by the bunny huggers (I am an unashamed bunny hugger!), but in the end, the Nordic shrug of the shoulders - that's life.

The Fisherman, Desert Trees, Seascape

Sunday morning and great to relax after a hectic weekend. Friday morning was a return to our social painting group at the Frank Joubert Art School in Newlands after a two week (school holiday) break. It really was nice to be back socialising, drinking tea and, yes, painting as well. I use this time as catch-up - I have too many unfinished paintings that don't seem to get done and Friday morning is a perfect opportunity to work with like minded people! I was looking through some of my paintings from a year ago (that's when I started) and I've gone from the 'not so good' to the 'improving daily' phase. I started with acrylics in Philip Glazer's classes (where I met some lovely people), but am now firmly 'dedicated' to oils. These are some of the first acrylics I did!

Fire and Water (with Heather Selby)

This is one of the first paintings I was involved with. Heather Selby, a professional painter of note, guided me through the intricacies of using a palette knife. Her generosity with her time and her patience, made the process even more enjoyable.