Pleased to announce Red Rose as the latest addition to my floral greetings card collection.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day !

I haven’t posted much recently, partly because I was working on projects for the class, and partly because I have had a bad back, which meant there were some days I couldn’t do very much at all. Standing or sitting for any length of time, only makes it lock and become more painful. Once one can actually move, it pays to keep it moving, however gently, and however long it takes to walk from one end of the room to the other ! The up side to all this has meant that I have been able to dispose of a lot of rubbish which had accumulated. Mostly notes and memos to myself which are now long out of date.

I also discovered some sketchbooks which have not been ‘finished’. I sort of knew they were there, somewhere, each with some blank pages, waiting for inspiration. Some are themed, such as garden sketches or nature notes. Others maybe a different size or format to how I later decided I wanted to work. I knew they were waiting for me to return to them, and as I have been restricted in my movements, now seemed as good a time as any to do something about it. Then they will be able to join other completed books on the appropriate shelf. To have too many unfinished books seems wasteful.

With temperatures tumbling and people looking for more and more layers to put on in an attempt to stay warm, one intrepid little Polyanthus has decided that this might be a good time to push through the ground along the side of the house, to lift our hearts with a dash of colour at the most unexpected moment.

It has turned from very wet to very cold now – really quite bitter as I walked along the lane this morning.

In the warmth of a coffee shop, this chap was waiting for his takeaway, and became absorbed by his mobile phone, so I had longer to draw him than I expected. It was the hat I liked initially, and I am looking forward to finding more head gear (and cold weather apparel) in the next few weeks.

It may be cold outside. It may be endlessly grey. It may be wet with flooding in some places – lots of places actually, but these Red Williams pears bring a touch of warmth into a day painting indoors. They are a lovely shape, wonderful in colour, deliciously sweet and succulent, and great to paint on an otherwise gloomy day. Happy New Year !

I wish you joy for the Festive Season and the year to come

See you in 2024

A small sketch painted before today’s stormy weather. Not many people about. The ground is firm in some places but squelchy in others. It was too cold to hang around for long, so I made a quick pencil sketch, made some notes and headed for home. I saw a couple just like this, although not in the same place, so I thought I’d put them in anyway.

With so much cold and wet around recently, most sketching has been done indoors. Last weekend we resorted to bringing the seasonal decorations out of storage with the idea of dressing the tree. We haven’t got very far yet. For me, teaming a little poinsettia with a decorative snowman was too much of a distraction and provided a lot of fun !

We had a heavy frost one day last week, which although cold, was beautiful to behold. The trees behind the houses and gardens across the road were thick with frost and hanging with jewels. The hedges were covered in thick ropes of lace, which on closer inspection turned out to be cobwebs as you’ve never seen them before. Mother Nature proving again that she is a better artist than any of us!

An Autumnal scene of a little girl and her Grandmother walking along a lane strewn with fallen leaves as Summer recedes and Winter seems to be not far away.