29 faces Day four

It's a strange world (acrylic on gelli print paper)

Day four brings a strange little face. She appeared out a Gelli print page I did recently. I was going to add some hair... but decided not, it adds to the strangeness!

29 faces Day three

Study in purple ( Conte crayon and pencil )

Well this is another continuation of yesterdays theme, my daughter.

When drawing people I usually do several versions in different mediums to see which I like best. Today I used conte crayons which I like very much. For those who don't know they are a type of chalky pastel, they are small and compact and I find the colours beautiful.

Links to 29 Faces  September

29 faces Day two

Don't look back ( wax crayon, pencil and watercolour)

 Day two of the 29 faces challenge and it is an idea I had from my post yesterday. I used the photo of my daughter at the Tate gallery. It uses her reflected image.
I used really cheap wax crayons to scribble on the shadow silhouette then washed over the top in watercolour.

 Linking to 29 faces join the party HERE

29 faces and Chagall

 Day one, 29 faces ( Well two for the price of one )

Marc and Bella, acrylic on paper ( A tribute to Chagall)

Well today is day one, and I'm starting the challenge with trepidation. Will I manage to post 29 faces? I will do my best, but life has a habit of getting in the way!

My first piece is watered down acrylic painted on heavy watercolour paper. I stencilled a little ink on first. It is inspired by my recent trip to Liverpool and the WONDERFUL Chagall exhibition at the Tate.

 My piece is based on the beautiful painting 'lovers' my favourite in the whole exhibition. Chagall painted a series of pieces of himself and his wife Bella together after they were married. The figures often merge into one, showing how much in love they were. Quite beautiful!! If you want to see the original click HERE

The Tate Gallery Liverpool docks

My daughter Briony had some fun with some of the other exhibits at the gallery!!

We had a wonderful afternoon tea at the Sapphire lounge. Instead of tea the teapots were filled with a brandy fruit punch . Very decadent for a Thursday afternoon, but I was on holiday!!

I found a great little art shop on bold street called Rennies. I love exploring new art shops!

We also found a fabulous Moroccan  restaurant called Kasbah. They served proper Moroccan tea out of little cut glass cups....

And served Baklava ( A gorgeous dessert of little pastries)

Ended the trip with a look round the cathedral..

Which was being prepared for a wedding, a very impressive wedding by the looks of it!

Anyway mini holiday over and back to work...

Linking up to the 29 faces challenge starting HERE

Also linking up to my friends at Paint party friday

postcard giveaway and mix it monthly!

landscape and thistles, collaged paper, fabric and machine embroidery

Thistles have been a bit of a recurring theme with me this summer and I have finished some large pieces on canvas incorporating them which I will post over the coming weeks. My sketch book is full of thistle pages and designs. I recently bought a new sewing machine ( My first digital one) and I am learning to love what it can do!!

The thistles carpet the ground throughout August with their bright tufty blooms.

I even brought some inside to paint

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neocolor crayon and ink

 
For the mix it monthly challenge I decided to use the thistle theme along with an abstracted design using my favourite copper and silver locket. It has a little copper spiral in the centre of a silver plate.

Mix it monthly. Copper, silver and thistles

I did a few designs around the theme..

The design below is done on my new machine. Its a Janome which I have not owned before and I'm still getting used to it and having fun in the process.

I sprayed the finished piece in cosmic shimmer mist.

And finally my last thistle is a little postcard which I thought would make a nice giveaway! I have been making a few cards over the summer using the themes and colours I have been using

postcard giveaway

It has been just over a year since I began my blog so thought I would celebrate and over the next few weeks give away a few of my summer postcards to my readers. Just leave a comment  saying if you would like me to send you the postcard and I'll draw a name at random next week .

Raspberry jam

 The past week I have been down the rather overgrown raspberry patch picking raspberries to make jam. I love raspberries, they are my favourite fruit, and one which Scotland does surprisingly well!!
This year the berries are a little late, probably because of the harsh winter and awful spring, but they have finally arrived.

I also decided to do a little outdoor sketching as the weather was so good.
I don't often outdoor paint but I have found neocolor crayons ideal for doing quick outdoor painting.

Do a quick sketch...add a little water...

 Hey presto!! I just love neocolor, the colours are so intense.

After I have picked them I make jam the lazy way in my breadmaker. It has a programme for jam making and makes about 1 jars worth in an hour. Means I can set it going and go outside to pick some more raspberries and enjoy the sunshine.Got to be better than standing watching a boiling pot of jam and the result tastes just as good.

Linking to inspiration Avenue and its Harvest theme this week. click HERE to have a look at other harvest offerings!

Eagle of Storr

Eagle of Storr mixed media collage

I have been busy in the studio over the past couple of weeks so haven't had much space to blog, but back to normal now and I can post one of my newest large pieces.

My eagle is set in the beautiful landscape of north west Skye. Storr is a large mountain surrounded by large rock formations the largest being the rock pinnacle called 'the old man of Storr' It is a famous landmark of Skye and has been used in many movie scenes, you may recognise it!!
Eagles are said to nest in the rocky outcrops, I saw one a few years ago as I drove along the coast road . It flew over my car down the hills towards the sea, bigger than any bird I had ever seen, its wingspan was enormous!! The image has stayed in my head and I have always wanted to try and get it onto canvas.

Storr wikepedia commons

the wings are made from tiny scraps of paper, some found, others printed with my Gelli plate

I started by very loosely painting with a large brush the solid shapes I wanted to fill in with paper.

The Sky uses some paper I printed with my Gelli plate using Celtic stencils.

The bottom photo gives an idea of scale.

I am submitting the piece to the Skyeworks gallery for a forthcoming exhibition on Flora and fauna of the Island.

linking this week to Paint party friday