"Doggie Doodles"

Running on the spot

2011-07-13T13:13:00.003+01:00

Hi all ......just lately I seem to pedalling like crazy and getting nowhere fast , not had any summer commissions and failed to sell anything at the first summer exhibition of the year :-( to keep myself busy I have started early on Christmas commissions but the nature of that beast is that I won't get paid till Christmas and I can't show any of the work online till then either.......Oh well my blog will just have to consist of the exciting prospect of our new arrivals, we should have some chicks hatching any day now as our broody hen has been sitting for 19 days she has six eggs so I am hoping for at least a couple of new hens!

We will also soon be welcoming a gorgeous HWV puppy into our fold....... this is him at 5weeks of age, cute or what?

"Doggie Doodles": Flaming June

2011-06-29T07:13:00.000+01:00

"Doggie Doodles": Flaming June

Flaming June

2011-06-29T06:41:00.006+01:00

Hi all, its been a tough few weeks health wise for me so the blog has been sadly neglected (along with lots of other things)

But excuses over I think I am back on track and my head is buzzing with ideas that need to be turned into art (as usual) so the summer should be a productive time, as always I have a few local summer art exhibitions to submit work to and I am working on a slow but steady flow of commissions too.

On a personal level we are busy again trying to think of names for a boy!

Here are some a couple of random, recent attempts at artwork to keep the picture hungry at bay.....hope you like them......back soon with more :-)

At the top is the finally complete graphite dawing of our dog "Kimba" this one has taken ages as it was always on the back burner while other work took priority so I am happy to be able to post it here at long last! On the left is a work in progress graphite drawing of my niece "Abigail" who I have often attempted to portray but just never seem to get "quite right" this one is heading in the right direction though so I am hopeful it will come good with a little more tweaking.And finally our puss "Maggie" painted in pastel, very inconvieniently she decided to sit like this in my studio window one morning while I should have been working on another painting.....however her pose was just too tempting and she stayed put for long enough to get the basics down so it just had to be done!

I took a back up photograph for good measure which I used to refer to when she inevitably spotted some birds outside and sloped off!
Thank you for looking.........come back soon xx

2011-05-26T21:26:00.004+01:00

Have some old work up for grabs at the Rochester (New York) 6x6 global art event its a great exhibition and a brilliant idea for fundraising all works will be offered for sale at $20 http://www.roco6x6.org/6x6x2011.php?artwork_id=236

My painting "Evening light"is featured in the Love from me project 2011 which is a wonderful art book selling in aid of a special cancer charity copies are available here http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2085036/?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=140x240 from Blurb

Still here....and trying to keep up

2011-05-05T08:14:00.017+01:00

Hi all, I know I have said it before but this year seems to be going past me at breakneck speed....so much to do , so little time so my apologies for my neglected blog.

The Big Easter Art Exhibition was a great success raising over £7,000 for our local (St Michaels) Hospice, I personally sold four paintings so it was a good weekend for me!

Just to prove that I've not been idle here are a selection of commissioned paintings that have been keeping me busy in recent weeks..Below are some images of the product of my labours, first is an A3 watercolour painting of "Themba" a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback, then a graphite commission in memory of "Harry" a playful Jack Russell Terrier, the drawing is A3 size and I really enjoyed working on it....even those grasses!

Next up is "Annie" another Jack Russell Terrier this one is an acrylic portrait on a 30x 30 square canvas

Then come Taitti the GSD x Dachshund and Zippy the JRT, both painted in pastels just slightly bigger than A4

I guess I just need an oil painting now to complete the set!

April news!

2011-04-21T21:47:00.005+01:00

My apologies for the lack of updates here lately, 2011 is whizzing by and I am struggling to keep up!

I have just submitted some original paintings (see above) to our local Big Easter Art Exhibition which takes place over the next four days at Pett Village Hall Nr Hastings East Sussex (TN35 4HE) sales of paintings are in support of our local hospice and there are some wonderful works of art on display so well worth a visit if you are in the area.

This year I am proud to have been included in the "Love from me project" in which selected artists works have been compiled in a book to be sold to raise funds for a cancer charity my painting "Evening Light" is included in this inspirational publication which can be previewed and purchased via this link http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2085036

I am also trying to raise some money for Guide dogs by joining in a sponsored dog walk with my beautiful Kimba, we plan to walk Four miles in the company of many other dogs and walkers on 15th May if you would like to help by sponsoring us for a pound or two just follow this link http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Pettpaintings

Meanwhile I continue to work on my usual quota of pet portrait commissions and will try to post those completed in my next blog so prepare for a picture overload :-) in due course

Trompe L'oeil and other stuff

2011-02-28T19:07:00.005Z

Blogging has had to take a back seat in February as I've been busy busy busy working on several projects all at once and of course Kimba has been keeping me occupied with muddy walks galore!

The bathroom Trompe L'oeil attempt is coming along and gradually taking shape visitors to the house have been quick to comment and so far comments have varied from "looks like something from Saving Nemo" to my favourite "I thought it was a real fish tank" yay!

I'm still prepared to paint over it with emulsion if it doesn't meet my intended idea but so far so good and to be honest it's great fun for me.

I have also been busy with a couple of commissions this is one I just completed of another gorgeous little JRT, I painted it in pastels on A3 pastelmat card

And finally I have started a graphite portrait of our gorgeous Kimba.....theres a long way to go on this one as she is a hairy beast and those curls will give me headaches for sure!

Trompe L'oeil

2011-02-12T21:54:00.002Z

Wow, these last few weeks have whizzed by in a flash! I have not been idle though......busy with a couple of private commissions and some work destined for exhibition at Easter, I have also been painting (decorating) our bathroom and have begun a mural that I'm hoping to class as a Trompe L'oeil .......in order to qualify the painting needs to be realistic enough to "Trick the eye" so it will certainly be challenging but something I've always wanted to try.
I will try to post some pictures of my work as I progress.............. but admit that I have a large tub of emulsion on standby in case it all goes Pete Tong :-D

Art Swap

2011-01-21T19:15:00.002Z

You may recall that late last year New Zealand artist Karen Neal http://www.wild-impressions.co.nz/and myself entered into an art swap together, this was a new idea for me and a great way to aquire an original work of art without parting with cash :-)
I had had my eye on Karens Little Kingfisher painting and she kindly agreed to swap it for a "commissioned" painting based on some photographs of her recent holiday in Wales...looking through her photographs I had difficulty choosing between the hills and valleys and a lovely wild meadow near to where she had stayed, so I have completed pastel paintings of both and she now has the job of choosing which she wants to hang on her wall.

2011 already

2011-01-07T21:39:00.007Z

Well that crept up on us....I'm still reeling from all the changes in my life at the end of 2010 ;-)

and here we are already knocking on the door to the second week of 2011....so far things have been very busy for me............ Kimba has been keeping me on my toes and amazingly in spite of the vast amount of junk I consumed over Christmas I seem to have lost some weight :-)

On the work front I have had a small flurry of new portrait enquiries and a tempting proposition for a series of commissions so that is a very promising start to the year.

I have finally completed two commissions from the end of 2010 both depict JRT's one young smooth coated and two elderly rough coated but all exceptionally cute!

Here are Tracker & Poppy a really lovely old "couple" who I had the total pleasure of painting in pastels, the painting is A3 size and has now been safely delivered to their proud owners.

And below is Toby, a young Jrt full of character who's owners wanted a more contemporary style for their painting to suit their home so I painted Toby in an unusual composition using acrylics on a square 30 x 30 cm gallery wrap canvas

Phew!

2010-12-26T18:13:00.010Z

Well there it was, been and gone...Christmas over for another year and time to breathe a sigh of relief I am all cooked and entertained out and in desperate need of some peace and tranquility.

Since the big day has now passed and all surprises should be out of the bag I can reveal some of the work I have been doing in recent weeks, above are "Barney" (pastel) and "Benson" (graphite).

And below are "Lulu" (pastel) and "Arthur" (also Pastel)

Tomorrow is back to the drawing board for a marathon session to complete a couple of overdue commissions and start a new project that will hopefully bring me some work in the new year.

If I don't manage to get an update on this blog in the next week I would like to wish all my followers and fellow artists a very happy and prosperous 2011 xxx

New beginnings

2010-12-05T19:34:00.003Z

Hi all , I am still working through my Christmas commission list and it feels like time is rushing by at full speed ahead, my Graphite boxer client requires the dogs name added to the picture so that has to be my priority this week as he's hoping to deliver it to the framers midweek, I hope I don't mess anything up. I am looking forward to being able to post pictures of these latest works as soon as the Christmas surprises are revealed ;-)

As you know the loss of my beloved Fred has left a dog shaped void in our home, so I am proud to introduce the new girl in our lives "Kimba" she is settling in nicely and once again our house feels more like a home

So much to do so little time!

2010-12-01T07:25:00.003Z

Hi all, sorry to have been erratic with the blogging (as usual) am busy making sure that these Christmas orders will all be done on time, first one was to go to the states so was prioritised and happily sent off at the start of the week...phew! luckily I have a couple of local commissions this year so they will be deliverable and not dependent on the postal service which will help!
I am getting a slight sweat on as we hit December but I think I will get there if I work hard and keep away from distractions (like Facebook).
Have finished the large graphite Boxer dog portrait which I really enjoyed doing but the client would like dogs name on the drawing so I hope I don't mess it up as lettering is not really my forte.
Since losing our Freddie the house has been seriously empty Milo and I have been ratting around deafened by the silence so we are about to embark on a dog hunt to find him a new pal.
Over the last few days I have been watching (in horror) Maggie's girth expanding, and although I am firmly "in denial" I suspect that sometime around Christmas she is planning on presenting us with a present ..............or maybe she just has wind?

Christmas rush!

2010-11-20T16:44:00.003Z

What a difference a week makes!

I have been commission free for the last four months and have been spending my time leisurely working on some originals for exhibition next year in a fairly relaxed fashion.

If you follow my blog you will know that my dog Fred fell ill and had to be PTS last weekend which hit me for six,and left me spinning.

I now have to get a grip.... as in the space of the four days of Fred's illness I received six Christmas commission enquiries!

So it looks as if I am going to be extremely busy in the lead up to Christmas this year....I do wish people wouldn't leave it to the last minute but it seems they always do, I just hope I can come up with the goods..........some daylight wouldn't go amiss right now!

Of course surprise commissions can't be shown on 'tinternet until they are no longer "a surprise" so in the meantime all I can offer in the way of piccy's to illustrate the blog is the next mini offering on e-bay. .....this is a little 7" x 5" graphite drawing of a black faced sheep which will be listed this weekend, other mini's destined for e-bay can be previewed on my website

http://www.pettpaintings.com/NEWMini-originals-on-ebay(2166528).htm

Fred June 1997~ Nov 2010

2010-11-18T14:08:00.003Z

I have been dreading this for quite a while, my beloved Fred had to be PTS on monday this week he had a short and sudden illness and I couldn't bear to see him suffer any longer, he was the sweetest, kindest, most loyal friend and my constant companion for the last 13 years.
Words cannot convey how much I miss him and I am the luckiest person alive to have been his adopted Mum.....I'm sure he will be happy chasing those pesky Squidgels in some heavenly wood

"The Power of the Dog""

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie --
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find -- it's your own affair --
But . . . you've given your heart to a dog to tear.
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit hat answered your every mood
Is gone -- wherever it goes -- for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept'em, the more do we grieve;
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long --
So why in -- Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

2010-11-12T15:52:00.002Z

Thought it was about time I updated the blog, The little originals on e-bay are still selling for peanuts but at least they are selling :-) (could be worse) currently on offer is the little Mute Swan and bids are just starting to come in with just one day to go, the funny thing is I never thought I would get so excited by such silly little amounts of money but every little bid seems to make me smile, clearly e-bay is in itself addictive!
The painting that should have been listed next this weekend has been snapped up already from the preview on my website so the Labradors have jumped a place and will be next.
Behind the scenes I have embarked on an art swap with New Zealand artist Karen Neal we have not yet decided on specific pieces or if we will each "commission" a new work from each other but however it turns out I am excited about the prospect of owning one of Karens beautiful paintings!
It seems she has done several art swaps with other artists and has enjoyed the experience totally so I am relying on her to make sure it all goes without a hitch.
To me it feels like buying myself an expensive present without parting with any cash.....got to be a bonus in this economic mess!

Proper poorly

2010-11-04T11:59:00.004Z

Have been "off blog" for a couple of weeks now (well off everything actually) had the migraine from hell for four days followed instantly by a nasty dose of flu so not much has been done artwise apart from mulling over some plans and idea for new paintings that I'd like to tackle.

I did have a brief spell of feeling slightly better last week so I sat up in bed and started a little sheep drawing to add to my mini series, the effort involved exhausted me and I soon gave up and crashed again.

Am off to the quack later today, as although I'm feeling a lot better now, the virus attacked my ears and left me with very reduced hearing .......eh

My first e-bay experience was an eye opener for me in that my sheep painting sold for just £11.o1 ...I guess e-bay is where people head to get bargains, so I shouldn't really be too surprised.

Anyway I now have about six of these little works completed and another two almost done so will continue to e-bay them up untill Christmas and will then have a rethink and sell at a set price from my website instead.

Anyway these are both almost done so thought I'd show them in the absence of anything more interesting.

Mini No5 destined for e-bay

2010-10-26T07:48:00.002+01:00

This is the latest little painting destined for auction on e-bay, this method of working is providing a good way to test run ideas for larger paintings in the future so I thought I would run through the hundreds of ref photos that I had stored on my old PC .....ony to find that they have all somehow been wiped!......oh well I'm sure theres a lesson there somewhere (have been slipping on the "back ups" this year) note to Santa ..."external hard drive please" :-)

e-bay bargains

2010-10-24T21:32:00.009+01:00

Have been busy getting aquainted with acrylic paint as a new medium for my work and its been a challenge to say the least! Acrylic works would just be so much easier to store/transport etc so I am determined to get to grips with them.

I have started to make a bit of progress and am working on a series of small canvases to help me understand the way acrylics behave.

The resulting paintings are going to be auctioned one at a time on e-bay in the order that they are painted, the subject matter will be rather random.....just whatever inspires me on the day but I hope that people will seize the opportunity to bag themselves a bargain if they see something they like
These are the paintings so far ....they are all just 5" x 7" and painted on canvas board,

First to hit e-bay is No 1 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mini-original-painting-No-1-/170555977399?pt=UK_art_Paintings_GL&hash=item27b5edaeb7

No2

No 3 No 4

Christmas card no 2

2010-10-05T21:20:00.007+01:00

Well I have recovered from my recent artists block and completed the second of my new Christmas card designs, this one was inspired by the little lad with his Hungarian Vizsla that I saw at a gundog training display last week, as soon as I have printing underway I will be offering these cards for sale via my website in good time for Christmas :-)

Ardingly autumn show & game fair

2010-10-02T18:32:00.005+01:00

I'm afraid I have nothing new to post this week in the way of artwork as I am having an art holiday for a while in the hope that a large dollop of motivation will soon land in my lap!

Meanwhile I have been out and about with my camera (my main lens is in for repair and I miss it terribly) gathering plenty of inspirational material to utilise when that motivation finally arrives.

Today I had a lovely outing to Ardingly to witness the Autumn show and game fair, this was a new event for me and I found it very entertaining with a wide variety of things to see and do, if only the rain could have stayed away :-(

Here are a couple of images from the day....its a two day event so if you are looking for something to do tomorrow I fully recommend it ;-)

East Sussex ploughing match

2010-09-27T06:36:00.008+01:00

I have had a bit of artists block lately and have struggled for motivation and inspiration to paint, I'm not too concerned as I know it will soon pass so having lost momentum with the "On White Horses" painting (for the time being) I decided it was time to seek out some new inspiration.

At the weekend I set out with my hubby to the East Sussex ploughing match and dog show which is held at a different location every year, this year the host farm was in a stunning location with a backdrop of the beautiful South Downs, the sun was shining and there was plenty to see and do so we both had a great time and I got lots of inspiring photographs to base new paintings on so hopefully it won't be long before I'm back at the easel.

As a bonus I bumped into an old friend who tours the country with her ploughing horses showing them at work, we got chatting and I mentioned that I have always wanted to ride but never had the chance well she said "get up on Charlie and see how it feels".......never one to pass up an opportunity I clambered elegantly (in the style of an arthritic 51 yr old woman) onto the bare back of "Charlie" her 18 hands high Shire horse! for me it was a magical moment and I felt like a kid who's dreams had all come true....... Thank you Mandy and of course Charlie.......what a brilliant day!

On white horses

2010-09-15T07:00:00.006+01:00

Anyone old enough to remember a childrens TV series about a stable yard with a lightning tree and white horses? for some reason as I've been "painting?" this picture the title tune has been plagueing my subconcious but I cant for the life of me remember the name of the series? anyway have started calling this one "On white horses" as that is the first line of the title song going round in my head :-).......having said that I only ever decide on a title for paintings that I feel are going to reach fruition so some part of me must be feeling more positive about this now (probably due to some kindly positive feedback from you lovely folks)

Acrylic paint is starting to yield to my demands and I have found some rather unconventional methods of getting it to blend and behave itself (still don't "like " it yet though)

?progress??

2010-09-11T17:31:00.003+01:00

Not sure if I'm making progress with this painting or not, but I am finding some ways of controlling this dreaded medium at last, although I still hate the way the paint dries in an instant and find that the water spray method of keeping the painting workable (as described by the supplier) is no good for realism as it splats water globules onto areas that you were happy with and spoils the work already done!
Today was seriously lacking in light so this pic is not the best!.......hope to get a better one tomorrow

Please dont laugh!.... update

2010-09-10T16:24:00.001+01:00

Please don't laugh!

2010-09-10T10:38:00.004+01:00

I have never been able to use acrylic paint for some reason, and me being me can't just leave it at that so every now and again I have a go to see if the curse has lifted, I can't explain why but its something that has niggled me for ever.

Well this time, inspired by reading an article extolling the wonderful "oil like" qualities of interactive acrylics I bought a few and set about yet another "having a go" session.......well I am too stubborn for "learning" in the conventional sense so just set about slapping the paint on a canvas :-( one whole day later came the realisation that as usual I had simply created a mess!

I had chosen a busy composition including people and horses (neither on my list of can do's) and I had decided to go straight in freehand.....no preparation whatsoever (DOH)

It had come down to two choices, throw it away and forget about it or start over and do things properly (ish)

I am proud to say that I re-prepared the canvas and gridded the composition up to start afresh and today I am floundering around trying to get the paint to do what I intended with varying degrees of success..can't say I'm exactly enjoying this one but I am determined to see it through and hopefully continue to learn by my stupid mistakes as I go along....promise no laughing if I post my progress?

Here goes (no the riders werent really this ugly!..... I am working on it LOL)

commission "Pippa"

2010-09-03T13:06:00.002+01:00

At last I have a completed commission that I can show, this is Pippa the Jack Russell demonstrating what her owner describes as "Wabbit ears" :-)

I'm not realy sure if its permissable to assign a title to a commissioned painting but if it is i would like to call this one "Wabbit ears"..............such an endearing expression!

For once I had an excellent reference photograph to work from which was a joy, my thanks to Heidi Page for allowing the use of her photograph.

The portrait is 30 x 30 cm in pastel on pastelmat card..............now back to the drawing board

Back to normality?

2010-08-29T15:56:00.003+01:00

After a week when the chook died (RIP Myrtle)..... the dog nearly died (get well soon Milo) and I felt like death, due to a nasty virus, I am glad to say that things seem to (at long last) be getting back to normal.
I have no plans to submit to any further exhibitions this yearafter having all six of my works rejected from the upcoming Battle contemporary fine art fair :-(
I am instead concentrating on attracting some commissioned work in the lead up to Christmas, I have finished one JRT commission and am working on a second........... both in pastels and both to be revealed at a later date.
In an attempt to make my art pay in 2011 I am trying one last time to get to grips with acrylics.
I am experimenting with some new interactive paints that I hope will cure my phobia of this lovely clean and practical medium........it would be very handy (and economical) to offer paintings that need no framing and can be sent off with greatly reduced packaging costs.

"Watching"

2010-08-13T21:24:00.003+01:00

Today I had the opportunity to add the finishing touches to my Tiger painting at last, this one has been "almost" finished for what seems like ages so it was a pleasure to get it done.
It is quite large for one of my pastels at about 45 x 65 cm and is painted on Claire Fontaine Pastelmat

Watercolour!

2010-08-13T07:20:00.004+01:00

I may have mentioned a watercolour commission that was giving me sleepless nights? well this is the one, I have now recieved confirmation from the client that she is happy with the result, but as usual I am a little unsure now that those doubts have crept in:-(

I love working with watercolour but do find it a challenge and for some reason most of my w/c commissions end up needing "adjustments" like this one did and once you start adjusting it seems to lose its magic for me.

Now that this one is done, I have an empty order book once again, so am grateful of the handful of originals sold at exhibition this year.

The upside of that is that I can spend more time on originals and at the moment designs for Christmas cards which is something that is permanently on the "to do " list!

Christmas card designs

2010-08-08T19:18:00.005+01:00

This week was a busy on again on many fronts, I have complete my watercolour commission but have had to make a couple of adjustments to it at the request of the dogs owner I will update the client tomorrow and hope that all is now ok......I am seriously thinking that I should forget offering watercolour as a medium for commissions as I always seem to encounter problems with it.

The art exhibition at Battle ended today and I spent a busy morning helping to reunite artists and buyers with their paintings, I was lucky enough to sell two of mine this year and enjoyed some lovely positive feedback. Only one more show submitted to this year now and that one is juried so I won't know if any of my six submissions will get in until the end of the month.

I would normally be starting to get enquiries for Christmas commissions about now but things seem really slow this year so I am putting my time to good use working on some designs for Christmas cards, first up is a snowy dog painting of my brothers Wirehaired Dachshund Ellie

Day off

2010-08-04T06:41:00.002+01:00

Had a wonderful day off yesterday and took a cultural trip to London with my brother and his good lady to see the summer exhibitions.
We had intended to catch the BP portrait awards but ran out of time due to spending ages enjoying the SEA's "The Horse in Art", I love the Mall galleries as a venue and the works on display were on the whole stunning! It was good to see Sally Lancaster's "One Small Step" and Laura Barber-Riley's "Wandering" up close and personal.........they were certainly not a let down!
The only thing that was dissapointing for me was the quality of some of the smaller works...in fact there were one or two so badly painted with glaring proportional errors that I'm amazed they got through the selection process.........of course my lovely brother felt obliged to note that these were all paintings by full members and let rip when asked by the stewards if he'd enjoyed the exhibition...........I just skulked out the door LOL
We then went to the Royal acadamy to see the tail end of the Summer exhibition... I really don't like the gallery here (or the charge to get in ) but nothing prepared me for the "work" on display ..........I have never seen so many blatent examples of the "emporers clothes" on display in one place and was further dismayed by the thousands of red dots it had generated! there were just a handful of skillful artworks amongst it but they took a lot of searching for to locate! the one highlight for me was the giant Gorrilla sculpture which was crafted from wire coathangers...amazing (and talented) stuff!
I think that will be my last ever visit to the RA and really wished we had spent the time in the National gallery at the BP awards instead (not only free entry but always high quality artwork by talented artists)
I think the RA has lost the plot, but then judjing by the red dots the public are more than happy to be conned:-(

2010-07-31T14:00:00.007+01:00

Am struggling to update the blog at regular intervals but here I am at last!

I have been occupied painting a couple of early Christmas commissions which obviously I can't post on here until much nearer to 2011, suffice to say the commissions have taken priority and I have not had a lot of spare time to work on the tiger, but at least he now has the basis of two eyes ;-)

Local summer exhibitions are in full swing and I have been very lucky with sales of originals............"Morning Glory" a pastel painting of some local sheep in a sunny meadow, sold in the first few minutes of the preview at the BDAG exhibition in Battle on Friday so fingers crossed that my luck continues this way for the rest of the summer.

New Tiger painting

2010-07-17T21:58:00.004+01:00

Last week kicked off well with the sales of two paintings "Ploughing" and "Indepenence" at a local exhibition, I then managed to complete the portrait of "Gertrude" which left me with some space and a free day on Friday.

I decided to unleash a new pastel painting of a tiger, having taken lots of very useful big cat photographs during the exhibition at Port Lympne at Easter I have been itching to utilise some of them ever since.

Initially I intended to do a medium sized painting, but got stuck in on a large sheet of pastelmat and now have a much larger (almost lifesize) painting to get to grips with :-)

My eyes refuse to focus after a painting session of about 2 hours so will need several sittings to complete this one!

This is the progress made over the first two sessions

Phew finally finished "Gertrude"

2010-07-15T20:24:00.006+01:00

This one has been occupying my easel and developing very slowly over the last few weeks!

Life has been so hectic for me lately that I have struggled to find enough time to settle and work on it.

Although I enjoy graphite I find it very labourious and time consuming, taking many, many layers to build up the various depths of tone and I am not good at leaving and coming back to work on a drawing without losing motivation, I like rapid results and guess thats why I enjoy working with pastels so much.

All's well that ends well though and today I managed to shut myself away with a handful of motivation and finally completed this one..........phew!

Now I have an empty easel just waiting for a new occupant, looking forward to tomorrow :-)

Summer exhibitions

2010-07-07T17:36:00.004+01:00

I apologise for the recent lack of input (life has thrown me a few curved balls of late)

At the time of writing I am battling against an untimely attack of shingles and suffering from the effects of the medication more than the illness!

I have kept myself busy getting paintings ready for several local summer exhibitions and am hoping for some luck in one or two juried shows.

I was disappointed to learn that my painting "security" didn't make the grade for the Society of Equestrian Artists exhibition but "you can't win 'em all" as they say, so onward and upward with fingers crossed for next year ;-)

This weekend brings the annual exhibition in aid of the local hospice and as usual I will have a few works on sale there so hopefully I will be feeling better and able to pay a visit.

Meanwhile the painting above is one I completed this week during my enforced confinement, it is a local scene currently festooned with beautiful wild poppies, great for a first outing for some of my lesser used pastels.

Christmas is coming (I kid ye not)

2010-06-28T17:15:00.002+01:00

Today saw the arrival of my first Christmas enquiry, which, although very welcome came a something of a shock since the lovely weather of the last few days has had me looking forward to a long hot summer...........oh well I'm impressed at the forward thinking of this potential client and really hope his timely enquiry gets the ball rolling!

As usual lots has been happening for me on the domestic front and my artwork has suffered some neglect, I have been trying to complete a graphite that I posted some time ago of a lovely Charolias cow that I called "Gertrude" ......I am frustratingly close to having finished it but am still just not quite there, so she remains on my drawing board waiting for a couple of free hours to present themselves, hopefully I will be able to post the final image here tomorrow ;-)

Meanwhile I just wanted to show off my wonderful new studio window which has been a godsend this week as it opens fully and allows a little cooling breeze through while giving an unninterupted view of the garden ..........am I spoilt or what!

Dungeness

2010-06-11T20:47:00.003+01:00

I am on a mission to complete some work for a couple of exhibitions coming up later in the summer todays effort is a 30x 30 cm pastel of a cottage at Dungeness, it looks great in a driftwood frame that has been languishing in my studio for some time...............sorted!

Am I going soft?

2010-06-10T15:37:00.006+01:00

Having completed my first landscape in quite a while I felt motivated to start work on another, this one again is based on local scenery at Pett Level and went through so many "ugly" stages that it was almost consigned to the bin, however I persevered and worked it to completion only to sit back and wonder if my work has gone too far down the chocolate box route lately?

Determined to beat this run of "flowery" pastels I tried a new approach today painting a beach scene from last years travels in Australia, however it seems I am firmly stuck in the grips of this mood

so this is how my sandy footpath leading to Cottesloe Beach Nr Perth turned out and confirmation that I have gone soft and need to work through this "romantic" phase in my painting........................I'm looking for a cure...........maybe I'll have to dispose of the pinks and blues lurking in my palette at the moment?

Change of tack

2010-06-08T17:02:00.004+01:00

Been very busy with "other stuff" just lately and have not done any painting for a couple of weeks, the lovely weather has been beckoning me into the garden too and I have enjoyed the downtime tending to my plants, so now that the garden is looking lovely and the weather has taken a turn for the worse I decided to spend the afternoon back at the easel working on a piece for exhibition later in the summer this is "Evening light" and it's a 12"x 16" pastel which I really enjoyed painting, hope you like it ;-)

Something new at long last!

2010-05-30T11:29:00.005+01:00

It's been a while since I've had any new work to show but I hope the wait will prove to be worth it ;-)

I have been busy with home responsibilities (poorly relative) and not had much time to paint however I had an opportunity to photograph a beautiful foal for a commissioned portrait, this is "Gloria" painted in pastel on pastelmat approx A3

My extra photographs inspired me to paint a personal piece called "Security" which I have since submitted to the Society of Equestrian Artists open exhibition, this is a first for me and the start of a more pro active attempt to get my work "out there" and seen, so I need a good dollop of luck to get through the selection process!

Exhibitions

2010-05-15T19:05:00.002+01:00

Well its been a while since I had anything "arty" to post here but I haven't been idle :-), still not finished "Gertrude" but have been busy painting and getting work ready for the summer rush of local exhibitions.
For the first time ever I have actually submitted a work for consideration to The society of Equestrian Artists annual exhibition in London and am keeping everything crossed for an acceptance, although I am not very confident as the standard is always so high!
Main thing is I have crossed the first hurdle by actually acting instead of the usual good intentions................wish me luck!

"Gertrude"

2010-04-29T19:37:00.004+01:00

I so enjoyed using graphite on my baby Giraffe that I had planned to do another on a similar scale (of a young lion) ~ however when searching through my files for the ref photo I stumbled upon "Gertrude" patiently waiting for her turn and looked no further.................I adore bovine subjects, they have such wonderful inquisitive faces............ so I started Gertrude on Tuesday and have again enjoyed the graphite process thus far and am looking froward to working on it whenever time allows.

I have at long last got a couple of commissions in the pipeline so maybe the lion will be kept waiting a while yet ;-)

Graphite Giraffe finished at last

2010-04-13T17:12:00.007+01:00

Had a few hours set aside to work on the Giraffe today and am pleased to say it's now finished, I've enjoyed using pencils for a change and am tempted to carry on with them to have a go at a lion from the many ref photos I took at Port Lympne last week.

First I have to pick up on my oil paintings of Lily the cat who has been sidelined while I took care of the artwork for last weeks exhibition.

I must admit that my studio is looking reasonably clean for a change do to the lack of pastel dust and painting gear............one of the long forgotten benefits of working with graphite, however I must invest in some proper masking tape as the giraffe very nearly came a cropper when I removed the tape fixing it to my board!

Now I can't decide which of these two handsome beasts should be my next graphite victim.........any suggestions?

Giraffe 5

2010-04-09T17:00:00.004+01:00

Nearly finished on the giraffe, but such a large graphite piece is pretty slow going and hard on the eyes so today I took a break from the drawing to rest my eyes.

Trundled off to Port Lympne with my camera today to get some animal ref photos and to check out the situation at the art exhibition.

I had heard more bad press about the show (mainly venue related) and been told that a large number of paintings had been collected, I took my packaging intending to pull my work if it was as bad as reported, but I am happy to say that the place was packed and the exhibition was still getting the thumbs up from the visiting public so my picture will stay in place till the end.

I now have some excellent photographs to work from (mainly the big cats) and can't wait to get back to the drawing board!

Giraffe progress

2010-04-07T16:38:00.003+01:00

Today should have been set aside for domestic chores :-( but as always I can find plenty of displacement activity to avoid such things.................so shopping done and cupboards full I decided to forsake the ironing pile to continue work on the baby giraffe.

I hadn't decided on a background but one started to appear as I worked so it looks like this one will be continuing to occupy me for some time yet.........meanwhile poor hubby will be wearing wrinkly shirts to work

Today

2010-04-06T20:04:00.004+01:00

Today was a short day for me as I had a visit from friends this morning and lots of catching up to do, after lunch I walked the dogs then finally sat down at my drawing board late this afternoon, just a couple of hours work later this is how far I am with the giraffe, I must admit I am really enjoying this one and don't want to stop till it's finished ...however I have three other paintings waiting for final touches and lots to do this week so I may have to :-(

Giraffe

2010-04-05T15:44:00.005+01:00

Having spent the best part of three days at Port Lympne Wild Animal park last week I made some great new contacts one of whom is the resident photographer David Rolfe who was happy to share tips on acquiring wildlife photographs, when I said I would love to photograph and paint the giraffes he offered me a choice of his wonderful images to use, I couldn'thave been happier and chose this youngster, inspired by some of the wonderful graphite works on display in the exhibition I decided to give it a go in pencil.......one of my favorite mediums.

I am not very fast with pencil so this will take quite a while as it is fairly large at 55 x 36 cm

The first stage is quite hard to see because I use a light touch with an HB pencil to sketch out the basic form (using a grid system for accuracy) then I begin adding tone starting on the left of the drawing so as not to smudge the work as I progress, this has taken about four hours so far.

Port Lympne wildlife art exhibition

2010-04-03T20:22:00.006+01:00

These are the four paintings I submitted

The wildlife art exhibition at Port Lympne has been a mixed bag for me, firstly the hosts saw fit to house the exhibition in a Marquee that had seen far better days and there was a serious lack of organisation/ planning which led to some artists withdrawing their work, Having volunteered to help with hanging I had little option but to stay and try to do something to help for the sake of the other artists, in the event it all seemed to come together at the last minute, Vic Reeves did a great job at the packed opening ceremony and the artwork looked wonderful, generating sales.............. so with the blessing of some decent weather I'm hoping that the bad start can be forgotten.................one thing is for certain...........if it happens again it will have to be housed in a solid structure and be organised by someone far more capable!

All go!!!

2010-03-18T17:13:00.007Z

Well it was such a quiet start to the year that I almost fell into a coma, then all of a sudden everything has gone mad! (typical) I had three outstanding portrait vouchers from 2009 and two have been claimed in the last couple of weeks co-inciding with my long overdue first commission of the year (phew)

Just to complicate things further I have been selected to exhibit four paintings at a very special art exhibition over Easter and at the moment I only have two wildlife paintings suitable for the task.............so its been a case of hunkering down in the studio ignoring the garden and the lovely spring sunshine :-( and painting until my eyes are out on stalks!

I have now completed the commission and one new work for the exhibition, and made the requested alterations to the Alaskan Malamute (fingers crossed the owner will accept it now).

So the next task is a large wildlife painting for the exhibition, I have made a start and will be working like fury all week to get it finished in time for framing and submission.

Pictured above are the finished Malamute portrait and the first of my new wildife paintings the second one has a long way to go before its done but here is a peek at my progress so far

My commissioned portrait will remain under wraps for a few more days until it is no longer a surprise for the recipient

Starting "Lily"

2010-03-09T11:01:00.003Z

I have abandoned the website update for the time being as there have been so many gremlins in the works at the server end, I have also still got "Gunner" on a back burner waiting for his owner to enlighten me about the alterations she wants....................................so I have begun work on the calico cat "Lily," I decided it was time to get the oils out as I haven't used them for some months and am feeling a bit rusty.

Lily was the winner of the title "best in show" from a photo cat show held last year to raise funds for our local hospice (St Michael's).

I am donating her portrait as part of the prize, her owner has provided some lovely clear high res photos so I have lots of information to work from and I have chosen to paint her in a domestic setting, sitting on the windowsill, I must admit I am enjoying working with oils again but am frustrated that I have to leave it now for a few days to dry before I can add more layers and "bring her to life"..............this is the painting so far, I'm hoping her owner will like it..........

Alaskan Malamute

2010-03-03T16:40:00.003Z

I have been struggling all week to finalise some major updates on my website, it all looks so good on paper and I turned a small corner in that I finally started to understand the coding that is html (need a small flag waving smiley here)

However as with the best of plans my hosting company decided to impliment some changes of their own and have well and truly thrown a spanner in the works! so for the time being I am having to accept that my website is in total disaray and am saving my updates till the gremlins have left the building.

Meanwhile on the easel I have been working on a pastel portrait of a red Alaskan Malamute he is almost complete now and I have e-mailed this to his owner to see if any changes are needed before I finish it.............this is "Gunner" so far .........................

Pennies from heaven

2010-02-19T19:19:00.005Z

For those of you who know the saga of Royal mail and the damaged painting of Tess, I am happy to report that Royal mail have stood by their guarantee and have compensated me for all the costs incurred in repairing the damage.....................so those of you who also use "Special delivery" for sending out paintings can carry on safe in the knowledge that its still a good service to use :-)
Royal mail delivered another surprise this week in the shape of a parcel from Derwent containing samples of their new pastel and pastel pencil ranges, I had been feeling a bit uninspired so some new product to trial was just the thing to get me back into the swing of things.
Next up on the portrait front is a charity donation from last year which is to be a handsome red Alaskan Malamute, I will be working on "Gunner" and trialling the new pastels after I complete a couple of Setter portraits from my "need to finish" file.

Challenging times

2010-02-16T16:36:00.007Z

It has been a very slow start to 2010 for me and commissions have once again dried up, so............... not being one to be defeated I am working on a complete overhaul of my website and pricing structure (no easy feat for me)

This week I am fully occupied designing my new web pages and updating the work I have on display in the hope that a more info rich content with fewer portraits to confuse folks will generate some interest.

Don't get me wrong I don't envisage having the changes ready to publish for some weeks yet but I thought I'd better make a start now while the ideas are entering my thick head.

I have begun with some new examples and needed a graphite cat ............................. luckily I have the perfect model with our "Maggie" still here and unclaimed by her owner :-)

Pet portrait competition winner

2010-01-21T19:13:00.004Z

Here is the portrait I have produced for the winner of the photo competition, this is "Tess" a pretty 15 yr old Jack Russell Terrier who sadly passed away last year, her portrait was painted from a photograph of her in her younger days, it is painted in pastels and measures 30 x 30 cm.

Her owner loves it............... but................. it met with some rough handling from the post office and is currently winging its way back to me for running repairs, which I'm hoping won't need to be too drastic

Snow and yet more snow!

2010-01-13T15:49:00.006Z

Well as almost everyone in the uk is well aware, we have been under a white blanket for a couple of weeks now and I have been busy walking about doing errands of one kind or another for family and neighbours!

I really haven't managed to get much done in the way of painting, I have no commissions in the offing and my prize portrait owner is still trying to select a favourite photograph leaving me with time on my hands........... so I spent an afternoon working on snow sculpture in honour of a little present bought to me by the snow :-)

Can you tell what it is yet?

Well here is my Jack Russell "Milo" inspecting the snow version and here is our new lodger/foster baby "Tabatha Snow" who I found freezing cold and lost in the snow exactly a week ago .........despite extensive searching I have been unable to track down her owner so it looks as if I may have been adopted!..................................isn't she cute x

2010!

2010-01-08T17:50:00.009Z

I thought I had added to this blog this year but it seems not and it's already a week in!

It's been a busy week for me on a personal level as the deep snow has prevented me from getting the car out. Caring for my Mum and my elderly neighbour has had me walking miles and miles in the snow to get bits and bobs both needed but I must say I have enjoyed the fresh air and I've certainly made up for all my over indulgence at Christmas!

On the artistic front I was able to announce the winner of the pet photo competition I ran throughout 2009. "Tess" the JRT won with a fantastic 191 votes, unfortunately she passed away mid year so her portrait will be extra special to her owners, she died age 15 and had lived a full and active Jack Russell style existance, her owner is searching for suitable ref photos and I should be able to make a start on the painting soon

A one off

2009-12-29T11:47:00.003Z

I almost forgot to post this one as it's been a total secret for so long...........this is a portrait of my three step grandkids Carter, Darcy and Fern I took the ref photos on a day out last summer and painted the portrait as a surprise Christmas pressie for their Mum

Christmas paintings

2009-12-29T10:12:00.018Z

Well the Christmas deadline came and went and in spite of the odd Royal Mail strike delivery hiccup I managed to deliver all my commissions on time, and now at last I can reveal some of the portraits I have been working on that were surprise pressies................ I hope you like them
First are Tila and Dexter who I painted in watercolour on A3 paper for a returning client

then there is April louise, a difficult commission taken from some very poor quality prints from the 70's................she is painted in pastels slightly larger than A4

Then (unusually for me) a graphite drawing of "Angel" a recently departed SBT and "Joey" which is an A4 watercolour painting of a much loved budgerigar

Next up are Harry and Bobby two very handsome Jack Russell Terriers who's portraits are pastel on A3 paper

Another pastel portrait, this time an unusual full body request of a cute little Shih Tzu (another first for me) she is called Suki and her painting is slightly larger than A4

And finally is the second of my cat paintings, this one is "Silver" a very pretty silver tabby who sadly passed away just before Christmas, I painted her as a very last minute request using pastels, the portrait is square format and measures approx 30 x 30cm

Christmas visitor

2009-12-13T20:16:00.003Z

This little chap has been keeping me company on my windowsill every day while I painted for the last few weeks, so in the end I just had to indulge his desire to be an artists muse.....................I know it's slightly cheesy but I think he earned his place on my Christmas cards this year, hope he stays around well into the new year as I've enjoyed his company

I have almost completed the Christmas commissions now and family preparations are getting underway at long last....................Merry Christmas everyone

I'm looking forward to posting some paintings again in the near future xx

Last minute!

2009-12-09T14:03:00.002Z

As usual I have received a couple of last minute commissions for Christmas, my lack of work over the last couple of months means I can happily accommodate them while putting aside my own Christmas preparations, I'm sure my family will understand the lack of presents!
I'm not too far behind the tree is up and decorated so I'm sure everything else will fall into place by Christmas eve ;-)
Today presented a first for me as I worked on a commissioned watercolour of a budgerigar, I hope the client likes it...............alas it's another of those surprise christmas pressies so can't post until after the event.
Now to end this drivel and get on with the ironing as it's almost reaching the ceiling and can'tbe ignored for any longer whatever the excuse :-(

Milestone

2009-11-17T11:12:00.006Z

Well it's been a while since I posted here , have been tackling a serious revamp/clearout of my workroom studio which I must admit has proved far more complicated and tedious than I imagined, I have tried to be ruthless thinning down unsold artwork and clearing out unused clutter but like the magic porridge pot it just seems to keep coming!
This week I have had to cope with a few family mini crises while trying to get organized for this weekends art exhibition so it 's been all go.

On Monday I was astonished to note that my website registered it's 10,000th visitor! (if only I could have charged £1 per visit :-))

To my surprise I also had a late Christmas commission, and another enquiry that dissolved into nothing, (I had almost forgotten that I do pet portraits) so will have to get back into practice after the exhibition.
Today I am reframing and mounting work to exhibit at the weekend and praying that I make some late sales to make up for the lack of commissions, wish me luck!

Ploughing

2009-11-03T13:38:00.004Z

This is a small diversion for me, I recently attended a local farmers ploughing match and have been inspired to paint the work going on there, some of the ploughs were horsedrawn and these are the ones I had originally intended to paint but after a request from my husband I decided to give the tractor a spin, this was a challenge as I rarely paint such hard edged creatures :-)

Anyway the finished painting has met with hubby's approval so can't be too far off the mark....................now to search out those heavy horses

"Independence"

2009-10-26T15:15:00.003Z

Just finished this pastel of two "teenage" cygnets venturing away from the parent birds for the first time, I have been watching this amazing family since my return from Australia in June.

There are eight cygnets altogether and I have been facsinated by the wonderfully protective parents raising all eight to maturity, they are in a local area populated by foxes and swim on a canal that is home to many large Pike so these cygnets have all survived against the odds.

This weekend I watched as the Cob bird chased off the young in batches towards their independence, leaving Mum with just one baby to watch over, I guess soon they will have the place back to themselves!

Anyway I have done so much autumnal foliage as background lately that I felt it was time to use some of the colours that get left in the bottom of my tray, this watery scene was a challenge to say the least!

Finished!

2009-10-24T15:43:00.002+01:00

Have now finished the Sika Stag painting and am happy with the way it turned out, Now I need a title for it ............suggestions?

Progress

2009-10-23T15:29:00.004+01:00

Here is todays progress on the Stag painting......... not too far to go now, I forgot to mention that this is my third painting on Pastelmat and after my initial assessment of this support I have completely changed my mind and would go as far as to say I'm loving it!

Just to re-affirm my feelings I decided to do a small Barn Owl study on Murano (my all time favourite) and I think the results speak for themselves!

The big bonus with Pastelmat for me is the fact that the pastel stays put............no need for the dreaded fixative :-)

Sika Stag

2009-10-22T15:55:00.007+01:00

I have been busy completing my last three Christmas commissions so am unable to post those in case I spoil someone's surprise :-(

However I have had such wonderful luck spotting local wildlife just lately that I have plenty of inspiration for my own work.

About a week ago while out walking my dogs at the crack of dawn I saw a herd of Sika deer which was an amazing sight in itself but then the chief stag came over to see what was going on and stood staring straight at us over the low hedge, he was perfectly lit by the low autumn sunrise and I managed to get some stunning shots of him (never leave home without my camera) so today he has been committed to my easel.

I have been having such fun with all the glorious colours and getting filthy with pastel dust but have had to give up half way due to eyestrain and the dreaded double vision (roll on those new glasses)

Never mind, I have no commissions on the horizon so will continue with this one tomorrow.

Two more paintings completed

2009-10-12T12:25:00.004+01:00

I have been working on the sheep in the meadow painting over the weekend as I have finished the kitten watercolour (Christmas commission) got a bit carried away and added a Barn owl as he's a regular hunter in the field that I've painted.

I'm quite happy with the result and intend to exhibit this alongside "Curiosity" at the big Autumn exhibition (if I can afford to get them both framed in time) they are quite large at 50 x 37 cm so could work out expensive.

As often happens I have now grown fond of the pastelmat paper having learned how to cope with its grip on the pastel so am now on the lookout for some more before I start the next one in this series.

Meanwhile I have just accepted a commission from a selection of very bad ref's so will save the "pleasure painting" as a reward for when the commission is in the bag!

There, that's just the incentive I needed................... off to start on the Yorkie

Sheep

2009-10-02T18:16:00.002+01:00

Couldn't settle to my commission work today as the day was spent intermittently waiting for workmen and I didn't want to risk anything important, so I decided to use up the other half of a sheet of pastelmat that I bought and didn't like.

I chose to paint sheep this time.... in a similar manner to my other pastelmat painting "Curiosity" and again with the animals backlit I am hoping it will work out as popular as the cow.

Here is the basic underpainting so far............

Lovely Lily

2009-09-25T21:02:00.005+01:00

Today I can finally unveil a portrait that I finished a while ago of a cute little Jack Russell Terrier with magnificent "uppy" ears, the portrait is a 12"x 16" oil painting on canvas and has remained under wraps for a while as it was commissioned as a surprise birthday gift.

I have just had news that the recipient absolutely loves it (in spite of shedding a few tears) so I am a happy bunny :-)

"Curiosity"

2009-09-23T16:02:00.002+01:00

Finished!

Curiosity progress

2009-09-22T19:12:00.002+01:00

After a whole day working on this (on and off) I think I have made good progress and after a small hiccup (repositioning the left eye) I am happy to set this one aside till tomorrow.

Curiosity

2009-09-22T11:25:00.003+01:00

I am currently suffering from "Surprise pressie" portraits, which means that although am busy painting the results have to stay under wraps until the surprise is no longer, hence a very frustrating and boring blog!

I've also had a touch of artist's block for a couple of weeks now which is something I hate to admit but it does sometimes get to me, a lovely dog walk this morning seems to have given me a jolt, and provided the inspiration to break the spell :-)

I came home eager to get to work on a painting of a curious cow that was staring at me and the dogs in the early morning sun, the colours in the scene were so wonderful that I was eager to get stuck in with my pastels.

I selected a sheet of Claire Fontaine pastelmat (which I have never used before) and got the shock of my life from the surface adhesion! I want to have a very diffuse/muted background on this painting and was keen to get down and dirty with my smudging BUT it seems that once on this paper the pastel just stays put and smudging is highly unlikely!

Not to be defeated I have changed my tack and am slowly working around the problem by trial and error with some success I need to take a break to rest my eyes but here he is so far .............

Back to the grindstone!

2009-09-09T15:41:00.002+01:00

Well now that I'm back on form I am starting to recieve Christmas commissions so there will be a lack of work to show as I am terrified of spoiling the surprise for my clients (I'm sure no -one ever finds their way here............ but it would be sods law if I chanced it).
I will try to post other artwork for those of you that just like to look at the pictures (like myself)
One of my first new commissions is to be a large watercolour of two cute kittens, so I am excited about that one.......... it will be a challenge to attempt a feline subject for a change, as it's been a while since I used watercolour I will need to get some practice in before I start on that one.
I have joined the Flickr photographic website and have enjoyed sharing some of my unseen photographs I love photography and try to get out with my camera every at opportunity with varying degrees of luck so if anyone wants to have a peek my page is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/kay_prior/

2009-09-04T13:15:00.002+01:00

OH this week has been an uphill struggle for me....I have been battling against a monster migraine and the drugs don't help as they turn me into a space cadet :-) all I can do is sleep so artwork has been neglected!

However since I am determined to fight back I have worked on a simple sample today, this fella was seen out and about and I got permission to photograph him from his owner

Somehow (don't ask how I'm really NOT with it today) I managed to delete the photograph halfway through the process so have had to finish from memory (not good)

Anyway my immediate thoughts are that it's worked out ok............. not my best but ok, I suspect that when I finally shift this migraine I will look at it again and be mortified!

Oh well I feel less guilty for at least having made an effort today so now its back to the darkened room for a few hours.

Llama

2009-08-28T21:24:00.002+01:00

Have finished a commissioned oil painting which has to be kept under wraps for a while so here is todays Llama portrait almost finished I am gradually adding these characters to a series which I hope to have printed as greetings cards sometime~ there are four more amusing faces in the pipeline

Wonderful wildlife

2009-08-23T11:27:00.003+01:00

I have been out and about this weekend with my camera and have seen a Mink, 2 Kestrels, a Barn Owl and a Marsh Harrier as if all that wasn't enough to make my day I managed to get my best ever Barn Owl shots while she was hunting~ I am a happy girl :-)

2009-08-21T19:57:00.002+01:00

Finally finished "Al Packer" and have started work on a Llama also in pastel as I'm thinking of doing a series and printing them as greetings cards ~ they have such comical expressions which I hope will appeal to lots of people

Sad news

2009-08-18T15:14:00.003+01:00

While my oil paintings are set aside to dry today I have been working on my pastel alpaca portrait.............. out of the blue I had a phone call from a friend to say that she has finally had to have her lovely Border collie "Daisy" PTS ~ Daisy was an amazing dog who was in her 19th year! she had been blind and partially deaf for the last two years but in otherwise fine health and great spirits, I had the great pleasure of looking after her for a week or so last year while my friend was abroad and was impressed with her get up and go for a dog so old!
I painted this pastel portrait of her as she slept one afternoon and todays sad news prompted me to post it here...............sleep tight Daisy dog ~ run free with my old girl Bramble x

Slow progress

2009-08-17T18:41:00.003+01:00

Now that hubby has gone back to work it was time to dust off the paints and get to work, I have almost completed an oil painting of a Jack Russell Terrier which I can't show on the net as it is a surprise for my clients wife's birthday. However I had a couple of hours to spare so as I was in the groove with oils I continued to work on Cara the Irish Setter who is starting to come to life now, I am fairly happy with her so far and just have a couple of hours of work left to complete her by adding some texture to her fur.

Irish Setter

2009-08-15T16:48:00.009+01:00

The last week has been a little erratic for me as far as work is concerned, my husband has been home all week and we have been out and about leaving me little time to paint.
I have been working on several paintings at once some of which are surprise presents so have to remain under wraps for the time being.

My oil painting of Misty the border collie has now been finished, framed and delivered to her owner so her place on my oil painting list has been taken by a memorial portrait of Cara a beautiful Irish Setter, the only ref photo is a very old, very small print with little in the way of detail so I am up against it this time however this is a breed very familiar to me so I am confident it will all fall into place.

The initial stages of my oil paintings are always shockingly ugly and I am loathe to reveal them but hopefully you will see an improvement as I progress.

As this is not a commissioned peice I have not done any groundwork I have simply worked freehand direct onto the canvas with thin paint to give a basis on which to rework and build each area untill I feel happy with it, on a commissioned portrait I would normally spend a lot of time drawing and measuring to achieve an accurate foundation before beginning to paint

Next I block in some tone to create a more structured image, at this point there are several areas that I know are out of kilter and will need some careful adjustment but at this point I needed to inject some life and expression into her eyes as a motivator for me to carry on.

Now that I have some life in her eyes I needed to sort out her muzzle area as there is little detail in the ref to help me it is mainly trial and error, I have also darkened the background and moved her left ear slightly which has balanced the portrait to a point where I am starting to see some progress, this now needs to be left to dry for a few days and I will return to finish Al Packer and a Jack Russell oil that has been drying.

Day off

2009-08-10T17:56:00.004+01:00

Hubby and I treated ourselves to a day off today and headed for the Ashdown forest to walk with Llama's, Martin was paired up with Toby and I walked with Nicholas, we had a lovely walk through the Ashdown forest with our two large and very handsome charges who behaved themselves impeccably.

Spent some time taking photos of the Llamas and Alpacas before having lunch and heading for home~ what a lovely day :-)

Heading for meltdown!

2009-08-07T13:33:00.005+01:00

It's strange how "viral" the internet can be, my website has experienced a sudden deluge of entries to my "win a pet portrait" competition, I can only imagine this is due to word of mouth amongst the pet owning public as I have done zilch to promote it outside my site? that said, I am flabbergasted, grateful and inspired by the sheer number of folk who would like a painting by me enough to submit an entry, if these were all paying clients I'm sure I would be gainfully employed from now until I retired ;-)
Oh well massive thanks to all entrants for boosting my morale
I am currently mulling over the possibilty of a couple of extra "runner up" prizes which will be announced later in the year.
Meanwhile anyone passing by my website please feel free to add your vote for the best photo~ it's worth a look as there are so many gorgeous,cute and funny animals to feast your eyes on.

Back in the real world I have also been having a creative splurge and I currently have 10 paintings on the go at various stages of drying and progress! as a result of all this activity my studio (spare bedroom) has become something of a tip so I really must create a gap in this current burst of creativity to have a housekeeping day :-( as they say "all good things....................

Al Packer

2009-08-04T13:26:00.005+01:00

Today I have been working on my surprise birthday commissions so no piccy's to divulge just yet~ however to add some variety I have been delving into that folder again and found myself a wonderful Alpaca to paint using pastels he has fantastic wool which will take an age to finish! this is where I am with "Al" so far...............................

Finished

2009-08-02T20:39:00.003+01:00

Today I found myself getting to the "fiddling" stage with this one ~ hopefully I caught myself in the nick of time and stopped myself totally ruining the piece.

I'm not sure if it has been entirely successful but it certainly made a change for me (which is indeed as good as a rest)

Tomorrow its back to work on the oil paintings

Horse for a change

2009-08-01T17:08:00.006+01:00

Well the wet weather (sigh) has done it's utmost to dampen my spirits and all my commissioned work is in oils waiting to dry between stages ~ So I decided to try a horse in pastels for a change, I dipped into the "to do " folder and came up with this lovely girl, she gave me lots of hassle to begin with as I rushed in and got proportions all wrong!! however I worked past the "bin it" stage and think it has now turned a corner :-)

She is 23 x 30 cm on colourfix paper and not too far off finished

BDAG exhibition

2009-07-31T09:36:00.004+01:00

No painting done yesterday as I had a day off to steward at the Battle and district Arts Group summer exhibition.

Lots of visitors streaming in to browse and four paintings sold during my morning session! (not mine unfortunately), Time will tell but I think sales will be down on last year which is to be expected in the current economic climate although the works sold have been varied in price range so I still believe it's all down to a random meeting of purchaser and painting.

The day went by in a flash chatting to members and visitors and admiring some fantastic work by the other artists there ~ well worth a visit if you are in the area of Battle High Street, it's well signed and open until 5pm Saturday.

During my stint I was approached twice by purchasers dissapointed that the painting they wanted had already sold~ there really is no telling what will sell and what won't ~guess I got it all wrong with the paintings I chose to exhibit this year, nevermind ~theres always next time.

Back to work today adding the finishing touches to "Misty"and continuing to work on two "surprise" birthday commissions which I have to keep under wraps until the end of September.

Misty & Flint

2009-07-28T14:19:00.007+01:00

I am currently working on several "surprise" birthday portraits so can not post them anywhere for a while~ however while my four paintings are exhibited at Battle this week I have some free time to spend on my current commission, an oil painting of "Misty". Her owner came to see the work so far and is happy with it so onwards and upwards. I have done the bulk of the work and now have fine details of her fur to complete ~ here she is so far(left), alongside her sister Rusty's portrait which I painted for the same client a couple of years ago

In between commissions I have indulged myself with some work on portraits for my own amusement which will be added to my "samples" folder and I am especially happy with this pastel portrait of "Flint" a handsome German Wirehaired Pointer which I painted on A3 Ingres paper, here is the finished painting of him

Christmas!!

2009-07-17T08:37:00.003+01:00

Ho Ho Ho~ Christmas is coming (I kid ye not) sorry folks but this IS the time of year to think about getting in the chimney sweep (note to self). Likewise if you are thinking about ordering a pet portrait painting for someone special Now is the time to make those enquiries before everyone else beats you to it!
All of us portrait artists struggle to cope with the deluge of orders at Christmas and hate to disappoint so don't leave it too late to place your order ~

July

2009-07-14T19:18:00.007+01:00

here we are racing through July~ I can't believe it's almost time for the annual Battle and District Arts Group exhibition and have had to get my skates on to have my submissions ready on time.
The Hospice summer exhibition was a success in spite of the economic climate and two of my paintings were sold along with about 40 others ~helping to compensate for the lack of commissions.

I have been working on the commission of "Misty" but am suffering from eye strain so am working in short bursts at the moment, hopefully I will complete the painting with a few more hours work here is the painting so far.

Summer shows are in full swing and I have been attending as many rural dog and horse shows as time permits where I've seen and photographed some beautiful animals for future portrait subjects.

June 2009

2009-06-23T10:11:00.003+01:00

Since returning from Australia life has been hectic (going awol for a month creates a lot of catching up to do in the real world)

I have plans to exhibit in two more summer exhibitions and the organisers are baying for titles of works to be shown~ since I'm still in the process of painting them I am feeling the pressure!

I have had a surprising number of entries to my website photo competition which is keeping me busy to update, however once entered people seem to forget that they need to vote! Oh well

If you visit http://www.pettpaintings.com/ please forward your vote~ there are some gorgeous animals entered.

Here is a photo of my next portrait commission subject "Misty" she is to be painted in oils on canvas board.

I have had a serious drop in commissions since going away and am wondering if the competition is the reason or maybe the economic downturn is showing it's effects?

Whatever the reason at least I have more time to get on with some work for exhibition which makes a nice change.

May 2009

2009-06-23T08:42:00.015+01:00

After a busy and very fruitful Easter Art exhibition I had plans to settle in for some serious painting days to replenish my supply of finished works ~ however...............................

May 2009 turned out to be an eventful month for me as I had an unexpected trip to the other side of the world where I hand delivered a this landscape painting to its new home "down under"

Since the journey was so long and arduous for a non traveler like myself (I have a fear of flying!) I decided to make the most of it and spend a few weeks with family in Perth and Darwin (well it would have been rude not to). During my stay in Perth I was asked to paint a dog portrait for the owners birthday and wasn't too confident that I could do so "off the cuff" without my studio comforts and "normal" painting gear, however never one to resist a challenge, I painted "Max" in a few hours in my sister's garden using just four pastel sticks and a sheet of colourfix that I managed to purchase locally~phew! Thank goodness he was such a naturally handsome subject

I had a fabulous time in Australia and saw some amazing scenery and some fantastic wildlife, all of which is now queueing up in my head to be painted over the coming months as and when I can find time to do so ~ to start the ball rolling I have tackled a subject close to my heart and started with a portrait of the wonderful Koala, this little fella is one of several that I met at Caversham.................Oh and a quick sketch of some roos

2009 so far

2009-03-06T19:09:00.018Z

Well here I am already well into 2009 with a new resolve to update the blog at least once a month (thought I'd aim low to start with ;-)

So far this year has been very slow with commissions and I have completed only three commissions and one prize portrait (for the St Michaels Hospice 2008 photo dog show winner)

The economic downturn has clearly had an effect on business.

However I have for the first time launched a competition on my website with a pet portrait as the winner's prize, it is a simple pet photo competition and I am hoping to have a good selection of entries throughout the year.

How time flies!

2009-01-18T20:48:00.004Z

Well its about time I caught up with this blog as it's been seriously neglected for far too long!

following my last blog in 2007 I did get accepted by Battle arts group summer exhibition and sold four of the five paintings I submitted which was a fantastic boost for my flagging morale.

by the end of the year I was thrilled to have accepted a handful of commissions via my website and I started 2008 in a positive mood with a steady flow of pet prtrait commissions in the order book.

I served on the East Sussex Arts Club committee as the exhibition secretary throughout 2008 and was proud to organise the annual exhibition throughout May which was a well attended event where a total of ten sales made a welcome change of fortune for the club and helped in raising it's local profile.

As in previous years I helped organise the St Michaels hospice art exhibition and again although sales were down slightly it was an enjoyable and successful event.

I booked a stall at the local Blue Cross open day and dog show and exhibited a selection of my animal related portraits and a prize draw for a pet portrait raised £70 for the centre the winner unfortunately failed to claim their prize.
2008 continued to bring new commissions as my website visitor stats increased and between september and Christmas I worked flat out to complete orders in time for festive gifts.

July 2007

2007-07-23T19:54:00.000+01:00

So far so good I'm hoping that my pictures have been accepted as I've not heard anything to the contrary, also had a nice surprise in that my work has been shortlisted in a cover competition at www.artsupplies.co.uk the next stage of the competition is an online vote so please take a look and vote for me.

Hospice exhibition

2007-07-17T16:27:00.000+01:00

The St Michaels Hospice summer art exhibition was a great success although the presence of Stuart Farndale was sadly missed by all.
Stuart was the driving force behind the exhibition for the last eight years and credit goes to Sue,his widow for courageously making this years event such a success over £2000 was raised towards the good work of the hospice.
I personally sold two of my paintings and enjoyed helping out over the weekend.
The standard of work exhibited gets better and better each year.
Look out for next years bigger and better summer exhibition!
Next weekend I hope to get some work accepted for the Battle and district arts club exhibition which takes place from 27th July to 4th August at the memorial hall on Battle high street.
I am told that selection for this exhibition can be tough so fingers and toes crossed!

Busy with summer exhibitions

2007-07-13T09:21:00.001+01:00

This weekend sees the annual St michaels hospice summer exhibition at Maze Hill St Leonards on sea, I have eight paintings on display amongst a record entry of over 400 works by local artists, 20% of all proceeds go into hospice funds so it is a good cause to support!
The exhibition starts at 10-30am on saturday 14th july and sunday 15th July entry is £1
If you are local to Hastings please support this event and hopefully we will sell lots of pictures.

Also on saturday 14th July I am supporting Pett Parish silent auction in aid of thest Mary & st Peter church by donating a print and a pet portrait promise so good luck to them I hope they raise lots of cash!

I am entering a selection of my work to the Battle and District Arts Group summer exhibition (July27th-August 4th) hopefully they will make it through selection and into the show.
This is a hectic month for me with lots of events to submit completed works to and pressures to complete work for future shows and commissions.

April /May 2007

2007-07-03T20:46:00.000+01:00

Exhibitions

Since I posted my first blog I have exhibited my work in a joint exhibition with a young abstract painterat the White Rock Gallery Hastings.

The show was a great learning curve for me and although sales did not materialise I made lots of usefiul contacts and was encouraged by visitors comments, thank you.

I am now about to exhibit more works at several open shows throughout the summer and will continue to update my website on a regular basis http://www.pettpaintings.com/

New Beginings!

2006-11-05T13:12:00.000Z

I have always painted in my spare time but am soon to be joining the ranks of the unemployed and am forced to attempt to use my talents in a more sustained and hopefully profitable way.
Where to start?
I have begun to create a web site www.pettpaintings.com which, I must say as a technophobe I am finding quite a challenge! however after a while it is getting to the stage where I 'm not too ashamed of it and have opened it up for viewing.
Meantime am spending every available moment painting new additions.