Tuesday 29 July 2014

A well deserved cup of tea!





I'm currently working at full tilt.  I'm painting, sketching sorting out framing, organising the Autumn workshops and next years workshops, art courses, residential art breaks and demos, designing (yes I still do that), writing, packing work for open shows, sending it off...you name it, I'm on it!

I love what I do and especially when a big box of pastels like this arrives! I cashed in my award from Royal Talens from 'Patchings' Open Arts competition earlier in June for my landscape painting 'Peregrine above Malham Cove'

http://www.patchingsartcentre.co.uk/festivalexhibition/onlinegallery/exhibition2014/painting.php?cat=ta&pic=16
and put a bit towards the full set of Rembrandt pastels and..hey presto along comes this full set of 225 beautiful soft pastels from this great independent art supplier http://iartsupplies.co.uk/ a little later on. Fantastic!

Next job. Time to strip off all those labels and start to break the pastels (at least in half) AND THEN start to use them! Yes that's right, practice what I preach. The broken pieces allow you to create such great marks you know!

The pastels can only look pretty for so long....well, for the time it takes me to drink that tea whilst having a small break, enjoying the last of the days sun, listening to the birds... and reflect on this marked achievement at least.


It's almost a year to the day too since I took the plunge and decided to leave the office behind to paint full time. Winning awards for my work really does inject a self confidence boost and helps to know that the decision to go solo, follow my heart with a clear straight head was the right thing to do. 


I'm going to have plenty of opportunities to put these pastels through their paces very, very soon! It's back to the East Coast for me this weekend! Bempton most likely. I just cannot keep away from those dramatic cliffs. The Gannets for the best part may well have gone, the Puffins too but the Gulls and the Kittiwakes will remain.



Another great opportunity to get out there and work directly outdoors to create more expressive pastel paintings for the 'All Paintings Great and Small' show we are having at the visitors centre at Sutton Bank in April next year!

Then there are all those shared skills to demonstrate for all my students on different classes, course, residential art breaks, between creating all those paintings.  

Exciting times ahead. Now...lets get pealing those wrappers off!



iartsupplies.co.uk - the online art shop
Tel:  +44 (0)1337 860860



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