Parents evening

It was Katie's open evening at Dolgellau college on Monday. She is in her first year of an art foundation course so I was very keen to see what she's been up to. Very interesting place and lots of diversity in the work. I'm deeply jealous. It's all very well being self-taught, but I've really missed out on all the inspiration working in a group can give you. Katie is doing very well. Her tutors sang her praises which was great to hear. The college is starting some evening classes in March.. might have to investigate that further.
I stayed over in Barmouth with mum on Monday night and Tuesday we drove over to Welshpool again to pick up the last of the yarn from Colinette I wanted and tidy up all the loose ends. It's turned out that my lower offer to them might be acceptable but they still think it's too high. I have got other ideas now so I'm not concerned about whether they come back to me or not. I most certainly won't be going any lower.. that's for sure. They've put the plans on hold for a while anyway.. I think that is probably just the cowardly way of saying no thank you.
Still managing to not smoke although I am going through a tough patch at the moment. It's day nine today and I have really struggled with it. Spent twenty minutes punishing myself on the treadmill in an effort to feel fit, even if I'm not!
Lots of paintings being produced and I did an ATC2 card for Vicki in the spring swap. Daffodils.. naturally enough.

Five aceos

I uploaded a load of new aceos on to ebay late last night. One for the ACEO Theme Week (Hearts, kisses and flowers is the theme) and the other four to support it. These are all worked with oil pastels and ink in a very loose almost outsider style which I really enjoy.











I've got one more to list on the 20th for Nibblefest. The theme is Self-portraits this month. It was quite accurate until yesterday when I hennaed my hair again.. so now I am more chestnut than I am black. Has covered the grey nicely though.

Very odd giraffes

I painted a very odd painting on Friday which I called Giraffe Stampede. I rather like it, it makes me giggle. But then this morning Steve told me about three giraffes that had been in a zoo fire and died.. all three or two, or one.. not sure but how really odd is that. I'm now wondering if I could have subliminally heard about it on the news and from the depths of my sub-conscious I painted the picture. I'm a bit worried about the fact that I've listed it on ebay. Seems a bit insensitive really and it certainly wasn't meant that way. I hadn't even heard about the fire when I listed it. This is not the first time uncanny things have happened to me to do with giraffes. Maybe I was one in a previous life.

Working with texture

Still holding firm with not smoking and it seems to be making me more productive. I think it's because I am constantly tring to distract myself. I did three paintings concentrating on texture which I'm listing tonight and tomorrow. The first one is one of the 36" square canvases with the 10" hole in the middle. They are interesting to work with but I shan't get any more after my stock has gone.. mainly because they take hours to package up for posting.
Anyway, this is Penumbra

and Watershed - 20" x 20"

and finally my favourite - Calgary - 20" x 20"

Willpower is still holding

2 days, 11 hours and 53 minutes without a cigarette....

Not that I'm counting at all.

A2A drop number 7

I did my A2A art drop today at the cashpoint machine in Tesco's Porthmadog. I didn't see who picked it up but it was gone within a few minutes. Not surprising really, it was a very busy cashpoint and I had to wait ages before nobody was using it. Here is a pic of the aceo and one of the drop site... can you see it, just below the cash dispensing slot.

Sparkly stuff

Ooo exciting! I won the ACEO UK Theme week for this month. The theme was shoes and this is my aceo that I listed for it.

Not famous just yet

It seems I went in too high with Colinette and they came back to me in outrage.. ah well. It would have helped if they had been prepared to give me a ball-park figure in the first place. Anyway, I have lowered my fee but I don't think they will come back to me again. Not to worry. I have BIGGER plans.. chuckle.
Have been out today so no painting but here are the two I finished yesterday.

Shelf Life (20" x 48")

and Double Time (20" x 20")

It's my second day of not smoking today. Yesterday was pretty hard going but I did manage to go... ooo a good twenty seconds or so without thinking about a cigarette today! It's hateful but I shall keep trying my best. I did a respiratory test at the doc's this morning. It is designed to test lung capacity and to my astonishment my results were extremely good. I have excellent lungs! How that can be after nearly thirty years of smoking I have no idea. Nevertheless, I am very pleased to know it.

15 minutes of fame perhaps?

All thoughts of painting and art went out the window last night. I got home from a trip into Blaenau Ffestiniog to find an e-mail waiting for me from Colinette. They have asked me to quote on producing 8-10 Horace patterns.. well obviously not all Horaces but other animals.. zebras, pigs, elephants... that sort of thing. I am really excited by the possibility but completely at a loss as to what to quote. I phoned several friends and got loads of really useful advice from the lasses on the Art 2 Art group site and have finally come up with what I hope will be an acceptable figure. Watch this space!
Meanwhile a few hours before in Blaenau, I had a chat with the cafe owner in the high street and left him my brochure in the hopes he might take some of my work for his walls. He's redecorated the cafe since I was last in and it looks very modern. Definitely needs modern art on the walls!

Four from the week-end

Still miserable weather but I've managed to sneak some photo taking in between drizzles!
Here are the four paintings that I finished over the week-end.

This first one is a 10 piece of 10" x 10" mini canvases and is called Winter Moods.

The second one is a triptych of three 16" x 20" canvases and is called Smooth Operator.

The third is the same dimensions as the last one and is called Sunset Boulevard.

And the last one is a 24" x 24" deep canvas and is called Pavlova.

These are all painted with acrylic and with the exception of Smooth Operator using palette knife.

Pavlova is already listed on Ebay and the others will follow tonight and tomorrow.

Meet Horace

It's cold and wet again this morning. I need a break in the rain so I can get outside and take photos of my work in readiness for listing on ebay. Here is the link to my shop there. I have to list two paintings tonight and I really don't want to have to resort to taking pics indoors. The flash really washes the colour out and glares off the surface too. Anyway, I have four paintings finished so it was a productive week-end.
I also managed to get a fair bit more knitting done. I'm supposed to be working on the design of my second bear but I got somewhat distracted by a new jumper design I found in one of the Colinette pattern books. It knits very quickly though so I'll get back to bear number two in due course. My first design... Horace bear is doing really well. Fantastic response to my first dutch auction for the pattern and still hoping that Colinette might pick it up too. I even sold one pattern from the Bears United web-site which is damn good going seeing as I only started it last week. Here's a pic of Horace.