Making A Mark

My hugely talented blogger friend, Dianne Mize, nominated my painting 'Cool Off' for Best Portrait by Female Artist on a Blog in 2008, over on Katherine Tyrrells' blog Making a Mark! This, I was totally gobsmacked and thrilled about, but now I find Katherine has picked "Cool Off ' in her top five shortlist, to be voted on by her visitors! I have very tough competition, and am currently lagging behind, so, please, please get over there and vote for me? I would appreciate it sooooooo much.
Have a great Christmas and New Year holiday.

DSFDF My Effort

My thanks to Karin Jurick for her brilliant idea for her Different Strokes For Different Folks blog, because I had such a good time painting this portrait. And now there is the added interest waiting to find out who I have painted. What a lovely young woman! And also to see what she did with my image! So interesting, Karin, I salute you!

Jan 16" x 20" Oil WIP

I think this is getting there, although I'm sure Janice won't think so! I'm having terrible trouble with the teeth..............is it allowed to stick a photo on and paint over it? No! Oh well, persevere then!

Jan 16" x 20" oil WIP

After I cleared a path to my easel ( how does it get like that!!??) I made a start on my sister Janice. I have no more siblings, I promise. It looks nothing like her, yet, so expect a transformation.
We are as chalk and cheese. She is an accountant, can there be anything more different to an artist? I'm fat, she's skinny, I'm a dreamer, her feet are firmly on the ground, I waffle, she calls a spade a spade, she's soppy about children and animals, I'm not, she's lived in the same town all her life, I haven't ... you get the picture. We do, though, get on very well.
Roy has a couple of days off work, so I shall probably not do any more to this until next week.
Have a joyous weekend and happy painting!

Peace and Kisses

Now I don't do Christmas, but for all of you that do, my wish for you is peace and lots of kisses under that mistletoe! Or, at least, to be surrounded by love, not only for this season, but always.

I wish to thank everyone who has visited, and those who continue to visit, and leave those wonderful comments that keep me going. There have been times when, without your support and your inspiration, I might have given up. So, a big heartfelt THANKYOU.

Brothers Too 20" x 16" Oil

This has to be a finish! It started as a fast, loose sketch, but has taken ages! At last, Andy looks a bit like Andy, and I like the greyed tone of it and the tension. No prizes for guessing what they were doing......watching TV. I think Arsenal were playing, hence the clenched fist!

If you would like to purchase this painting for 120 GBP please email me.

Reading 24" x 24" Acrylic

I have not finished Brothers Too to my satisfaction yet and I am also working on a couple of other things, that I can't post here.......so.......here is another one I did earlier. A self portrait, working primarily with a palette knife, and a very limited palette of colours. I was very happy with this, and someone liked it enough to give me money! Mixed feelings about that!

Brothers Too WIP

Happier with Andy, today, well, I have left him there! They don't fit together yet.

That Letter! Acrylic 24" x 24"

Today was a wipe off! I was painting my other brother, Andy. I couldn't get a likeness and the colours were all wrong. It might have been all right in a different painting. I do have some really BAD days. Tomorrow will be GOOD!
Never mind, here's one I did earlier! This was at HAS life drawing 5 or 6 years ago. Very different to my work now. This won 'Best in Show' that year at a local exhibition.

If you would like to purchase this painting for 200 GBP (unless otherwise stated) please email me.

Brothers Too WIP

I have been working on Steve, although I'm not sure where! I took this photograph while it was still daylight, which was about halfway through my session today. Trying so hard to keep it loose, but it is not happening. Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle, drat it!
I don't know if it is the cold, but I had to keep nipping indoors to pay a visit! Not good for concentration!