The Art vs. The Life

Rain 8.30am

Oil on board
24 cm x 16 cm or 9.5 inches x 6 inches
I know, the enthusiasm of a new project! I rushed out early this morning, it was raining and I wanted to get that half light and the rain. I was pegging through the woods down to the jetty like a mad woman, muttering "keep raining, keep raining" and it did! I like the muted colours and the textures that rain gives the water.
I am not sure how long this will last, the mad enthusiasm I mean, at least a year I hope, who knows but at least the dog is enjoying it!

More Little Collections

This collection of small limited edition prints is "Boats". They are pages from sketchbooks and two finished paintings as a collection of ten prints in a little folio.

So, that is "Boats"...

The next collection is "Nudes". Ten prints in a small folio. They are all printed on very nice Bokingford inkjet watercolour paper.

All of the collections are going to be signed limited to an edition of 250. I love small paintings, prints, sketches. I think they look very fine indeed when framed and displayed and of course, you don't have to live in a mansion to have a collection.

My Motto for 2011

Bloom! Boom!

This is a painting that was hanging around in my studio for a long time, without ever getting finished. It had nice parts in it, but never felt quite right. And maybe it isn't finished now. The colors are a bit unusual for me. Maybe too gloomy. But somehow, just before Christmas i started playing with it and added the purple face and the word - BLOOM! And when i look at it today, it seems to be the message for me, the word that titles this New Year. Welcome, flowers of all shapes and colors - this garden will be beautiful!

New Year, new colors

Let the sunshine in!

I've just returned from a lovely trip to Austria and Munich, meeting a lot of family and taking a break from it all. Now, January is here, looking like a white canvas, kind of empty and bland after all the opulence of christmas. A new year, a new page. a new story - hmmm, what colors am i going to use? What plans and resolutions do i have - and how can i make my dreams come true?

The modern prints and bold flower patterns in this California bungalow designed by Krista Ewart appealed to me. It is just the mix of fresh, clean and creative that seems right to get the year of to a great start. Get rid of some old stuff and bring in some new inspiration!

A toast to 2011 and to all of wonderful you - see you soon!

Photos:Victoria Pearson, via House Beautiful

After Rain 5 January

Moleskine Sketchbook
Watercolour
It has been raining and then it cleared up a bit, no one about, 3.30pm, everything looking very sharp and clean. Quiet, quiet water, running deep.

Friday Pretties: Purple rain

Think violet!

The rain that falls here in germany is far from being purple - but it melts away the snow and makes me dream of warmer times, of soft air and returning flowers (dream on babe, at least 2 more months to go ;))
I love the atmosphere and color combination in these fabulous pix by photographer CorrieBond,. Don't know why, but i'm so attracted to purple and violet shades at the moment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind.

Put some violet in your life to:

use your imagination to its fullest
re-balance your life
remove obstacles
calm overactivity or to energize from depression

Photos: CorrieBond, Tipps: Crystal Cure

Happy Friday my dears! Come and look at some more pretties here!

Low Tide, Light Rain

Oil on board
15 cm x 20 cm or 6 inches x 9 inches
I had a busy morning so didn't get down to the pontoon until 1.23 pm exactly! Two minutes, exactly, before I arrived at my painting site there was a rainbow! Typical! Upon reflection, I think it would have been very difficult to paint a rainbow without it looking daft so maybe I was lucky that it had gone. Anyway it was low tide and very peaceful.

January Morning

Oil on board
26cm x 16 cm or 10 inches x 6 inches
First painting of the year. A short walk through the woods, it is a grey and damp January morning, down to the river and out onto the empty pontoon at the sailing club. It is a fixed point you see and I am planning to use it as the location for a series of paintings throughout the year. I plan to paint the changing seasons, the boats on the river, the different personalities of the water. I think it might make an interesting body of work.

Winter Woods

Oil on board
16 cm x 16 cm or 6 inches x 6 inches
Rain, rain, rain last night, rain this morning, then a little gap in the rain. I am enjoying the winter woods, the mossy patina of dark trees, lacy branches smudging the grey skies, soft blankets of wet deep fallen leaves. I think this little project of mine is going to do me good, teaching me to look deeper and think more. However, finding better waterproofs is the top plan right now, I need to avoid painters soggy bottom syndrome!!

"Lakeside Morning"

"Lakeside Morning", Oil on canvas board, 16" x 12", Sold

Last month, my close friend Elizabeth invited my family (my husband, two young sons, and me) for a weekend at her house on Fallen Leaf Lake, CA. Elizabeth has three beautiful children, and we were joined by our friends Lisa and Toby, who also have three beautiful children. We hiked, had wonderful meals, chatted, relaxed and just spent time enjoying each other's company. Thank you, Elizabeth, for a super-special weekend!

Fallen Leaf Lake (near Lake Tahoe) is a stunningly gorgeous place. It was carved into a deep valley long long ago by glaciers, and there are expansive views of mountains just about everywhere you look.

On Saturday morning I snuck away from the breakfast activity, and snapped lots of photos as material for paintings. Then I kept taking photos all weekend long.

Here's the first of what I hope will be a few paintings from that weekend. It's called "Lakeside Morning". It's a very simple design, which I hope enhances the feeling of serenity I was aiming for. Enjoy!

"Morning Light"

"Morning Light", Oil on canvas, 40" x 30", Available

Happy 2011!

About a year ago, I painted "Lakeside Morning", and once it was dry, placed it on the mantel over our fireplace. In November it moved to the home of a great friend of mine in Aptos, CA. I'm always glad to see my paintings find new homes, and (at the same time) am sad to see them go. This was especially true of "Lakeside Morning". I missed it!

This last week (between Christmas and New Years) I had lots of time to myself, which is a rarity, and I used the time to paint. I painted all day Monday through Friday. The first of my finished paintings is "Morning Light" (above) which is based on the previous "Lakeside Morning" painting but is six times bigger. What do you think? Do you prefer one over the other?

Another couple of paintings are in the works, and I'll post them as soon as they are done.

Thanks for your interest!

The modern prints and bold flower patterns in this California bungalow designed by Krista Ewart appealed to me. It is just the mix of fresh, clean and creative that seems right to get the year of to a great start. Get rid of some old stuff and bring in some new inspiration!

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