Art Cards

 

          I have long been fascinated by the idea of  ACEO’s  and have intended for just as  long a time to try them out. This last week-end having spent entirely in the studio, the first  time for a long time,  I actually produced a couple, between work on a larger canvas.

I really enjoyed doing them and have every intention of painting more. On a purely commercial basis,in these days of recession, I suppose it makes sense to produce small paintings that are affordable to all. I think I will produce some limited edition prints from them and put them on my Etsy shop.  

In the last few weeks my art classes have restarted after the summer break. I am constantly amazed at the amount of interest there is in learning to paint and once again my classes are full, long may it last.                      

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"Along the rocks"

The weather in Ireland is atrocious at the moment, so I thought I would show a picture that I painted a few years ago on one of the few days that we had sunshine. We have had so much rain this summer , I'm surprised we haven't all got webbed feet.
Went to the studio yesterday with great intentions, but like all good intentions, they fell by the wayside and I ended up flitting from one unfinished painting to another and achieving nothing.Does this happen to anyone else?

From my office window.

Pages from my sketchbook: From my office window.



Not only do I seem to be blocked as far as my painting is concerned I also seem to have problems with my blogging. The sketch above was done from my office window, there is a small stand of trees where I have bird feeders, some mornings the light through the trees is amazing, but trying to capture it is another matter.
I am going to spend the whole of this week-end in my studio in the hope that I might finish one or two of the many paintings that I have started over the last couple of months. It would be great satisfaction to just finish one, hopefully I will post the result on Monday. I really envy those artists involved with daily painting blogs, where do they get the inspiration from all the time and the discipline to keep doing it?

I don't believe a month has gone by

I can't believe it's over a month since I posted anything to my blog.For some reason, I have felt totally blocked as far as painting is concerned and this seems to have followed through to my blogging. hopefully this will be the start of a new lease of life.
My art group had a mini exhibition in a local hotel, while it wasn't the best venue ever, we sold a few paintings, which we didn't expect, and the hotel asked us to provide some paintings to display around the hotel as well, so its a good advert if nothing else.
Since the last time I posted I have been approached by two other galleries to show my work, so things seem to be looking up all of a sudden, all I need now is the inspiration to paint!

Back home

While I have been home from Poland for more than a week, I have'nt yet knuckled down to painting, although I have been running my classes, so I will have to be satisfied with a photo taken in Poland of White Storks nesting . It was a joy to see the tolerance with which these birds are treated, even to the extent of nesting poles being erected for them where there were no suitable chimneys; I doubt that they would be given the same consideration in Ireland.
What a beautiful country Poland is, it reminded me of my childhood in England when the farming methods still allowed wild flowers to proliferate in the meadows and there were butterflies and grasshoppers everywhere. presumably being a member of the EU will soon change this, and intensive farming methods will take over as they did here, with the resultant weed killers and insecticides being used liberally, to the detriment of the flora and fauna and ultimately to the detriment of our own species.
On the art scene , I have been approached by another gallery to exhibit my work, so on the marketing side, things are looking up, although on the actual sales side the recession seems to really be biting, it is even affecting the sales of prints. I suppose this is no wonder, people really seem to be worried about spending on non necessities . there have been recessions before and we got through them and I am sure this one will be no different, but I think it is important for people to try and remain positive, difficult as this can be.

Holiday

I'm not the most prolific of bloggers but I will be even less prolific for 10 days from the 19th of May. I am heading for Poland on a birding holiday, with 3 friends. Poland has been on my list of countries to visit for along time and I hope to find lots of inspiration for paintings.

"Hot Stuff" Watercolour on Arches paper.

Another of my watercolour attempts that I refound recently and decided to finish. Don't think it came out too bad, but have to admit, I will never be a master at watercolour.

The weather is being it's normal depressing self, every time we get a hint of sunshine the wind whips up and the rain falls, but I suppose we will never die of thirst. Even more depressing than the weather are the constant reports of doom and gloom from our politicians, news media, and just about everyone you talk too, you would think we had never seen a recession before....life goes on.

On a much happier note...I sold a painting yesterday, another of my abstracts "Spring Garden" so I am delighted and have huge incentive to paint more abstracts.