Have you missed me? I missed you.
I have had a busy time getting work ready for the exhibition the art society I am a member of. It starts with a preview at St Mildred's in Tenterden 7-9pm on Sunday if you fancy coming along. It runs for the following week. Along with not feeling great it has taken me many hours of work to get four pieces that I am satisfied with. Two are collagraphs. The press Tim gave me for Christmas is a delight now I have removed the rust. Another two are with my homemade inks. They have a unique chameleon quality and have taken a lot of taming.
I have had a lovely evening painting cards while watching The Escape Artist.
Copious Cards
Last nights wine has given me a niggly headache today but I have bravely soldered on.
We had great fun clearing out a pond in the garden. It has a leak which needs fixing. There were flapping fish, newts, many revolting dragonfly larvae, one beetle, and one frog which have all been carefully removed and are in a temporary paddling pool.
This evening I have been working on a collagraph. I have a very tolerant husband as the kitchen table and floor are covered in bits of paper and glue, brushes, paint, and a knife or two.
Preparatory Work
It was a seamless day of events starting with frying eggs for guests, room cleaning, yoga with Zoe, a Weald of Kent Art Society meeting that nearly involved wine, purchasing peanut butter so Tim could make hummus, a trip to the Cellarhead Brewery with Deborah that did involve wine then back home for chilli.
I threw out some bread crusts. There were very popular.
We have been invited to a wedding in a couple of weeks. I ordered some dresses that looked lovely on the M&S website. Do you remember Crimplene? I am sure that is what they are made of. They are disgusting and being returned.
Harriet and Herbie came to visit as I had a top and tail day of stuff so couldn't make it to Canterbury. What a lovely treat. Herbie is such a delightful grandson. I feel blessed.
This is part of something I am doing at my Monday night art class. It is always therapeutic to spend time with other artists.
I spent hours 'faffing' about in readiness for bed and breakfast guests.
On the certainty that as today was glorious I have planted out some tender flowers. I am confident there are not going to be any frosts to kill them.The label has got lost in the potting up. I am pretty certain they flowers and not vegetables.
What a lovely evening I had last night. Steve and Zoe were over from France and we celebrated their brief stay with Mike, Pippa, Ray and Linda dining and wining with them at our kitchen table.
It has been a glorious sunny day to take my homemade inks into the garden and experiment. The copper oxide, daffodil petal, eucalyptus leaf and red cabbage (smells of grandma's house) did some interesting mixing. They are preparatory studies for a couple of paintings for an exhibition this month.
There is a geranium rampaging through our flower beds. I picked some and put them in a vase. The petals it drops are perfect hearts.
On our way to buy asparagus this morning we dropped into Silcocks Farm where Pippa is holding a Brocante sale today and tomorrow. There is some beautiful french finds that Pippa has carefully curated into an amazing sale. Tim bought some wonderful cauliflowers from the farm shop that have been made into cauliflower cheese to go with trout from Bewl Water.
A quick sketch today as I am preparing for friends coming to dinner this evening.
I had just rolled out my yoga mat and was contemplating what was happening the rest of the week when I realised that on Tuesday, that was today, I was painting with The Weald of Kent Art Society at a local farm. I rolled up my mat, packed up my paints and easel and headed east. The weather being chilly and a bit drizzly meant that we gathered midway through our paintings to warm ourselves with mushroom soup and cheese scones from the cafe. Some glorious work was created. A couple of Wendy's oil paintings got admired and sold. What a wonderful way to spend a grey day.
I have been restoring my body from sleep deprivation. It took a sleep this afternoon and to feel awake enough to tackle the mounting weeds in the flower beds. We have bluebells in our woods which have been glorious. Soon they will be feeding their bulbs for next years display.
At 5.31am I was out with The Weald of Kent Morris and a surprisingly large audience, celebrating the coming in of summer. with song, dance and music. A great start to May but not such a great way to start the day at such an early hour.
Sisters and Brothers
Pen and Watercolour
