End of Term

That’s what the last day of Somerset Art Weeks always feels like. We’ve had over 400 visitors on which I’ve deployed my opening gambit ‘Hello, come in, I’m Anne and these are my paintings’  (the latter being marginally more obvious then the former) This is followed by a choice from a short list: 1) Have you come far? 2) Are you doing the rounds? and 3) Do you paint ? I’m probably not alone in preferring the answer to question 3) to be in the negative!

And I’ve sold paintings, calendars (only 2 left) and cards. Here are some of pictures that are leaving home:

The fox as discussed in my previous blog is also going too.

My new venture into etchings has been quite successful too – excellent teaching by Jenny Graham to thank for that.

People often ask if I mind parting with my paintings. Er..No! Onwards…

Advertisements

Foxed!

My (nearly) last job before Somerset Art Weeks in about 10 days time was to create my 2017 Christmas card. I usually choose and animal image and this time I wanted to have a Fox.

We occasionally get a fox visiting the garden and I had a few images from this year when she came leaping over the stream in search of the fallen cherry plums.

None of her poses was quite right though, so I had to resort to the internet for a bit of help. I finally decided I wanted to concentrate on quite a close-up view of the head, but not too centrally placed, with room to suggest a snowy setting.

There are some lovely painterly pictures of foxes around so I had to start again several times as I was happy with the pose but not the painting. I was also deperate to avoid anything ‘cute’ (see a previous blog on this subject) so I carried on with rather a ‘zombie’ look until I was happier:

So here is the end product: 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 looming – aargh!

Is that the correct spelling? Anyway, when I decided to commit to producing a 2018 calendar in time for Somerset Art Weeks I made the usual mistake of assuming that I would easily find 12 suitable seasonal works among my Oeuvre (spelling doubts again…)

Then I soon realised my calendar was as full of holes as a colander  (spelling doubts now getting boring). So here are some of the new ones:

Somerset Arts Weeks 2017 – 4 Weeks & Counting

Source: Somerset Arts Weeks 2017 – 4 Weeks & Counting

Summer stories

The title is my way of self-denying that I didn’t do a post in July ! I have been doing some painting, in particular a couple of commissions. One of them I delivered yesterday, only to realise today that I had forgotten to photograph it. Duh!

So here’s the other, which presented some difficulties, not least that it was a surprise present. I find secrecy in a little village like Moorlinch is tricky. Somebody is always going to spot you loitering with intent to paint in someone’s garden. That’s just the painting. Communication is also difficult when the intended (but unaware) recipient shares most forms of communication with the person who has asked you to do the painting so organising the project is problematic.

Anyway, here is Drysend Farm – an interesting name, and a very apt one as we saw in the floods of a few years ago when the vast lake on the Somerset Levels lapped a few metres away from this cottage:

Come into the Garden

I’m not a constant gardener. In fact my gardening career has been mainly aimed at reducing flowerbeds to grass and bushes to reduce the effort and time involved. And yet I love gardens and painting outdoors.

So I was gratified to find, a couple of weeks ago, three subjects in my garden just waiting to be painted for the Chandos Society of Artists Summer Exhibition currently showing at Hidestile Organic Farm at Goathurst near Bridgwater.

Let’s gloss over the fact that they were the only plants in flower : clematis, arum lilies and roses – they were all white so, even more satisfyingly, I could claim that they added up to a Theme of – er – White Flowers. All largely painted en plein air, too!

 

A new look

Thanks to the newest of the group of artists and makers I work with on the site here at Spring Farm we have a new, improved website – with added Stitching and Photography!

SAW 2017 is looming so before September we thought we should just haul the creased and crumpled Spring Farm Arts website out of the cupboard. Thanks to Pam Martin of http://somersetstitch.blogspot.co.uk/ we are freshly pressed and ready to greet you. So do visit https://springfarmarts.wordpress.com/

No pictures here this time but lots on the website!

In a rut

I spotted a striking view of some bare trees and buildings on my walk round ‘the lanes’. This is a triangle of about three and a half miles out towards the next village which had often provided satisfying if unspectacular images which change according to season.

I hadn’t really clocked this view before – maybe they’d just cut the hedges. It made me think of Rowland Hilder’s paintings .

It was a bit of a race before all the trees and hedges broke into leaf. So I picked a sunny morning and walked into the conveniently ungated field.

I then fell into my usual trap – or rather, rut. For me, the tractor-turning area just stole the show. Can’t resist mud and ruts!

It was a bit of a race before all the trees and hedges broke into leaf. So I picked a sunny morning and walked into the conveniently ungated field.

I then fell into my usual trap – or rather, rut. For me, the tractor-turning area just stole the show. Can’t resist mud and ruts!

The Artist’s Companion

That’s Gem. And.  Pedant Alert: that’s ‘s, not s’,  because I’m sure there are many other artists’ companions.

It was a stormy Sunday earlier this month when the neighbour’s Cherry plum tree was at its glorious, early blossoming best.

Gem seemed happy being a rubbish cat until I went out to grab a few rain-free minutes sketching. Then she decided to continue the basket theme.  Finally the rain did come so she pointedly lay on the doormat.

 

OK, I have a Cherry plum tree too so maybe I could draw through the bedroom window. I think Cherry plum trees are a local thing. They have quite small fruits a bit like…yes, a cross between a cherry and a plum – and quite big stones. My culinarily gifted neighbour makes a delicious cordial. I leave mine for the badgers and foxes.

So -rain outside and faithful Gem inside, with me. And the bed.

 

Finally I realised I could see most of my subject through a different window which I opened every time it stopped raining and finally finished the picture. Thanks for your help, Gem!

How to avoid Cute

There should be a question mark somewhere in the title because I don’ profess to know how. Those last two adorable creature from the previous post illustrate that – they’re cute. And it’s not always what you want.

OK, in a greetings card. But take my sheep for instance – and there are a lot of them:

Summer Solstice, Burrow Mump

£60′ The apple-stealers’ pen and ink

down from the hills – sheep in Troutbeck

Sunbathing

Mother of two

And there are loads more where they come from. Sometimes you want them to look – well, neutral…sheeplike and I find that really difficult.

So I was genuinely delighted to see on the walls of the splendid gallery of Hauser and Wirth in Bruton, Somerset, an Elizabeth Frink drawing of a really…well, not-cute sheep.  Ugly doesn’t come into it. It’s utterly and essentially a sheep

Now if that comes out underlined I didn’t mean it to – but it serves well. So I shall turn to this image when I feel the urge to make those eyelashes longer or give an almost-smile. Well I’ll try!