Maskerade

It’s a pun…I do know how to spell  really.(I just did. That’s a joke too). Rob Dudley, from deepest Dartmoor came to our Moorlinch Art Group, which I run, and gave us a brilliant demo last Wednesday.

Among other valuable insights he shared with us was How to Make a Masking Fluid Applicator That Works. It looks like a marine creature impaled on a stick and you begin by consuming creme brule (which I can’t seem to accent correctly. Dare I add I do know how to spell in French too)  from Marks and Spencer. I’m not sure I should say more…

Pam Motum with Rob’s astounding masking fluid brush

Rob employed the device with great dexterity and created a sparkling seascape before our very eyes. ‘It’s all tricks’ he declares. Hmm….well maybe you can’t teach old artists new tricks, but we’re all determined to have a go! Inspiring – thanks Rob.

From this…

…to this.

Why Rob should kneel at my feet I don’t know. Oh – maybe he’s just too tall…

Goats of Many Colours

My 2013 Christmas card arrived from the printers a couple of days ago (well, 500 of them). Good service as usual from Think Ink.

I continued my approach of taking animals and birds that you might think are white, putting them in  snowy surroundings and going a bit mad with the colours.

I discovered these Kashmir goats – quite a herd of them – on the hillside of the Great Orme, near Llandudno, in the summer.

Apparently their forbears were a gift from some Indian potentate to Queen Victoria. Crazy horns -some of them cart two pairs around but they look too weird.

You can compare mine with the original. Good old artistic licence again!

Goats of many colours

 

Troutbeck connections

When I went back to Troutbeck two or three weeks ago, I packed up the two drawings (see the post Return to Troutbeck) I’d done a couple of years ago. There was a confusing conversation with my husband because I packed them in a box that  previously contained a new loo seat (yeah, we never throw anything away…).’Why are we taking a loo seat…? ‘We’re not, it’s two drawings of Troutbeck I did a while ago’. He didn’t think that answer made any more sense than the first one.

These two drawings had hung about on my exhibition wall ever since and I kind of thought they should come with me – you never know…

Anyway what do I discover, but that the funny little shop is under new management. They  have lots of lovely local things that you are allowed to buy – whereas previously most of the produce was already spoken for. And they are opening a cafe shortly. So – yes, my two drawings will be on the wall. If they get sold, I’ll send them replacements.

I think it will be called the Rattlegill Cafe, (I love that name) judging by the email address they – Gareth and Carly – have just set up.

There’s more – our daughter and her husband are well on with negotiations to buy a holiday home just up the road from Stamp Howe, were we stayed again. More walls to put local scenes on!  The cottage is a little further from the Mortal Man, but nearer the Queen’s Head.

So here’s a painting of the walk between Troutbeck and Ambleside, over Wansfell:

 

 

 

The house formerly known as pink…

The Pink House was a landmark as you came down into the village. That wasn’t its name, but that was what everyone called it because – well, it was very pink.

Now it has been remodelled – still retaining the character of its origins, which were actually three tiny cottages all with different rooflines that seemed to have flowed into one. Except…it isn’t the startling flamingo colour anymore.

To celebrate the reconstruction, I was delighted to be commissioned by the owners to paint the cottage – it’s ‘portrait’ that is, not the actual walls.

There were some charming features in the garden which I managed to give prominence to, using a bit of good ol-fashioned artistic licence. The result is shown below.