New paintings and regular art updates.
Tea for who?
Tea for you
With scones and jam
Or sandwich of ham?
Straight from the pot
It’s nice and hot
A fresh dark brew
Don’t let it stew!
Blue and white china
Nothing can be finer
From Stoke-on-Trent
To a friend, sent
A birthday gift
For them to lift
And then to pour
With milk and more.
This was the back room of the Leopard Hotel in Burslem (the Arnold Bennett suite). The hotel burned down last year taking my murals with it. They were painted in emulsion paint directly onto the walls so it would have been impossible to remove them before the hotel caught fire (apparently the empty hotel had someone growing cannabis in it and the fire was from an electrical fault. It had been bought for redevelopment and the local community wanted to take it over to make it work again. Now its gone. You can see the relative sizes of them to the size of the room. I painted them between 2006 and 2007. I miss them.
One of the characters in A Christmas Carol is the ghost of Christmas Present. A big, jolly fellow in his robe and Holly crown, he leads Ebenezer Scrooge through the lives of his contemporary characters, we see Scrooges nephew and family enjoying Christmas merriment and wishing his uncle well. Then there is a scene with the Cratchett family, settling down to enjoy a meagre but happy Christmas meal. We see Tiny Tim, there little boy who is possibly destined to die because of the families poverty despite Cratchett working for Scrooge. When Scrooge asks what will happen to the boy Christmas Present says that unless there is a change in their circumstances there will be an empty chair where the boy now sits. He throws Scrooge’s words back at him saying if he is to die then it should happen sooner rather than later and decrease the surplus population!
Work in progress. Needs work on the beach which I think is a bit dark…. I was trying to get a feeling of sand. This is a small commission so I’m trying for a realistic look. It’s based on a drone photo I saw online but it’s not an exact copy, just using it to see how the wavelets ripple onto the shore.
This came up on my memories today. I remember this was a cold and sunny day just like today. I was taking part in a craft fair outside Stoke Market. Things were better then, people had a bit more money. I think I sold a few paintings. I have to say they were a bit random… I think I had done a all exhibition earlier in the year so I’d painted all sorts of things, some better than others. I’m trying to be a bit more selective in what I paint these days. I’m also not keen on sitting outside in the cold as much!
Imm painting a victorian style oven as a bit of scenery for a Christmas Carol. I’ve just drawn something out but the cat appears to think it’s real! The cat sat on three mats…. Will post the result when I’ve painted it. X
I’m hoping to get some cards made from my pottery paintings. I need to start selling things, but it’s a balance between what I can afford and what I can sell. The cost of living is making life difficult for everyone. This painting is loosely based on a Burleigh ware design although it’s not an actual copy. It’s totally imagined so I had to decide on where the shadows would fall. The background is meant to look like wooden panels reflected in a desk or table. The minds eye is an interesting concept. I actually can imagine how things look, and by talking my way through things I can generally get a good idea of what I’m doing.
We are rehearsing A Christmas Carol and hubby has got the part of Christmas Present. He’s a bit anxious so he will have a scroll to use with the script on to get through it.
It’s a bit strange to be doing this after three years of Covid, especially being among people who have got bad colds! We sort of sat across the room as much as possible to keep out of range of a cough. I’ve managed to avoid Covid since it emerged in 2019, I hope to carry on in safety.
I have a couple of small parts but my problem isn’t learning the lines as much as following the cues from the line before. But only two weeks to go. I’d better practice more!
Spode reflected and my willow pattern painting. I like pattern and design so doing both of these a few years ago was a delightful challenge. The window frame in the bottom painting was old and peeling and it was fun trying to get a likeness of it. The top painting was a willow pattern platter but using two different images to meld together to create a unique image. The border around the painting was all my own design. (There is a teapot painting on the table but the details are not visible). They are being photographed so I can have cards and prints, they are up for sale at the Arts and Minds Gallery, Veterans Support at Harper Street in Middleport.
I’ve just dropped off a few paintings to the Arts and Minds Gallery at Harper Street in Middleport opposite Middleport Pottery. I have asked them to do some cards from them and they have also taken the pictures to sell for me. It’s really pleasing to have my work included there. The galley has a wide range of beautiful art work. It also is part of a network that supports local veterans and their families. I have been able to show and sell work there because my hubby has a link to the military.
The gallery is warm and friendly and are always supportive. I think it helps that it doesn’t feel exclusive and snobbish. It’s in a great place too, helping to expand the creative area around Middleport pottery in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
