Tulip close up

Close up of a tulip

Exciting. Yes to me, this wrinkled flower is changing by the day. If the weather warms up it might open in the next couple of days. Green and pink? Will it change colour too? Concentrating on one flower, but it looks interesting to me. It reminds me of a stormy sea. Waves crashing against each other….. Ooo I’m so excited!

Painting on display

My willow pattern painting of a large platter is up at Etruria Industrial museum now. I used two different reference photos of two separate patterns to make it more unique. I also designed the surrounding pattern myself. I tried to make it look like it was on display on a shiny surface, hence the reflections…. I’m feeling a bit better now so might have to go shopping. Oh what joy. But the fridge is empty. The eating machine (aka hubby) has been snacking again…

A few tulips

The joy of tulips. Now a normal spring flower, but a couple of centuries ago they were wildly expensive in the Netherlands. Tulip mania or fever took over and single bulbs went for sale for thousands of guilders. Tulips were getting a virus that made their flowers ‘break’ or go from plain colours to striped ones. Probably a bit like the red and white striped ones above.

I’m loving the wrinkled flower buds that are slightly green but have slight red markings. As they grow and open the colours can change and develop.

These are outside our house, on the pavement. I’m so pleased no one has touched them, some years we have had all of our daffodil flower heads broken off so I feel luck the display has been left alone. Now I’ve got to find new plants to create a succession of blooms later in the year.

Dance, abstract design

Green and red complementary coloured abstract. Drawn digitally in a sketching app then manipulated in photodirector. The plate is a background you can place your design into in photodirector. The final image is a close up of the “dancers”. Maybe this idea is something I can pursue. The idea was inspired by a programme about Henri Mattise on Sky Arts.

Summer paintings

Poppies everywhere on these two summery paintings. I took them over to Etruria last week so they should be on display at the Etruria Industrial museum today (Friday). The left hand one was based on the wildflowers on display at Trentham Gardens, the one on the right is emulating a tile pattern you would get on the side of a Victorian fireplace. Both were previously displayed at the Arts and Minds gallery at Middleport. It’s good to have a couple of venues to show my work at. I just need then to go to good homes now. X

Bricks

Bricks or sets? A good surface to walk on, but not for the environment. As the song by Joni Mitchell goes ‘they paved paradise and put up a parking lot’.

Everywhere everyone is having driveways installed, block paviours or tarmac. Repelling water so it runs away quickly instead of being absorbed into the soil. Then the drains flood and storm drains are overwhelmed. Raw sewerage gets released into rivers, which keeps happening. People have been wild swimming in rivers and around the coast for years, but the amount of waste effluent getting into our natural waterways is causing extreme concern for health.

There are new rules to make paving permiable to rain water. But who checks on it. So instead of putting in a driveway think about a more environmental and possibly cheaper option?

Two cats, one chair arm

They were queueing up to see me today. Poddling (kneeding) my knee. I am so glad they tolerate each other. Black and white filter for black and white cats. You can’t tell but the cat on the right is twice as big as the one on the left. But he’s no bully. He does go outside more than the smaller on. But today peace rained. Then later our girl cat came up and poddled too. Good day x

Statue scribble

A few days ago there was a news story about a museum that gave children crayons and paper when they visited. Unfortunately one of the children used a blue crayon to scribble all over an old sculpture. I was drawing a female head and shoulders and it suddenly struck me that it looked a bit like the statue. I added lines, and it seemed even more like the scribbled statue. Strange what your mind takes you.

Parsimonius

I must be parsimonius

The door stays locked

Money is a great big fuss

Payments will be stopped.

My purse is not bottomless

The moths are growing big

The dust in there is limitless

While fuel bills they still rig

The cost of living crisis

Has got us by the throat

Money goes by osmosis

Out of a sinking boat!

So now I will spend less

Cutting my money cloth

Mcawber rules I will address

No cash now for froth!