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.

Teapot at a hotel

A few years ago I did a series of paintings of pottery that were displayed in a local hotel on the Spode factory site. It was great to see my work on show in different venue to a gallery. The hotel staff were very friendly and welcoming. I liked the fact the works were hung on rough brickwork. It gave it more of a feeling of industrial heritage. I’d like the opportunity to do it again.