Fog, what Fog?

It was meant to be foggy this morning. I was looking forward to going out to take photos in the mist… But it didn’t arrive! Instead I took an ‘atmospheric’ photo of the cat on the windowledge. There’s a teatowel on the wooden chest that I use when I’m painting.

I’ve seen lots of misty photos over the last few days, so I hope I’ll be able to get some interesting images… We shall see.

Still growing

Fushia plant in a hanging basket, reaching up to the sky. My Fushias seem to last through the winter (you can buy standard Fushias that can be grown as hedging plants) I love the way the buds swell and their petal skirts swirl out, some are called ballerina among other varieties. I love the mixes of colour you get from pale pinks to dee magenta. The shapes from plain petals to billowing folds. You can get all sorts of flowers for summer but Fushias are at the top of my list.

When cooking in a double oven…

Make sure you switch the correct oven on!

My salmon in Arribiata sauce is still cold… Half an hour of heating the top oven, while the salmon sat getting slightly warm in the bottom one! Oh my days… I thought I was a bit tired, I even checked the oven was on and could hear the gas, but I can’t bend over very well so I can’t see the flames in the bottom oven… Grr! Oh well I guess I will enjoy it more when it’s done.

an old painting

unfortunatley I only have this small file of a painting I did at college over forty years ago. It was a painting of a fellow student called Ann. I was really pleased with it and only parted with it because a friend really wanted it, I also gave my ‘friend’ a few other paintings for Christmas and birthdays. I found out later my ‘friend’ and her husband burnt them on a bonfire because he did not like them. Suffice to say I am no longer friends with her. I cant tell you how upset I was when I found out….

Oil on canvas about 1981?

Tick-tock

There’s definitely something odd about this watch, she said to her friend. I ordered it over the Internet and it arrived today. I needed a new one and this was cheap and cheerful……. She couldn’t explain what was making her uneasy. Is it keeping time? Her friend said, and she replied, yes, it seems to be fine.

She went home after her shift and changed into her pajamas. Put the watch on the bedside cabinet… Tick tock… Tick tock.. Tick tock … She woke in the middle of the night and realised what she had subconsciously been hearing all day…

Tick-tock, the watch was saying the words, not actually ticking or tocking !

Go to sleep Sarah it said, Gooo tooo sleeeep!

What the merry hell?

Face sketch

Tried drawing Jane Horrocks in twenty minutes while watching Sky Portrait artist of the week. Done with a blunt spectrum noir pencil crayon. Where’s my sharpener when I need it? I couldn’t find an image from the day so I used a stock one. I’m afraid it looks a bit more like another celebrity, Annika Rice?

Hanging baskets hanging on….

Yes they are still surviving. Plants and flowers that would normally have shrivelled away by now, a series of frosts due this week might do that, but the plucky baskets (OK they are not thinking or animated) have hung on together with the plants around the yard. I guess there must be a microclimate. I will let them stay where they are until its time to get them refilled again in spring next year…

There are various plants in the photos, including nasturtium, fushua, begonia, aster, pelargonium and many more.

Online lecture

Just watched a lecture by one of our fellow students. It was fascinating to watch. About watercolour and ink and how to use it. She showed us how to use salt and also cling film to add texture, masking fluid to preserve white areas and glue mixed with paint and ink to created textured backgrounds. I will certainly have a go at using some of them.

She also showed us her sketchbooks, she mainly does abstract work, but also does realistic work, (she showed us a lovely painting of a friends dog). It’s great that students are adding to the teaching experience at college….