cuckoo

On a rather stormy Sunday, when we had experienced wind, rain, hail and a flurry of snow the evening was given a hint of hope that summer would be with us with the arrival of the cuckoo, calling out over the croft.

The unexpected wheel of life !

Well I am beginning the second assignment in my watercolour module and the subject of still life has arrived. I have always loved looking at still life arrangements - here is one of my all time favourites by Shirley Trevena called "Blue still life with black screens"

To begin to think about setting up my own still life arrangement before painting requires me to try and think clearly about line, shape, shadow and colour contrast and I am enjoying the challenge. But then you finally arrive at an arrangement - all is settled and the moment comes for the watercolour to hit the paper and wham !..the fluidity of where the paint travels, the unexpected and delightful mixing of colours and the still life isn't still at all. Change and new possibilities have opened up. It is so exciting and a great analogy for  life .
 Paul also had a chance to try new things with his camera this week. Visiting Brighton for work, he snatched time to wander around and try different lenses and types of subject matter. Here is one of my favourites.So enjoy the ride of life everyone, whatever direction that takes you in.

Connections, distance,social media and silence !

Photo from google - but couldn't resist adding it here for you to enjoy !

I was watching some swans last week and musing on life and work back home in Wester Ross. There is always a point of balance in life and it is hard to achieve or maintain. We try and post one or two photos on facebook or a blog post each week to keep folk in touch with our work/ life/ the croft and shop here in Inverasdale. The rest of the time we are silent ! -  not being unsociable but taking time to think, plan and create. The speed of life can be astonishing so we are always delighted and appreciative when people take the time to connect back with us, by leaving a like or comment. I had a query from a friend who tried to leave a comment here but couldn't. It is simple to join as a follower of the blog and then your comments are accepted and posted. Just scroll to the bottom of this post to add your name as a follower. You will not receive any unsolicited e mails or advertisements from us just a notification of a new blog post.For us it would be great to see who is taking time to "visit" us here.And we do try and reciprocate with other folk on social media sites. We are aiming for a swan like presence - calm on the surface with a lot of work going on below the water line ! So thank you for dropping by, we have already had nearly a 1000 views of this blog since January, keep in touch and have a serene weekend.

watercolour module

I am just finishing off my first watercolour module and have found the transition from sketching in order to create textiles to painting for the joy of painting, demanding. I am studying as many artists as I can to learn from them and hope that one day my own style will emerge. Here is my final piece in my sketchbook inspired by the art of Charlotte Van Den Eng.