Quality time with the cat.

A little 3″ box with a small  boat being tossed about in the waves.

I love painting these little boxes as it combines art with practicality.

This box is now on my Etsy shop.

new things on Flickr

A mug full of daisies.

and a peaceful harbour.

Both painted in acrylics, daisies on board and the harbour on a box canvas.

It was taking in day for Holmfirth Artweek 2007 today,  So with my paintings framed, labeled and priced up, off I went and queued up with everyone else who was putting work in the show.  The atmosphere is lovely, apart from the man infront of me who said I was nudging him and it was irritating him!  I think it may have had more to do with the big ikea bags he had swinging off each shoulder and two large paintings tucked under his arm, I had been doing my best to keep out of his way, but it was so busy, oh way it takes all sorts.  The lady and her husband behind me were much nicer, It was her first time at exhibiting at this show and her excitment was very evident.  She also had the biggest framed charcoal drawings of chickens I have ever seen, they were amazing, I do hope she does well.

For those of you living within travelling distance of Holmfirth, Yorkshire.  The exhibition opens July 1st until July 7th, during the weekdays it is open from 10am until 10pm and there are lovely cakes to be had in the tearoom.

Here are my offerings this year –

“Sleep Tight”

“Planting Out”

and a larger version of “Moon Gazing”

I thought I would show some work that I did quite some time ago, some of illustrative and some simply paintings for my own pleasure.

This is a detail of an illustration from a series of four designs based on cottage windows.

I loved doing these – getting lost in the detail.

There used to be a group of artists that would meet locally on a Tuesday evening during the summer months.  Each week we would meet somewhere in the local countryside and paint plein air.  We would spend a couple of very pleasant hours painting as long as the weather held out or until we could stand the midges no longer and then we would retire to the pub for well earned refreshment. The painting above is of a narrow boat moored up on the local canal, I seem to remember that the boat was called ‘Bumble’.

This is Don, one of my fellow artists in typical pose.  I can feel those midges starting to bite just looking at these pictures!