Blog

Well, it's been a busy few weeks, moving house and art fair stuff all going on, commissions and painting all mounting up.  It's quite a lot to sort out, especially if you live in my head, and have run out of chocolate!!

I have decided to go 'incommunicado' for a wee while as far as the blog is concerned.  There is a fair amount of up coming work to be getting through, plenty of ideas and inspiration, the trick now is to get it down on canvas, hence the break in gossiping online.  There is nothing more infuriating than following a blog and that person just stops blogging for months with no explanation.  It drives me nuts (I follow a lot of blogs!).

In the meantime, any exhibitions etc will be posted on the exhibitions page of the site.  If you would like any further information about the availability of original work, please contact The Art House , Kelso, whose details can be found on my contact page.

In the meantime, keep safe, keep smiling and above all KEEP EATING CHOCOLATE :D

Mxxxx

Well, what a week!!  We have finally moved and are mostly unpacked and looking a bit more organised.  It's been a pretty intense week, moving Friday and Saturday last week, then the chaos of waking up to find you can't remember which suitcase has your underwear in, slowly finding all the bits you need (quite a lot by accident, although that doesn't apply to the underwear), then of course it is the Newcastle and Gateshead Art Fair this weekend.  I'm sort of on autopilot as I write this, in need of some sleep, but so fired up at the same time, not a good combination for relaxation!

The Art Fair has been amazing so far.  It's so easy to tuck yourself away when you are an artist, getting out there to meet all those new people, not only art lovers, but gallery owners and other artists, all of whom have amazing things to share, is great fun.  As usual there has to be cake involved and it's been great to catch up with friends over cake and coffee (The Sage have introduced Raspberry sponge cake to their menu... honestly, it's like they knew I was coming!).

There is still one more day to go at the Fair, and I reckon it will be the busiest of the three, it's great to see people queueing up to get in, see the anticipation on their faces, and even better to see the pure pleasure on their face as they leave with a new purchase.  The standard of artwork is very high this year with some seriously interesting pieces on display, it really is good to see this happening on Tyneside, not only to se Northern artists showing their work, but to bring galleries and artists from other parks of the UK right here to the North East.  Just for the record, we're not heathens up here, we love art too!  Next year should be wild, the Turner Prize is coming to the BALTIC I believe, I just hope they remember that Geordies have a tendancy to speak their minds! (It would be nice to see some paintings making it into the shortlist.. just for the record!)

So, tomorrow, another great day at the Art Fair, then Monday it's back into action on some brand new work, my husband also starts his own business officially on Monday, a whole clean new start :D

So, dear reader, until next time, take care and carry on eating cake,(you have my personal permission to make it a big slice!).

Mxx

It's a bit surprising to suddenly find that we are almost through September, where has the summer gone, how did I miss that???

Well, its all a bit chaotic here at the moment, we finally move house next Saturday, so there are boxes everywhere, no-one can find anything except me, I know where my paints are and where the chocolate is hidden!!
The new house is looking wonderful, a real country cottage, walls bathed in gentle creams, very light and airy, but with the cosiest kitchen complete with a toasty AGA and a huge Rag rug on the floor.
It's from here I have decided to do my painting.  There is a small study which could have made a nice little studio, but the idea of spending the winter in front of the AGA with my little dog and two cats, painting happily whilst the kettle whistles away and the wind howls outside was just too much of a lure!  I have my trusty paints and brushes on a little trolley that wheels away under the stairs when I'm not painting, so it only takes a second to set up.  I'm looking forward to this very much!

This is totally new beginning for our whole family, my husband has set up his own business, my daughter has begun her GCSE studies and it all begins in a new place, under a new sky. 

This will probably be my last post before we move ( I do hope my Broadband connection happens!!), but there is of course an exhibition looming.  the Newcastle and Gateshead Art Fair is only a couple of weeks away now, 1st - 3rd October.  The new paintings are heading up to The Art House on monday afternoon, and you will be able to see them on the The Art House stand at the fair.  I will still be there (perhaps a little dishevelled from the move!), how can I miss my ladies stampeding all over the Sage?  If you manage to get there come and find us, it'd be nice to see you. 

Mxx

How quickly your life can change!  It would appear we are on the move!!  In 5 short weeks we are packing our little lives into boxes and trundling off into the sunset and a cosy new little home.  It doesn't mean I will stop painting by any means, although we will live too far away to commute to the studio... wasn't that a very short lived affair!  So please note... the studio will not be open for business!!

Good points about 'the move' are many and varied, from having an AGA (YAY!), a huge kitchen (YAY!), beautiful views (YAY!), to the best one... having my husband home at weekends (YAY, YAY, YAY!).

It's a good chance for a big clean out too, all the clutter that accumulates because 'one may need that', it really is ridiculous when you think about it!!

So for the next month I will be painting back at the dining room table, preparing work for the art fair (its nearly finished, it's so exciting!), I will still be there at the art fair, in my new frock, you'll not miss me, I'll be the one with the cake!

See you soon,

Mxx

'ello again!!

I'm not sure where to start with this blog post, I'm a bit frazzled!!  We're supposed to be 'on holiday' this week, in my book that means chilling out, relaxing, eating chocolate in the sunshine with a good book... in reality I've never sat down, walked for miles and miles (all of it seems to have been in town), the reason behind this is the purchase of a new bed.  Ordinarily I LOVE shopping (as girls do), but finding something that a) we both like, b)is comfy enough (think the princess and the pea story here) and c) seems like a reasonable amount to pay has taken all the fun out of it.  Obviously there have not been enough cake and coffee stops along the way!!

I do, though, have a new exhibition in the offing YAY!  I will be represented by The Art House Gallery from Kelso at The Newcastle and Gateshead Art Fair 1st - 3rd October.  I'm really excited about this as I will be showing a brand new collection of cheeky ladies, in fact I'm painting them as we speak.  I won't be unveiling these until the fair, so all I will say is they are being extra cheeky and daring.  It's only eight short weeks away, so not long to wait.  I am hoping to be at the fair at least one day over the weekend, I'm already planning what to wear, it will have to be something with an expanding waistband... the chocolate cake from the coffee shop is AWESOME!

I am struggling to leave the paints and brushes alone at the moment, I'm enjoying this work so much, I've sneaked a couple of canvases home for 'the holiday'.  I've been finding new material to paint as we've been out and about (as the boredom of looking for a bed has got too much, I'm easily distracted!), people do the most extraordinary things as they wander round the streets.  I am a bit of a 'people watcher' so be careful when you're out shopping... you may end up as my next subject!

I'll be back in the studio next week, cracking on with the work, turning the tidy space into total chaos and generally being in my element. 

I'll say ta ta for now as that last layer of paint has dried, and as you know time waits for no man (or artist!).

see you again soon,

Mxxx