The locals

Been spending some time in one of my favourite places... Cornwall. I have hundreds of photos to sort through. It was a bit cold for sketching, not to mention wet! But we had a good time anyway and I always come away feeling inspired. I like it in the winter. Polperro, where we stayed, is lovely and quiet (and very friendly) unlike the summer when it's rammed full of visitors. The only downside is the short amount of daylight although it does leave more time for drinking the great cider and mulled wine!

Feels like Christmas already!

I was so excited when these gorgeous earrings arrived, so beautifully wrapped, all the way from New York. They were made by the very talented Susan of sulu-design (who also has a brilliant blog which I'm addicted to!). You can find her Etsy shop here.

I love the fact that someone has taken the time and care to make them and that they're one of a kind. I also like the thought of my money going to an independent maker rather than a big chain store. The blue ones are my new favourite pair and everyone has been commenting on them. Thanks Susan!

Croak

I've had a bit of a change of direction recently which is why I haven't been posting many paintings. I've been experimenting a lot to find new ways of working and I'm excited to be using a bit of typography in my work in a decorative way. It feels very comfortable and almost like a missing link to me. I've also been experimenting with acrylic glazes and the possibilities seem endless. This piece is one of the first I did and is one of the smaller ones at 125 x 180mm.

Right... back to play, I mean work!

hallowe'en

Last night was great! We made a bit of an effort this year and tried to scare all the little kids who came to our door trick or treating. To be fair most just laughed at us. I wish I had a photo of my other half to put up here because he looked hysterical with a red cape, black and orange wig and flashing horns. I dressed up as a witch and served up bloody marys, frog soup (not real frogs I must quickly add) and orange chocolate cobweb cheesecake. The Corpse Bride arrived from Tesco dvd rental just in time. What a brilliant film! I think you could watch it over and over and pick out new things each time. Loved it!

portrait - detail

A recent commission

Thought you might like to see a portrait that I finished recently. It's acrylic on a box canvas measuring 20" x 16". The painting was commissioned as a present for someone and I'm told that the recipient was very happy with it. Always a relief to hear that!

Summer's back!

Another summery pen and ink drawing of some flowers in the garden. It's an amazing 25 degrees here today. September is turning out to be warmer than August.