27/08: HELLO FROM SUNNY FUERTEVENTURA

We got here safely and on time yesterday but after our 2am start were a little subdued last night (and still this morning if the truth be known).

The weather is glorious but a little hotter than we expected so we're taking things slowly till we acclimatise.  We drove through miserable cold, rainy weather to get to the airport .... always nice to fly off when the weather is rubbish back home (sorry) LOL

We have 'variable' internet access here via our Dongle and uploading pictures etc is painfully slow so I plan to write Blog posts just 2 or 3 times a week and spread out the pictures as and when computer/internet is being co-operative.

OK ... I was so well organised this year I submitted 5 pictures to the UKCPS jury for the Annual International Exhibition which will be staged at Nuneaton later this year.    Some of them you'll have seen before as they were 'practice' pieces throughout the year.  The judging is always done by 3 independent people to ensure fairness - if judged by just one person the possibility is that bias would be towards that judge's own tastes - ie contemporary art, or landscapes ...

I'm thrilled that 2 pieces got juried in - this now means I'll have earned Silver Signature Status having had work accepted into the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society's  Annual International Exhibitions 5 years out of 6 .... 

Today I'll show the 3 that didn't make it - all animals incidentally

Grace is a beautiful Silver Standard Poodle I photographed at a local dog show.   Such a lovely happy smile.    Completed in coloured pencil on black sanded paper

I haven't got a decent pictures of the the Whippets unfortunately, as I trimmed it to fit the unusual mount and frame - again these are dogs I photographed at a local Dogs Trust fun day.  They are all members of the same family.

and my tiger didn't make it.   In the last few exhibitions I have done well with 'big cats' either gaining awards or making sales but this is obviously not 'the year of the cat' - for me at least LOL

This very superior tiger was one I photographed earlier in the year at Antwerp Zoo.  He's drawn on drafting film with a plain black backing paper.

I called the piece 'Look into my Eyes' which isn't very unique and recently Jennifer Rose Blogged about her Tigers Eye drawing with the same title LOL Jennifer!!   but there is a limit to how many titles I can think of these days - a Google Search doesn't throw out many better suggestions!

 

and this is how he looks framed - having tried various types of frames I thought this looked best, if a trifle bright.  Maybe another title based on the 'golden' theme might spring to mind.   I'll probably exhibit this picture later in the year at my local Gallery to see if it will sell there.

So, I'm a happy bunny that 2 pictures got through.   Congratulations to all the other artists whose names have now been published on the UKCPS website ... I think many of the artists are either new to the Society or are non-members as I don't recognise the names - but that's the beauty of an Open Int'l Exhibition ... 

Next Post I'll show the 2 that got through ... 

Off for a curry now.     We have a wonderful Indian Restaurant just 10 minutes walk from our house (Jaipur Restaurant, Corralejo) and the food is so good that we now don't eat Indian in the UK as we just haven't found anything to compare ..... I look forward to this first curry of our holidays for weeks .....  the anticipation and build up is tremendous ... and it never disappoints!!!!