25/07: HORSE & CAT - A LITTLE MORE PROGRESS

Unfortunately, I still have to attend the spine clinic 3 times per week for treatment and that kind of messes up our days .... David normally drives me there as parking can be problematic and today we took the 'scenic route' home so we could go to our favourite farm shop to buy some local produce.   The farmer was only too happy to chat to us about the various fruits on sale and gave us lots of tasters.  He isn't 'organic' as such but farms in a traditional manner that doesn't rely on using lots of pesticides etc ... he's very passionate about what he does and has a great sense of humour.    We ended up bringing home lots of plums, cherries and uncooked beetroots (which I just can't grow in our garden for some reason)!   

So I really only sat down at the drawing board around midday - I worked for several hours but actually can't see much progress ... one of those days!      Tomorrow I have two sessions at the clinic in the morning and a consultation to discuss the most recent tests in the afternoon - so lots of driving back and forth.    

It would be nice to think I could finish the horse tomorrow but he has some very unusual markings around eye and muzzle so I probably need another couple of days - here's where I finished today:

 

It was quite late when I photographed him and the light wasn't great, so the camera has picked up too much on the white pastel.

I did a little more on the cat as well but with no clear idea where I'm going on this (particularly the background) I've been 'faffing' a bit .... I think I need to darken the area to the left of the cat a little and also to decide how I'm going to crop this - whether it will be to fit a square frame or oblong frame.    Hopefully I'll be a little more decisive tomorrow :o)

I've got a 'mini' run of cat commissions to do, and also a handsome black horse - lovely to have some 4 legged subjects again.   I will also be doing a black and white drawing of a well known comedy duo  for a birthday commission.   I've decided to try that one in charcoal - a new venture for me - so if the experiment fails I'll have to redo it in graphite (but I have a few weeks to 'play' with this one).

Right - time for some plums methinks!

24/07: BACK HOME AND FEELING FRUITY!

We got home in the early hours yesterday after a wonderful 12 days on Fuerteventura.   Saturday was spent visiting our mothers and Roxy (my horse) and food shopping.   I caught up with most of my emails by lunchtime today and planned to get back to the drawing board this afternoon ... but the sun came out and the garden beckoned ... so I did lots of deadheading and tidying up, moving tubs and collecting tomatoes, peppers and runner beans for Dinner.

I'm amazed at the harvest this year .... our apple and pear trees are packed with fruit and the branches are really weighed down.   The damsons are huge already - they aren't supposed to be available till end August/September!!

That prompted us to check the shed where we store our supply of sloe gin and damson gin/damson brandy - embarassingly we have 13 bottles some dating back to 2004 which we'd kind of forgotten about.   (Its good stuff)!!   15 bottles of elderberry wine (2004) had to be thrown away as it was horrible ... we did try it a couple of years ago and didn't like it so decided to give it a little longer to 'mature' .... it didn't!!

So in the absence of any artwork ... here's some pictures of our fruit trees taken this afternoon.


Damsons - 6 weeks early and very prolific!

Early cropping apples - I tend to use these as cooking apples but have no idea what variety it is.

The branches of this tree are almost touching the ground in places - there are soooo many apples.  This is normally an Autumn crop (September/October) but ..... this year seems to be confusing all the plantlife!

Nice pears!

We have more than 20 tomato plants 'on the go' also .... so I'm going to be freezing loads of tomato soup later in the Summer I fear .... seemed like a good idea when I planted the seeds (I didn't expect all the plants to turn out so well)!

Well, enough of the garden news.  Hopefully there will be some progress on the art front tomorrow.   Otherwise I'll be forced to share more holiday photos with you :o)

09/07: HOLIDAYS AND HEDGEHOGS

Just a last minute post before closing the computer down in readiness for our early start to the airport (we have a 6.30am flight)

Our regular hedgehogs will be well cared for whilst we are away as our daughter is house-sitting but for a couple of days in the week we were concerned to see a very slow moving hedgehog wandering round our garden in broad daylight which I understand is usually a sign the hedgehog isn't well - normally we don't see much activity till 8.30pm onwards.   Thinking it was an elderly hog who might have been pushed away from the feeding station by younger ones at night we put some cat biscuits in the undergrowth and they were devoured hungrily.   I took several photos - he/she didn't seem very worried by me or the camera.  

Looking at the photos later I noticed lots of lumps around its ear/eye which look sore in places.    I phoned a hedgehog rescue place and was told I should get the pig to a vet asap .... I emailed them a photo showing the lumps and they promised to get back to me with suggestions as to what the problem is  .... but didn't!   

David read somewhere that vets have an obligation to treat small wildlife creatures like hedgehogs free of charge - great if you can catch the beasties.    I haven't seen this one since Thursday afternoon so I guess he got wind of my intentions.   My cats always used to do a disappearing act whenever I planned to take them to the Vet - they seem to have a sixth sense don't they?

We are only away for 12 days so I hope we can catch this particular hedgehog on our return and get him treated.    Does anyone know what this problem might be.  I understand they can get mange, or it may be fly bites if the hedgehog has been injured (a likely scenario as they are all becoming a little bit aggressive around the feeding station at night)  Does anyone have any knowledge of hedgehogs or ideas as to what the problem might be?  I think you should be able to enlarge the photos by clicking on them to get a better look

Whilst watching the hedgehogs on the patio at night, we often saw a little woodmouse dashing to and fro the feeding station pinching pieces of cheese and dried fruit.    I waited outside one evening to photograph 'him' and was amazed to see 3 of the little beasties under the bike shed .... without the camera I had only ever seen one at a time and assumed we had a single visitor ... they are very tiny as you can see comparing them with the seedless grape size in the last picture!

They are very cute aren't they?    I've never had a problem watching or handling mice ....... but show me a spider and I feel faint instantly :o)

Well I probably won't be posting till back in England  .... our internet connection at our holiday home is very poor and I really don't like using internet cafes in Town - they tend to be very hot and very noisy.

08/07: A LITTLE MORE PROGRESS

Domestic Goddess I am not!  Spring-cleaning was short lived today.   I cleaned the wood floors and polished furniture but couldn't face cleaning windows ... its raining anyway - and the lure of the drawing board was too strong!   

So I got a little more work done on the two pastels I started yesterday.  The horse in particular is at one of those early 'ugly' stages that portraits often go through until the finer detail is added which suddenly transforms the work.   I'm just building up colour and facial contours etc at the moment.   It will be good to let this rest  till we return from Fuerteventura and look at it with fresh eyes.   The white line across the page is just me being indecisive ... not sure whether to put a very understated background in - just split colours top and bottom or to leave it plain.  I don't normally add backgrounds to commissioned portraits but am not sure how well the horse will stand out from the coloured background.   I don't need to decide just yet though

the cat is looking a little less garish now .. I've added some finer fur detail but won't put whiskers in till I've decided if I'm going to change the background again.

08/07: TWO NEW PASTELS - EARLY STAGES

I've switched from coloured pencil to pastel for the next two pictures.   I made a start yesterday on a horse portrait which isn't required for a few weeks but he has some intricate markings on his face so I'd like to really take my time and work on this in small stages (using grids constantly to check placement of markings).  I think its safe to post the initial stages as he isn't really recognisable yet.

Here I've outlined the horse using Derwent Burnt Umber and Titanium White pastel pencils, marking the most prominent contours of his face - these lines will blend in and disappear once the base layer of colour is applied.  As always I had to draw in the eye (I'm not an artist who can leave the eye till last as I need to build a rapport with the subject and the eyes really do add personality).  I then blocked in the light grey muzzle area but this will be refined in later stages.   I'm using Clairefontaine Pastelmat for this portrait in the shade they describe as Brown but which has a decidedly pink tinge.

As a little light relief I also started on a cat portrait which is evolving as I go along.   It is based on a mixture of reference photos and will probably change constantly  .....

I'm working on Fisher 400 sanded paper and the background has been suggested using a combination of soft pastels.  The background is based on a cat photographed looking around a door I think but I've turned this into a suggestion of curtain/material ... but it may change again.   The eyes are not as dark as my camera has suggested here - but there will be lots of tweaks and changes along the way.

So ... I had a productive afternoon yesterday but may not have time to work on them today .....  we are going back to Fuerteventura for 12 days tomorrow evening.  My stepdaughter and family will be house-sitting here while we are away so I'm spending the day washing/cleaning etc (as you do) and tomorrow will be taken up with visiting parents and my (retired) horse - it was all arranged as a last minute thing so I'm really looking forward to it .. especially as the weather is a bit grim here at the moment.

As mentioned in a previous post about Fuerteventura, the islanders find something to celebrate most months and July is no exception.   In Corralejo (at the North of the island where we have our house) 16th July is The saint's day of Señora del Carmen, the patron saint of Corralejo.  There will be a festival of dance, music and gastronomy with processions through the town.  The locals head to the beach and take to the sea in beautifully decorated fishing boats - lots of noise and colour.

Fuerteventura is reknown for its 'wind' and is a favourite destination for windsurfers and kiteboarders.   The 26th Windsurf & Kite boarding World Championship will take place from 22/07 - 01/08/2011 at the South end of the island.   We've never watched this event (and indeed will miss it this year) but I'm told its quite spectacular with top class surfers from around the world competing in various disciplines.   I'm more of a 'dipping my toes into the very edge of the water' person I'm afraid!

07/07: LEGLESS IN WHITSTABLE !

Well, can you think of a better title?

We had glorious weather at the weekend.  We live on the North Kent coast about 10 minutes walk from Tankerton Slopes and the beach promenade which stretches to Whitstable in one direction and Herne Bay in the other so we strolled into Whitstable which was absolutely buzzing.  We get lots of daytrippers from London as Whitstable is considered very 'trendy' with its working harbour and fish/oyster bars and restaurants.  The DFLs (Down from London folk) spend enough money here in the Summer months to ensure that the little shops survive throughout the Winter (unlike many of their counterparts in other parts of England where the supermarket giants have taken over).

Last Autumn when the New Economics Foundation (NEF) published its report on the state of England's High Streets, Whitstable had the most diverse high street scoring an impressive 92.1 on the diversity scale.

 Its not a beautiful seaside town and it has pebble beaches but Whitstable has lots of character and I guess its picturesque in a workmanlike way ... and we love living here

We just have to keep reminding ourselves that this is brilliant for the local economy ... and we get the beaches to ourselves in the Winter months!

I believe there are 6 or 7 sailing clubs within a 10 mile radius here - the ones in the background here are from the Whitstable Yacht club - the big race programme happens in August so lots of practicing going on I think.

The sea looked 'almost blue' at the weekend ... its back to its 'porridge colour' now our weather has taken a turn for the worse - squally rain showers and grey skies.   Never mind, the garden will benefit from a good downpour!  and what else would we Brits talk about if not the weather?

05/07: PORTRAIT OF 'POPS'

Can I call myself 'Artist to the Stars' now?

I was recently asked by a lovely lady, Janet, (an actress and scriptwriter) to portray her father 'Pops' who sadly passed away earlier this year.   The main reference photo showed very little detail as it was a family group standing under a willow tree with dappled sunlight creating shadows.  However with the help of some additional photos and my client's helpful guidance I completed the portrait yesterday and I'm told it made her cry.    Portraiture is a strange business when we can measure success by the ability to bring tears to our clients' eyes (equalled only by Solicitors and their fees perhaps) :o)

I won't show the reference photo(s) but Janet is very happy for the portrait to be shown here:

I used Prismacolor and Van Gogh Coloured Pencils on dark grey Clairefontaine Pastelmat for this portrait - a combination which I think works well to show off light coloured hair/clothing.

03/07: PLAYTIME!

As friends and followers will know, we have a holiday home in Corralejo on the Canarian island of Fuerteventura.   We love the people, the climate and the lack of 'red tape and political correctness' which seems to be crippling us in the UK.

Although it isn't a place for 18-30 groups seeking non-stop discos/drinking binges, it certainly isn't a dull place.  If there's one thing the Fuerteventura folk excel at its partying - and the whole family participates.    I think in a 'normal' year there are only two months (April and August) where there isn't a festival or carnival or some other celebration being staged.  Many involve lots of drumming/marching bands and/or firework displays on the beach

The biggest event is the annual Carnival which lasts for nearly two weeks (normally in March) and culminates in a huge (and very noisy) evening parade through Town which takes a couple of hours.  Then its down to the Harbour for dancing till daylight.

The floats are always spectacular (they have 12 months to prepare) but for me the most enjoyable bit is seeing all the locals dressed up and having fun - although the parades are always themed, anything goes basically.  If you have fancy dress - flaunt it!    This year the theme was 'old civilizations'

The floats for the 'Carnival Queens' are very ornate and the winning designs are usually on display for weeks before and after the event. The procession starts early evening in daylight but the floats really come to life once the sun goes down.   Bags of wrapped sweeties are carried by all participants in the parade and these are thrown out to children (of all ages) along the route.

Apologies for showing this pic from last year's (jungle themed) procession, but the owner of this beach buggy really transforms it brilliantly each year

and here it is this year decked out in Egyptian palace style with the owner dressed as Cleopatra - Men dressing as women seems to feature heavily in these carnivals - sort of panto I guess!

I think this was built around a supermarket trolley - very innovative isn't it?

Everyone enjoys dressing up

Well, maybe not quite everyone!

Not quite the Three Ugly Sisters ..... just David (hubby) with a couple of 'lady friends'

and these guys stopped off for some liquid refreshment at Casa Manolo's - our favourite Spanish restaurant/tapas bar.    You can just catch a glimpse of Maria behind the bar - she is the owner of Angel, the German Shepherd I featured in my Blog recently.

Hope that wasn't too many pics .... but I can now clear my files.  I always take far too many photos at these events in the hope of finding the perfect 'character' to draw at a later date.

01/07: COLOURED PENCIL ART

The deadline for entries into the 10th International Annual Exhibition of the UKCPS was extended to 2 July 2011 when Hobbycraft recently agreed to promote the exhibition throughout their stores.  From a purely selfish point I'm really pleased about the extension as my trapped nerve problem meant I hadn't been able to produce anything to submit to the judges this year - whether or not my work gets accepted I've entered every year since being 'introduced' to coloured pencils in 2006.     Feeling much more human the last week or so I've been able to re-work a couple of cp practice pictures and complete a head study of one of the giraffes I photographed at Fuerteventura zoo last month.    So, fingers crossed!!

I hope lots of you coloured pencil artists have also submitted work to the exhibition as its going to be the biggest and best yet.  The venue is Central Hall, Westminster and the exhibition runs from 19 September to 1 October.    If you haven't submitted works but would like to see what can be achieved with this versatile medium why not have a day out in London to view the exhibition - or book yourself on to one of the workshops.

The UKCPS will be staging two exhibitions during the event - its Annual Open International Exhibition for works completed totally in coloured pencil and a separate exhibition  for works showing innovative and imaginative use of coloured pencil  with other  media (the main medium must still be coloured pencil).   Throughout the event there will be demonstrations, 'Have a Go' area, silent auction and Children's trail, together with the best series of  coloured pencil workshops ever held in Europe – details and booking at
> www.ukcps.co.uk

This isn't one I submitted to the exhibition, but I was sorting through old photos and came across a folder containing about 50 photos I took of two beautiful Vizslas I was commissioned to draw as a 40th birthday present.  This is Tisca completed in coloured pencil.

I'm currently working on a 'human' portrait in coloured pencil but I haven't asked for permission to show progress pics so can't post at the moment.

30/06: WHAT DOES YOUR ARTIST STATEMENT SAY ABOUT YOU?

Intrigued?

I visited the Turner Contemporary Gallery which opened recently in nearby Margate (cost £17.5million).    Despite studying the Artist Statements and copious notes provided to explain the exhibits I came away non-the-wiser.   I just 'don't get' most contemporary art - I didn't even understand most of the Statements.

I came to the conclusion therefore that I'll never be able to write my own 'Artist Statement'  so am indebted to web designer, Joke de Winter, and David James Ross, for their tongue-in-cheek Artist Statement Generator.  

WARNING!  Please be aware there is a 'naughty word' in the heading which I'm unable to change so don't look at the site if you are easily offended.

Their site:

INSTANT ARTIST STATEMENT

29/06: A PORTRAIT OF ANGEL

I had intended to post some Carnival photos tonight but I'm tired ...... on Wednesdays David and I work as volunteers  at the eBay office of the Pilgrims Hospice Charity (actually David works there Wednesdays and Fridays).     There are 23 Pilgrims Hospice Charity shops in Kent, staffed by volunteers, selling items donated by the public to help fund the £9million required annually to run 3 Hospices.    Items in the charity shops tend to be sold at low prices so shop volunteers are encouraged to identify 'better quality' goods which can be marketed to a worldwide audience via eBay.   That's where we come in .... at the eBay office we photograph,  describe and list the items and usually realise much better prices for the charity than can be achieved in the shops.    Its interesting and great fun - and of course its for a brilliant cause.   It is quite intensive and tiring though as its essential to ensure we don't list 'fake' items or faulty goods etc.

Anyway, here's a photo of a portrait I completed recently of a beautiful German Shepherd belonging to Maria from Casa Manolo's restaurant in Corralejo, Fuerteventura.  The dog's  name is Angel (pronounced ahn-hel in Spanish) and is Maria's 'baby'

He was completed in pastels on Fisher 400 sanded paper.

28/06: NORMAL SERVICE RESUMED !

I've been away for far too long and have probably missed lots of wonderful posts but its great to be back.    On doctor's orders I had to severely cut back on computer/keyboard time and drawing at my desk.   Working at an easel was fine for pastel work but for coloured pencil work which takes much longer I prefer to sit/work at my desk (which aggravated the trapped nerve/shoulder problems)

But I feel soooo much better now and have lots of work to catch up on.

Very belatedly, here's a photo of Fluffy sitting next to her portrait - this was kindly sent to me by Fluffy's mum some time ago ..... but better late than never!

Lots of things have happened since my last post - including the annual carnival at our (second)hometown of Corralejo on Fuerteventura which is always an exciting week.  I took lots of photos and will post some tomorrow.   During our trip to Fuerteventura we also visited the Zoo/Botanical Gardens ... we've had a holiday home on the island for 7 years but have never before visited this attraction.  I have mixed feelings about keeping animals in zoos, but must say that I was really impressed with the beautiful surroundings and well thought out enclosures the animals lived in.  I took nearly 600 photos there and have lots of reference pictures on my 'to do' list.

08/04: FANCY BEING FAMOUS?

Apologies for absence ..... this is partly due to continuing spine/nerve problems with my neck and arm which finally drove me to obey doctor's instructions not to drive/draw or use the computer for a while.    This wasn't too difficult as we were on holiday at our home on Fuerteventura - however, I'm back home and bored.  I will be back at the drawing board on Monday as I have a couple of commission deadlines looming.

In the meantime .... all you pet loving couples out there may be interested to know about a new primetime comedy panel show which is being planned by Endemol (responsible for Big Brother amongst other programmes).  This is what they wrote to me:

Hi Sue,

We are looking for fun pet-owning couples who are very much in love, but have an ongoing tiff or dispute that they want resolved, once and for all! It doesn’t matter how small or ridiculous the issue may be – it could be an annoying habit, a strange hobby, or something silly that they just always argue about, perhaps their pets.   

Our celebrity comedy panel will watch each couple in action, listen to both sides of the story, and then ultimately decide who they think is right, and who is wrong. This is the chance to finally get your own way on an issue that’s been driving you mad!

We filmed a pilot of this show earlier in the year, and our comedians included Jack Dee, Jo Brand and Sarah Millican.

After looking at your site and looking at some of your work with pets, It would be great if you could place this information onto your website or include it in your newsletter or members’ mailing list, as this might be perfect for some of your customers. Or if you know anyone personally you could recommend that would be great as well.

Do let me know if you require any further information. I have also attached the below details as a flyer.

Best wishes,

 Daniel

 I couldn't find a way to upload the flyer onto my Blog so if anybody is interested in applying - or wants to nominate friends (!!)  click on the link below which will take you to the flyer (via my website) and shows contact email and telephone details.      Do let me know if you decide to go for it ....

Click here

11/03: SURPRISE SURPRISE !!!

On Wednesday afternoon I got the opportunity to meet 'Fluffy's Mum' when she was driven to our house by husband Terry to collect the portrait which he had commissioned as a surprise birthday present.

Terry wanted the portrait to be presented as part of a week long birthday celebration which he has organised.   He was very good at keeping the portrait a secret and poor Alexandra was quite bewildered to be driven to a house in Whitstable, told to brush her hair before leaving the car and then being introduced to a total stranger!

Terry had also arranged to have a beautiful oak frame made which complemented the picture beautifully and matched their furniture at home - what a very organised hubby!!

Here's a photo - I do wish I'd have taken it in a tidier area of the house - please ignore the background which is the 'odds & sods' area of my workroom.   If I was more au fait with photo manipulation packages I could probably remove the offending bits ..... but this is real life!

Cheers Alexandra .... I hope you had a wonderful week!

  

11/03: CATCH UP TIME

Firstly a huge thank you for all the lovely messages I've had over the last few days (both via the Blog and by email) - you're a lovely bunch of people

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself this morning and then read your messages ..... and then started following the news about the dreadful events in Japan and I felt ashamed of myself!

I have much more movement in my left arm now but still get constant aches/pins & needles.  I'm just impatient to get back to normal (whatever that is).

I was told by my chiropractor not to sit at the computer, or to draw, for a few weeks and I disobeyed him.  I paid the price by spoiling a portrait I was working on and having to re-start it.  So I'm going to be good now.  We go back to our holiday home on Fuerteventura on Wednesday so I'm sure I'll feel more cheerful once I see the sun again :o).   I have commissions to get on with immediately on my return so I'll be back at the drawing board and posting regularly again then .

01/03: NATIONAL FRAUD AUTHORITY - Report Scam Emails (or not)!!

I guess, like me, you receive lots of scam emails every day - sadly its an unfortunate part of modern IT driven life.   Most scam emails are instantly recognisable by their poor spelling and grammar (particularly the Nigerian ones).  However there are some quite sophisticated ones in circulation and I was nearly caught by one purporting to be from a person I know well - had I clicked the link to view the photos he was allegedly forwarding, my contact list would have been phished and used to bombard everyone in my address book .....


I use an excellent Spam filter but it always seems a bit of a waste simply deleting these messages that somebody has gone to such lengths to put together.  So I was very pleased to read on the BBC website (Saturday) that the National Fraud Authority is planning to track down these fraudsters.    They provided an email address to which viewers were urged to forward scam emails (one time only).   GREAT!!!   email@actionfraud.org.uk

So I forwarded two of the 'better ones'   ...... 5 minutes later they bounced back to me.   Trawling through the return delivery mail to ascertain the reason I was amused to see that one was because 'your email was detected as spam' and the other 'your email contained a virus'.        I tried sending two more ... with identical results - they were bounced back to me.      I sent an email to Action Fraud (minus any spam email attachments) advising them of my problems ... no response to date (3 days later).

David (hubby) tried sending some of his messages and got the same result.   However, he has had a response from Action Fraud saying that a small number of people are experiencing problems.     Now on their official website, 'Action Fraud' has added the following paragraph:

Got an email bounce back? A small percentage of emails you forward to Action Fraud may not get through because of the content of the email. If this is the case, you can send your scam mail to our freepost address:

Action Fraud - Scam mail
Freepost Action Fraud
4th Floor
Westminster House
11 Portland St
Manchester
M1 3HU

The emails received by Action Fraud will be forwarded to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau run by the City of London Police for collation and analysis. This will enable crucial intelligence to be gathered and preventative action to be taken. The activity will seek to disrupt the fraudsters and close down the links between them and the victim.

Dr Bernard Herdan, CEO of the National Fraud Authority who runs Action Fraud, said: ‘This is the first time we have been able to collect and analyse scam mail and emails in this way. Collecting intelligence is the key to us being able to disrupt the activities of fraudsters and target their networks for closure.’ 

Now

Now I don't know about you ..... but I found it very disappointing that Action Fraud/National Fraud Authority  can't find a way to receive these very emails they are supposed to be analysing ... yes I could print out the messages and post them but surely that defeats the object as a print-out won't give details of the message source, or the path the email has taken to arrive in my Mailbox.


Methinks this is another half-baked idea which will occupy a government department or three without really getting to the root of the problem.   Or am I just being cynical and niggly because I'm feeling under the weather and tetchy