paintings prints and stuff

It's early autumn so there aren't too many flowers in the garden - but I was desperate to try out the super macro on my camera, focussing so close that the flowers are virtually touching the lens :) These are the results this one is out of focus because the wind blew the rose hip just as I took the picture, but I rather like it as it is, abstract shapes and colours. the centres of flowers are the subject of a new series of paintings and, though I don't like working from photographs, I'm sure these will help. If you want to see more, they are on http://sitekreator.com/vivien/index.html The immediacy of digital photography is great, take them and see them onscreen, edit, crop and delete failures within minutes.

I went for a walk in the woods this lunchtime and tried out my new camera. The light was difficult as it was very bright and sunny and very dark under the trees - difficult for the camera to cope with and dazzling to walk through. There's a shallow stream that flows over stones, reflecting the sky and scattered with acorns and leaves. I tried taking photographs of it, the mix of warm earth colours and first fallen leaves against the cool blue sky reflections was lovely. This is blurry as it's moving water taken in dark conditions and blown up from the centre of a larger image - but I like the colours and movement in it. The purple loosestrife seeds had nearly all blown away, leaving those lovely skeletal spirals silhouetted against the shadows. The woods are ancient and once belonged to the family of Lady Jane Grey - beheaded by Mary Tudor when her family tried to claim the throne on her behalf. The ruins of her old family home are nearby at Bradgate Park. The story: http://www...

I've got a bit more to do to this canvas but it's coming along. It's 18 inches square on gallery wrap canvas. It's based on sketches I did of the centres of oriental poppies. The bottom petal has fallen off - which isn't very clear yet and the image is a bit blurred as it was taken in a very gloomy room using flash. The small patches of deep blue green in the background aren't showing up in this photo. When it's finished I'll photograph it in natural light. The centres of oriental poppies are so dramatic, with the deep dark purples reflecting electric blues as they catch the light and the petal colours so vibrant. I'll probably work on a much larger canvas later, abstracting from this one. I'll be working on the contrasts - more orange and light catching the petals, pushing the fallen petal back a bit and bringing out those electric highlights. I'm convalescing from a small op on my foot at the moment, so can't stand to paint, I have to ...

I've managed to do a bit more to the close up of the Poppy but haven't photographed it yet. It's been a busy time of work+++ and a family get together. excuses, excuses :( I'm due to have a small (and I have a horrible feeling, painful) operation on my foot so won't be able to stand to paint. Maybe I'll get some sketching done.

In the lovely old flint churches were fragments of medieval stained glass windows, carved Norman fonts, medieval rood screens, painted with the apostles, beautifully engraved tombs, medieval decorative floor tiles - it was fascinating The Medieval windows from the 1500's The Norman font (1100's) The traditional building material in the area is flint and a lot of church towers were round as the corner stones to make square towers were expensive. Several of these survive in the area around us.

In August I went to Norfolk with friends for a week. Between us we walked, sketched, visited galleries, bookshops and old churches and had a great time. This is a not particularly good coloured pencil sketch done there in a small sketchbook. It was the first time I'd tried CP's plein air and I've decided I prefer to use oils plein air for the speed of working and the ability to change and push things around as I work. It's in a very small 6x4 inch sketch book so the double page spread is only 8ins across. I have only recently started using coloured pencils as a medium in their own right, previously I'd only used them as an element in mixed media sketches. The sketch was done at Burnham Overy Staithe, a small saltmarsh harbour. My friends had gone for a walk and I'd opted to sit and sketch the boats as the tide slowly crept in. Not a usual subject for me but an interesting challenge. The scan hasn't quite picked up the mauves and pinks in the wet sand/mud and...

Somehow the log in stopped recognising me :( and I've been unable to post anything for ages - all I got for ages were automated responses that just sent me around in a loop, never getting anywhere :( - finally a PERSON! Danish, who kindly sorted things out :)