paintings prints and stuff

The Green Man, black and white photograph: Vivien Blackburn This is a photo I took in local woodland - a perfect naturally occurring 'Green Man' of the woods in the bark of a tree, with hooded eyes, a hooked nose, eyebrow ridges/horns, high cheekbones ...... I know roughly whereabouts I took it but sadly the light has never been right to find him again, though I've looked. Which has absolutely nothing to do with New Year and Resolutions ......... .......... but it's that time of year - what are my goals going to be? what do I want to achieve? Because of some very serious family health problems this year I didn't do as much painting as I would have liked . It was a pretty horrible and very sad year so here's hoping next year is better. to do list: Revamp website: I plan to revamp my website - which a friend truthfully described this week as a being rather like a scrapbook! True , because it isn't well organised and is a mix of available and sold work and wor...

I'm taking a Christmas break but having shown you the photographs of this beach in Cornwall in changing light, I thought I would show you just some of the sketches and paintings of the beach in different weather and at different times of day. for a longer write up please visit our group website watermarks :>) where I'll go into more detail about limited palettes, working plein air, size and medium, light, time and tide ...... I hope everyone had a great Christmas I got some lovely new art supplies to play with :>)

Katherine sent me this list of 'things to do' and it's popping up on everyone's blog at the moment! so here's my take on it - some of the list seem weird choices to me! 1. Started your own blog - yes 2. Slept under the stars - no, I like comfort! 3. Played in a band - no, sadly no musical talent :>( 4. Visited Hawaii - not on my list of things I want to do 5. Watched a meteor shower yes 6. Given more than you can afford to charity - yes 7. Been to Disneyland - NO!!!! and no wish to! 8. Climbed a mountain - yes - Cader Idris - and does going up Snowdon on the little train count? no? well it was brilliant anyway! 9. Held a praying mantis - no 10. Sang a solo NO 11. Bungee jumped NO WAY!!!! 12. Visited Paris - yes and had a brilliant time - saw the Marmottan museum, the d'Orsay, the Jeu de Paume, the Orangerie, the Rodin Museum, the Pompidou Centre and more :>) 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea Yes :>) 14. Taught yourself ...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone :>) A combination of the flakes I made at the snowflake cutting website and slide :>)

Paula Pertile put this tarot card link on her blog You are The Star Hope, expectation, Bright promises. The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one. What Tarot Card are You? Take the Test to Find Out. it sounds good after the lousy year I've just had :>) What are you?

posts might be a bit erratic until after Christmas - and then I have to get some serious painting done - my new years resolution! so in the meantime, another snowflake. :>) Sherrie you have a lot to answer for! this is addictive

Today I varnished the Russian Dolls - you can see them here As they were done experimentally in felt pen line with Polychromos coloured pencils to add the colour, I was a bit worried in case the varnish smudged them. It didn't at all :>) They were absolutely fine. They need another coat and then they can be wrapped. What have you made for friends and family for Christmas?

What interests me in my work is the changing light - in England it changes constantly with passing clouds, changes in the weather and season and time - from minute to minute to the light can vary enormously. Above is a look at a Cornish beach - Mawgan Porth - near to my childhood home and still very special to me. When I win the lottery there is a house with the view shown in several of these photos that I want to move into! These are just a few photographs but they - I hope - give you an idea of why this is one of my favourite places :>)

Sherrie at Brush and Baren gave a link for this fun site to cut your own snowflake - this is my effort :>) Have a go here (- warning it's a bit addictive!) I've never managed one so neat and perfect with real paper and scissors!

Lindsay did such a great slide show on our new Watermarks blog that I thought I'd show one of one of the areas that I paint. This is the nearest coastline to me at 100 miles. You can see an aerial view of part of the north coast of Norfolk on Paintmap , showing where some of my work was done.

Sennen Cove, digital image, Vivien Blackburn WATERMARKS Our new group blog Watermarks launches today ! You are cordially invited to come and take a look. Members are a really talented, interesting and varied group from around the world. Watermarks is about seascapes, rivers, canals, lakes, streams, ponds, fountains and more, and the different mark making we all use to describe what interests us in our subject matter, light, the people there, a sense of place, abstracting from the subject - all of us with different intentions, media and visual language. We plan to show work, talk about work in progress, artists that interest us, materials - anything and everything to do with our work about water. So come and visit Gesa, Laura, Lindsay, Jeanette, Katherine, Ronell, Sarah, Tina, and I and welcome :>)