AND HERE ARE A FEW MORE DETAILS....

WACKY WATER COLOURS

I am busy sorting out my ideas for the coming term. Its quite a challenge to design as I try to make the project informative, stimulating, not too daunting and with the possibility of you following your own ideas from my starting point. Also I want the work to be different from what we have done before, or perhaps building on previous work and ideas. Anyway here are a few details of a water colour I have been playing with during the last few days.....

Winsor and Newton Impossible to open Bottles

I have been in contact with Winsor and Newton re the Artisan water mixable oil paint mediums bottles with 'childproof', and for 'childproof' read 'human proof', lids. People in my classes have hacked or carved off the lids and had to decant the product into a more usable container. What a waste of time, and of product too of course. I didn't get much joy from W and N, two out of office replies only, but Jacksons, my favourite catalogue company stirred them up a bit. Anyway the upshot is that Marla Morrison,     ustechhelp@winsornewton.com    will give you a replacement if you contact her, or she says that if you return the bottle to the place where purchased it will be replaced. There was an 'issue' with the tops, now cured she says, and if you look for a five digit horizontal code in small writing on the back of the bottle the new and supposedly openable caps it needs to end in 25, so its worth checking that whenever you buy these bottles.

LINO PRINTING

And don't forget the Lino Printing course, two days, which we offer here at (almost )your convenience! email or call me for details

WEYBOURNE STATION, (south east of the village, look for the NNR sign).

The next Summer School will be at Weybourne Station, for three days, 9th, 10th, and 11th September. There is a Cafe we can use. Times 10-3.30, and the cost is £35 per day or £90 for all three days. It is always best, in my experience, to work for more than one day, you get the feel of the place the first day, and make real progress on the successive days, so I have found that one day is never enough, and three is good, and makes a very worthwhile and enjoyable learning experience.
Use the media of your choice, and work at your own pace. There is plenty of subject matter to engage you, the engines and rolling stock of course, but the Station and general area are interesting too and give that sense of context which is often missing if you rely on photos as your source. So context and variety are some of the advantages of a three day session like this. There are two handsome bridges, cafe, waiting room and lots of train related ephemera....not forgetting men in uniforms!

Weybourne

Weybourne

Sheringham, winter atmosphere!

Weybourne

Weybourne

So here are some photos we took at Weybourne to give you an idea of what is there in case you havn't ever been. The photo of Sheringham Station is there for a bit of extra atmosphere, though of course it is also on the Poppy Line.

TRANSPORT

...well you are used to seeing me in my tiny little blue car, (our cars don't have names, they are designated by colour, this means that when we buy a new one it obviously has to be a different colour from any others we have at the time) but with its M.O.T due this summer I decided that at thirteen, and with various bits dropping off it, corrosion and old age taking their toll, getting to the stage when lots of elements of it might need expensive mending and the decision made time and time again 'is it worth it?' I would bite the bullet and look for another to replace it. Well we looked at second hand vehicles and eventually came to the conclusion that a new Suzuki, in fact the updated version of the blue car would be best, because with a special offer at the moment, economic fuel consumption, lack of ANY ROAD TAX to pay, warranty, and NO WORRY (remember what the snow and ice was like in the winter?) it was really good value for what I need. So what do I need? really just a cart to put all my art stuff in, with a reliable engine attached, so here you are,    goodbye to the old faithful blue car

and hello to the red car, I hope it does as well as it's predecessor

see how shiny it is! and plenty of room in the back to fill with my art equipment!

So now you need to check whether I am at the Village Hall by noticing a red car rather than the blue one! 

JUST A FEW OF MY PAINTINGS

I am putting a few paintings up here, so you don't think I am sitting at home doing nothing

these are all water colour and ink. I like them. I think water colour has such potential which is not usually tapped. Not that I come near to pushing it as far as I want to here, but these are a step on the road!

OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SUN

Here are a few photos from the last few days, when the sun has been so glorious I just had to be outside! we went up the Hunstanton on the Motorbike and we were too hot even while riding along, something I have never experienced before! (My abiding fear is to be cold on the back of the bike, as on one memorable day when we came back from the coast and I got so cold my bones ached, and we went out for dinner that night, (to Audrey and Graham's) and I had to take a hot water bottle with me to help me thaw!)
We were so hot that we pulled into the village car park at Holkham, took our helmets off and lay in the shade, here is where we were, by the avenue of magnificent Holm Oak trees which lead up to the entrance to the estate and hall. In case you are interested in bikes I'll just put in a photo of Paul!              

PORTRAITS from the end of term at Cawston....

Here are the portraits you painted at the end of term. Lesley kindly 'sat' as her wrist was still not strong after her canine related injury, and then the others are self portraits. The idea here, I will explain for those of you who weren't there, was to work on brown paper, sugar paper or just wrapping paper, with indian ink, using a pen or slender stick to work with, and then use white gouache to point up the highlights. Of course the mid tone paper provides the middle tones, and you just look for the extreme darks and lights, so the image is simplified, but striking. (top and bottom right are by Peter, who forgot his mirror, so did his self portrait by feel and memory!!!)

SOME OF THE PAINTINGS FROM OUR CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING DAY AT THE END OF JULY

 So here are a few of the paintings which we did at Marsham Village Hall on the Chinese Brush Painting Day! You will see that some are based on the same practise pieces so have similarities, but of course under each person's hand the results are different. These are just a few, and are really quite experimental because it takes a Chinese Master perhaps thirty five years to become an expert in just one field, maybe just fish, just fish for thirty five years! My reason for teaching this skill, of course only just a start to this skill, is because the techniques involved can add significantly to your water colour abilities and ideas. I think water colour has such potential, and most of the time we only scratch the surface of what those paints will do for us!