A Reminder

Just a reminder that I have moved my blog now to wordpress and have incorporated it into my website. I miss the ease of blogger, but am sure I will get the hang of wordpress one day!
Soon there will be a new competition there. Not sure what the prize will be yet. Still thinking about it.

Moved

If you are wondering why it is quiet here, it is because I have moved to Wordpress. Please join me there.

The prize in the Contest of Beauty.

The Contest of Beauty continues and more links will be added, but just to encourage those who have not yet taken part above is the drawing that the winner will be sent. A pencil drawing on board of a moon gazing hare, signed and titled.

I will add more links and images as more things come through. Check out the posting to see how things are so far and for those who have sent me things so far, I will be adding them, but the days are too short and I have too much to do. I will share, and I have so enjoyed seeing, reading, listening.

Moving house

We have had a strange relationship over the years. You could call it a love hate one, but really probably more love than hate, though there were those utterly frustrating times. But all good things come to an end. Not sure how to break it to you gently. I will miss you, but it is time to be moving on. I won't bore you or lie to you. I have too much respect for you than to do that. I will simply say that, yes, I have found someone else.

I'm sure you will find someone else who will love you like I did.

And I do want to say thank you. Thank you for all the work you have done for me, all the time we have spent together.

But now it's bye bye blogger and hello WordPress.

Still working on ideas for covers.

A book can become very successful with the right cover, sink without trace with the wrong one. I thought I had got the 'knack' of covers but have been struggling with this one. Maybe getting somewhere now but just want to try one more thing I think.

From porpoise to purple sandpipers.

Walking a beautiful beach with friends and the dogs this morning, theoretically before work, changed the plan for my day. I had been lost in playing with images of polar bears in city streets but the day had a pearl grey quality about it, shadows flattened by low cloud, not cold not warm. Ffion said that the boats were coming out of the water soon and I asked what was about at the moment. "Oh, you know, porpoise, seals still, and pups." So at 12 I found myself wrapped up warm in scarf and hat and gloves with a long lens ready to sit on a boat for an hour.

The sea was flat calm, or so it seemed.

Lucy was working as slip-master ( or should that be slip-mistress?)

Ffi was skipper, Dave was crew.

So off we went on adventures to look for things.

And we found porpoise, so many and very close. They swam towards the boat, curving dark out of the water until they were all around rising into the ocean of air to breath and dipping down again in the hunt for fish. We found seals, including one so fresh to the world that he was still bloodied and the afterbirth was being taken care of by sharp beaked cleaners, gulls and a raven. There were peregrine and buzzard. The rocks around the back of the island were soft green with lichen, and gold and also black from algae ( or was it lichen) I can't remember, that thrived on the salt spray.

I watched seals swimming, hauling out onto the beach, golden and gray and dappled and stone coloured. 

So once again this year I have to say thanks again to Voyages of Discovery. I have had three trips now this year and have seen such beautiful creatures from porpoise to purple sandpipers. Bliss.

 

If you want to follow the adventures of Voyages of Discovery you can do so on Facebook. They post photographs of current sightings throughout the summer and some are just so beautiful. This year's highlights included the double flip dolphin leap and the underwater dolphin film. Don't think anyone managed to get film of the whales breaching, but they did see them. All the people I sent out on trips saw dolphins and came back to land so excited. Worth a trip to Pembrokeshire, definitely. 
( And if you click on one of the images here it should show a slide show of larger images)

James Mayhew.

Not content with listening to an iPod while he works, my friend James Mayhew invites an orchestra to play with him. Mesmerizing watching how the music and the image just flow together.

Spot the Difference.

Above, almost. Below, finished. Sometimes it is difficult to know when to stop, to know what makes a 'finished' piece. Needs to dry now. 

Today I ordered some new paints. I want to play, bigger paintings, different paint and have taken some advise and learned some lessons from Catherine Hyde.

Her beautiful book, The Firebird, written by Saviour Pirotta has just been nominated for The Greenaway Award, and I am hoping that Saviour will be joining me in Bramhall, Stockport on 26th November, at Simply Books, where the Holly Dragon will be on display in the window.

 

Catherine has an exhibition at The Lighthouse Gallery in Cornwall. Beautiful work.

Almost there.

Walking this evening at dusk, the cool air made my breath glow in the quarter moon brightness. If I talked as I walked, quiet words of thinking, the words became visible. All was still, apart from the blackbird alarm call as twilight woke the darkling creatures for the wild hunt.

Sshhhhhhhh. Look. Listen.

I have worked at home alone for years. I find it hard to concentrate when there are people around, in the house, in the garden. Today I worked away in my studio listening to radio 4 and the sound of children in the other room. The children were visiting the Museum and galleries of Wales collection. At one point in the day I walked past and saw them all sat, silent and still, looking at a painting while the guide told them the story behind the picture. A semi-circle of concentration in miniature.
In the afternoon a lively noise was coming from the room so I turned up the radio a little and painted on. Then I realised it had gone completely silent. I turned around. Small faces were pressed up against the glass in the doors, big eyes, smiles. I waved and then held up my dragon for them to see, walked over so they could have a closer look.
I missed them when they had gone, missed the sound of them. Once again the day ended far too early and I drove home through the early evening twilight, leaving the Holly Dragon to fly through the gallery.