Toyah: Snow Covers The Kiss

Watercolour, 2014.

So I'm a big Toyah fan and have been for nearly 35 years. I've painted her several times over the last few years. Back in 1985 she released a song called "Snow Covers The Kiss". It was relegated to a B-side of the single "Don't Fall In Love (I Said)" but for me it was equally as good. So this image came about from imagining if "Snow" had been the single and needed a cover image. Toyah's look at the time was much more glamorous and sophisticated than previously, so I've tried to keep that theme.

A Paranormal Sense of Place

Ink and watercolour, 2014.

I did this illustration for Katherine Tomlinson's article, "A Paranormal Sense of Place" over on Cafe Otherworld blog. She's giving away a lovely piece of jewellery too - to be in with a chance to win it you need to visit the page and leave a comment. http://www.cafeotherworld.com/wordpress/a-paranormal-sense-of-place-and-a-giveaway/

Jaquetta, Duchess of Bedford

Jaquetta, Duchess of Bedford, Digital, Artrage, 2013.

This is a piece I did last year for a book, "The Woodvilles", by Susan Higginbotham. Susan requested the portrait as there are no exisiting images of Jaquetta, who was the mother of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV and mother of the Princes in the Tower.

Abba Tulips

Abba Tulips, watercolour, 11 x 8 inches, 2014.

I couldn't resist getting these tulip bulbs last year when I saw the name. They .looked gorgeous in the garden but just after they had opened we had a day of heavy rain and they took a bit of a battering. I cut them and put them in a vase and decided to memorialise them in paint.

What I am up to....

It's been quiet on the art front for me recently.  One of my cats, Will, had a serious health issue that meant a serious operation and then a month recuperating with a lot of care and attention. I'm hoping that the problem is now fixed and we can get back to "normal"! In the meantime, all the new tulips I planted last Autumn have come into flower - hence the drawing above, the base for a new painting :)

Eyes of the Beholders - Portrait of Lara Dann

Eyes of the Beholders, Watercolour and coloured pencil, 9 x 11 inches, 2014

A portrait of my artist friend Lara Dann - check out her lovely work! 

Pirate Ann, Queen Of The High Teas

Pirate Ann, Queen Of The High Teas, watercolour, 8 x 10 inches, 2014.

A portrait of my friend Ann in a pirate costume.

Jean

Jean, Watercolour, 8 x 10 inches, 2014.

 This is a portrait of Jean, a lady I have got to know while out walking my dog, Dexter. It's the first of a series I hope to do of people and their dogs.

Sketching with Watercolour Pencils

Lots of lovely colours!

Sketch for a future painting...

So today the postman brought me the set of 60 Faber-Castell "Albrecht Durer" Watercolour Pencils that I ordered earlier this week. I thought they might be fun to use for sketching and to add details to my watercolour paintings. Above is my first go with them (with a little bit of marker). I think I'm going to enjoy working with them :)

Welcome....

Self Portrait, 2014, watercolour, 8 x 10 inches,

...to my new blog. I've been on a hiatus for a while. Let's just say I had to go away, take a break and find a reason to continue creating. Part of the resolution was ditching the digital and getting back to traditional media. So the first painting I did was this self portrait. It felt like coming home.