Summer Blog Break - Back 13 September

I am having a summer blog holiday now so I will not be back until Sunday 13 September, although I will be making visits here and there. I hope you all have a very pleasant late summer period. I hope to produce quite a lot of work in that time including a needlepoint I am planning and hopefully some linoprints. I bought a nice wooden spoon in a charity shop recently for that very purpose. See you in September.

This is called The Silent Land. I particularly liked the tree in the pot that my "lady who planted trees" was holding in last week's post, that I decided to expand on the theme. This is the result. The trees are pen and ink but digitally coloured. I have also done a version with snowflakes which I will use for Christmas cards later in the year.

I am working on a bit of a marine theme today. These watercolour fish also started out life as potential greetings card images. I used to produce quite a lot of fishy themed work originally but I haven't done so much lately.

Anyone who has followed my blog since the early days may recognise this painting but it is, in fact, a different one to the one I posted way back. This is the original and better version which has recently turned up again. Aren't "clear outs"wonderful?

Whilst I was having my clear out I found a couple of old greetings cards that I made about fifteen years ago. I used to make a lot of cards when I first started drawing and painting - some I sold and some I didn't. The pink one is made of handmade paper mounted on card. The image is hand drawn. The mermaid is also a hand drawn picture. Things took an awful long time in those days before computers were commonplace.

I love this Garden Lovers ceramic by John Maltby. He produces the most beautiful sculptures.

All is safely gathered in. The harvest is taking place all over the countryside now, in between the rain showers, of course. These shots are of local fields.

This is wonderful craftsmanship of about 500 years ago. These are the decorative chimney stacks of the Tudor period belonging to Chenies Manor House. I am not certain how they would have been carved but it was obviously a labour of love for someone and must have taken a long time to create. The results are stunning. Can you imagine anyone taking such trouble over chimney stacks in the present day?

Caroline Hyde-Brown is an textile artist and designer. She creates her gorgeous pictures by combining painting with acrylics and oil pastels and then adding embroidery. The result is a beautiful piece of craftwork. I have seen her work in exhibitions and it is far better seen in real life. She uses a lot of golden and silver thread which shimmers. She is very inspired by the way light falls on the landscape. I find her trees particularly lovely. Her website is well worth a visit and can be found here.

The paintings below are the work of the late Wendy Stevenson who was rightly very well known for her beautifully lively and colourful paintings of animals and the countryside and particularly cats. I have bought many of her images on greetings cards over the years and these are two of my favourites that I was definitely keeping. How I would love to be able to paint like this.

Sheep By The Lake

Sheep and Lambs In A Field Of Daisies

I really like these aspen and oak leaf pendants by Etsy seller Briguysgirls. Apparently they are the real leaves which have been skeletalised and plated in metals.

The summer blooms are starting to die off now we are nearing the end of August. I am sorry to see them go. We have had some wonderful flowers in the garden. Still, there will be lots of photogenic and superb seedheads to look at. I think the sunflower below is quite beautiful. A bit like a wizened old lady. I found this in my brother and his partner's garden a couple of years ago.

Dried Sunflower

This was a summer nigella after a refreshing shower

and this is what is left now the flower has bloomed and died. Nigella are one of my favourite flowers so hopefully there will be lots more for next year.

Late Summer Dahlias

I wonder how many of you have or would have vinyl wall decals in your homes? I think they are great contemporary idea and there is a huge selection of designs around these days. I think these three designs by Etsy seller SurfaceFlik are great. Notice how I particularly like the tree designs. If you go to Etsy and search for Wall Decals you will find many many more.

Garden Tree Design

Flower Balls

New Tree Design

I have long been an admirer of English artist and printmaker Adrienne Craddock. She produces the most beautiful hand coloured drypoint and collograph prints as seen below. Her work is heavily inspired by myths, folklore and dreams and has a wonderful narrative and graphic quality. Adrienne also works in schools and colleges teaching art. Her website can be found here, and there is a very interesting video of how she produces her prints at the Sheeran Lock Art Gallery here. Also if you visit here at the gallery you can watch all the short videos that John Sheeran has produced about the artists represented by the gallery. They provide a fascinating insight into the way the contemporary artist works.

Angel

Tiger In The Tulips

Still Among The Bed Of Cabbages He Lay

Keep A Green Branch In Your Heart

Chanticleer

The Dunce And The Chatterer