playing with the i pad

Having been to see the wonderful David Hockney exhibition at The Royal Academy in January I have been itching to have a play with an i pad and so borrowed one from a friend now I 'm hooked! It is great fun and quite compulsive as you can create crisp bright images in the blink of an eye and no brushes to wash! Anyway, I thought you might be interested to see how I have translated one of my simple designs on screen. Inspired by the cornish coast I have named this one 'i Padstow'.

Friendship

This morning I have been thinking about how many dear friends I have and I am feeling very blessed. Each one of them is special in their own way and together they make my life amazing. There are those who like me have never grown up and with whom I can often find myself helpless with laughter at the daft things in life, those who are my comfort and make me smile at the gentle things, those who offer sage advice and encourage me to grow up temporarily when necessary. Those who share their passion for their art with me, those who walk with me and share my excitement for the tiny buds appearing on the bushes, those who make fun of me and make me laugh at myself, those who force me to go down steeper slopes than I would have chosen on a pair of skis - you swines !!!! Those who sing along with me at apres ski, who zumba with me, who share my love of cake, who inspire me, who dance with me in their pyjamas, those who understand why I like to sit for hours just watching the waves and those who understand when I just want to be quiet and still. Just wanted to say thank you. xxxxx

Miss Masham presentation

Another highlight of the weekend was meeting Katy Lynch who is the winner of the competition in Dales Life Magazine. 3300 people from all around the country entered the competition to win one of my original paintings and Katy was able to travel to the Priory to be presented with her prize. I am very happy to know that Miss Masham has found a lovely new home and I have met a new friend who shares my sense of humour.

A Happy Time at the Priory

This weekend's Priory Arts Exhibition was a great success and an opportunity to meet new friends and catch up with old friends that I haven't seen for ages. The show looked stunning with the work of 8 other fellow artists sitting alongside my latest canvases. Sculptures, textiles, ceramics, prints and paintings in the beautiful setting of Syningthwaite Priory. I am soooo lucky to have my studio here and to be able to come and be inspired by the view across the fields every day, and to have a gallery space just across the gardens is, as my kids would say 'GOLD".

New Work

Just in case you are unable to attend the Priory Arts Exhibition this weekend we wouldn't want you to feel left out, you can see the new work that is hanging there by clicking on this link.

It's all go !

The paint brushes are in the sink, and the framing begins ! As usual I am cutting it fine , but I am thrilled with how things are looking 10 new paintings including two big beauties ready to be introduced at the Priory Arts Exhibition opening on Friday morning at 10 a.m. through until closing on Sunday at 4 p.m. Several of the other artists came yesterday to bring their work and it was like Christmas all over again opening up the bubble wrap to take a peak at their lovely work. The show is going to look FAB! For more information take a look at the events page on my website.

Art in the Priory

The colours are bright and beautiful, paint brushes are flying and the music is turned up loud . I am having a ball! I have 12 new originals waiting to show their faces, several of them will be exhibited at the 'Art in the Priory' exhibition which is to be held in the Priory Barn, a fantastic venue, near Walton, near Wetherby. You can find out more about it at www.priory-arts.com. I shall be releasing images of the new work on the website on the morning of 20th January to coincide with the opening of the exhibition. Do pop back and take a look, or better still come and see me at the exhibition it would be great to meet you. : 0)

More Goodies for the Gallery

We are sooo excited, again ! Look what we have just added to the list of little lovelies in the gallery. Fantastic traditional wooden jigsaws with a twist. Each one has little 'whimsey' pieces hidden in the picture and they are not as easy as you might think because of the odd shaped pieces. They come in two sizes 'micro' ideal for a little gift or 250 pieces fun to share the challenge. We have 4 images available at the moment but judging by the interest they are creating I think we will be adding more images next year. What makes these good old fashioned quality jigsaws even more appealing is that they are made in Britain from sustainable sources.

New place mats

As many of my lovely customers have been asking for place mats I have at last found someone to produce some. These great sets of 4 different designs in each of 4 themes are 23 cm square and available from the gallery in Masham. Hope you like them!

Meet my new friends

Bless them all, the long and the short and the tall, the fat and the slim and the small, the comical, the haughty and the naughty. They were all there at the Masham Sheep Fair. I look forward to this weekend every year to bring me inspiration for my paintings and keep me busy with ideas through the winter. Look out for my latest work and see if you can spot any of the characters from the sheep fair appearing on my website in the near future.

A smile around every corner

A chance to catch up