May Flies ....

Hi All

I can't believe we're approaching another Bank Holiday weekend and then we'll be in June!  Last time I looked, it was March!  I've been busy for the past few months with lots of great stuff going on so I thought I should give you a brief update.  Here goes ...

March 

The first weekend in March I spent a thoroughly enjoyable 2 days at the South-Eastern Woodworking Show and demonstrated numerous paint effects to a large gathering of Woodturners and Carvers.  It was great to meet so many people and catch up with those I have met before.  I particularly love it when I get the chance to chat with individuals about how they've used the paint and answer specific questions.  And of course, it's always great to have dinner with the lovely Lynn Courteney of Jo Sonja's UK and catch up on news.

I arrived home on Saturday evening, tired and happy and enjoyed a quiet night in with the family.  Sadly, the evening was to come to a devastating end when we had to take our beloved dog, Buster, to the Royal Vet College in the early hours and say goodbye to him.  He had been unwell for some time, so whilst not completely unexpected, this came about sooner than we had hoped.  We miss him desperately and he will never be replaced, but some months on we are starting to feel like we need another fur-baby to love, so watch this space .....

A few weeks later, I was on my way to Harrogate for the fabulous Dina Wakley workshops at Art from the Heart.  I attended some of her classes when she visited last year and she is such an amazing inspirational teacher, that I couldn't wait for these to come around.  After such a traumatic few weeks, it was just the break that I needed and I wasn't disappointed.  We used so many different materials and techniques, that my mind was buzzing!  We even got to try her new range of paints, which are gorgeous.  (They've now arrived in the UK and I've just received my order so am enjoying playing with them!)

April

In April,  I had a fabulous trip to Florence with my hubby and we saw some amazing artwork and sculpture ... as well as eating and drinking far too much!!  There really are some amazing sights and so much to see.  We even came across an Italian Woodturner!  Unfortunately, my Italian isn't good enough to ask if he wanted to try some acrylic paint techniques!!!

I also attended a wonderful workshop on the Melting Pot at the Artistic Stamper with the fabulous Jennie Boxall.  I've had my Pot for a while now, so it was great to see some of the techniques in action.  I definitely feel more inspired to use it now so thanks for a fabulous day to both Jennie and Mal (for all the tea!).

May

So now we're on to May and I have been busy working on some new workshops using a range of new materials.  So hopefully I'll see you at a venue near you soon teaching some great mixed media projects.  I will keep you posted.

And finally, the last piece of news is that I have to say goodbye to my Studio :(  To cut a very long story short (!), we are selling half of our garden as a building plot and the only access is through my Studio, which used to be a garage!  After my initial panic about where I was going to put everything..... I have now calmed down a little with the realisation that we are able to put up a replacement 'shed'.  So I'm now putting off the inevitable 'clear-out' and enjoying myself with plans and ideas for my new creative home.  So very exciting and it also feels like a new beginning rather than an ending, although I shall be sad to see my studio go.

I think that pretty much covers the past few months, so I shall let you go and promise to keep you posted on news and developments as they occur rather than after the event!!!

Until next time ....happy painting

Liz x