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

Big Art ... Big Hearts

I don't usually produce larger canvases, there is something quite daunting about them, although I do have a number of blank ones ready and waiting in the studio!  More white space to cover I guess, which creates more questions about where to start!  Well, I was having 'one of those days' where nothing was going according to plan (know that feeling?).  I was feeling quite fed-up so decided to attack this large canvas panel.  Sometimes you just have to let yourself go and not overthink it!  What great fun I had and it definitely improved my mood ...

Getting messy and painty is definitely good therapy!

Happy painting...

Liz x

Secret Postcards ...

My son's school recently held a Secret Exhibition and people were asked to donate a piece of postcard-sized art to raise money for charity.  The artwork could be anything you wanted and each piece would be sold for £5 with all funds going to various school supported charities.  The fun bit is that you have no idea whose art you are buying!  What a fabulous idea!  

These were my contributions ... 

I had great fun putting them together and now I can see why ATC's are so addictive!  (For those not 'in the know' they're Artist Trading Cards).  What better way to feed your soul, creating art and for a good cause too :)

So, until next time ... happy painting 

Liz x

Hearts and Wings

Like me, do you ever get half-way through a project and get stuck?  Then put it to one side waiting for inspiration ....?  Well, I do this quite often and sometimes it's not because I'm stuck what to do next but that I run out of time and have to come back to it.  Then, when I do, I've lost that creative spark with it.  Well this canvas is one of those times ... unfortunately I don't have any 'before' pictures, but the beauty of working with acrylic paint is that you can paint over anything you don't like.  So, adopting some layering techniques, I did exactly that .... I hope you like it ....

Hearts & Wings

Close-up of different layers and shading

I added collage to cover up parts I really didn't like ...lol

Add some interest around the edge ...

I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  I placed it at the Shenley Tea Rooms and it sold within the week!  Amazing!  I now know what to do with all my other half-done paintings now ... :)

Until next time ... happy painting !

Liz x

Happy New Year

A belated Happy New Year to all you arty-crafty people. Hope you had a good time and have come up with lots of great plans for 2014!! I've set myself loads of goals, but I'm excited about all of them ... well except those boring diet ones ...very overrated (she says munching on a kitkat as she types...lol). Anyway, one of them is to be more sociable (or I should say 'social media-ble') and share my work and arty experiences, as well as getting in the studio more and getting more messy ...ahem, I mean 'creative'!!

So, to get you started, here is my new display of artwork just posted in the Cafe In The Orchard in Shenley Park. I hope you like them, and don't forget to let me know if there's anything specific you would like; colour scheme, wording etc. I'm always open to ideas and commissions.

That's it for now and let me know what your arty plans are for 2014.

Happy painting ...

Liz x

Road Trip

I am back from a fabulous weekend at the North of England Woodworking & Power Tools Show in Harrogate working with the lovely Lynn Courteney promoting Jo Sonjas Acrylic Paints & Mediums. With a total attendance over the weekend of over 8,500 people, we had a brilliant time showing off the paints and all the different effects you can achieve. We met some wonderful people and were looked after admirably by Margaret who catered to our every need.

I must confess that I'm enjoying a much quieter day today .... ;)

Here are some pics for you to enjoy ... Lynn and I enjoying a peaceful moment, some gorgeous carved rocking horses (right up my street!!) and Lynn doing her stuff with the lovely customers.

Thanks Harrogate, it was awesome fun :)

Off the Radar ...

Hi All

I'm afraid to say that I've been 'missing in action' for a while as unfortunately my non-arty life has been busy and distracted me from my artiness!!!  The major impact has been some long overdue painting (sadly the decorating kind...) which required me to sacrifice my studio space ... *deep sigh*. Well the job is done (almost) and the studio is getting back to normal if you can ever call it that!  The good news is that I temporarily managed to squat in the study in a small corner of my hubby's desk and have gradually been moving myself in...lol.  No more hopping from dining room to studio and back again ... all my papers in one place and near the printers, bookshelves etc.  It sounds like a minor thing but it will make things soooo much easier :)  We do have to have a line down the middle of the desk though or there will be trouble ..... haha.

So now that I'm back 'online' what have I been doing...?

I went to a fabulous 'Junk Journal' workshop with Kate Crane at The Artistic Stamper yesterday, which was great fun!  Jennie looked after us so well and spoilt us with a fabulous lunch and cake.  Kate is such a lovely teacher and is so generous with her time and skills.  I learned so much and even though I didn't finish my journal during the class, I'm feeling hugely inspired.   For some reason my mojo didn't make the journey with me to Faversham, and I was feeling a bit out of sorts :(  I've had a busy few weeks so I was probably feeling a bit tired and run-down which was really frustrating as I had been waiting for this class for ages.  I didn't let it deter me though and decided that I would just potter during the class and soak up the atmosphere and Kate's advice and bring it all home with me for another day.  Sometimes in class we can put ourselves under so much pressure to finish our project pieces that we can get stressed by it all and not enjoy the process so much.  Has anyone ever felt like that?  I know I have, which is why I try not to put myself under too much pressure on the day.  These classes, whilst hugely enjoyable, can be extremely tiring and especially when long journeys are involved too.  I'm now looking forward to setting some time aside to work through the rest of my journal ... :).  I also had a lovely chat with Kate about 21 Secrets, which I had signed up for this year.  Unfortunately, time is running out to finish all the lessons but I'm determined to work through as many as I can before the end of December!!  Look out for 21 Secrets 2014 ... I may have to sign up for that one too..... ;)

I think I'll leave my other adventures for another day ... I'm off to Harrogate this weekend to demonstrate at the North of England Woodworkers & Power Tools show so shall look forward to sharing this with you next week.

Until then .... happy painting

Liz x

29 Faces ... still catching up !!

I'm not doing very well so far on the '29 Faces' challenge!  I'm catching up slowly, so here's No's 5, 6, 7 and 8 ... and with a bit of luck I may be up-to-date by the time Day 29 comes along ... ;)

I really like the plain face against the bold colour here

Really bold colour here which is unusual for me, quite pleased with the outcome though

Not keen on the hair here ... I may need to collage over it !

I really like the colours here and how the size and position of the face works with the  background

I'm still working with the Dylusions Inks and Stabilo All pencils, but experimenting with different backgrounds and trying some bolder more colourful approaches.  It's funny that sometimes I'm not sure about the background but once I've drawn a face over it, it seems better somehow....

Thanks so much to those who have visited and left lovely comments, it means a lot to me.

Until next time ...

Liz x

WOYWW 223

Hi Woyww-ers

It's Wednesday again and I'm getting back into my 'groove' now that school is back and I'm delighted to have spent some time in the studio.  One of my 'new school year' resolutions is to work through and finish some of the online classes I've started..... There are so many fabulous classes out there that I'm like a child in a sweet shop and I just want them all!!!  I currently have about 4 that I've signed up for so I really need to get on with it ...lol!

So, on my desk today ...

One of the classes I'm doing is '52 Card Pick-Up' by Stephanie Ackerman and these are my 52 playing cards.  I'm preparing all the backgrounds first and then working through all the cards.  The 5 in front have been coated in tissue paper with a swipe of gesso.  Holes have been punched in the corner so I can attach them all to a large ring.

In the background you can also see 3 little birdhouses which I'm working on for a class project, and as always, those little Percy Piglets hiding too!

Thanks for your visit and I hope you're having a great week.  For more info on this blog-hopping extravaganza, visit Julia over at The Stamping Ground.

Until next time ... happy painting ...

Liz x

29 Faces

Regular visitors will know that I've had a fascination with drawing faces ever since I attended Dina Wakley's fabulous workshop at Art from the Heart earlier this year.  I think I must be addicted ...!!  Well, as you know practice makes perfect so I'm so pleased to have found this great challenge, running throughout September (so I'm a bit behind already) but looking forward to pushing myself to sketch a face every day for the rest of the month!  I don't want to bombard you with daily posts so I think I may group them together every couple of days ... wish me luck!!

Just a couple to get you started ...

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

These have all been created using Dylusions Inks with stamps and stencils as a background - I had lots of prepared pages as I put together a holiday book to take away with me and didn't finish them all!  I can then add a sketched face using the Stabilo All pencil in different colours.  This pencil is AWESOME!  It works a bit like a watercolour pencil but so much better ... be warned though because you need a very light touch with the water otherwise it can become a big grungy mess!!!!

Thanks for visiting and I look forward to sharing more faces with you soon ...

Liz x

WOYWW

Hi Woyww-ers

It's here again and I'm happy to be back in the studio after a long summer holiday!  To be perfectly honest, I always have plans to try and keep to my usual routine, but other stuff just seems to get in the way!  I have no excuse as my son is a teenager and really doesn't need my constant presence, but I feel a bit guilty abandoning him completely for hours and hours at a time!  I really don't know why I should, he does it to me when he gets engrossed on the Xbox or his laptop .... lol!!  The joys of motherhood ... eh?

Anyway, first job of the day was to have a bit of a tidy up!!  So I am treating you to a before and after pic!  I was in a bit of a rush before I went on holiday so left it in a bit of a mess!  Tut tut ... try not to judge me too harshly ... ;)

Before .... *covers eyes*

Eeek ... creative chaos reigns ...

 After ...

All ready for my Thursday class and a bit of die-cutting with my new Tim Holtz dies purchased last week :)

Hope you're all having a fabulous week and if you have children back at school, enjoying some peace and quiet and 'me' time!  Pop over to Julia's to find out more about this wonderful Wednesday blog-hop and thanks for visiting.

Until next time ...

Liz x

Holiday Faces

I'm a bit out of sync with this post as I've been back from my hols a week already! But the Tim-fest took priority as I'm sure you'll understand.

Anyway, as I was packing to go away, I couldn't bear to leave ALL my arty things behind cos there's nothing worse than having time and the urge to be creative and having no materials with you!  I put together a 'travel kit' and spent a happy half-hour prepping a small sketchbook with loads of inky backgrounds and stamps, all ready for sketches.  Funny how when time is short, you get the best results!

All I needed to pack was my tin of Stabilo All Pencils in a range of colours, a pencil sharper and my water brush!  Easy peasy ...

So I managed a few sketches sitting round by the pool .... not a bad life eh???

I created the backgrounds using Dylusions Inks and a selection of stencils and in some cases, stamped over them using some of Dyan Reaveley's background stamps.  I'm thinking about adding phrases now and a few additional bits n pieces so will have to show you the final piece later!  I don't know about you but I frequently have work in progress which gets completed in stages ... it used to really frustrate me but now I try and 'go with the flow'.

Until next time ... happy painting ... or in today's case 'inking'...

Liz x

What a day .....

I was one of the lucky ladies to get a seat at the Tim Holtz UK Event yesterday and WOW!!  I had THE most fabulous day.

I arrived on my own which is always a little daunting ... where do I park ... which room do I go to ... am I too early/late ... where are the toilets ... etc etc!!  I could not have been made more welcome.  The Personal Impressions team were so friendly and helpful, explaining everything as soon as I arrived that I immediately felt at ease!  I managed to get some piccies with Tim himself, chat to Dyan Reaveley and do some shopping all before we even sat down!

I took some pics throughout the afternoon, typically my phone had decided to stop working but luckily I had my ipad with me!  A bit more cumbersome but at least I was able to get a record of the day.

First, the stars of the show (excluding me obviously!!) ...

Me & the awesome Tim Holtz ...

Tim doing his stuff ...

Me & the fabulous Dyan Reaveley ...

Me & the wonderful Mario ... (mine's a frappucino!)

All the goodies for our project ...

I had such fun making these tags ...

This is the first class I've attended with Tim and he really is the most amazing naturally gifted teacher. He is so generous with his time and creativity, and so kind, that you really do feel like you can achieve anything.  I had such a fun time, met some great people and came away feeling so honoured to have been a part of it all.  And there's more ... a completely unexpected bonus ... we got to keep our complete kits, including the products we used and an Idea-ology apron .... AND .... Tim gave us all a signed book, messenger bag and a scrubbie (for our inky fingers!!).  

WOW!  Look at all those goodies ....

So, a HUGE thank you to Tim, Mario and all the Personal Impressions team for such a fabulous event.     I was fan before I met him, but now I'm a HUGE fan ;)  I hope to see you all again soon.

I'm off to play with my new goodies ... so until next time, happy painting!

Liz x

Woyww 219

Hi Woyww-ers

Short and sweet post this week ... the holidays have taken over somewhat and I haven't managed to get into the studio as much as I would have liked :(   So if mohammed won't come to the mountain ... etc etc etc ....

This pic isn't really my 'workdesk' as it's the sofa in the living room!!!  But I guessed it would count temporarily as I've been adding lots of faces to my journal backgrounds while watching TV and keeping my son company - not that he needs it, he's a teenager lol but it makes me feel better :)

Have a great week and don't forget to visit Julia for more blog-hopping adventures.

Liz x

Feeling the love ....

Lately, it seems to be all about the hearts!  I must confess that I love them (haha), and I'm always drawn to artwork that includes them.  I even have lots hanging around the house ... wooden ones, fabric ones, basket ones, ceramic ones ... even rusty ones!  My hubby hasn't commented so hopefully they've not taken over too much (yet).

So, I thought I'd share with you some examples of 'heart-work' that I've been working on lately.  Some of the canvases had been a work-in-progess for ages and suddenly I got in the zone and that was that!  Funny how it goes that way sometimes....

Collaged with Tim Holtz tissue paper and painted with Jo Sonja's acrylics.  Lots of stamping and more collage elements,  and had a fab time with oil pastels at the end.

This canvas had been around for ages and I had only prepped the background in dark red.  I suddenly got the urge to go mad with the vibrant orange and yellow and here is the result.  Again, I had a blast with the oil pastels at the end ;)

This canvas was started as a demo piece during a class and then sat around for ages without any purpose ... sad eh?  I went at it with the paints and oil pastels ... great fun!  Although now I'm wondering if it needs a little bit more ..... hmm?

So, there it is ... my hearts on my sleeve ... so to speak.  Hope you like them and don't forget that you can always pick up and revitalise that old UFO (unfinished object), it doesn't have to be finished in one sitting.  Sometimes when you get stuck with something, it's always good to put it to one side and come back to it later ... even if it's much later!

Have a great week and happy painting ...

Liz x

WOYWW 21...something

I think this heat has finally melted my brain!!  Lovely though it is, we are just not suited to long periods of extreme weather in the UK ...lol!  We are so geared up for 'making the most of it' because it's bound to end soon, that all normal routines fly out of the (open) window.  Consequently, I am now behind on absolutely everything .... WOYWW included .... ;)

So, a late welcome to those of you who have stopped by to see the chaos that is my workspace.  And, if you're wondering what on earth I'm going on about, stop by and visit Julia for the inside track....you won't regret it, it's awesome fun!

I am currently working with my regular Thursday ladies on a furniture painting project and last week we worked through some techniques.  They now have to plan their own piece and for inspiration I thought I should get something going myself.... and here it is ....

... an old studio chair almost ready for waxing, and in the background a whole load of stuff to be put away after my last workshop!!  I'd better get tidying in readiness for tomorrow's class, goodness knows what furniture they are bringing ..... 

Oh and in case you were missing Percy, a special treat for you ....

Look what I found in M&S .... Percy Pig is 21 .... doesn't he look young?

That's all folks :)

Have a great week

Liz x

WOYWW 213

Happy Wednesday :)

What a week!  All sorts of stuff going on ... some good, some not so good, but trying to focus on the good and keeping positive :D

The BEST news is from my earlier post ... Tim Holtz is coming to the UK and I'm gonna be there .... woohoooo!  I'm not sure I can keep my excitement under control until then ;) but I will try ... *sigh*

So back to the matter in hand ...

... here is my desk today!  It looks reasonably tidy, but don't be fooled, it's just lots of stuff in tidy piles! I'm very good at that ;)  So, working left to right ...

• pile of half-finished canvases and calendar pages (and book box and door hanger too!)
• pile of paper mache houses ... waiting for inspiration
• Percy Pigs ... say no more!  Helps with the inspiration don't you know ;)
• June Craft Stamper magazine which I found and realised I hadn't got around to reading
• pile of sample boards for a workshop I'm running on Saturday on faux finishes
• mini journal book ... open and waiting ...

Ho hum, there's lots of stuff half-done and waiting .... better get eating those Percy Pigs.... lol!

Pop over to the marvellous Julia for info on what this is all about and have a fabulous time desk-hopping all around the world ... awesome people and awesome fun!

Until next time ...

Liz

Never Give Up...

...that's my motto for the day!

It wasn't the greatest start of the week; feeling sad about my poorly Buster (although he's doing ok in the grand scheme of things), feeling guilty about how I'm going to encourage my teenage son off the sofa/xbox/laptop for 9 weeks of school holidays, overwhelmed with amount of housework that I need to do, frustrated with my pony who wouldn't co-operate when I rode him this morning and the pressure of an upcoming competition .... the list goes on, but the real killer was the 100+ calls I placed to Personal Impressions around 9ish this morning to try and book a place on the Tim Holtz UK Event!  Unfortunately to no avail as the line was constantly engaged :(  *big sigh*

Whilst I made myself a consoling sandwich and cup of tea, I thought 'what the hell, one more phone call won't hurt, the places are probably booked solid but you never know ....'  The phone was answered and I GOT A PLACE ...... WOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!! I'm sooooo excited!!  Can you tell....?

So, the motto for the day is 'Never Give Up' :)

*doing a little happy dance right now*

Until next time ...

Liz x

WOYWW

It's been a few weeks since I last joined in so I've forgotten which number we're up too ..... oops!

I wish I could say I've been busy in the studio, but sadly that is not the case.  I've had a run of appointments, meetings and boring house-stuff which has kept me busy busy, and even worse, a poorly dog who has just been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing radiation therapy as I write this ... :(

Firstly, my desk today ...

... a colourful display of hearts that I am painting as a commission.  You can see the example on the top left and I will post a pic when they're finished (hopefully in the next few days!!).

This week I also took delivery of a brand new Large Gelli-Plate and I can't wait to get playing with it!!!  Such awesome fun and a great way to relax and 'go with the flow' so to speak.

Until next time, hope you're having a wonderful WOYWW week, courtesy of Julia at The Stamping Ground and I shall leave you with a picture of my gorgeous boy ...

Liz x

Journalling with Dyan Reaveley

Wow!! What an awesome day I had at The Artistic Stamper a couple of weeks ago.  Dyan came 'down South' to teach over the weekend and whilst I was a bit disappointed not to be able to attend Saturday as well, I can't complain about the day I had!  Dyan is an amazing teacher, great fun, incredibly talented and so generous with her skills and time.  It was an 8-hour marathon of inkiness that flew by and before I knew it, I was back on the M25 driving home :(   Huge thanks also to Jennie at The Artistic Stamper for looking after us all so well and providing such a warm welcome.  I look forward to returning soon.

Post Update ... I'm catching up with some posts, so this is a bit of 'old news' I'm afraid.  It has been great to revisit the adventure though :)

Thanks for visiting and happy painting ...

Liz x