November challenge

 This month Paint and Draw set this still life, it reminded me of warm summer days with lovely fresh fruit and vegetables.I call this "garlic ,oil and tomatoes,"yummy

 I cant resist adding a little extra !

Also I find using the box canvases gives me that extra space.

October Challenge

 This was the October challenge by Paint and Draw Together.

I decided the cockerel could not be by himself so I put some girl friends in with him and called the painting,
" Here I come girls ".

September 2014

During the summer I spent some time doing pen and wash studies of places in Alfriston, Sussex.
The first is the Clergy House .

 The second is the parish church of St.Andrew.

 Next a study of the Star Inn .

And finally The George.
I do have some more references of the village which I will paint when I have time.

AUGUST PAINTINGS

My back is still playing up so I was not able to do as much art as I would have liked.

My husband and I went to Provence for a two week painting holiday. It was frustrating because I felt unable to concentrate properly on the subjects,but had a small sketch book with me. I did some pen and wash studies.

 This was the view out of our bedroom, rooftops with interesting tiles of many colours.

 A view of the church at Jucas,a sunny day casting dark shadows.

 Next a day at Sault, and time to enjoy the scene around the restaurant.

The Tour de France went by the end of our road,how lucky. First there were the sponsors,making a carnival atmosphere of the event, before the cyclists came wizzing through.

 A church tower at Roussillon, i'm afraid I didn't get the whole tower in, a dip day when concentration was lacking.

A scene of the market at St.Saturnin, we had coffee and watched as the stalls got busier as time went on.

It was a loverly holiday, just wished I had felt more up for it.

May '14 - challenges

While waiting for the challenges to be set, I painted this picture in oils of a lovely summer day. It made me feel quite summery.

  

This is the challenge by A Day not Wasted,of a scene in Kenya. 

 

Paint and Draw together offered this challenge of a beautiful slipper orchid. For this I did a pastel drawing.

I have had a bad sciatic pain which has been getting worse. I'm on my back more than on my feet, so oils or watercolour have been out of the question.This study was also the  challenge put to us by Lela  of Paint and Draw Together.

A New Year 2014

The challenge from Paint and Draw Together was both colourful and complex. The carpet and rugs were beautiful but needed someone to appreciate them, so what better than  a sleepy puppy.

 A Day Not Wasted  (above) was a picture from outside a Dublin pub.

The challenges for this year have been rather slow in coming, so I have put January and February together.

Also the challenge of painting donkeys just didn't work. It was a subject I really looked forward to painting but I was not happy with my efforts. I think at some stage I will come back and make another attempt.

December 2013

This challenge from Paint and Draw together came through in November. As I worked on it I was aware my husband was putting up Christmas lights, suddenly we were well into December and thoughts of Christmas were coming through, walnuts appeared, a bottle of wine, a bauble  and decorations - it had to stop before it got really out of control. However, I do feel in the Christmas mood and wish everyone a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Continuing with my farmyard theme, its chickens - these have obviously only just been allowed in to this paddock as the amount of grass will testify. It is a painting out of my head so please excuse any mistakes.

Our little Millennium Art Group, (10 members) meet on occasional Wednesdays, there is no tutoring just a few of us who meet to paint. Over Christmas we have put up some of our work, (mine is the Peony study).
Hope you have had some enjoyment from looking at the work I have done over this last year, and I cant wait for the new challenges to come.
All the very best for the New Year.