Been quiet as took bang to head and gave myself concussion. Better now, but taking it easy for a few more days.

Enjoying a field of crocus, wild flowers and beautiful lichen on trees. #nature #flowers #gratitude #walking #bulgaria🇧🇬 #colour #field

Out sketching rangers coppicing along the old railway track at Cynwyd. Lovely afternoon and we also saw and heard some interesting wildlife. @clwyd_dee_aonb #sketching #rangers #countryside #countrysideranger #coppice #observation #peopleinthelandscape #posture #movement #workinginnature #nature #railwaytracks #footpath #pendrawing #smalldrawing #quicksketch

Drawing with natural materials onto metal fences. Part of the creative work I have been doing with Ysgol Llanfair DC, on a Lead Creative Schools series of visits. #leadcreativeschools #creativeschool #nature #drawing #willow #landscape #artscouncilofwales

Monday morning life drawing at The Dory Gallery. #lifedrawing #observation #drawing #line #linequality

Yummy home grown parsnips. Having struggled to grow these and carrots, I finally had success by growing them in cardboard boxes. They take quite a while to germinate so I suspect I was just impatient in the past and planted other things in its space before they got going. These beautiful examples have self seeded in the area where the box stood. Also I now recognise the green leaves and no longer weed them out. Always learning. #gardening #parsnips #gratitude #nature #watching #observing #patience

Pea soup up here today, but it was like this a few days ago and cleared to a beautiful sunny day. I’m admiring the lines and marks that nature draws. #nature #drawing

Springing into March. This mornings walk was to an orchestra of birds and a rhythm of crunchy footsteps breaking through the frosty grass. The clear blue sky was a great backdrop to the burgundy winter exposed branches of the silver birch. Last night I completed laying a second wooden floor. This task has consumed me for the past couple of weeks and my husband had relocated his office to my studio so I could redo the floors. This turned out to be a great incentive to focus and get it done. Can’t wait to get my studio back! #nature #lifeofanartist #birds #trees #artist #gratitude #achievment

Finally I got to the John Moore’s Painting Prize on show at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Hungry to see some paint i have to say i was a bit disappointed. If it had been an art exhibition my expectations would have been different but this was a painting exhibition and I expected and travelled to see paint in all its many forms. That’s not to say there wasn’t some strong pieces and I agreed with the selection of the prize winner. A masterful use of paint, almost hypnotic as I gazed over the canvas depicting the interior of a shed or workshop. Painted in one colour, using a transparent paint it had a dreamy quality and yet items were executed with great command of materials. A little bit of masking out with masking tape but only in the most appropriate space and used appropriately. It seemed that big was best, I disagree and considered that many of the works were a waste of materials and could have been mentioned or at least worked out on a smaller scale, maybe that’s just my current preference for small. There were too many under worked, unresolved pieces with little evidence of mastery of materials. When I did find something it was delightful, there was just not enough delight. Did I set my expectations too high? I’ve posted photos of the highlights of the show and missed one from the Chinese Moores prize winners. #exhibition #painting #mastery #technique #composition #paint @walkerartgallery @jmpaintingprize

When making up some sketchbooks I recycled a life drawing on watercolour paper as a cover. This week I took that little book to the life drawing session to work in along with some tetra pac plates to work directly onto. I found the double spread long thin shapes of this sketchbook ideal for where I sat for this weeks poses and worked on drawing out to the edges. Using what was drawn on the paper to suggest what continued off from it. Cropping like this helps to really focus on the marks that you use to present that area you are looking at, line quality. As mentioned above I also took some plates to work directly on/in to. I used a long sharp screw that I found in my shed, it comes with its own wall plug (I’m sure there is another word for these but can’t recall it just now!) that doubles as a handy cover to prevent it tearing into everything in my bag. I’m in the studio today playing with those printing plates. Exciting times as I fall in love with printmaking again. #print #tetrapakprint #tetrapakprinting #collograph #drypoint #creative #lifedrawing #experimenting #printmaking #drawing #pendrawing #artist #wales #lovewhatyoudo #gratitude #play @the_dory_gallery

Painter

Dewy Morning Fields

Wintery Lemon Skies

Naples Yellow Pervades

Titian Dusk

Lemon Winter Dormancy

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