NORFOLK SEASCAPES

Made a big decision this year to only paint Norfolk coastal scenes as well as my love of flowers, so here are my first three efforts .

Top one based on boats at Morston Quay painted in acrylic on canvas measuring 24 x 12 inches 

Middle one a large 20 x 20 inches box canvas of our local town pier here in Cromer. The light was just magnificent one particular early evening so I felt I had to re-create it plus the very frequent  view of its reflections  in the sand. 

The third acrylic one is Hunstanton beach west along the coast a few miles, which I have painted before but I am really enjoying the large Norfolk skies, so had to do it again. This time called Strolling on Hunstanton Beach and again enjoying the skies .

Hopefully I will be able to use my blog more often now I am settled here in Cromer. 

Adding info about new blogs

It's ages since I sent a new blog but at long last so much has happened. I lost my husband in 2012 and then I moved to a dear little village on the north coast of Norfolk  at Cromer last year.  I am back to lots of work and exhibiting at a local gallery who has taken me on board and sold a number of works for me last summer. I have worked in lots of different media from acrylic inks, oils , watercolours and pen and wash from the annual Sheringham town 1940's year celebrations, local Norfolk scenes from flowers to landscapes and seascapes, in Blickling Hall National Trust, Worstead Festival. All such fun.

Have work going into the Forum At the city of Norwich  next month with a few art friends.

I am currently working on lots of work for the Norfolk Open Studios at the end of May and early June 2015 where I am sharing a boat shed alongside the Barton Turf Broad in the Norfolk Broads. Really enjoying myself getting ready with new works from oils to pen and wash,  sketching nature onto beach stones mainly pale blue collected locally and from Nerja where my daughter and I spend some time together In Spain.  Also getting greetings cards and prints ready as well.  We also plan to bake cakes for afternoons home made cakes for our visitors arriving by boats and walking and driving. Sharing space with my lovely pal from COLTISHALL Denise Wingrove who does gorgeous acrylic and collage interior designs and rooftops.

Hopefully, I'll get back to showing some of my work as I move onwards.

Lovely to hear from lots of you who have been great friends all over the world in the past when I blogged regularly.

Love to all Joannie

WOODLAND LITTLE GEMS

Needed to stock up my store of LITTLE GEM paintings, so on this blustery wet day have been enjoying the comfort of my study and creating two little woodland scenes in acrylic inks.

RECENT ACTIVITY

Sorry I  have not been onto my blog for so long but I have had a bad time with re-action to statins since June giving me inflamed and weak muscles, but I soldered on and produced new works throughout the summer and with my lovely art friends exhibited quite a few times with some successes of sales. The latest was last night at the Preview of the NOVA show at the Atrium North Walsham, a newly built art centre costing £5million! Its the painting above created for a themed show of EXPOSED and its in layers and layers of mixed media on a 3ft square box canvas called RUNNING FOR HOME.

Other successes were my acrylic ink LITTLE GEM series when I sold three at the Forum in Norwich City. 

1 Corner of my Garden

2 Cromer Beach near the Pier

3 Waterfall at Bodnant Gardens 

Hope these give any viewers a taster of what I have been up to. 

LILY PADS

Spent the year taking care of my husband until he died from cancer late October.  With the support of my marvelous family and friends, I will now get back into blogging and posting images on my flickr account.

This is one of the 'LITTLE GEMS' series I created throughout the summer, as it was easier to paint small (5 or 7 inches only) and still be available for Clive. Eight of these works have just been hung in the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt, Norfolk for the Christmas show.

After some six weeks since I picked up a brush, I hope to get back to creating having attended a wonderful two days at Sue Williams cottage earlier this week working in the Fauvre style - just what I needed 'bright, bright, psychedelic unnatural colours, ie green skies and torquoise buildings!! '

THE CHERRY ORCHARD

When we lived in the Fens, we were near many orchards and, in fact, our home was called Cherry trees. This little gem 7" square was inspired by our happy times there through the wonder of memories and imagination . As usual, acrylic inks on Lana Vanguard.

NORFOLK COASTAL PATH AT HOLKHAM BEACH

When sketching with Anita at Holkham Beach, noticed people making their way along the path at the back of the beach which leads in an hour's quiet stroll to Wells next the sea. Understand it is part of the Norfolk Coastal Path. This painting is acrylic ink on Lana Vanguard sized 12" x 8" and I will be submitting to the selection panel of the Norwich Art Circle for exhibition in the Forum. The reddish coloured beach depicts the special kind of vegetation found in this area by the sea. Maybe a type of seaweed.

CRUMBLING CLIFFS NEAR CROMER

Another 'little gem'  5" square acrylic ink work on Lana Vanguard.

Its sad to say that many of the cliffs along the north coast of Norfolk are crumbling away, as in many parts of our lovely English coastline.  Every so often from Hunstanton along to Cromer and beyond these gorgeous red and white cliffs can be seen in this state of erosion.

THE SAPLINGS

My series of 'little gems' grows almost daily and here is the latest based on the many silver birch saplings in the woods I constantly drive past as I leave home on my various trips.  This one is a 5" square created with poured inks with selected opposing  colours and textured by using waxed paper.

TUMBLING WATERS

I have been creating a series of small acrylic inks called 'little gems' sometimes landscape, sometimes gardens or water. Here is the latest only 9" x 6" using wax wrap and cling film to create textures.  Great fun. They sometimes get scrapped when they don't materialise into anything worthwhile but I thought this turned out ok.

TROPICAL WATERFALL

I have at long last had my blog dashboard sorted out with Google Chrome - but its now giving me trouble uploading into my FLICKR ACCOUNT. I can't seem to win.

Anyway, to put you in the picture I have been working on what my art friends call 'my little gems' over the past few weeks and creating acrylic ink paintings  5" square or  7" square works on Lana Vanguard.

 I have tried to revert to my less literal style of how I painted a few years ago before I got bogged down with Norfolk landscapes after I moved here. 

Here is a little one of a series where I have tried to get in close with my imagined subject forgetting landscapy scenes with skies.

NEW WORK FROM JULY 2012

FROM NOW ON IF YOU WISH TO VIEW MY ARTISTIC EFFORTS, PLEASE GO TO MY FLICKR ACCOUNT AT

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joanniem

There is a system for making comments, so I would love to still hear from you. I'm afraid  just don't seem to have the time now I am a full time carer for my husband and trying to keep my artwork and exhibitions going at the same time.
regards Joannie
24.07.12

COASTAL VILLAGE NORTH NORFOLK

From my Michael Morgan RI book I noted how often artists create through what he says ....'allows imagination to engage with the subject schooled by the nature and art he has long observed' ...


so thats what I did here with memories of many a visit to our lovely nearby North Norfolk coastal region. Using acrylic inks on my favourite Lana Vanguard 'paper'. Like Michael Morgan 'unpeopled' to provide a sense of calm and peace.

Above is what I have written in my flickr account where I have posted this painting. Still  having major problems uploading images to my blogger, so plan in future simply to
refer any visitors to my flickr account at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joanniem

HOPE YOU TAKE THE TROUBLE TO USE THIS LINK 'cos I don't want to lose you all!!!!.
 many thanks from J oannie until I get myself sorted again!

SKETCHING WEEKEND AT SNETTISHAM BEACH

Just had a long weekend with Anita at our friends seaside cottage at Snettisham. Despite heavy rain with occasional  warm sunny periods, we managed lots of outdoor sketching.

Here are two - the wonderful Snetttisham parish church in the rain and a saddlers brown ink and Lamy pen sketch of Bircham Windmill.

LILLIES IN HALF BARREL IN GARDEN

After doing some household chores, decided to have an hour in the garden after scrambled egg  lunch in the sunroom with Clive. Amazingly it was sunny and warm, so I sat on the wooden steps leading down to our tiny pond where I have this half barrel full of lillies, petunias and strawberries. Used my 11" square Hazel Soan watercolour rough paper block. As you can see, the barrel is falling apart!

I seem to be having real trouble trying to upload images onto the new Google Chrome set up, so I think I had better just refer you all to my flickr account for this watercolour effort:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joanniem

Thats the reason I have not added any new posts of late - as every time there is a problem.

PRICKLY PEARS

Went on a two day acrylic ink course to find out what another artist did with her inks. Great fun using salt, cling film, tissue paper etc. We each chose a different image from boxes of photos taken on her (Sue Williams) travels and I chose a series of prickly pear photos she had taken in Australia. This is just one of them using cling film, though I should have waited longer for it to dry before removing to give stronger texture.

Did a larger one with lots of crystal and table salts giving good texture. Cut a piece out and framed for a forthcoming show. Will photo and post shortly.

With my apologies for lack of commenting on your posts due to family commitments and lack of  time.  I have quick peep from time to time.

BLICKLING PEONY TIME

In readiness for a NOVA artists show at Blickling Hall next month, I have prepared another painting with the Hall seen through a flower bed - this time peonies. It makes a pair with my 16"x16" canvas of a view through the tulip bed previously posted.

Here are the two paintings of blickling viewed through different flower beds and seasons.

FIREWOOD COLLECTORS IN INDIA

Wanting another image to go with the Indian water carriers painting, previously posted on flickr and this blog, I remembered that on a trip through India by car we had stopped off by a lake in the mountains, only to see a few minutes later a line of ladies in coloured saris coming down from the hills carrying firewood on their heads they had collected. I put on the video of our trip and enjoyed time going down memory lane.

This acrylic ink painting is the result. Don't know if you can see the texture I used for the treeline and the stones on the roadway - but they certainly add to the effect in this acrylic painting 20" x 15" on canvas, which will be mounted and framed as the previous Indian painting of water carriers. 

(I am playing with my new google Chrome blogger browser and seem to have a little problem with this image - ie the repeat on the left side of a fraction of the right side!! )

I now understand that it is even harder since our trip for the village people out in the countryside of India to collect firewood, their only source of heat for cooking and light.

St Benets Abbey Site Norfolk Broads

I have been working on a series of soft landscapes of Norfolk for submission to the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt and delivered them today.

This is the last one I accomplished based on the site of St Benets Abbey showing the remains of the gatehouse and the drainage pump built into it. The yachts seem to glide by through the flat fields, but are actually on the River Bure. I have had some lovely visits there just a few miles from home with my grand children.

Here is the painting at the early blocking in stage:

Getting all the works together in my studio prior to loading the car and off to the gallery.

Wish me luck:

SALTHOUSE CHURCH FROM THE MARSHES

One of the pieces I am working on depicting scenes on the north Norfolk coast for a show in Holt.

Painted in acrylic on an 18" x 14" box canvas. I put together three photos, one of the pathway, one of the field and one of the buildings and church. Considering they were all from different angles (and days) I think it has turned out ok.

Afraid I am having trouble uploading images again. This is the second try after reducing the size of the file and it still hasn't achieved the full colour right down to the bottom, so ignore that pink stripe!!