CHRISTMAS GARLAND 2011

Created this little watercolour of a garland of winter leaves and berries with some Christmas tree baubles to

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

AND HAPPY PAINTING THROUGHOUT THE NEW YEAR

and thank you for your interest and support throughout 2011

CHRISTMAS WISHES

Here is one of my original paintings I used for a Christmas card a few year's ago and still sent out one or two this year to art friends who had not received them in the past. These fresco angels were created with a palette knife and lots of acrylic paste to create the feeling of plaster peeling off an old church wall.

Originally, I thought I'd send you my Christmas Greetings using some photos this year... so I'll still do that and add these too ...........

This first one is a decoration I have created for our lounge to substitute for a Christmas Tree, as we are going to our daughters for the Christmas period. When the candle inside the snowman is lit, it makes a really pretty corner.
Here's another lounge decoration, two robins sitting on the hi fi equipment in front of one of the many windows along the long wall running through our lounge and dining room.

So I'll finish with HAPPY CHRISTMAS GREETINGS and every good wish for a happy and successful arty New Year.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

While it has been snowing outside, I've been tucked up in my little warm studio having fun using pen, watercolour pencil, liquid acrylic inks, gold spray and finally a little collage work to finish.

It went a bit darker than I really wanted underneath the cross on the left, so
stuck on a cut out bauble from Christmas wrapping paper. 'Cheat, cheat' I hear you say. So inspired me, I added the other two... plus the gold thread they are hanging from.

This is the result, created to wish all my blogger friends

the best of time at Christmas and every good wish for the New Year

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY!

Took the girls for a walk up the lane, through the allotments to the park with swings and slides, etc whilst the rest of the family and friends were only just stirring. There are many an area of chickens, ducks and turkeys there throughout the year and we were surprised to find this magnificent specimen still roaming around in his lovely big fenced off space. Maybe he has become a family pet and they didnt have the heart to prepare him for Christmas Dinner!
Isnt he handsome. Must sketch him some day. Everyone has collapsed in the sitting room watching Mary Poppins, so I popped up to my study to add these photos before starting our evening meal.

Thanks for all your lovely Christmas posts and greetings. Its been wonderful being part of art blogger at Christmas for the first time.

CHRISTMAS GARLAND GREETINGS

This afternoon I prepared a Christmas greetings to all my blog visitors using gel pens and water colours in my moleskin sketchbook. The angels are copies of two glass figures I have decorating my fireplace at this time of the year .

as there has been a problem with enlarging the original image I have edited this post and added the garland as two separate pages and hopefully they will enlarge.

Wishing you all happiness at Christmas and throughout the coming Year. ...

and thank you for all your encouragement and support throughout 2008.

DECEMBER ART WORKSHOP

MAKING CHRISTMAS CARDS

click to enlarge

Thinking of something completely new for the regular group to create in December, I decided to purchase various shaped blank cards with apertures for artwork, so that they not only learn to work in miniature and reduce the subject matter, but create special Christmas cards. Our local gallery (Swallowtail Coltishall) has a vast selection of craft materials as well as art supplies, so I was able to purchase square, rectangular and cameo aperture blank cards with envelopes.

I took along a ponsietta in my round pot I used for the demonstration the other weekend (previous post) , a selection of ribbons, stars, glass and ceramic angel figures, a ceramic snowman, some fancy candles and lots of baubles etc together with cones, holly and ivy. Our small group (depleted due to local winter bug) had the fun of choosing what they wanted to do and prepared thumbnail sketches to decide which shaped card would be more suitable for each chosen subject.

Here are some of the results:

A bit of light hearted fun for the last workshop of the year.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS CARDS FROM ARTWORK

I'm off tomorrow to deliver work to a Christmas Show in the west of the county (Norfolk) and then going on to my daughters for an evening and night. On Friday I will make my way to a friend's watercolour exhibition over that way before motoring home. So I wondered what I could put on my blog's latest post and thought 'Ah yes, Christmas' - as I am taking some of my Christmas greetings cards for sale, thought you might like to see the images of four pieces of older acrylic work , which I use to create my own cards this time of the year.

1 - Fresco Angels 2 - Light of the World (my version!!)

3 - Three Wisemen 4 - Whilst Shepherds watch

All four original paintings sold and for some reason of other I have not got back to working in this style in liquid acrylic. Silly aren't I?? Bit early to wish you all a Happy Christmas, but just imagine I sent you one of these nearer the date???!!!!!