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“Bringing the Gardens Indoors” Artist Code numbers 2311 and 2312

This was an unusual commission to paint two wall panels on canvas to then cut and fit between wall beams in a lovely listed cottage. Way out of my comfort zone, it took four times as long to complete as I had envisaged. But a wonderful experience nevertheless. Both panels measure nearly 50″ tall and 16″ at the widest part.

The Story behind painting Panel 1 “Bring the Garden Indoors” can be viewed here

Similarly, Panel 2’s progress “Bring the Wild Garden Indoors” can be viewed here

Here are a few photographs of the two panels’ installation, which in itself was a steep learning curve for me as I had to make paper templates by pressing old lining wallpaper into the shape between the wooden wall beams, then transfer these shapes to my specially purchased canvas which was silky and smooth and took 6 weeks to be delivered! Then I had to research the best glue for the job and learned all about fish glue and its archival properties. It is water based so that the artworks can easily be removed from the wall if needs be, and it worked a treat. The wall surface was extremely pitted and uneven, which meant that some areas of canvas had to be left unstuck in order not to stretch and damage the canvas and painting. I do not think I shall ever be easy about using acrylic paints. I never enjoy painting with acrylic nor do I much like the results—it will definitely NEVER be my preferred medium. The most nerve-wracking time was cutting the canvas to shape. Fortunately both times it went well and both are now nicely stuck to the wall (I hope for many years!).

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Jigsaw Race: Macaws (1501) vs Jade Vine (1201)

One of my jigsaw puzzle “fans” is sending me progress pictures of her latest requisition “Blue & Gold Macaws and Swamp Hibiscus” (view picture profile), so we are having a race to see who can complete their jigsaw first. I have chosen “Tayabak with Critters” (view picture profile) because the box was damaged when it arrived so I could not sell it.

This is my first few hours on Tayabak (colloquial term for Jade Vine):

…And this is the first layout of Macaws for my friend:

…So I am already playing catch-up! Progress for me has been very slow as other stuff has had to take precedence. However, my racing competitor is not having much luck either. Firstly she set out all her pieces in colour order, notwithstanding straight edges aside, then a grandchild came along and thought the pieces looked better all mixed together.

Look at Macaw’s latest “progress” picture—am I smug!!!

MORE TO FOLLOW IN DUE COURSE!

Well, that put me in my place. My racing partner has completed her jigsaw already and I have only just managed to do the outside (straight-edge very easy) bits! I toff my hat to my fellow competitor – a race truly won in magnificent fashion. I think I will stick to painting the pictures for the puzzles rather than trying to do them! Here are results at the finishing post.

Lovely words from the winner: “All done, I can go to bed now! Lovely picture, goes without saying of course. I enjoyed doing it, apart from the mishaps, thanks [pet cat], thanks [grandchild]!! Easier than 3B’s [Three New Blades] as different colour sections, but challenging enough. Nice being Matt finish as no reflection when doing it under artificial light, always a bug bear to me. Look forward to doing the Puffins [Puffins and Thrift]. Have a baked bean one plus a sprout one to do first if I can😱“

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2311-12 Wall Panels: Bringing in the Flowers of the Garden

Started a new commission over the weekend. Two wall panels both 48″ tall but varying widths, bringing the flowers of the garden into the dining room. Paintings in acrylic on canvas.

Panel 1: Preliminary sketch for layout plan and flowers to include in the design. Centre right is the panel shape which will be pasted between two wooden beams to the wall using fish glue.

Panel 1: Design sketch transferred to 48” canvas. Hollyhock is the centre piece surrounded left by various clematis varieties and right by roses, love-in-a-mist and harebells. Bottom sweet peas, dog daisies and honesty seeds.

Panel 1: Painting started: top right hand corner as I am left-handed. Climbing dog rose – preliminary leaves.

Panel 1: Climbing dog rose – second coat leaves.

Panel 1: Climbing dog rose – Roses started.

The day light has been awful since I started this painting, and does not allow much time each day. Very frustrating. And I am out of sorts trying to paint standing up!

Roses completed.

On to Hollyhock buds! But the light has beaten me yet again today. I really must get used to painting by artificial light, but so far I have had much trouble actually seeing my work even under “day” lights!

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People’s Favourite Painting at Autumn RAS Exhibition 2023

Site logo imageROYSTON ARTS SOCIETY

Exhibition success & half-price membership offer

Royston Arts Society held its Annual Autumn Exhibition in Royston Town Hall over the weekend of 29th September to 1st October as part of the Royston Arts Festival. From all points of view, the event was the most successful in a decade. We displayed a total of 330 paintings and 515 greeting cards created by 65 artists. Sales amounted to almost £4000 and two thirds of the exhibiting artists sold something.

  

The exhibition was very well received by the visitors and the favourite picture award was won by Tina Bone for her painting entitled “Blue and Gold Macaws and Swamp Hibiscus” (see picture).

Members of Royston Arts Society can enter paintings into both the Autumn exhibition and the Online Members’ exhibition plus the ongoing exhibition in Royston Library.

They can also attend painting sessions twice per month and an art demonstration given by a professional artist most months.

At the moment, new members can join RAS for half price; £12.00 for adults and £7.00. This membership will run until 31st March 2024 giving new members ample time to sample the art demonstrations and painting sessions; also to exhibit some work in Royston Library.

For joining details click HERE

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1501 Macaws voted People’s Favourite 1st October 2023!

Thank you so much to all those lovely people who voted for my Parrot painting as their favourite in show at Royston Arts Society Annual Exhibition in the Town Hall at Royston this last weekend. Wonderful – I am on “Cloud 9”!

…UPDATE 1st October 2023: This painting was hung in Royston Town Hall as part of the Royston Arts Festival and Royston Arts Society Annual Art Exhibition. It was voted the Favourite Painting – lovely!

Also available as a 1,000 piece traditional jigsaw puzzle (part picture – see below). If interested, please message me.

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This painting first came to life in February 2015. I hoped to finish it by the first weekend in July 2015 so that it could be displayed at my Cambridge Open Studios (COS) Exhibition when my studio was open all four weekends in July. However, it was displayed sparsely-done at COS because several commissions and other artwork for exhibitions meant that it had to be put on the back burner for most of 2015. I started painting it again in January 2016 – it was not completed until 7th July: several commissions, too much golf, darts, tennis, badminton and bowls!

It is a fun picture, designed completely in my mind’s eye, using a very useful resource photograph courtesy of my golfing friend Martin Johns (two lower right birds), and a couple of my own resource pictures taken in 2014 at Banham Zoo. The background is how I would imagine a jungle to be, although I did look up the swamp hibiscus as I felt the painting needed a bit of red with all that blue, yellow and green! It was a relief to finish it, but it left a bit of a hole as it was great fun painting it. I have tried to capture the individuality of each parrot – even though they all look the same, every facial pattern is different (like a thumb print in humans). Macaws are “zygodactyl” which means they have four toes, the first and fourth of which point backwards, and the middle two frontwards. Toucans and Woodpeckers also share this characteristic – a bit of information for your next natural history quiz!

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1504: Update at last on “Grey Squirrels in my Garden”

In 2015, I composed 4 paintings onto stretched canvas all about the squirrels in the UK.

We have our most beautiful Reds “The Native” red squirrel (Artist Code 1505); “The Albinos”, white with pink or black eyes (Artist Code 1502), “The Rogue Gene” Black, Brown and Ginger/Black squirrels (1503), and The Greys in my Back Garden (formerly “The Forced Immigrant”, the imported greys (Artist Code 1504) and subject of this blog post.

To view the history of this painting prior to this post, please CLICK HERE

Squirrels are all very lovely in their own way and much loved by most people – although the greys are sometimes referred to as “tree rats”, and are known to carry disease which kills our native squirrel. Nevertheless, in my little wild garden they are the only mammal visitors I receive (apart from the dreaded neighbourhood cats) so I am very happy to see them. Even though they nick a lot of the bird seed put out for the few birds in my garden, they are very clever and entertaining to watch. This painting portrays their cheekiness and ability to hold on to anything in order to get some food!

I started the series way back in 2015, but as usual other things got in the way (and are still in the way but I needed a break from painting flowers!). So I got the four canvases out and have been working on the one I started to paint (remember they were all drawn in 2015) in January 2019.

Oil painting is so much fun after one has been extremely meticulous with size 10-0 brushes (about 25 hairs) painting botanicals!

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New Jigsaw Puzzles 30th April 2023 and Playing Lawn Bowls

As well as launching my new jigsaw puzzles (April 2023 on my birthday!), I do like to have the odd game of Bowls for Comberton Bowls Club.

Please see the poster and form below to book your team into our wonderful annual event: FRANK HOWARD TRIPLES DAY SUNDAY 25TH JUNE 2023. It really is a lovely day. I am in charge of recording the results! I look forward to seeing you there. (Right-click on each picture and save the linked file to your downloads, from where you can print them out, fill them in with your team details and food requirements, and post them to Di Griggs with a cheque or bank payment receipt (BACS).)

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One-day painting workshop Ely Cathedral 12th October 2023 10.00am to 3.30ish

I AM GIVING A ONE-DAY WORKSHOP (adults) IN THE LADY CHAPEL, ELY CATHEDRAL ON 12TH OCTOBER 2023: DESIGN AND PAINT AN ILLUMINATED LETTER. PRICE £40

Suitable for all levels, if you fancy a day’s creative painting in this beautiful chapel, tickets are available direct from the Box office at Ely: CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE

ALSO: AN ART EXHIBITION CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF QUEEN ETHELDREDA: HERBALS AND HARVEST IN THE LADY CHAPEL, ELY CATHEDRAL

Friday 29 September – Friday 13 October

The Iceni Botanical Artists (IBA) are a group of artists based in East Anglia. The members use a wide range of styles, techniques and mediums to depict the plant world, as well as striving for botanical excellence. Their aim is to promote the creation and enjoyment of botanical art and illustration. Some of their members have work held in National collections at Kew and the Royal Horticultural Society.

Each year the IBA have one or two exhibitions, usually in Norfolk, Suffolk or Cambridgeshire. This year they are proud to be able to exhibit in the Lady Chapel for the first time, as part of the Cathedral’s year to celebrate the life of Queen Etheldreda. The theme of the exhibition will reflect her life in flowers and plants, the recently planted Ely Physic Garden, and Harvest Festival celebrations.

All the work exhibited will be for sale, as well as cards, prints, and an IBA 2024 calendar. Two workshops will be held during the exhibition for those interested in learning about botanical art, or for the more experienced to refine existing skills. These workshops can be booked via the links below:

Exhibition details: Iceni Botanical Artists Art Exhibition

5 October: Botanical Drawing in Ink workshop
12 October: Design & Paint an Illuminated Letter

For more about the IBA, member artists and examples of their work visit their website

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SME Nomination: UK Enterprise Awards 2023 for Tina’s Fine Art UK

I am most grateful to the person(s) who nominated me, but I am so sorry, I do not feel that I am really up to being shortlisted for such a nice award. I like the bit about “…Your nomination reflects the hard work and dedication undertaken by the team at Tina’s Fine Art UK…”. Trouble is, I do not have a “team” and do everything myself, so the nomination does not quite sit well with the work ethic of having no “team”. Please accept my sincere apologies for declining your lovely offer – and very good luck to all the other nominees.

Just received the below email!