I shall be holding a one-day workshop during the Iceni Botanical Artists annual exhibition in the Lady Chapel, Ely Cathedral on Thursday, 12th October 2023 10.00am to 3.30pm. So if you have a special alphabet letter that is dear to you personally, and would like to design and embellish it with simple, traditional floral and animal (zoomorphic) patterns, this will make a nice day out for you. This is the link to book via the Ely Cathedral booking system:
CALL FOR ENTRIES. Attention schools and colleges with budding botanical artists: please see my blog post about the Shirley Sherwood Young Botanical Artist competition at Kew Gardens 2023:
I do not quite fit the age category (being 47 years over the limit) for this incredible opportunity for young artists who like painting plants: read and enjoy and of course enter if you are between the ages of 18 and 25 years.
Kew Gardens is running a Young Botanical Artist Competition this year, to encourage the younger generation to engage in botanical art. The theme is ‘Trees’ and the deadline for entries is the 30th of April 2023. There will be an exhibition showcasing the winning entries in September this year at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery in Kew. Some wonderful entries have been received so far – but KEW would love your help in securing more! If you know of any young artists, schools or student groups, it would be fantastic if you could forward them a link to our competition page:
The Christmas Fair at the Manor House, Cambourne to which I was invited by the Wildlife Trust was a very busy affair. Stallholders arrived from 1.00pm and had until 2.30pm to set up. The Fair opened to the public at 3.00pm and the four hours of opening flashed by in an instant – albeit with lots of mulled wine, mince pies and visitors. I had a great time meeting everyone and was so happy that my new range of jigsaw puzzles sold extremely well. I am sure the event raised some much needed funds for the Trust, and it was mentioned that the raffle raised the largest amount yet. All too soon we had to pack away, say our goodbyes and Christmas salutations and said “See you next year!” Thank you to everyone who came and supported the event – it was just great!
Whilst setting up and taking our stuff into the building, we had to pass this beautiful pond. It still has water plants growing (now out of season). But a nice scene to pass by several times as we carted everything inside.I had two tables – one for jigsaw puzzles, the other for cards, calendars, prints and artwork.Some superb raffle prizes were on offer, including two bumper hampers (one food, the other gin!).Lots of Wildlife Trust goodies at their special table – just out of shot to the right is the camera-selling table. Another perspective to my table: people kept asking how much the framed artworks were on the walls. But of course, these are display photographs of the Trust and there is some really beautiful work amongst the pieces. A great day.
Hope you can come to visit the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants headquarters tomorrow, Friday 2nd December 2022 – it is their beautiful Christmas Fair and I shall be there with some cut-down price artworks, jigsaw puzzles and greetings cards. Free entry OPEN FROM 3.00PM TO 7.00PM.
Said goodbye to this one of a pair over the weekend (18-20 November 2022). The art and craft exhibition at St Mary’s Church, Comberton was the best yet. The standard of work was exceptionally good and the whole experience was such a pleasure.
I would like to thank everyone who visited the exhibition, and an especial thank you to everyone who purchased my artwork, jigsaw puzzles, cards, calendars, and diaries. (And not forgetting all those other people who purchased other artist’s works and wares – to you also on their behalf a great big thank you.) But most of all a big thank you to the organisers of the exhibition and their little helpers, who made it all happen – all very much appreciated.
My next, and last exhibition for 2022 is the Christmas Fair at the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust headquarters at The Manor House, Broad Street, Cambourne CB23 6DH on Friday 2nd December, 3.00pm to 7.00pm. I hope you can make it – it will be a sort of Black Friday price gig!!!!
Artist Code 1517. “The Shires”. Artist Code 1518. The other half of the “pair”. Hope I can find a home for this one too eventually.
Sent all my stuff up to the Church yesterday and look forward to seeing the Exhibition up and running from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th November 2022. Open from 10.00am to 4.00pm each day, the ambient atmosphere of the warm Church and its ancient pews, coupled with the sensitive exhibition boards nestled within, make a great few hours entertainment – FREE! Coffee and biscuits are also available; and it is not just an art exhibition, there are plenty of other goodies to peruse and buy (Christmas presents) and a very warm welcome into a community hub which is second to none. Please go along and enjoy the artworks and “prezzies” on offer.
I have some new “Nettie’s Nature Puzzles” (see below) as well as brand new little wooden 40-piece puzzles with pieces of all shape and size – a lovely, unique Christmas stocking filler. Diaries and Calendars are also amongst my wares, but other artists have jewellery, cards, and knitted artwork too, so there is something for everyone.
Puffins and Thrift 1000 piece traditional Jigsaw Puzzle“Love at First Sight” 1000 piece traditional jigsaw puzzleThe Baths of Bath 1000 piece traditional jigsaw puzzle“Ralph—No!” 1000 piece traditional monotone jigsaw puzzle—doubles the degree of difficulty!“Sun’s up; time for bed!” 1000 piece traditional jigsaw puzzle
The Iceni Botanical Artists are doing a Group project to paint a year of Fullers Mill Garden (Flora and Fauna), one of Perennial’s gardens which won the RHS “Garden of the Year” in 2021.
Each participating IBA member has decided which plants/fauna etc. to depict and we are all busy beavering away on our choices. My particular choices are 11 special Snowdrops, Harlequin Glory Bower, Star Magnolia, and several garden vistas to include grey wagtails, rabbits, grey squirrel, otter, roach/rudd and American signal crayfish. The proposed end date for completion of the project is 1st January 2024.
I have composed a Snowdrop calendar so that I do not miss any—January to March 2023 will be a busy field-trip time, so I hope the weather will be kind.
I have just completed today (4 November 2022) the Clerodendrum trichotomum Purple Blaze (Harlequin Glory Bower), which is an extra for me because I visited the gardens to do field work for my first snowdrop which flowers earliest from September-October Galanthus reginae-olgae (Queen Olga Snowdrop), and was asked by Annie Delbridge if I would paint the Harlequin also. She promptly plucked a small branch for me to use as resource and the finished work is below (Artist Code 2208).
When the Queen Olga snowdrop begins to show, only the flowers come up, and the leaves start to appear once the plants begin to seed. So I have painted the snowdrops in flower so far, and am still awaiting for the leaves to appear (Artist Code 2209)!
Clerodendrum trichotomum Purple Blaze (Harlequin Glory Bower) Artist Code 2208.Galanthus reginae-olgae (Queen Olga Snowdrop) (leaves to be added later) Artist Code 2209
It is not easy to be physically in two places at once, but it is easy for artwork to be so!
It all started on Thursday evening: went to the Royston Town Hall with my artwork submissions and some cards and helped out with setting up the exhibition. I was assigned to checking in the paintings, and what a gorgeous assortment there was – all different paintings in many different styles.
Home and bed, then early Friday morning preparing last minute stuff for Gransden Show. This year we were allowed to set up our stands on Friday afternoon, and after hubby came home from playing golf we had a quick lunch and trundled off to Gransden with all the equipment for my stand. I thought it better not to take the paintings and cards etc., as overnight in a marquee makes things very damp. However, upon setting up the displays, and seeing that most other exhibitors were setting up all their goods, we decided to go back home and collect most of the stuff and bring it back, but leaving it in sealed boxes overnight (which still did not prevent a few things from “sagging” with the damp, but they recovered quickly.
Thank you to everyone who came to visit and especially those who purchased something – it is all much appreciated. It was a splendid day and my eldest granddaughter visited us in the afternoon and was very helpful when we had to pack away. She stayed for a Chinese takeaway afterwards, which ended a very nice day. Sales were down a bit this year – but that is the economic climate, so to sell anything is a bonus at the moment.
So all day Sunday, checking sales sheets and monies from Gransden at home. Then another trip to Royston Town Hall at 5.30 to help with packing down. When you help with an exhibition, it makes you realise just how much work goes into organising these events. I appreciate even more every chance I get to exhibit. Thank you RAS for the exhibition, and it was lovely to sell an original painting: “Autumn Leaves and Fungi, var. unknown”. I think it helped that this little painting was featured on the Exhibition poster! (The exhibition continues online until December)
All-in-all a splendid weekend, and I now have to try and get a few more “Nettie’s Nature jigsaw puzzles” made for my next exhibition stand at Swaffham Arts Festival – it was lovely that I sold out of one: “Love at First Sight” (Kingfishers amongst the reeds and daisies)
Most popular “Nettie’s Nature Jigsaw Puzzle” this weekend (23-25 September 2022)
Well, it was a wonderful afternoon at Challis House. I sold some of my new jigsaw puzzles and greetings cards, and met another artist, Fran Godwood (her stand was next to mine), who paints the most incredible garden scenes and exquisite plant landscapes. She also makes prints. I believe the Show and Fete were a great success for the gardens and raised much needed funds for all the projects going on there. I hope everyone who visited enjoyed it as much as I did.
Here is a little film of photographs taken during the afternoon:
Just received some lovely new traditional, 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles of my work which will be on show at Challis House Gardens tomorrow. There will be lots of stuff going on as it is a Horticultural Show as well as an Annual Fete. So lots to do and see. Do come along if you are in the Sawston area and spend a lovely afternoon browsing the goods on offer, looking at the gardens, tea and cake, and an auction of produce at the end of the show. A beautiful, typical, British afternoon pursuit of old!!!
Some of my “goodies” – note the brand new traditional jigsaw puzzles in the centre of the picture. “Nettie’s Nature Series” and all VERY CHALLENGING! And, new recently, 40-piece wooden fun jigsaw puzzles (postcard size). Also my usual greetings cards, River Friend Books, Notebooks, and Calendars – all handcrafted.
Below are a few pictures of the NEW Nettie’s Nature [Traditional] Puzzles:
Puffins and Thrift (or Fratercula arctica antics)
The Baths of Bath
Red Kite and Life in a Dead Tree
Artist Code 1517. “The Shires”.
Passion Flower Bits
“Ralph—No!” [This is an experiment to see if monotone makes a good, difficult jigsaw!]
