Brightlingsea Music Festival

It looks like it might be a cracking weekend for the music festival, with a fantabydozey 70's band headlining. There will be many stalls and lots going on. Including an art and craft tent where you can find a few of Brightlingsea's resident artists exhibiting their wares.... I will be taking some of my very popular Coastguard Cottages along, with some driftwood paintings and a few other small items. Of course the Waterside Gallery is still showing the Contemporary Arts & Crafts exhibition, so lots of goodies to choose from.

A Maltese door revisited and a small watercolour on driftwood.

 A bag full of worded pebbles

Gratitude pebbles, a reminder to be grateful for everything in our lives.

The story behind the 'gratitude stones'  :

'Lee Brower was a teacher who found that things weren't going right in his life.

One day, he found a rock and he said to himself 'Every time I touch this rock, I'm going to think of something I'm grateful for'.

And so every morning he wakes up, picks up his rock from the dresser, puts it in his pocket and he goes through what he's grateful for in life.

And every night he comes home, empties his pocket, sees his rock and again he goes through what he's grateful for.

And so one day he had a friend from South Africa visit and he dropped the rock in front of his friend and the friend from South Africa asked 'What is that?'

Lee Brower explained what he was doing with his rock and pretty soon his friend started calling it a Gratitude Rock.

Two weeks later, Lee Brower got an email from his South African friend asking if he had any Gratitude Rocks to send over. His friend explained that his son was suffering from a rare form of Hepatitis and was dying. So Lee went to the river to look for rocks and he sent the rocks to his friend in South Africa.

Five months later, Lee gets an email from his friend telling him that his son is doing terrific and completely cured of the disease.'

As you give thanks...you get :0)

What a view

I have been a bit of a bag lady this last 12 months and frankly it is quite tiring moving 'studio' all the time. But there is an air of excitement now as this view will be mine in a few months time. Can't wait.
I may have to take an air rifle to those Victoriana lights right in the way, but hey a small price to pay. I will have a studio on the roof terrace with the most wonderful view to inspire my painting. I am looking forward to a completely different landscape to work from and colours that are not often seen in this country. Though I have to say, this week, even the muddy creek water has taken on a whole new aspect in this wonderful sunshine.
I will continue to blog, WiFi connection permitting, and hope to give a different outlook on life.
In the meantime exhibitions continue down in Brightlingsea, so head on down if you haven't already been.

Can't think of a title.

Some new driftwood paintings which will be on show at the Waterside Gallery, Brightlingsea today. 

Pieces of wood found on dog walks around Brightlingsea. Not easy carrying large bits home and manage a dog or two !

I use gesso as a base on which to paint. My continuing love of the subtle effects of watercolours, goes on. The end result on gesso is quite different to painting on paper. The paint sits on the surface and is easily manipulated with the long wispy hair of my horse tail hair brush.
A little gold or silver ink added to the watercolour gives a lovely shimmer.

I think summer is finally here ! A day on the water me thinks......

Early start

  Heybridge Basin at 06.00 this morning.

All is still, the mist lies waiting for the sun. Black headed gulls squabble noisily.
Little brown birds busy themselves looking for bugs in the grass. Starlings swoop and dive around the boats. Settling for a moment on a mast before taking off again like a swarm of bees.
Deep breath.......What a beautiful day.

....In with the new.

Before I embark on a new adventure (more later in the Summer) I need to clear the studio. Odd works left from exhibitions, that don't fit in with any new ones, are lurking in the corners of my studio. A collection of paintings and sculptures. A new brush sweeps clean !  I need to clear my head of all my old way of thinking and start afresh. Hence a September Studio Sale. It will be a chance to buy one off original artworks at knock down prices. If you can't wait that long I will be showing lots of new work over the Summer at the Waterside Gallery.

So, in order to sweep clean, my good friend and Textile Artist extraordinaire Stefanie Moss and I are having a 'Studio Sale' in Brightlingsea to coincide with Open Studios in September. We are looking for another, poss two, artists to join us. If you are interested and not already taking part in OS weekend, please email either me or Stefanie.

This has nothing to do with anything except:

Silent and serene, forgetting words, bright clarity appears before you. Dropping judgements and names, sitting serene, Prajna Wisdom lights up the you-before-world.
~ Hongzhi

Waterside Gallery is hosting another show starting this weekend. Contemporary Art and Craft. Another exciting collection of work from well established Brightlngsea artists and also some new faces. I will be sitting in on a few days over the next few weeks...so pop in I would love to see you. Lots of new work from me too !