Emily Green Eyes

Emily Green Eyes
I have had a selection of reference photos for a few years
Always been too scared to attempt to paint them, today I bit the bullet!
As a practise piece only, Acrylics on card

 

It always makes me laugh, when I put the first layers on, it looks so freaky!

 



Eternity

Eternity, Acrylics on canvas...
I started this painting many months ago, glad to have finished, this painting to me is all about never ending love and loyalty

Under Painting - This is where I left it months ago...

Finished today..

Cupcakes Galore

My Sister asked me to paint some cupcake paintings for her kitchen
which is about to be decorated again, I haven't painted for a good few weeks
I thought it would be fun to sit out in the sun and paint these little
quirky cupcakes topped with lashings of frosting and a cherry on top..

End results, One happy sister and One relaxed but hungry artist!

Peacock Phase

Peacock

I have always adored peacocks and in fact I have painted them to a few times too
It's something about there colours
Those beautiful long feathers with a rainbow ending

One morning I woke up thinking about Peacocks and decided I would
have a go at painting some again.
After a long break away from proper painting I was a little nervous but I am very pleased with the results

Peacock II

I am also currently working on another Peacock painting...!

 

 

Welsh & Irish May Day Traditions

My May Day Flower

Wales has a wealth of May Day customs, superstitions and traditions that go back to the time of the Druids, such as the lighting of fires for Beli Mawr, Cetic god of Fire and sun, purification, science, fertility, crops and success, that were very much associated with the first of May, known as the festival of Beltaine
Calan Mai or Calan Haf, the first day of May was an important time for celebration and festivities in Wales as it was considered to be the start of summer.

 'Spirit nights', or ysprydnos, took place on May Eve. It was a nights when the world of the supernatural was closest to the real world.
 Villagers would gather hawthorn branches and flowers to decorate the outside of their houses .to celebrate the new growth and fertility of the new season, but It was believed to be unlucky to bring them into the house
 The maypole was an important part of Welsh May Day tradition. in south Wales it was called 'codi'r fedwen', 'raising the birch' ,The maypole was painted different colours and the dancers would wrap ribbons around it, then it would be raised and the dancing would begin. In north Wales it was called 'y gangen haf', the summer branch, which was often decorated with silver watches, spoons, and vessels borrowed from the people in the village and young men dressed in white and decorated with ribbons would sing and dance around it as it was carried by another man called the Cadi.
In Ireland May flowers were picked on the evening before May Day and this was often done by children who went garlanding for flowers. These were sometimes assembled together to make posies or crowns. Yellow flowers, such as primroses, buttercups and marigolds were especially popular, possibly as they reflected the sun and summer. Furze and ferns were also put around the outside of the home.
The flowers were placed on the doorsteps of houses and on windowsills. They were believed to offer luck to the house and offer protection from mystical forces - there was a strongly held belief that these were particularly active around the quarterly days.
The tradition of spreading flowers at thresholds was most common in the northern half of Ireland, especially south Ulster. Throughout Ireland, there is a strong tradition of formally showing welcome, through the spreading of rushes.
Children often carried baskets of flowers and strew them in front of their neighbours’ homes as a gesture of goodwill and good luck.
Herbs gathered before sunrise on May Day were believed to have particularly effective curative properties.
The Flowers were also used for crowning the May Queen. The tradition of selecting a Queen of May is found throughout Europe and may have associations with the ancient Roman Goddess, Flora.
Like the May Poles, this tradition was more popular in large towns. It was often accompanied by a procession and sports and festivities. In some parts of Ulster, a King was chosen, along with the Queen.

No Art But Photography..

I haven't painted or even sketched in ages but yesterday I found my self photographing flowers with such a buzz it reminded me off the old days...
I thought I would share

Oh how I love you daisy, glistening with morning dew,
begging to be picked to tell of who loves you...

Oh how I love you pea flower, so simple and sweet.
swaying with glee, to everyone you meet....
 

Oh how I love you buttercup, I hope you love me too.
You are a special flower all golden with youths dew.

Oh how I love you Daisy, you never make me frown,
Those that call you just a weed, should surely fall to the ground...

Self Portrait - L.S Lowry 1938

L.S Lowry
1938

Having seen the self portrait of Laurence Stephen Lowry at the national portrait gallery this year, it got me thinking about my own annual self portraits and my artwork as a whole

2013 saw me pretty much give up painting, mostly because it physically hurts to paint but also I struggle to sell the paintings, mostly they are given to friends or charity.
I know this is a plague for most artist but it is also demoralizing for them too, with my confidence at an all time low, I suffered an artistic block.

As in every tale of woe, There are two sides to the coin, I have fellow artist & collectors who rave about my art.
with quotes like..
Your one the best Naïve painters around, your use of colour & light is enchanting, keep going you will be discovered.
Winning all those awards will count for something one day..

Yet I struggle to find galleries to sell my work, One gallery said, perhaps if you used a real name, galleries would take you seriously! why does my name effect the quality of my artwork? One thing for certain is I have been known by my name for over 20 years, I am not changing it.
Finding buyers to part with their cash is also hard work, I have tried using networking sites like Twitter and facebook and although I have met some beautiful people, it has not advanced my artistic career

Lowry also struggled, being a shy man he was ridiculed as Sunday painter,  I was reading an article that he had given his milkman sketches as tips, who merely threw them away!

Saying...
He knew Lowry was an artist, but "nobody thought he was anything special"
and
I'm sure other people at that time would have thrown them away. I just thought my children could paint better than him.

These could be worth Millions today, according to some art experts.

So to all my collectors and supporter, those that I have given paintings to or gained via a charity auction. Remember that it only takes a little chance of fate and your paintings could be worth a small fortune!

Super Cosmic
2013

Some Lowry Quotes:

"You don't need brains to be a painter, just feelings."
"I am not an artist. I am a man who paints."
"This art is a terrible business."

See:
http://www.npg.org.uk/take-another-look/laurence-stephen-lowry.php

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/7403936/Milkman-who-threw-out-sketches-by-artist-JS-Lowry-poured-away-1m.html

My artwork for sale via the art gallery..http://www.artgallery.co.uk/artist/super_cosmic