sea blue sky abstracts

'Sultry Sea' 5.5 x 12.5 cm. SOLD 'Sultry Waves' 5.5 x 13.5 cm. SOLD 'Wintry Sea' 12 x 8 cm. SOLD 'Early Morn' 21 x 15 cm. SOLD Tiny oil paintings on primed board. Copyright Lesley Ninnes.

Deciding to make the most of the wonderful weather we've been having, my Mum and I took the dog to the village of Zennor, about 3 miles West of St Ives, on Saturday afternoon. We left the car in the park adjacent to the Back Packers Hostel (formerly the Wesleyan Church) and walked past the old Tinners Arms pub on one side and Zennor Church on the other, and took the lane which skirts the farm along the side of the valley that runs down to the sea, and then onto the footpath to Zennor Head. We were mostly sheltered from the breeze, which was cold, and really enjoyed the warmth of the sun. First we walked down to where the river flowed quite forcefully and loudly over the boulders and then climbed back up steep granite steps, glad to stop halfway and sit on a very comfortable weathered, lichen clad, wooden seat. Gurnard's Head can be seen through the haze. The return walk. Part of the village can be seen ahead - click for a better view. The Gorse was ablaze with blooms; fat r...

What can I say? I couldn't resist this beautiful clear sky again. There's more of the Moon to see now. A closer look. Click the pictures to enlarge. Two posts in one day! Good night, sleep tight.

Painting my 'Favourite Plate' still-life was so enjoyable that I decided to have a go at painting this pretty bunch of Anemones. For a start, it's impossible to capture the colour of these blooms (for me anyway) so there has to be an element of compromise. The little china jug too, hasn't been rendered particularly accurately - and the background - well, it just 'evolved'. This next pic shows the flower heads in detail. Part way through the first painting I started to wish that I'd gone for a looser feel, so fetched another canvas and started to paint the Anemones again. I prefer this rendition, but perhaps it could only have been achieved because of the observation and labour that went into the first study? Click the pictures to enlarge. This detail of the flowers shows the brush strokes. I'm working on some yellow tulips now!

Out walking this evening - a beautiful, breezy evening, slightly hazy because of the volcanic dust in the atmosphere - we came across this para glider struggling to get off the ground. Don't know if he succeeded as his attempts were accompanied by a cacophany of dog barking (the loudest and noisiest barks coming from my canine companion) so we decided to 'make tracks'. Again, this photo doesn't do it justice and I only wish I'd noticed earlier, before the sky darkened, because this sliver of a crescent moon looked wonderful. When first spotted, the Penumbra was clearly visible and - I think it's Venus again below - sparkled. Plus, I haven't found out how to get a longer exposure than 8 seconds. Hope we can look forward to more clear skies over the weekend!

Let me say, these pictures just do not do justice to the view from my bedroom window this evening. Going upstairs to close the curtains I was delighted to see Venus in the West - click the pics to get a better view - as bright as a headlight in the beautifully clear sky. With the window open wide - there was not a breath of wind - I tried in vain to keep two bats in sight as they swooped silently back and forth - it was impossible, they were way too fast. By the time the camera was set up the light had started to go and the colours to fade. It has been lovely to see the sun again today. Glorious!

My goodness, I really must post something - it's been forever! The painting below is entitled 'Favourite Plate' and is the first featuring my treasured Kaori Tatebayashi plate, with a sprig of chrysanthemum. Rendered in oil on canvas - with white backing board and frame - it's currently displayed in the window of Art Space Gallery, St Ives. This one is called 'Glacial Landscape' a mixed media semi-abstract. I have used copper interference medium and mineral flakes on the lower part of the painting. Glacial Landscape is also framed in white wood, with white backing board.   SOLD Still to come are the remaining holiday photos and also - although I don't know yet what form it will take - my first year bloggiversary giveaway!! Yep, sea-blue-sky-abstracts came into being just over a year ago, on Monday 30 March, which must be cause for celebration of some sort..... Bye for now, Lesley x