sea blue sky abstracts

My Etsy shop has been updated with some additional photos and artwork. This first is an A4 giclee print, 'Sunrise' taken from a watercolour/gouache diptych. This print is entitled 'Porthmeor Rocks'. 'Let's Dance'! 'Lucid' The next is an original painted on primed card and is called 'Gannet Seas', because we often see Gannets diving here in such conditions. This too is an original on primed card - 'Seascape & Headland' - I'm not always so imaginative when it comes to titles! I forgot to include close ups of 'St Ives Harbour & Godrevy' in the previous post, so here they are (below) - makes it easier to see brushstrokes, texture and the grain of the wooden support.

Oh I have had so much fun with this painting, though am unsure as to the title, something along the lines of 'Floral -Planters' or 'Floral - Patio' , what do you think? It's not framed yet, is rendered on canvas board and started out as a figure study! The figure wasn't coming together at all, so I rashly slathered black paint onto anaglypta and printed onto the surface and then glued a piece of the wallpaper on for good measure, as in the collages featured earlier in this blog. Next came the green paint applied with a knife, which made me think of leaves, the leaves of Montbretia, so I mixed a lovely orange and tried creating flowers, again using a knife. Later I picked some Montbretia flowers and painted them (the two on the right hand side of the painting). Then, my daughter gave me some beautiful magenta coloured Gladioli and so they were incorporated too, it was such a pleasure to watch them open out from deep, red buds. 'Summer Bay' or 'St Iv

Walking in soft rain: Birds sing Wet vegetation gleams Earthy scents sweeten the air. I think of those who cannot share The quiet joy Bound to beds without ties Imprisoned in rooms with open doors. There is no reason to complain when Walking in soft rain.

Well, it's a bit embarrassing - warning that I might be offline for quite sometime, possibly a week and here I am, back after less than 24 hours! Luckily, after half heartedly trying again in the hope that some computer miracle would happen e.g. switch on, wait 30 seconds and hey presto windows desktop appears, displaying most importantly the Internet Explorer shortcut icon (didn't happen) I realised that there were some options open to me, thanks to those little F keys - no, I'm not swearing - F9 I think, allowed me to opt for a 'System Restore'. So that's what I did, restored the computer to its factory condition. Wonderful! Everything's so fast, because, apart from the Internet connection, the computer has no files! I'm not too worried because there should be some back up via PCWorld. So for now, the sea-blue-sky-abstracts Etsy shop will remain in Vacation mode until I can ensure that the relevant image files are back on my computer. Thanks for

Dear All, I am unable to get into my computer (why do these things always happen at the weekend?) - the hard drive I think - and am quickly writing this post on the laptop at my parents house. So please don't think I'm ignoring visitors or not interested in the posts of all the terrific blogs I follow because that's not the case, it's all the computer's fault and I'm effectively silenced for a while, boo hoo. Have a great weekend everyone and hopefully I'll be back soon! Lesley x

Today, we headed off to picturesque Portscatho on the South coast of Cornwall, to visit the long awaited Home Spun Fair . Although quite cloudy, the weather was bright and warm - the village is much quieter than hectic St Ives, too. Here's Jane who organised the event with Christine of 'The Sea Garden' Portscatho. Pictured here are some examples of the wonderful wares that Christine has for sale in her shop - including lovely sewn pieces by Gertrud Strahl. Truly beautiful hats by Clare of Daisy Darling millinery. Abundant bunting on the left and Niki's 'Vintage Magpie stall on the right - her home-made mohair teddies are adorable. Cynthia of the Spindrift Gallery, Portscatho, with examples of her lovely artwork. Here she is, the one, the only, Viv of Hens Teeth fame ! It was great to actually meet Viv and the other bloggers today and I hope it won't be long before we have a chance to meet up again. Viv chatting to other stall holders. Clare with her t

Rather a lame title, a cover for not really having much idea of what to blog about this evening. Workwise, I've almost completed the commission for Beverley - it's a view looking across St Ives Bay, with The Quay (Smeaton's Pier) on the left showing Godrevy Lighthouse in the distance. There's no photo yet. The support is a thin piece of wood from an old wardrobe, primed with 2 or 3 layers of gesso. Right at the beginning of this blog, when I first posted in mid March 2009, I mentioned spending a day a week at St Ives Ceramics, selling studio pottery - and have included this link http://www.st-ives-ceramics.co.uk/ today for Julie's benefit (see her quirky and individual work here ). I have bought in a small way, mainly pieces of domestic ware for myself and as gifts for family and friends, loving the combination of beauty and function. The photo shows soup/pasta bowls by Peter Swanson and a Kaori Tatebayashi plate. Was interested to note recently a new publication l

Thanks to Carolyn at Love-Stitching-Red for tagging me - a first and I'm thrilled out of all proportion! So here goes, 'six silly things that make me happy' are: 1. Summer dog walks (smiling and feeling young - which I'm not). 2. Smelling roses in the gardens I pass. 3. Putting washing on the line and watching it 'set sail' against an endless blue sky. 4. Seasonal fruity desserts - syrupy stewed blackcurrants and frothy gooseberry fool. 5. Sipping ice-cold lager or Cava (Champagne too if I get the chance, of course)! 6. Witnessing the breathtaking clarity of a Western, summer evening sky. Now, who to tag? Probably should have decided this before starting the post. Some bloggers prefer to remain tag free, so please ignore this should I inadvertently tag YOU. And if you haven't been tagged and want to list your six, then go for it anyway! 1. Country-Lite 2. Mimilove 3. Denise Burden 4. Karen Faulkner 5. Julie Whitmore Pottery 6. One Pink Goose

I forgot to explain how the butterflies were produced! Squares of fabric cut out ready for quilting. Trusty PVA again slathered on and the fabric glued to lightweight card which, when dry was cut into butterfly shapes which in turn were glued to the canvas.

In this detail, the anaglypta, pink florist's cellophane and paint on canvas can be seen. Reddish/brown transparent glazing in the centre section and swirls of aqua opaque impasto on the right. This includes a piece of anaglypta from Carol Parsons painting class back in March, 2009? This particular piece of wallpaper has already been used to 'print paint to canvas'. Victoria Hilliard produces lovely ceramic pictures inspired by nature, including the portrayal of moths and butterflies. Would I have produced this collage if Tori were not a member of Art Space Gallery? Maybe not. Everything is 'grist to the visual mill' as far as artists are concerned. 'Floral - Pedestal' this painting just evolved. Fun, fun and more fun! 'Floral - Feel Amazing'. I love this artwork! My daughter's boyfriend bought her flowers, including old fashioned roses, which provided the inspiration for the flowers at the top of the painting and the cellophane wrapper is

How sad is that, of course I mean from head to tail, the buzzard measured........

I'm trying to be disciplined here, creating a post before clicking all of those tantalising links in my reading list, otherwise all will be lost and another day will pass without a post from Sea Blue Sky Abstracts (no loss some might say)! Anyway, walking the dog earlier, a speedy walk, not far from home given the torrential showers we have been experiencing in this part of the world, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye in time to see a buzzard land on a goal post at Penbeagle Play Park (Palemon Best). Sorry, no pictures as I didn't have a camera - but heck, everyone knows what a buzzard looks like don't they? I'm being facetious, even now, I don't really know (my eyesight's not what it was). I was thrilled and stopped to watch for a while before following the path down and even closer to the bird, within about 20 yards, looking all the time. The buzzard was not bothered at all, although kept an eye on us while doing a spot of preening. In profil

'Wave after Wave' 12 x 24 inches, acrylic/oil on canvas 'Summer Night, St Ives' 12 x 24 inches, acrylic/oil on canvas. SOLD I have been busy and have now opened an Etsy shop for my prints, later (much, much later) there will also be some small originals on board for sale. Audrey, who's based in Canada, has kindly featured Sea Blue Sky Abstracts on her blog - click the button on the side panel or the heading of this post to see more of what she does. I have a sort of tick to do list - 1.blog, 2.Etsy shop, 3.personal website. Plus, there's also Folksy to consider! Life is never dull - it's a little too busy actually, there are many jobs that never get done! I'm having fun working on two canvases for the next Art Space window theme - Collage. Bizaare, who's going to buy them? These are two pieces that might end up staying with me forever. I have the titles already - 'Floral' Feel Amazing' taken from a clothing label included in

I ventured out of Cornwall last weekend. Waiting for the train at St Erth Station. Crossing the Tamar! A change of train at Newton Abbot and a short trip on the branch line to Paignton, followed by a bus ride to bright and sunny Brixham. To celebrate Timake and her cousin Teka's 50th birthdays! Views from the garden of the Golden Lion. The weather was perfect and the evening seemed to stay light forever. Timake and Teka are from Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert & Ellis Islands) and marked the occasion in traditional style with family and friends. There was dancing, laughter and later, masses of food, including a pig roast organised by Timake's husband Mark (Devon boy). Later - it did get dark eventually - there was Karaoke inside, great music, more dancing and hilarity. What a lovely break. It was great to spend time with old friends not seen nearly often enough!