February Playlist

End of the Road Festival 2017

I have just been looking through my photographs from this year and thought I would share my End of the Road Festival ones with you. It was my second year visiting and it has fast become my favourite music festival. Here is a little run down of this lovely event…

Getting There

The festival is located at Larmer Tree Gardens, near Blandford, in Dorset.

There are lots of good links from the South to the festival, but it is quite tricky from the North, so I drove. It was my first time driving since January so needless to say I was apprehensive about the mammoth journey. I tooks some Bachs Remedy and braced myself. I felt so much better driving than the year before mainly due to my friends encouraging me. It was good to just know I could do it!

Camping

The camping is an easy walk from the carpark and the stages are really accessible. I really like the size of this festival; easy to navigate and everything in walking distance.

There are hot showers that took 30mins to queue for at about 8ish in the morning, probably less time if I had got up earlier!

The toilets are the best festival toilets I have experienced.I was in shock the first year I went as they always had toilet roll and hand sanitiser and were clean!

I slept well at the campsite but I did wear ear plugs and I would recommend that as my friends were disturbed by noisy neighbours.

Music

I was really excited to see the headliners, particularly Slowdive and Bill Callahan and they absolutely did not disappoint. Slowdive played on the Thursday night, so it was straight into amazing music, visuals and a very personable, down to earth delivery from Rachel Goswell. Bill Callahan played on the last night and it had been raining all day and continued to do so throughout his whole set, and it was still amazing!

One of the main things I like about EOTR is that I always discover new music. I really enjoyed: Moses Sumney, Nadine Shah, Allison Crutchfield ( now I really wish I had seen Waxahatchee too!) and John Moreland.

I made a little playlist to share some of the music with you..

Food

The choice of food at the festival is top notch. My favourite was the Pizza Tabun. Not only was their “Greek Pizza” delicious, there was something about the atmosphere there that made it special. They played music that everyone tapped their feet to in the queue, the staff were welcoming and they had lots of seats and tables (so nice at a festival), or am I showing my age?

I also had a lovely (hot) chilli and a very good paneer curry at the other stalls.

Highlights

Watching Breaking Away in the cinema to shelter from the rain. A funny, heartwarming film; just what was needed!

Adam Buxton’s Bug David Bowie special in the woods. Hilarious, affectionate and ended with everyone dancing and singing, what could be better?

Sitting in the sunshine and listening to great music.

Sketching at the Garden Stage.

Stumbling upon impromptu things in the woods. Labyrinth re-enactment anyone?

That the festival had a ferris wheel!

Prettiness…

Tickets are on sale now for End of the Road 2018 and I couldn’t recommend it more highly.I hope this has inspired you to visit!

Happy Sunday!

Inspiration..Francoise de Felice

I cam across this artist’s paintings when looking for portrait examples for my classes on Pinterest. I really fell for her rich colours and multi layered images.

Francoise de Felice was born in Paris and lived there until she was 20. Her move from France to Sicily prompted her to move away from Impressionism too. She developed her own way of working, focussing on narrative and layers.She returned to France and continued to paint dream like portraits.I just love the light and shade in them. The contrast between loose brushstrokes and neat detailed faces are really lovely. I obviously use blending techniques in my own paintings so it is a joy to see it done so well.

Songs for Painting

 

1.belle and sebastian-lazy line painter jane

2.joni mitchell-a case of you

3.teenage fanclub-every picture i paint

4.billy bragg-must i paint you a picture?

5.red house painters-grace cathedral park

6.andy summers and robert fripp-painting and dance

7.ultimate painting-central park blues

8.peter bjorn and john-blue period picasso

9.david j newton-don’t leave me in the dark

1o.daniel johnston-the story of an artist

 

Preview…Open Studios

Plenty of postcards made for my open studios…particularly this one featuring my cat Billy!

And the real thing.

Inspiration-Atlier Bingo

Atelier Bingo are a duo from France specialising in graphic design , surface pattern and illustration. They make bright screen prints and illustrations focussing on pattern and colour.I always like abstracts as they are something I don’t (kind of can’t) do myself!

I am a sap for anything sketchbooky!

Inspiration-Alexander Calder

I first discovered Alexander Calder when I was at art college and I fell in love with his miniature circuses. He called them Cirque Calder and invited artists such as Picasso to view them. He invented the mobile and I always find his art full of joy.

Here are some of his circus drawings that make me smile..

And the circus…

I hope you like it too, Happy Sunday!

Inspiration: Ginny Grayson

You might think a portrait painter is an unlikely inspiration for me, but I have been teaching lots of classes based on portraits and came across this beautiful work.

Ginny Grason is an artist from New Zealand, now living in Melbourne. I always love the process of someone’s work being evident and the ghostly drawn lines tell the story of its making.

Sometimes it is the negative spaces; knowing when to leave parts out that makes a drawing breath.This is something I yet to master. Grayson does it beautifully.

Funnily enough I came across this Picasso quote today (other lesson planning):

” I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else”

I kind of like the idea of a drawing or painting having its own character to be discovered. When I paint I never have a clear image in mind. I really just have an idea of the mood I want it to have. I am often surprised by the look of a painting I make, but not the feel.

If you would like to see more of this beautiful work it is here.

In the meantime I am going to get my charcoal out, who knows what will appear..

Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh

Well the beginning of March has been a real hibernation for me so far as I have got a bug that is really outstaying its welcome.  Anyway needless to say I haven’t done much work but I have finally sorted out my photographs and drawings from the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh. So a bit of flower therapy to help me on my way. I hope they brighten up your March too. I have heard it has been raining.

Here’s to Spring time and bulk buying echinacea!

 

 

 

 

 

Edinburgh

Just after new year my friend Lisa and I took a jaunt to Edinburgh, it was my birthday and it was so nice to do something special. I studied my Illustration degree in Edinburgh but I haven’t been back for years. I was excited to see old haunts and new changes.

When we arrived Edinburgh was just as I remembered; low, bright winter sun and buildings that make you look up!

When I lived in Edinburgh I was pretty sketchbook obsessive and my favourite place to draw was the National Museum of Scotland. So this was our first stop ..

And guess what? I still enjoyed drawing there.

I think I might still be a sketchbook obsessive.

What places make you smile?