Thursday, May 24, 2012

A little bit of painting - a lot of mounting and framing!!


Hello again, (said with a smile!) as the sun has finally decided to shine again!!! So much has happened in the last few weeks...where do I start?? With exhibitions looming ever closer, I have begun to mount and frame my favourite paintings. Its a bit of a chore compared to painting, but offers a real sense of achievement when you can see your work presented professionally! My good news today is that I've had 2 paintings selected for the Royal Bath & West Show...I've never entered before, but after a friendly nudge from Lon (fellow artist and 'bird nut') I took the plunge and had a go. I'm really glad I did now, and I'm looking forward to popping across to visit the show next week to see it all for myself!

Preparations for our Summer Exhibition at Clevedon Pier's Toll House Gallery are in full swing. Myself, my mate, Lon Sandford and my Mum, Ann Hughes are Showing  "Feathers & Fur, The Way We See It" From Monday 2nd July to Tuesday 31st July. We are all looking forward to seeing our art on display after many months painting and drawing, working towards this show! Here's a sneak preview of our poster...


Working with the Birds of Prey has been awesome (as usual!)...and to top it all, this weekend, I brought home a baby kestrel to babysit for the night! Totally delightful to be sat on my kitchen floor with a baby kestrel snuggled into my neck under my hair!!! My daughter was pretty taken with it too...cuddles all round for us!













More Hawk Walks have been on the agenda...and to top the sheer pleasure of walking through countryside with an incredible bird, the countryside itself has been stunning! Green fields of long grass dotted with zillions of buttercups and apple trees bursting with pink and white blossom...can it get any better?





















Another couple of afternoons at school with Year 5, this group drawing trainers, has once again proved very productive...there are some very talented 9 & 10 year olds! Check out some of these observational drawings made with watercolour pencils...






More excitement this week has included seeing the Olympic Torch pass through Nailsea. Such a buzz as everyone gathered to catch a glimpse of the torch...crowds waving Union Jacks madly as the procession made its way along the street. Its so nice to be part of something that makes everyone feel happy!



With all this going on, I've had little time to paint...just a layer of colour on my big textured 'Woolley' painting, an acrylic of a juvenile peregrine falcon against a seascape background and a portrait of Rogue, a Gyrlin (Hybrid cross between a Gyr Falcon and a Merlin) on a Falconry Glove.

'Woolley'  Acrylic with Texture Paste (second layer)

Juvenile Peregrine Seascape, Acrylic
'Rogue on the Glove' Acrylic (unfinished)

























I'm already looking forward to seeing what the next couple of weeks bring...
Until next time, 
Mandi ;)


4 comments:

  1. Lovely blog, Mandi, You ouse enthusiasm and it rubs off on me, thank you.

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  2. Thank you Pam, its great that someone's enjoying the blog...and more importantly being inspired!!! Happy painting! Mandi xxx

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  3. Hi Mandy,
    Your blog is coming along nicely and it's been good catching up with your hectic lifestyle which seems to be most enjoyable! Lucky you with the BOP and especially the Kestrel chick (wish I'd known as I would have come down for a cuddle!! LOL) You will be pleased to know that I at last managed to track down the Short Eared Owl and got some pictures of it at Kingston Seymour Sea Wall prior to it leaving until next year! the pictures aren't great but I'll send them over some time. Keep up the good work and I'll look forward to seeing a bit more of it at your exhibition on the pier!! Higgy

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  4. Good to hear from you, I look forward to seeing the owl pix! Have been very busy with exhibition prep lately, so not much painting to show. June always seems to be my busy month (work wise) so I feel like a headless chicken at the moment!!! OMG...am I turning into a BOP???!!! LOL!

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