Thursday, August 16, 2012

Soggy Summer Holidays...with Art Exhibition Frenzy!!


Hello! What a soggy Summer its been this year. Despite the lack of sunshine, the Summer Holidays have been stupidly busy and very exciting!!
 After the exhibition at Clevedon Pier, I was chuffed to bits to finally hang my paintings in the Meadows Restaurant at Puxton Park. The Falconry Centre at Puxton Park is where my feathered friends live, therefore I feel the most appropriate place on the planet for my paintings of them to be seen! With thanks to Lon and Claire who helped me hang them, visitors to the restaurant can now enjoy their coffee or lunch surrounded by a selection of my favourite paintings of the most stunning birds of prey! If you're passing this way, why not pop in and have a look for yourself?

No sooner were my paintings up at Puxton, it was off down to Cornwall on the train I went to hang yet another art exhibition! This time it was the Portreath Art Club Annual Exhibition. I have been on the 'hanging committee' for the past 2 years which means along with 2 other members, I am responsible for hanging all the exhibiting members' artwork in a pleasing manner. An interesting task with a hint of pressure - trying to fit all the paintings into a  limited space in a limited time, ready for the preview evening. As usual, the exhibition was very successful - despite the bad weather, financial climate and clashing with the 2012 Olympics, sales were good.

Woolley, Rock Eagle Owl. water colour, detail.

Being away on my own allowed me a couple of chances between stewarding sessions at the exhibition, to paint (pretty impossible at home in the Summer holidays with everyone home from school!) My first painting was an experimental watercolour of my old favourite, Woolley. I wanted to work loosely..I got a bit carried away with the colours in the background! I decided to crop into the head as I'm not completely happy with the whole composition, but this part of the painting works well.








Harris Hawk, water colour.


My second painting is of a Harris Hawk, again using water colour. This image is a frame-filling close up of the head, strongly side lit and I wanted to emphasise the light and shade. I'm really pleased with this painting and I think it will have quite an intensity when it is framed and on a wall!





I was unable to stay in Cornwall for the whole week as I had to dash home (or slow train ride!) so I could attend the Private View of the Clevedon Art Club Annual Exhibition held at Clevedon School Science Atrium. This is the time when as an artist, you find out whether or not your art has been selected or not...I was over the moon to discover that my 3 feather paintings had all been selected!!! Woohooo!! The exhibition is open until 25th August 10.30-6pm daily, Sunday 2-6pm. Pop in and have a look!!

Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday..to celebrate we are taking her group with a group of her friends to the Owl Encounter and then for a Hawk Walk (we'll be flying birds in the Twilight Zone if its raining). So, having a hawk themed birthday party, Xixi has asked for a 'Harris Hawk' birthday cake...this afternoon has been spent baking and creating an edible hawk!!!!! Not quite 'art' but with a stretch of the imagination, could be described as artistic creativity!!!! To tell the truth, I really enjoyed the challenge - I just hope Xi's friends appreciate the end result (I know Xi will!)                          Here it is... Next blog I'll tell you how it tastes!
Harris Hawk Birthday Cake


 See you next time, Mandi ;)