Happy New Year....

Oops! I believe I have left it a little late to wish everyone a happy 2010, but better late than never. The prodigal painter returneth finally, after an eight week absence. My sincere apologies to my regular readers for the quiet fingers of late..... my digits were superglued together by a gum that lasts for two months, and then magically disappears. Not really. I just needed the break! I will endeavor to pick up my slack ways and get a-posting regularly as to be honest, I miss the comments! I hope everyone is in the finest of fettle and getting back into the swing of the New Year.

It has been a quiet January so far, which means all the small things and bits that have been put aside can now be sorted out properly. I have been very lucky though to have picked up several commissions already, and diverse ones at that which is always a bonus for me. Most of the commissions have been glass panels which I find do not photograph well ( much like me when I have just woken up) so I thought I would post this little chappie instead. He is Dylan and a birthday present for someone, so I hope for a change that there is at least one person who doesn't read this blog as I will have ruined their surprise! Hope you like him....

Portrait of a dog as a young pup.........

Thanks for that Mr Joyce- I was having problems with duplicating a previous post title then. This blurb is going to be as short and sweet as this dog is. Meet Pushka. I do not know what sex it is, or indeed what make it is ... but I do know it was a very cute and animated little fur ball, with a friendly nature. Hope 'Mum and Dad' like the painting- there were so many colours in the coat it was actually a bit of a challenge. This has sparked a flurry now of pets as people are trying to get presents done in time for Christmas. 'Oh what a shame' she said, as she thinks of all those many hours sat in the warm doing a job she adores! Wonderful stuff.

Illuminating the world......

It's not because I have been too lazy to write that this blog has fallen silent. Quite the opposite. I haven't even been able to work in the gallery workshop, having instead to turn our kitchen into a drying rack for christmas stocks of lamps. And more lamps. And a few more on top. There is well over fifty now waiting for discerning people to fall in love with and all sorts of styles and designs to choose from- because you must know what I am like by now. We reclaimed the kitchen at the weekend, so now down at SerenArts if all the new lights are switched on it is theoretically possible to see us from space. We glow! A very attractive sight on a cold November day.

Isn't it funny how some things go in cycles? Sometimes I have a commission for say, a dog portrait, and this then triggers of a small spate of other dog portraits. Or someone may buy a handful of the glass cards I do... and then suddenly the whole world and it's Mum are buying them up. This week already I have been asked to do a commission of one of my paintings that has already been sold ( pictured above because I clean forgot to take a photo of the national lamp mountain, in my relief at finally finishing!) The client in question, and quite rightly in my humble opinion, didn't want a mere print so asked for me to paint another similar one. I have no problem with that! Strangely though I now have another request- this time to 'copy' for wont of a better word, a Modigliano that is out of copyright, and has been manipulated in photoshop to change the colours. Not my cup of tea and it will be odd painting in someone else's style... but I may actually learn new techniques from a proper master... and the pennies come in useful of course. Watch this space!

Last illustrations of Charlotte Khan...... 'til the next book!

Can't think, brain's dumb.

Inspiration won't come.

Some days the words just flow onto the page- and other days like this I really struggle to say anything coherent or interesting. Doesn't stop me though as you may have noticed. Here are the last of the illustrations for Julie's (Mulholland) new children's book. All that is left is to go back through the pictures and grey in areas of interest and then process them for the publisher. 'Easy peasy' the computer bit because I hand that over to my long-suffering husband. 'Look Ma, no hands!' I cry, and I never seem to mind if he's busy or not.... I'm good that way. Barring a localized disaster all should be of to the printers in time for Christmas. How wonderfully exciting! Watch this space as they say.....

More good news to pass on. I mentioned in an earlier post of putting a picture into the Bath Prize competition, not expecting to win but more in hope of selling. Well I didn't win but have just had a lovely email saying my work had sold. Hurrah for that I say! I wonder if it went to one of the houses I drew in the Bath scene? I'd love to know.........................

Talking of Bath - seamless link alert - here's a little free advertising for a forthcoming event ( aren't I lovely?!)

An exhibition of water crystal photographs by Dr Masaru Emoto, is accompanied by Dr Emoto himself, who will be speaking at the Roman Baths, on 17th November 2009, on The Secret Power of Water. The world renowned researcher, who photographs water crystals, illustrates how human vibrations effect the external environment.

Tickets are available from the Bath Festival office on 01225 463362. Doors open at 7pm for the exhibition, the talk starts at 8pm.

More commissions.......

If I were able I would be springing back flips everywhere today. Instead I will just have to settle for leaping around like a loony in my head. You know how it is. I'd hate to knock over someone's mochachocadoodah coffee with a wayward arab spring into a full piked twisting somersault, so I will just sit here quietly smiling instead. Health and safety and all that.

Why so happy? Three commissions in a week all done and dusted and I still had time to watch Strictly Come Dancing ( although I still painted in between the dance routines.... sorry Brucey!) Pictured are two of them. The third I will save for next week to plump up the blog when content may be thin on the ground. Canny heh? Today I am being about as rebellious as I get these days and will NOT be painting a single dot, stroke or splodge of anything. These hedonistic heights may even stretch to a takeaway on the proceeds of all this hard work.... and the sun is shining whilst I'm manning the gallery workshop here. If anyone is having a bad day just come and rub shoulders with me and maybe the happiness will rub off- after all, life is good................................

More illustrations.................................

I hope you can see these alright as I photographed them quickly rather than scanned them properly. As some of you already know I have been passing away time drawing up some illustrations for Julie Mulholland's new children's book 'The Adventures of Charlotte Khan- Charlotte goes to Hong Kong.' I thought I had finished but a couple of weeks ago Julie asked me to do another 13 of these drawings for her book as she can get more in. What a result! This time they are her ideas for what she would also like to be in there, so it takes the pressure off me to try and second guess what is wanted. I was going to methodically work down the list she gave me but couldn't find the fun in that, so instead I shout out at my husband to pick out a number left and I get on with the corresponding one he calls out. What teamwork, hey?

Finished Ferrari commission.....................

Firstly many apologies for the tardy blogging of late.... unfortunately when things get hectic at work this is the first place that gets pushed to the bottom of the pile. Quite unceremoniously at times! Life has been very good here of late and I find myself swamped with all sorts of commissions- hurrah! Gainful employment until Christmas... not bad heh? It was quite a gamble taking on the extra responsibility of a workshop/gallery space, but it has paid dividends and taking off in terms I only previously dreamed of. The downside though is time slips by alarmingly and you find you haven't written blog entries religiously as you once promised yourself. Ho hum, as my husband says for a multitude of things. I'm feeling all prodigal....

This is the finished ferrari commission I was asked to do by a lovely lady wanting something personal for her husband's birthday. She liked my 'Three Men in a Boat' painting at the gallery, or rather the detail in the picture I can get with oils, and wanted this exact car immortalized as 'hubby' is something to do with the tyres/wheels etc., ( things that go over my head!) I find I am very obliging when money is involved so jumped at this with relish. Apart from having to get the model and wheels right the lady also wanted it against a Tuscan house backdrop... so 'Ta-Daaaah!' Voila. It does exactly what it says on the tin, from Serena.

By the by, did any one read a piece about Damien Hirst recently.... he is apparently given up his pickling dead farm animals, sticking bits and pieces to skulls and getting other people to throw paint onto spinning canvasses for him. Hoorah, I thought, because I never really 'got' all that sort of art. If you are one of the clever people out there that can speak at length on the merits of this type of work/art, please don't write into me as I promise, in a month of sundays, your breath will be utterly wasted on me. I just don't and never will 'get' it. He is in fact taking ' a step backwards' ( his words) and has learnt to paint with a brush on canvas again. Well its about time Mr Hirst, and I truly hope you get the immense satisfaction most of us get from putting our hearts and souls down onto canvas, in true back to basics style work ethics. You never know, you may just enjoy it as it's not always about the money you see.... says she who has just painted for a tidy sum! But you get my drift don't you? More power to his elbow then. I can't wait to see what he comes up with and what he feels about it- how exciting, a new kid on the block.