Doodling and artichokes

We have had our last class of the year and the holiday homework is artichokes. With the whole summer ahead I feel no pressure and artichokes are casual at present, one drawn in pencil, three in watercolour with no drawing, one mad splashing colour about in what could be called a loose style or could be called messy.  None of these will make it on to here, too public a space.  Next, an artichoke in ink.  
Meanwhile I am drawing Nectaroscordum siculum bulgaricum, one of my favourite plants, and Periwinkle (Vinca major).
It is good to have some time to experiment.

Goddess done

Flora is now complete.
At the art class Claire asks who has finished their Coming of Spring piece and I have to say that I need her to tell me if it is finished!  It is, just about.  The face has been the hardest part but a tweak here and a tweak there and she is done.  Spot the snail!

Flora, Goddess of Spring
Coloured pencil

Flora, Goddess of Spring

Is she finished?  I think she is almost.  I take a coffee and sit and look at her and try to decide.  The face is the hardest part.  She must look like marble.  I will have to see what Claire says next week.  Then it is artichokes....

Bought the catalogue for the Rory McEwen exhibition at Kew which we are planning to visit.  Wonderful stuff.  Such talent, and not only as an artist, but also as a musician.

Artist's block?

I have come to a dead halt.  I have twiddled and tweaked but added nothing new.  I have drawn lovely things in my sketchbook but they don't seem to fit on the finished piece.  Cannot seem to move on at all and I don't know what to do next!  That marigold intimidates me.  Maybe another periwinkle flower?  I would like blossom and I have drawn cherry, damson and apple.  None seems right.

Flora

Flora is moving along quite well.  We are supposed to be working in watercolour but coloured pencil is so much easier for me when my time is often snatched.  I can do 20 minutes in coloured pencil, but for paint I feel I must have some sustained time.
I am trying to depict marble becoming plants, death to life, dark to light.  The plants I am using are of spring, some with their own symbolism - primrose, marsh marigold, hart's tongue fern, periwinkle and strawberry.
I wonder if that big yellow blob of a marsh marigold is rather a mistake.

Hart's tongue fern, Clematis montana,
chionodoxa, primrose, marsh marigold

Celandines added, also veronica umbrosa.

Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition

Inspired!  There was some fantastic work and already I am beginning to find names of people whose work I like.  There was a wonderful coloured pencil picture of Lords and Ladies in autumn by Ann Swan.  One of my favourites was a square picture of tulips and wallflowers coming in from the sides, by Susan Christopher-Coulson in coloured pencil.  I also loved a garland of hops and lavender by our own Elizabeth.  Billy Showell included images of pencils and pens in her works, as if just laid down on the paper and also used trompe l'oeil to make you think there were layers of papers creating a collage effect.  Julia Trickey is another eye-catcher, often depicting decaying flowers.  She did a big picture of leaves from Bath Botanic Gardens inspired by the work of Rachel Pedder-Smith. I loved a huge dead Rodgersia leaf by Robert McNeill.  He won a prize for another of his paintings shown in the exhibition.
There was a huge range of work and although much was superb, some of it was of quite an ordinary standard.  I can aim high!
We had a good day, Sue, Sheila and myself.  We met up with Eileen and her family too.  Her son is an extraordinarily good-looking young man!

Pineapples and lemons

I was fired up with enthusiasm, but went from Wiltshire to Lancashire where I was not able to indulge.  We ate the pineapple.  I was very excited about an Amalfi lemon, complete with large leaves, at Booth's (surely the best supermarket in the world).  But the leaves fell off at the checkout and I demanded a refund.  Back in Dover I bought a giant pineapple and began again.  However, a pineapple is so difficult!  I think I may be giving up again.  We are eating it tonight.  I wish the hot pressed paper were not so expensive.  Each failure is another sheet wasted.  Or practice, depending on your point of view.