Catching Up.. again!

This last month has been so thrilling for us Brits.  For someone who likes just a small amount of sport I was surprisingly enthralled by the Olympics.  I wasn’t fortunate enough to have been able to attend, but I listened to it avidly on the radio whilst I painted with the odd mad dash to switch the TV on when it all became too exciting to hold a paintbrush steady!
Above is a photo of a gathering at Kettles Yard and the church next door to ring in the Olympics.  It seems such a long time ago, and now it’s all over I feel strangely bereft.  Still, we have the Paralympics to look forward to.
I have been posting a lot on my Facebook Painter and Printmaker site, (please ‘like’ if you haven’t already!) which seems easier somehow and I will try not to be too repetitive.  
Since my first year is now over I have been catching up on my painting and am back at Dad’s for a while.  His house is beginning to look like a studio!  (Hello Dad!).  I have been down to the marsh and back to Wicken Fen again trying to decide on what to do next year.  There is so much to inspire that I find it hard to settle upon one thing.  

Frampton Marsh

Wicken Fen continues to capture my imagination and I spent a very misty, then hot day there (11 hours in total) sketching and painting.

Early mist, Wicken Fen

I have been working on a number of oil paintings to send back to the US and here are a couple.
Autumn Cottonwoods 12 x 12 Oil/Panel
Distant Spire 10 x 12 Oil/Linen
I have been thinking about my blog and have been wondering if there is anything else that I can post that might be of interest to you all.  I would welcome suggestions so please don’t hesitate to send me a message!  That’s it for now.  I have to go for my morning run!

Vermeer and Bridget Riley, drypoint progress and Bumble bee drawings.

Bridget Riley,  Rose Rose 5   oil on linen,
94.6 x 78.3 cm
I can’t believe that I forgot to mention my visit last Saturday to Kettles Yard and the Fitzwilliam Museum.  If you find yourself in Cambridge, be sure to visit Kettles Yard.  It is such a beautiful place with so many interesting drawings and paintings.  You can read about it’s origins here
What an amazing contrast these two exhibitions were.  Bridget Riley’s paintings and then a few Vermeers.  Both perfect in different ways.  I just couldn’t get over The Lacemaker.  Seeing it closeup was a privilege.  You can see why his paintings stands out.  The coloured threads hanging from the cushion were almost abstract in their handling.  Amazing. 

Below are some of my less than amazing drawings, and the drypoints I have been working on!
I am learning so much and strangely enough enjoying drawing directly onto the plate.  It’s like magic when you finally get to print.