Hope you’re having a lovely week! My husband and I have been away to Tintagel, Cornwall, England. It’s been so inspiring with the most incredible scenery I’ve ever seen!! We stayed at Camelot Castle which had a resident artist 🧑‍🎨 Ted Stourton, he showed me his studio’s at the Castle, 🏰 WoW fancy having your art studio in a castle 🏰 I’ll attach some photos of his art, one of his books and a picture of me with him (he was wearing a Rupert The Bear tank top! Fun 🤩 ). What an incredible week I’ve had 💕🎨🧑‍🎨🫟

Great fun admiring all the paintings again, and seeing if Kristov had added more. I think part of it is personally knowing the artist, and seeing his new ideas. Although I enjoyed painting in that style, and proving to myself I could do it. I probably will not do more, as I'm strictly creating and painting for my self not commercially. So the painting has to really mean something to me, or as a memory of what i was doing at the time. 🤔 On another note 📝 the Electro Swing evening went well. So much so, everyone has requested another one. So I have been roped into helping organise another one the end of the week. They are going all out this time. More music, dance club decorated, and a local group have said they can also play this style of music. So we have roped them in too. The bar staff are coming up with some buttered rum cocktails 🍸 especially for the evening. Many of the guys have gone out to buy some trilby hats and some of the woman have already organised to wear sparkly dresses, and head bands with an osteridge feather 🪶 in them. They are advertising it as Johns Electro Swing Party. What have I started. What I'm hoping to do is take some photos of the evening, which I can draw some sketches from. Possibly turn them into silluettes, and compose some paintings from 🖼 of the evening.

Happy Bank Holiday weekend, lovely arty people! 🩷🌸 Hope you’re getting a little time to rest, recharge, and maybe sneak in some play with your art too. No pressure, no perfection, just a bit of creative fun if it feels right.🫟 What’s everyone up to this weekend? Rest, making, or both? Share something you’re working on if you’re up for it! 🎨🧑‍🎨

Try kickstarting a new painting project with blind contour drawing. I love this technique to loosen up and get past the blank page or blank canvas stage. You simply look at a subject and draw it without looking down at your paper! Just let your eye move and your hand follow. The lines might feel wonky, wild, or a bit unexpected, but that’s exactly the idea of it! Blind contour drawing helps you see shapes in a fresh way and often gives you the most interesting starting point for a painting. 🎨🫟 Why not try it and see what surprises show up on the page?

I love 💕 this little creative trick: hold a branch or plant over paper and drawing around the shadow it casts. I love this so much because the shapes feel so alive and organic, full of movement, softness, and surprise. It’s such a lovely way to let nature help make the marks. 🍃 You can mix it up by using different mark making tools together…….. Try pen; charcoal; paint; markers; watercolour pencils; whatever you’ve got!!! Use them in conjunction! You could add some collage pieces too if you like. This technique is a wonderful starting point to kickstart your project and kickstart your creativity. Have you ever tried drawing from shadows before? Have fun!!!! 🌈🫟🎨🧑‍🎨