Archive for the ‘landscape’ Category

Greenwich Park, Evening Run

Wednesday, May 27th, 2015

27 May 2015

Greenwich Park, Evening Run

run  G Park

Last night running with my daughter in our local park

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Sunset, Thames Barrier Print Studio

Tuesday, November 4th, 2014

3 November 2014

At about 4.30 this afternoon, this was the view from the window of the studio where I do my printing at Thames Barrier Print Studio. I was working on 2 new plates today, it wasn’t going too well I left one of the plates in the acid too long and had some foul biting, then I saw this sunset and my spirits lifted.

sunset 2©.

My studio is Unit 0 Studio 17, 2 minutes walk from the Print Studio. The majority of the artists with studios on the complex, including me, will open their doors for the

OPEN STUDIOS weekend

Sat Nov 15 – Sun 16 Nov 11.00 – 18.00

Second Floor Studios & Arts

sunset 1©

Cycling to Work

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

2 April 2014

Cycled along the river to my studio this morning, beautiful

river 1_edited-1

river 4_edited-1

Montchavin 2013

Monday, December 30th, 2013

30th December 2013

An unexpected lunch in the Autumn sun with my step-sister’s husband… a casual question about the skiing they do as a family… within a few days a skiing trip is being organised! My 3 teenage children and I are to stay in their friend’s apartment in the village of Montchavin in the French Alps for our Christmas break. Plane tickets, train tickets, thermals, ski jackets, salopettes, ski pass, ski lessons, hire of equipment. Oh my, not a holiday to be taken lightly, Ebay was very helpful. 

The last and only time I skied I was 19, the same age as my eldest son, a spur of the moment trip to Switzerland to join a group of friends already there. I had a fantastic time, loved skiing and thought that was the start of a new sport for me, but a couple of years later I met the man who became my husband (now ex) and the father of our children and skiing was absolutely not on his agenda.

I carried my small sketch book in my pocket and drew up the mountains every day. Sometimes Gaby, my 14 year old drew too, beautiful sensitive sketches; Max, the eldest drew in the evenings – abstract images but very influenced by the mountains. Jerome just skied and skied until he dropped.

Montchavin 1

Ist day and the 1st of 4 lessons with Cyril our brilliant and talented instructor, very quick to understand our individual characters and abilities, told us he would be “like your Grandaddy, I don’t want to see any of you hurt”

Montchavin 2My kids watching a film on the laptop after a hard day skiing

fire

Christmas Eve was magical, the professionals skied down the mountain with torch flames, Father Christmas arrived with them in a sledge pulled by huskies with sweets for the watching crowd. Fireworks on the mountain side followed by mulled wine and hot chocolate. 

Montchavin 4

Christmas Day, on top of one mountain looking over another

Montchavin 5

On the last morning, Jerome and I left the apartment early, him to ski one last time with Cyril who was taking him to the top of the mountain to a red-run and me to draw. 

Montchavin  8

After our last day skiing all together, we all agreed we wanted to ski again, Max said “I’ve learnt a new skill and that’s the best Christmas present I could have had” 

Aldeburgh

Sunday, September 8th, 2013

September 8th 2013

The Suffolk coast has always been a favorite hideaway for me and my kids. It began when I inherited my Uncle’s caravan when eldest son (now 19) was a toddler. I found a campsite on the Suffolk coast, allowing us the freedom to spend long summers on the beach and in the countryside. I no longer have the caravan but occasionally still manage to escape the metropolis for a weekend by the sea.

Aldeburgh Beach

Aldeburgh Beach. 2013. 62cm x 140cm. Acrylic, oil and graphite on Fabriano paper

This painting is exhibited at Made in Greenwich until October 20th 2013.

Charlotte Spencer Projects

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013

22nd May 2013

I am at Greenwich Dance (GDA) for a meeting with Charlotte Spencer to discuss a summer children’s project we will doing at GDA 12- 15th August, Summer Shake Up. I draw the workshop one of her colleagues is leading while I wait to chat with her.

Charlotte Spencer Projects 1


 

 

 

 

 

Charlotte Spencer Projects 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlotte Spencer Projects 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlotte Spencer Projects 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later I join them for a fascinating Walking Story in Greenwich Park.

Kiss

Friday, August 10th, 2012

July 26th

This big kiss appeared in the sky as I got off the train in Greenwich on 26th July, it felt like a sweet strong symbol for Team GB and the forthcoming Games I hoped some of the athletes had looked up and seen it, and also a kiss for me for having spent many recent grim worrying hours in hospital with 2 different family members.

Kiss I took the picture on my iphone and come across it when I flick through the images, it always gives a little spark of courage.

Greenwich World Cultural Festival

Thursday, July 5th, 2012

1st July 2012

When you walk into the grounds of Eltham Palace in South East London it is like entering a secret garden, or walking through the wardrobe and finding yourself in Narnia. This Art Deco hidden gem, built around the remains of the Palace first recorded in Domesday Book of 1086, is the location Greenwich Dance and Greenwich Theatre present the annual Greenwich World Cultural Festival, a celebration of dance, music and theatre from around the world.

As Greenwich Dance’s Resident Artist I arranged a Creative Clay workshop in the Sunken Moat, led by my eldest son Max and his friend Jess, to make clay figures inspired by the dance taking place around them. Constantly busy with all ages creating a figure to take home.

Max and Jess Creative Clay Workshop 2Creative Clay workshop inspired by dance in the festival

Visitors to the festival were given a map of the palace grounds showing a bridge crossing the dry moat at three given times during the afternoon, asked to meet beside the bridge to be led to the area where a dance would be performed by Beyond Front@

Beyond Front@ at Eltham Palace

Beyond Front@ at Eltham Palace Beyond Front@ 2Beyond Front@ dancing in the grounds of Eltham Palace

I gave the spectators small pieces of paper and pencils and suggested they try to get some of the movement on to paper, at the end of the dance we hung them on the Thought Tree.

musicians  Musicians played in surprise places around the grounds

big picnic big picnicProtein Dance’s The Picnic commissioned by Greenwich Dance

Sunset

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

May 1st

We’ve just had the wettest April in the UK for 100 years, but today at last a whole day when no rain fell on my studio at Second Floor Studios. The sun although feeble, shone and lifted my spirits which have been struggling to stay buoyant.

sunset over the studio

Of course it’s not been the rain that’s got me down, there have been far bigger more dramatic happenings to do that, but a day without rain, warm sun and a beautiful sunset has felt like such a treat.

I shot this at 8.30pm this evening as I was leaving the studios. For those of you reading this who are not South Londoners: on the left, behind the mast of the boat, you can see Canary Wharf; next to that is the O2 where the gymnastics will take place during the Olympic Games and crossing the river, the Thames Barrier.

See this view along with some great art at our Open Studios (see below).

November Open Studio

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Open Studio

Studio 17, Unit 0, Second Floor Studios

Thursday 17 November 5 -9pm

Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 November 11am – 6pm

Painting, Drawing, Etching, Sculpture

All work for sale, new commissions taken 

No More Yesterdays

No More Yesterdays. Etching. 2011 

Over 100 open studios of artists, photographers, craft and design makers

Location: Second Floor Studios, Mellish Industrial Estate, Warspite Road, Woolwich, London SE18 5NR

car: A206 dual carriageway near Woolwich. Access from A2/M2, M20 & M25

train: Charlton and Woolwich Dockyard Stations. DLR Woolwich Arsenal

Bus: 180, 177, 161, and 472