Some old pieces

I've just been looking through some old photographs and want to share these couple of pieces.

This is a porcelain art nouveau figure and a wooden african figure in oils on fabric and embroidery. This was an early test piece, bringing together all the elements I'm now working with in my paintings. I love the contrast between the figures and I don't know if you can see the faces but to me they are really serene.

I did this painting just after my last exhibition. I like the light in this one.

Happier now

My studio may be falling down but I'm happier today as a painting that was completely doing my head in is looking slightly better. Still some way to go but it's getting there.

This was how it was looking... The background needs more embroidery which isn't the problem. The problem was trying to get the colour, pattern and light in the bowl right and it just wasn't happening. The bowl is a wonky bowl but in this case it just looked badly painted. I spent days trying to get it right. But then I had a sense of humour failure and decided that the best thing to do was to paint change the bowl completely.

Still need to work on it but I'm so much happier with it.

And I'm so delighted with this one. It's one of those paintings that has come together easily. My problem here is that I feel like I have to labour over a painting in order for it to work but often it's the ones that happen easily and spontaneously that work the best.

My studio's falling down

It is terrifying. Every day my studio seems to be listing more and more to the left. The angle of the door looks like it must be open but it isn't infact open, it's just completely skew! Seems like the terraced ground underneath the studio is shifting bringing my studio right along with it. Just praying it stays up until the exhibition's up and I've been able to move everything out. No small job I can assure you. I have collected so much stuff over the years.

The kiln did good

Oh wow. Carina an I unpacked the kiln yesterday morning. If the kiln has the last say then the kiln did good. I am so over excited and over the moon about how these pieces look. To me they could not be more beautiful and really capture something of what I have been wanting to say in this exhibition.

This is a work in progress. Oil and embroidery on canvas. My issue here is that I'm using my porcelain bowls as reference for these paintings and the bowls are wonkie. So if I paint them as they are will it look like I've painted a bowl badly or will it look like I've painted a wonkie bowl....

Fingers crossed

I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out; painting a mendhi design with a heart, two halves on each palm of a pair of hands. I worried that it might look corny. I was, however, over the moon with how it looks. The shape of the pot lends itself beautifully to the design. Carina, my wonderful pottery teacher put it in the kiln last night along with another 4 vases. I'm terrified. The kiln has the last say!