Summer Hops...

Back in August I spotted a view of the hops growing on our pergola against a bright blue sky that made me want to paint them - the contrasting colours just sang.  My first attempt was in watercolour and I soon became discouraged - I'd chosen paper that was too small and consequently the drawing was a nightmare, and the subsequent painting was tight and fiddly and just frustrating to do.

So I ditched that one, and started a much bigger painting in acrylics on canvas board.  I didn't bog myself down with a highly detailed drawing - in fact I started by just painting the pergola against the sky, nothing on it at all.   Then I just loosely marked in the shapes of the hops and let the paintbrush do the work as I went along.

As Autumn kicked in and the light began to fail, I was working under electric light a lot of the time which really changes the colours, so had to check occasionally that I was getting them right by taking the painting outside for a look. Thankfully everything was OK!

This was quite a departure from my usual subjects, but enjoyable nonetheless and was a welcome distraction from reality!  It is currently for sale in my Etsy shop.

Next up...not sure, but it will be in watercolours and splashy! 

In A Pickle...

This year in the garden was a bit of a strange one - a chilly Spring followed by a relentlessly hot Summer meant things were a bit different.  Seeds grew slowly and stopped growing for a few weeks when the weather was cool which in turn set them back considerably.  Some things didn't make it when the heat kicked in - not a single courgette this year compared to last year's glut.  My carefully nurtured tomatoes in the back garden were a bit of a disappointment but the tangle of random tomato plants that sprung up on the remains of the old compost heap in the front garden were amazing.  We could recognise some varieties from tomatoes we'd bought at the supermarket, except these were much tastier!  There were so many large tomatoes that had not turned red by the time October came around that I managed to make about 4lbs of chutney.

 Runner beans were quick to start - we had one lot to pick and then with the heat they faltered, only to get going again at the end of the summer and we had a bumper crop for a couple of weeks.

 One vegetable that really took off this year was the cucamelons.  I grew them from seed and they looked a bit shaky to begin with but then suddenly went berserk and there were more cucamelons than I could eat!  Luckily, after watching Gardener's World last week, I found out that they can be pickled, so I picked the remaining ones and gave it a go.  Looking forward to seeing what they taste like!

On the easel at the moment, a large acrylic of the hops on our pergola.  The hops were another roaring success and look so pretty draped along the beams - I took a snap of them in mid summer against the bright blue sky which is what I am trying to capture in paint. It's not my usual thing, I'm finding it challenging but it's getting there.  Think I might go back to bears after this...

Wet & Windy...

 Poor blog, how I have neglected you this year!  I am still working on things I cannot show yet, mostly for Nudinits.  I have not painted in weeks, not sure why, perhaps life getting in the way and the subsequent lack of inspiration.  I have started a painting this week which has sparked my enthusiasm - during the summer the hop plant I planted took off like a rocket and smothered one side of our pergola.  One clear sunny day I spotted the pale lime green hops against the clear blue sky and loved the contrast between the colours, so photographed it for future reference.  I started to paint it in watercolours but it was all too small and fiddly and I lost interest, abandoning it not even half done.  This week I began again on a much larger Dalerboard and some bright acrylics - watch this space!

We went on a week's holiday to the Isle of Wight the first week of September.  Typically, summer chose that week to come to a crashing end with torrential rain and gale force winds.  We were staying in a wooden cabin by Calbourne Water Mill and for the first part of the week spent a lot of time staring out of the window at the trees thrashing in the wind (not a red squirrel in sight!) and praying for the rain to stop.  We did manage to dodge the showers long enough to have a couple of walks in the woods and to take my daughter for a hilarious game of crazy golf in the mill grounds.

 A cream tea at the mill cafe was definitely in order too.

The latter part of the week was dry and sunny so we did go to the seaside a couple of times - only to discover that dog friendly beaches were few and far between and the ban on dogs did not end until 30th September.  So no beach for us this time, which was a crying shame.

 But it was good to get away, visit with family,  and we came back home feeling refreshed and ready to get going again.

I shall try to post here more regularly from now on - hopefully I shall have more arts and crafts to show soon. 

  

Macarons...

This poor blog seems to be very neglected this year!  I have been working hard but nothing I can show at the moment.  In the meantime, here are some very tiny knitted macarons...

Bear 719...

 Back to painting bears again - this is bear 719 who lives it Katmai National Park, Alaska.  This has been painted in watercolours on paper and is a private commission, which means I am free for commission if you are interested!

First Look...

I received my copy of the new Nudinits book in the post last week - looks great!  That's my tea cosy on the front cover - many other designs inside.  That took a lot of work last year, some of the designs were incredibly hard to put down on paper - to be honest, I'd rather be knitting them than writing about them!

The book will be on sale next month - keep your eye out!
 

I'm Still Here...

 Apologies for not posting for over a month - I really have nothing to show, despite working away at various projects over the past weeks.  I've just completed a painting that I am very proud of...but can't show it as it is a surprise birthday present for someone.  The birthday is in December, so I am going to have to sit on it for months...

I've been knitting  and crocheting things for Nudinits - again, can't show them for a while.

Hopefully my next painting can be posted on here!

 Other than the above, I've been  struggling to keep the garden going throughout this heat - it's definitely not doing as well as previous years.  No courgettes this year, the plants withered and died before reaching any size.  Runner beans - lots of leaves, very few flowers.  Tomatoes- slow to get going, we should have some soon.  Greengages - absolute glut of them, I was giving them away in the end.  We've had jam, crumbles, chutney, frozen some - best year ever for those.  Blueberries - small and shrivelled due to lack of rain.  Gooseberries - eaten by the birds.  Raspberries - pretty good, but over now. Cucumbers - getting a few of the mini ones, which are tasty.  Pumpkins - first time growing them, three plants in the front garden which have gone a bit mad - thankfully they are the mini versions and we should have at least five or six come the autumn...if they don't get stolen!