Down a dusty lane......

Twirl

2012-01-25T22:40:00.000+01:00

Illustration Friday - The word this week is TWIRL, which brings into mind lots of lovely things including chocolate. I decided on the sails of a windmill twirling in the wind and this particular one is a windmill from Trapani saltpans.

The Pink Lighthouse

2012-01-22T19:23:00.000+01:00

watercolour

Well it's not really pink, it just reflects light as the sun goes down!

This is a little postcard sized painting that I did for a swap. My blogging friend Anne in Scotland organised a 'postcard' swap and people from all over the world took part. You could make a postcard in anyway you liked so I painted this postcard using sketches and photos I made on location. The light house is somewhere I often go and the making sketches imprints many things on your mind like the light and atmosphere.

My swap partner was Anne herself and she sent me a beautiful postcard that she made by needle felting.

Anne is very talented with textiles, she makes beautiful quilts and can knit so many different things.

Have a look at her blog Frayed at the Edge

Prepare for the Day Ahead

2012-01-19T16:24:00.000+01:00

watercolour & ink

I sketched my coffee pot or caffettiera for Illustration Friday. The word was prepare and the best way to prepare for the day is a nice coffee in the morning?

Inside my Sketchbook

2012-01-16T10:52:00.000+01:00

Tuesday was one of those gloomy grey days but I thought I'd try and sketch the sea and perhaps the coastline but I found that all the little fishing boats were pulled up high, nearly on the road. Their colours are always cheerful even on gloomy days but as I finished off the sketch the sky cleared and the sky became a lovely apricot colour as the sun started to dip.
The black lamp thing attached to the boat is used at night to attract the poor little fishes to the net, by shining the light on the surface of the sea.

This is a nearby town sketched from my daughter's bedroom window at the weekend. The very steep road is hardly ever used as you have to ford through a river at the bottom, most people prefer the longer route by the main road and bridge!

This is the other end of the same town and another hill, sketched from my front terrace on a nice sunny afternoon.

Costa Concordia

2012-01-15T15:56:00.000+01:00

We have been watching the fate of the Costa Concordia all weekend, it's a dreadful experience for all the passengers and crew.

The Concordia calls in every week at Palermo and I often see her docked at lunchtime when I drive past the port and I even spent the day on board a couple of years ago.

We wait with anxiety to hear news of the people still missing.

The Last Page! ( ArthouseSketchbook Project 2012)

2012-01-12T22:10:00.000+01:00

Finally the last page for the Sketchbook project 2012 and it had to be the site of the ancient Phoenician town of Solunto up on a nearby hill. Most of what you can actually see there dates from around 256 BC when the Romans took possession after the First Punic War.

My theme was encyclopedia of... I used this title to make an encyclopedia of secret places (or places with a secret).

Sketchbook Cover

THE END

Grounded

2012-01-10T12:03:00.000+01:00

Pen and ink

'Grounded' for this week's Illustration Friday. The word grounded has different meanings this is what came into my mind!

Erupting

2012-01-07T10:58:00.000+01:00

This was Mount Etna yesterday morning (not my photo). It is not unusual for Mt Etna to erupt, it happens almost every year to different degrees. I'm just glad I live a couple of hours away even if it is a spectacular sight!
My computer has decided to go on strike and will have to go the doctors so at present I'm unable to scan any artwork, although I have actually finished my sketchbook for the sketchbook project, cover and all!!
Fingers crossed my computer gets better soon.

Highlight

2012-01-03T20:14:00.000+01:00

Late afternoon sun highlights the beautiful gold decorations on these marble columns, the effect is beautiful and serene. You have to go at the right time of day to see this long row of ornate columns glow, each pair is decorated in unique mosaic patterns, no two are the same.

Built as part of the cathedral abbey at Monreale in 1200, there are 108 pairs of marble columns and Arabic arches.

This is a page for The Sketchbook Project and it alson fits in nicely with this week's theme on Illustration Friday - Highlight.

Hilltop Village

2012-01-02T16:16:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year!
Time is running out to finish the Sketchbook Project, I have just 2 pages left plus the cover.
This is a small hilltop village, one that looks deserted at first, but as you wander down the tiny streets you can feel the curtains twitching!

Four Seasons = One Year

2011-12-29T10:24:00.000+01:00

A tree for all seasons, winter, spring, summer and autumn... a whole year in one tree!
This year is drawing to an end and it always amazes me how time just whizzes by. Naturally we reflect on the year that's gone by, our achievements, successes and probably mistakes too. Life isn't always easy and my art has been important over the past few years, keeping me me positive and enthusiastic. Nothing is impossible!
Happy New Year and I hope 2012 is a good one.

"Don't be pushed by your problems.

be led by your dreams."

Unknown

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:13:00.000+01:00

For my blogging friends all over the world, hope you have a peaceful and happy Christmas!

Sketchbook Time

2011-12-22T14:41:00.000+01:00

Lead actress having make up done

I've had a busy week but still time for some sketching! On Monday I spent the day at one of my favourite old villas taking part in a film...only as an 'extra'. The scene was a high society party in this beautiful ballroom.

Leading actor (the baddie)

It was a tiring day pretending to drink champagne in a long dress, sadly the champagne wasn't real and the glitter was fake......but was fun while it lasted!

This sketch is from a couple of weeks ago early in the morning sitting in my car. Even an urban scene can look pretty in the autumn.

From my car again, an old gateway on the main road through town.
The top looks like a crown or perhaps an urn, but I couldn't fit it all on my little sketchbook page.

Sink or Swim?

2011-12-19T21:50:00.000+01:00

'Sink' for Illustration Friday.
It can be quite pleasant letting your body sink slowly down into the silent depths of deep water, but sooner or later you have to swim back to the top!

Forever Autumn

2011-12-15T22:50:00.000+01:00

Not very seasonal I know, but here in Sicily it's still fairly warm and sunny (it will probably rain tomorrow!) and autumn comes late.

Up until last week the climbing vine at the front of my house looked like this. I love the mix of colours and the way the sun shines through the leaves in the morning.

This is a chocolate coloured sunflower grown in a pot in the summer, I'd like to fill the whole garden with them!

Separated

2011-12-13T13:27:00.000+01:00

'Separated' for Illustration Friday

Bright Knights

2011-12-11T18:45:00.000+01:00

Do you remember the video frames we downloaded and coloured for the Bright Knights, here is the final video.
The Bright Knights are an Australian Group who found an unusual method of making a video for their debut single 'This Love', they asked people to colour in all 2,158 frames. I did two of them, one of which is about 3.29 in to the video, I'm still trying to find the second!
You can see more of the process here

The Village Square

2011-12-08T18:14:00.000+01:00

If you venture into some of the smaller towns and villages in Sicily you will always find there is a village square where old men gather to play cards and chat. If ever a 'stranger' comes into the village you can be sure they have noticed, if there is any gossip then they will know and the Sicilian 'coppola' or cap is a must!
This my latest page for the Sketchbook Project, only three more double pages left to do!

The Brigade

2011-12-04T22:51:00.000+01:00

'Brigade' is the theme for this week's Illustration Friday.
Geese seem to work in groups as they defiantly take on strangers and people often use them to guard property. These Canadian geese were in one of London's parks, but I have vivid memories of been chased across a field when I was a little girl by a gaggle of white geese!

It's getting closer to Christmas and I've many things to prepare so this illustration has been transformed into a Christmas card... I just added some white acrylic blobs and they became 'snow' geese.

Round

2011-12-01T16:41:00.000+01:00

'Round' for Illustration Friday.
This one now has a big red bow to make it into a seasonal Christmas card!

Exhibition Review!

2011-11-29T14:13:00.000+01:00

Here are some photographs from this weekend and my joint art exhibition. As you can see we were able to use Palazzo Aragona Cutò (built in 1712), which was the perfect location, we also had perfect sunny weather too!

We had two large rooms at the top of a double staircase, complete with high painted ceilings and tall shuttered windows.

Venus and Mars on the ceiling

We are a little group that paint and chat together one morning a week, out of this friendship came the idea of organising our own art exhibition. Each of us had about ten paintings and a wall/panel to display them on.

This is my part of the exhibition, a mixture of coloured pencil pieces and some larger oil paintings.

We had a lot of people come and visit us and there was even a queue outside the door on Saturday morning before we opened!

I met so many people who enjoy art and made a whole load of new contacts, the whole exhibition was a very positive experience...

.........and there was even a little time after lunch on Sunday to sketch the view from the window.

Done!

2011-11-24T19:00:00.000+01:00

'Stripes' 40x60cms, oil

This is the finished painting, varnished and ready for tomorrow. I'm pleased with how this turned out, although it started out as only an experiment and is based on a reference came from Wet Canvas's image library. I changed the background and colours just leaving the shape of the leaves. Unfortunately I don't remember who originally posted the photograph.

Myself and some artist friends will be exhibiting over the weekend at this beautiful 17th century villa.

The photo is actually of the rear of the villa, and is from where I sit in the station car park to sketch while waiting for my daughter's train. The front faces onto a busy road and I would risk getting run over, but the back entrance is lovely anyway!

I really like the frame on this painting of local fishing boats, strange how artwork looks so different in it's frame? I think I will post this to my mum for Christmas after the exhibition (She doesn't have a computer
or ever look at my blog, so it's still a secret!)

Vanity

2011-11-23T10:26:00.000+01:00

Mirror, mirror on the wall

who is fairest of them all?

'Vanity' for Illustration Friday

Hidden Coves

2011-11-20T19:20:00.001+01:00

Here are some more pages for the Sketchbook Project complete with wrinkled pages (the paper doesn't like watercolour).
The first is part of a nature reserve on the coast with plenty of hidden coves and caves, perfect for the smugglers of olden days. My title is 'Encyclopedia of Secret Places' and this area has plenty of secret history!

A closer look at one of the coves, I love the sound of waves as they rattle the pebbles on the beach.

Muses

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000+01:00

This is my latest coloured pencil piece. It's the 'sister' of the Silent Keeper, one of my entries to the UKCPS exhibition this year. I thought that they would look good together at the upcoming local exhibition where my work will be displayed, well they would if my Silent Keeper would like to return home. At the moment it's travelling backwards and forwards between the UK and Italy and I'm not friends with DHL carriers anymore!
(It's a long story...sigh..)

At the foot of a staircase, two statues Endymion and Aglaia from Greek mythology.
I just loved the double shadow in the late evening sun and it was my first sight of the privately owned 17th century Villa Valguarnera.
I had to stand and memorise the scene, although I did have a camera, I wanted to capture how I felt when I first walked up the long drive and through the gate.

Strong and Silent

2011-11-13T18:59:00.000+01:00

'Silent' for Illustration Friday.
This one is obviously the strong and silent type! We have a beautiful park right in the middle of the city, I love to take my sandwiches there and hear the traffic and city noise fade away. There are many statues among the trees and flowers (the park dates from the 17th century), an ideal spot to while away an hour or two!

Something Blue

2011-11-10T16:28:00.000+01:00

Something blue for Everyday Matters. I thought about this for a while...what could I choose to sketch that's blue.... the sky, the sea? Yes the ideas weren't coming thick and fast, but then I looked up and spied my little sketching bag. The one I grab on my way out...just in case!
This little bag is only 8" wide and 10" long but holds everything I might want to use while out sketching. It has several pockets and zips all the way round making it easy to get into and I got it free from a travel company, which makes it even nicer.

I unpacked the bag to show you what I carry around with me

Two small sketchbooks, various pens and pencils, a waterbrush, my small set of Maimeri watercolours and it's extra little mixing palette, paper towels, a homemade viewfinder and a water container. Plus I can get in insect repellant and a small camera comfortably. A very useful little bag indeed!

Stripes

2011-11-07T22:00:00.000+01:00

'Stripes' for Illustration Friday.
The best stripes are found in nature, animals, fish and plants all have some wonderful patterns and colours.
This is part of a bigger painting that I'm working on but still a long way to go.

Best of the Bunch

2011-11-03T20:19:00.000+01:00

The little local art group that I joined a couple of years ago is holding an exhibition at the end of this month, so I have been hard at work preparing some new work for my corner of the room Although I haven't got precise measurements I think I will be able to hang about six largish paintings and perhaps some smaller coloured pencil pieces.
This is the first time I've had the chance to exhibit more than a couple of piece of work so it's very exciting...any advice welcome!
These grapes are one of the better bunches grown last year, painted in oil from sketches and photographs.

Scary Monsters

2011-10-30T20:14:00.000+01:00

The word for Illustration Friday this week is 'scary'.
I decided to paint one of the statues/gargoyle type creatures from a nearby 17th century villa known as the 'Villa of Monsters' for it's strange and creepy statues.
There are at least sixty of them left from a collection of about two hundred, sitting on the walls around the villa! You can read more about them here.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sketchbook Pages

2011-10-27T19:01:00.000+02:00

I've been having a few sketching afternoons while I wait for my son to finish his football training. This is a rocky outcrop in the middle of the town with what looks like a watchtower on top. It's a pretty good place for a watchtower as there are clear views all round, although I don't know anyone who has been up there.

There are views like this one, looking out over to one side of the town, I live in a valley behind the tree.

I'm sure this man sitting on a bench outside the town hall knew I was drawing him, he kept glancing my way then posing like a professional model!

I did this sketch at home, I picked a branch from a wild olive tree just outside the gate. This is not far off the actual size of the 'fruit' which is like a large berry.

...and finally some Jasmine from my garden (not quite a yellow as my scanner thinks it is).

Fuel

2011-10-24T14:31:00.000+02:00

'Fuel' for Illustration Friday.
A pile of logs stored ready for the fire in winter, I'd love to have my own open fire or wood burning stove!

Secret Spots (Arthouse Sketchbook Project 2012)

2011-10-20T17:13:00.000+02:00

Here are a couple more pages for the Sketchbook Project 2012. My theme is Encyclopedia of secret places and so far I have drawn mostly gardens and buildings, castles etc, but you can't get away from the sea if you live on an island. These are some colourful traditional fishing boats which are still used in smaller fishing villages. If you go down to the seafront about lunchtime you'll always find someone mending nets, or preparing their boat.

My second secret spot is another little village by the sea and is one of my favourite places to go late on a Saturday afternoon in the summer. It's a popular place for wedding couples to have their photos taken and sometimes there are 2- 3 couples (and photographers and videos) on the beach as the sun starts to dip behind the sea.
We sit with ice-creams and watch the show...Italians really dress up for weddings and a late afternoon wedding calls for cocktail or evening dresses at the very least!

Sprinkled and Scattered

2011-10-17T14:27:00.000+02:00

This week the word for Illustration Friday is scattered, though I'm not sure if this little drawing is more of a sprinkled!?

Watercolour and coloured pencil

No Strawberry Grapes

2011-10-13T17:37:00.000+02:00

A few leaves that come from my small vine of strawberry grapes. These are small black, sweet grapes that smell of strawberries and are wonderful to eat. Unfortunately they didn't bear any fruit this year but the leaves turned a burnt orange colour and crisped up into lacy shapes.
Hopefully next year will be a better harvest but I decided to immortalise the leaves anyway, too pretty to resist!

The Peacock Garden

2011-10-10T19:57:00.001+02:00

I visited the Peacock Garden while in the UK,

so called for it's topiary peacocks and of course real ones.

It helped that it was a warm and sunny day and the lovely flowers,

plants and butterflies were at their best.

I have always liked drawing topiary and have started a painting

based on this garden.

The above is a practice sketch to get the feel of the colours and

shapes.

These are some small peacock feathers drawn in coloured pencil that I picked up along the way,

actually my pockets were stuffed full of them!

Back from London

2011-10-06T15:44:00.000+02:00

watercolour sketch

I'm still recovering from my quick visit to London to see the UKCPS exhibition which I thoroughly enjoyed.

It's amazing to see work by artists that normally I only ever get to see on internet, and the first thing everyone says when the see work of this standard in coloured pencil is ' I never knew you could do this with pencils '.

The exhibition took place in The Central Hall, Westminster, just opposite Westminster Cathedral, a very grand location.

Both of my entries were hung in the first room after the Faber Castell stand. In the main room there were various areas selling cards and books. I succumbed to temptation and bought a signed copy of Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils by Ann Swan. It's a beautiful book that would appeal to non-botanical artists too.

There was so much to see it was impossible to take it all in, all the entries can be seen here

My favourites in the exhibition were 'Hydrangers' by Gayle Dickinson and 'Wisdom of Age' by Irina Garmashova-Cawton, but there were many others too.

Now it's time to get down to some serious painting as I have a couple of local exhibitions coming up in the next few months and I hope to have some new work ready soon!

A Garden Tool

2011-09-30T12:03:00.000+02:00

Some garden twine that's almost finished. I've been using this for several years to tie up plants and canes and I've often thought how pretty the shiny green looks in the sun. So now's the time to immortalise it before it runs out...a very useful garden tool indeed!

This is one I made earlier...I'm posting from the library in the UK! Yesterday I went to see the UKCPS London exhibition, I took lots of photos but will have to share them when I get back next week. The standard of work in the exhibition was very good, I recommend seeing the exhibition if you can.

Ferocious

2011-09-26T20:00:00.000+02:00

'Ferocious' for Illustration friday.

The Piranha is a flesh eating fish with an extremely ferocious reputation!

An Encyclopedia of Secret Places

2011-09-22T23:04:00.000+02:00

Here is a double page spread from my Sketchbook for the Arthouse Sketchbook Project. This is a secret place I visited this summer somewhere in the foothills of Mt. Etna. We stayed at an old farmhouse in the middle of the countryside and of course I couldn't resist getting up very early in the morning to wander around the gardens and orchards.
It was just me, the bees, butterflies and an old man picking oranges. I think he was a little surprised to see someone up and about so early but he wished me good morning and carried on working!

On a different note the 2011 UK Coloured Pencil Society exhibition has opened in London this week.
The award winners can be seen here , have a look at all the entries there is some fantastic work and it really shows what can be done with coloured pencils.
I have booked my flights and can't wait to take my mum to visit the exhibition next week, I'm so proud to have two of my coloured pencil pieces in the exhibition!

What Can I draw in my Sketchbook?

2011-09-20T11:06:00.000+02:00

A few people have arrived on my blog after they've googled 'what can I draw in my sketch book' and my first thought is .... whatever you like! But then I thought it's not always that easy and getting started is the hardest part.

Perhaps you could draw a corner of your garden or what you can see from the window. I sketched an oncoming storm yesterday morning looking out over the hill at the back of my house. It's a view that I know so well that I can almost sketch it from memory, the trees have been my subjects for many a practice session or for trying out new sketching toys.
I like to draw or paint things I find, flowers, shells, rocks and dead insects to name but a few. Here's two grey feathers I found by gate this week.

A couple of seed pods given to me by my friend from her garden. I'm going to plant the seeds, my friend did tell me what they were in Italian but I promptly forgot what she said. (This could be age!)
If I manage to grow something from them I will sketch the plants too.

You could also join a sketching group such as Everyday Matters or visit Cathy Johnson's Artists' Journal Workshop to find inspiration and tips on how to get started!

Mesmerise

2011-09-18T17:51:00.000+02:00

Mesmerise/mesmerize is the prompt for Illustration Friday this week.

I don't watch much TV myself but I notice how people especially children can become mesmerised by the flickering images on the box.

Coloured pencil sketched on black paper.

The Baroness of Carini

2011-09-15T22:16:00.000+02:00

My next page for the Sketchbook Project 2012 is not a particularly secret place but it holds many secrets.
I love to visit creepy old castles, I'm really hoping to find a ghost! This is Castello di Carini and when I read about it's secrets I just had to go and have a look.

The castle is high up on a hill surrounded by the town of Carini and once was the home of Donna Laura Lanza, the beautiful wife of the Baron of Carini. She married young into a loveless marriage, in 1563 her husband found Laura with her lover Ludovico.
The Baron immediately summoned Laura's father and in the middle of the night the castle was surrounded. Laura was killed by her father to defend the family's honour and Ludvico was murdered by the Baron, putting a tragic end to the prohibited love.

According to the legend the dying lovers tried to reach each other and in doing so Laura leant on the wall for support leaving a handprint in blood!

The handprint can still be seen.....

I was disappointed to find that the handprint had been painted on with new gloss paint so that was a let down. But the story is good and of course Laura's ghost still wanders around the castle!

It was still an interesting place to visit, we were left to wander around alone, getting lost in all the beautiful rooms.
Alas we saw no ghosts

Boundaries

2011-09-12T13:32:00.000+02:00

For Illustration Friday - Boundaries

I took this literally and painted a landscape boundary. I love how stone walls and hedges criss cross over the countryside, dividing the land into portions. They mark the boundaries of the farmer's land and the boundaries for animals.

Things I Collect

2011-09-08T16:17:00.000+02:00

When I'm out walking or on the beach I often bring things home with me that catch my eye. Shells, feathers, leaves and stones just to name a few.
These are a little geological collection I keep just because of the diversity between them. The smoothness of the egg shaped pebble from the beach, the hard, sharp surface of the lava, and a rougher flat stone from a river running down from the mountains. The last 'specimen' is a piece of stalactite was given to me by a friend from a local excavation.
Interesting to collect and fun to paint!

Mysterious

2011-09-05T17:43:00.000+02:00

In the dark forest moves a figure. Suddenly a red cloak is illuminated, caught in a patch of sunlight.
Who is she? Where is she going? It's all so mysterious!

Answers on a postcard please :-)

A Secret Place

2011-09-02T13:16:00.000+02:00

The next few pages for the Sketchbook Project 2012. My theme is Encyclopedia of ... Secret Places.

This is one of my favourite secret places, not far from where I live, but you have to stand on tip toe to see it from the road.
This old 17th century villa is falling apart. It's windows are bricked up and is missing most of it's shutters but it's still lovely, especially in the late afternoon when shadows fall over the front.

Master of Disguises

2011-08-30T12:23:00.000+02:00

The word 'disguise' for Illustration Friday brings to mind the tricks, patterns and colours used in nature to hide from predators.
I chose a butterfly to illustrate how cleverly animals and insects disguise themselves. Sometimes they hide from sight, blending in with leaves, wood or rocks, others make themselves conspicious hoping to scare off or deter a predator. Many species of butterflies are marked with ocelli or false eyes which can mimic a larger animal or divert the attack away from the butterfly's body. It's better to have the tip of a wing pecked off rather than your head if you are attacked by a hungry bird

Summer Sketching

2011-08-25T14:44:00.000+02:00

I sat outside my backdoor in the shade and sketched these prickly pears/fichi d'india on Sunday morning. It was far to hot to go anywhere or do anything else, hopefully this hot and humid weather will break soon.

Yesterday afternoon I sat on a little sea front in a nearby village hoping to catch a sea breeze and draw the view. An old couple came and stood directly in my line of vision, the woman had a very bright yellow handbag so I sketched them instead. It's not often I find people who stay still long enough for me to draw but they didn't notice they were been observed.

This last little sketch is of the top of the church tower as the sun came down, but didn't quite get finished as I was attacked by fiendish mosquito's. Must remember insect repellent next time!

High Up (Sketchbook Project)

2011-08-22T13:47:00.000+02:00

A couple more pages for the Sketchbook Project. This first one is a cherub on the front of an old church, I hope nobody puts an 'explicit' label on this!

The next page is what you see if you climb up the bell tower of Monreale cathedral. You have to peep through one of the stone windows on the way up to see this view.

There is also a tiny hidden peep hole that looks out over the inside of the cathedral from somewhere very high up, which is exciting when you find it! The tower takes you up very high and it sometimes feels as if there is nothing to stop you falling off (I don't like heights), I always like to ~~climb~~ slide back down in a sitting position just in case!

The paper in the sketchbook gets very wrinkled when I use watercolour, and doesn't scan well. I tried to eliminate some of the shadows using photoshop where I could.
Does anybody else have problems writing in sketchbooks? I hate doing it and end up making a mess of it!

Forbidden!

2011-08-18T09:58:00.000+02:00

Everyday Matters - Something Forbidden

This one of my cats and probably the most feral of them all. We call him Forrest (Gump) because of his habit of running off even if we just look at him.
He hates to be picked up, in fact he forbids it! His whole body goes rigid and he fixes you with an offended stare...'how dare you!'
But he's not against a little tickle from me if he's in the right mood and I don't try to pick him up!

This was a test page to see how my new Moleskine Folio sketchbook works. I made a real mess of the watercolour, so I lifted as much out as I could and went over the top with coloured pencils.

Sketchbook Project 2012 - On a Roll

2011-08-14T18:35:00.000+02:00

The next few pages of my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project 2012. This is an old plant container in the grounds of an old villa, the long grass is a figment of my imagination!

My theme is 'Encyclopedia of..' and it feels as if it's going to be an encyclopedia of secret places, perhaps not the ones you would usually find or notice if you visited Sicily?

There are plenty of these old balconies about, but you have to look up while you're walking along the road. (This can be unsafe given the state of the roads and pavements)

I've been using a small amount of watercolour on the flimsy sketchbook paper, which causes some crinkling and the paper feels a bit crispy now!

If you would like to learn more about the Sketchbook Project World Tour have a look here

Imperfection

2011-08-10T13:23:00.000+02:00

Imperfection - Illustration Friday

Imperfect but still beautiful, sometimes it's the imperfection that makes something perfect. If something is too perfect it becomes bland.
This is a little china saucer, not quite as damaged as I've portrayed but still it's without a cup. I have a weakness for bits of china going cheap perhaps because of a hairline crack...imperfect! Does anyone else feel sorry for lonely imperfect china on auction sites?

Sketchbook Project 2012

2011-08-08T10:27:00.000+02:00

My sketchbook finally arrived for this year's Arthouse Sketchbook Project and I couldn't wait to start filling it up.
This is the inside cover and first page, the space on the left is empty so that I can write something.
I chose the theme 'encyclopedia of....'

Here's the next couple of pages in watercolour, coloured pencil and pen. The paper in this sketchbook is better than last year's paper, although still a challenge I've decided to go with it and not change anything.

There are less pages too, so easier to fill without running out of ideas (hopefully!). Encyclopedia of..what you may ask? Well I haven't completely made up my mind yet, but it will be a 'mini' encyclopedia that's for sure!

Exciting News!

2011-08-05T11:58:00.000+02:00

I'm very pleased that my two coloured pencil pieces The Silent Keeper and Geranium were accepted into the UKCPS 2011 National Open Exhibition. The exhibition will be held in Westminster Hall, London, 19th September - 1st October.
Its going to be an exciting event with many coloured pencil workshops going on and of course lots of lovely work on display. I'm hoping to get to London to see the exhibition if I can find some cheap flights.

Visit the UKCPS website here

Strange but Interesting

2011-08-03T16:51:00.001+02:00

Last week I got to see the gardens of a 17th century villa. This villa isn't normally open to the public and I could only look on it from afar, so I was really pleased to be invited on this occasion.
The occasion was an arty event, with 'installations' by various artists dotted about the garden and grounds. Some of it was interesting and good and some was well...just interesting!

I wish I could show some photos, but I think I would need permission to do so. I did like a sculpture of a child playing hide and seek made from garden mud, and also music made from recordings of the ~~strange noises~~ silence in the empty rooms of the villa. This latter was broadcast in a dimly lit stable, furnished with piles and piles of very old, dusty newspapers, very spooky indeed.

The evening finished off with jazz music on the terrace and I would have loved to sketch, but the sun was setting as we arrived and light faded fast into darkness. The sketch above is from my photographs and shows a tree with amazing roots growing over rocks, lit up by the setting sun. (I can't resist trees and roots).

Olive and Almond Pesto

2011-07-29T15:32:00.000+02:00

Something you'll give away- Everyday Matters

These are olives from last year's crop, these were fished out of a big jar where they are kept in salty water.
We don't have many olive trees and don't press our own oil, but we have just enough for bottling in October/November.
Usually there are a few smaller jars to be given to the family, sometimes mixed with garlic, chopped celery and carrots.

I also picked some almonds today so I sketched those too.

They were still in their husks, so I peeled those off and have left them to dry. I'm planning on making some pesto sauce with both the almonds and the olives. I'll give you the receipe as that is the theme of this sketch!

Olive and Almond Pesto

Ingredients:
a handful of stoned and roughly chopped green olives
a bunch of fresh basil (approx 20 leaves)
about 10 chopped almonds
2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
half a clove of garlic (more if you like it and won't be getting close to anyone for the next 24 hours)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Put all the ingredients in a liquidiser and give them a little whizz round pouring in a little olive oil, don't liquidise so much that you can't see the bits of almond in the pesto!
Toss in a pan with your spaghetti.
If you want you can leave out the cheese and use the pesto on crostini as an antipasto.

Buon appetito!

Perennial

2011-07-26T16:27:00.000+02:00

'Perennial' for Illustration Friday.

Perennial - Lasting for an indefinately long time, enduring.

These are Doric columns up on a hillside archaeological site not far from where I live. These columns are perennial, lasting for for thousands of years under wind, fire and rain.

There is not much left of the original town of Soluntum built by the Phoenicans in about 700 BC, but a few ruins remain from the Greeks and the Romans. Mostly fragments of walls, foundations and a few mosaics.

You can still see the traces of two ancient roads and the grid pattern of the classical Greek style town.

When I'm walking along one of the roads on the site I can almost hear the busy town and feel the people who lived there, I can't think of anything more enduring than that!

The Green Door

2011-07-24T17:51:00.000+02:00

Hidden away in a corner, in a small village in the middle of Sicily, a tiny green door. Obviously not used very much, otherwise you'd have to step over the plant pots everytime you went in or out.
I'd love to have a back door like this, with perhaps a big old key to go with it.

These Three Pears

2011-07-20T09:27:00.000+02:00

Some little pears from my garden that I originally did in watercolour, I painted them several times on different paper but couldn't get them right. (It's easy to blame your tools when it goes wrong!)
But in the end I went over the top with coloured pencil and liked it more.

Gesture

2011-07-18T12:29:00.000+02:00

Illustration Friday -'Gesture'

The Italians are famous for talking and moving their arms about at the same time. Most of the gestures they use do have a meaning or express a feeling. I have known people actually have a conversation using only gestures and facial expressions, they even use them when on the phone!
I've been behind cars when the driver is talking on his phone (not recommended and against the law) and what's worse.... he takes the other hand off the steering wheel to emphasise a point with a gesture!

This coloured pencil drawing is from several years ago but it fitted the theme well so I dug it out of my archives!

Lounging Lizard

2011-07-14T15:09:00.001+02:00

It's very hot and sticky here, not my favourite sort of weather! But there are some who appreciate the sun and here is one of them.
The lizard was sitting in our outside sink and stayed quite still for a few minutes, just enough time for me to get my camera. I've been trying for ages to get a good lizard close up as a reference but normally they move so fast. This one did actually look a bit old, but then how do you tell the age of a lizard?

Stay

2011-07-11T12:19:00.000+02:00

'Stay' for Illustration Friday.

They say every picture tells a story, but you can make up your own story for this one. Is it a happy ending or not?

Tomato Special

2011-07-08T21:32:00.000+02:00

Yes this is a special tomato, it's the first of my tomato crop of this year. Of course a tomato can't go anywhere without it's best mate Basil! So both were immortalised for posterity in my sketchbook then I ate the tomato with an omelette made from fresh eggs from my friend Gabriella's hens. A simple but wonderful meal and all homegrown.

Natural Remedies

2011-07-04T18:32:00.000+02:00

The word for Illustration Friday this week is 'remedy'. Some of the best remedies are produced by nature so I went into my garden and grabbed a bunch of herbs then looked up their medicinal properties. I was surprised at how many uses each herb had and could only list a few in my sketchbook due to the size of the page, but it's something I'd like to research some more. The smell was wonderful too!

Round the Old Oak Tree

2011-06-30T18:55:00.000+02:00

I've been fiddling about with this watercolour for a few weeks but I'm now calling it finished.
This is an oak tree from up in the mountains and is part of an old forest, but I prefered to paint it standing on it's own. The trees cling to the side of the hill, spreading and twisting their roots and the footpath winds around and between the trees.
On this particular walk we went through an ancient grove of giant hollies, very dark and spooky and just the place to go looking for faeries and little people. (Yes I know my imagination's running away with me....again!)

Midsummer Night

2011-06-28T14:57:00.000+02:00

Mixed media

Illustration Friday - Midsummer Night

Midsummer brings to mind Summer Solstice and Stonehenge. Summer Solstice is one of the only times in the year when Stonehenge is accessible to the public. Many people spend the night there playing music, celebrating and waiting for the sunrise..... a magical moment!

Don't Eat My Figs!

2011-06-25T16:52:00.000+02:00

I wanted to try out my new watercolour set, so nobody could eat these figs until I'd finished. The back one was getting very soft and sticky, but that's just how I like them!

Alcantara

2011-06-23T16:20:00.000+02:00

I've been away for a few days re-visiting some of my favourite places. This is one of those places, the Alcantara Gorge on the other side of the island. The freezing water tumbles from it's mountain source down to the sea, through a gorge of crystallised lava from Mount Etna

I put in just a couple of people to give the sketch some scale, but it's a popular place with tourists, you can wade up the gorge in thigh high boots or if you're brave shoot back down on what looked like very big rubber rings!

Snail Sketches

2011-06-15T20:26:00.000+02:00

A wet night brought the snails out in force and they actually move quite fast. These were moving along a wooden fence and sometimes I thought they would drop off, pulled down by the weight of their shells as they turned over the edge.

This is for Everyday matters - draw your hair in the morning. I thought I'd slip this one in at the end and hope it didn't get noticed too much! It's a bit wonky, but it was first thing in the morning....I used a water soluble pen by Stabilo which helped things look a bit better.

Windswept

2011-06-12T20:06:00.000+02:00

This is what you get when you stand on top of a mountain admiring the view......very wind 'swept' hair!
I used a recent photograph as a reference but I did have to use artistic license and add a bit more hair for effect.
The view was absolutely breathtaking and well worth the walk up ( Cozzo Luminario 4,959 ft).

My interpretation of 'swept' for Illustration Friday, mixed media.

Peeking out

2011-06-10T13:47:00.000+02:00

watercolour and pen

Dandelions growing between the pillars on the front of an old church. It looked as if the church hadn't been used for sometime as there were lots of weeds about, but I like the way a little bit of dandelion yellow peeked out. I had fun with the stone work although in real life it's not quite so crumbly!

Higher and Higher

2011-06-07T10:43:00.000+02:00

Everyday matters - A travel memory

I haven't travelled very far this year but I did drive to the other side of the island to visit a small town atop a very high mountain. When we arrived the road up was closed and the only alternative was the cable car, a ride of about 10 minutes. It went up and up, higher and higher and apparently this was the view from the window.....I wouldn't know as I had my eyes closed for the whole journey, going up and coming down!

It was definately quicker than the car drive up, but why was the road closed?

We soon found out why, as we stepped off the cable car we heard the cars racing by. There was a hill climbing car race going on. I'm not a motor racing fan, but I have to admit it was exciting!

Shadows

2011-06-05T15:15:00.000+02:00

'Shadows' for Illustration Friday, watercolour and ink.

Wild Olive

2011-06-03T10:44:00.000+02:00

Another olive tree...I do love their twisty, bumpy branches and trunks. This one is growing wild up in the hills nearby, I thought it looked like it had its hands on it's hips!
Watercolour and pen.

Summer is on it's way

2011-05-31T10:29:00.000+02:00

You knew it's nearly summer when the beach huts start going up. These are on Mondello beach just on the outskirts of Palermo, a popular place for the younger generation with music blasting from the bars and scooters parked along the side of the road. But it does retain some of its old fashioned elegance with it's Liberty style summer homes and the famous Charleston Restaurant (now Le Terrazze).

Asleep

2011-05-28T23:01:00.000+02:00

When night falls and the moon comes up, people close their shutters and the little town is asleep.
For Illustration Friday.

Eryx

2011-05-27T20:11:00.000+02:00

Just one sketch this week from a recent day trip, so I'll show you some photographs and take you on a virtual tour!
Erice (Eryx) is an old town with mythical origins, sitting on top of a mountain overlooking the sea.
There are two castles, one built on the ruins of an ancient temple of Venus.

Visiting this town is like going back in time as you wander through its cobbled streets and past medival churches.

and the view from the castle is spectacular!

Geranio

2011-05-22T12:59:00.000+02:00

coloured pencil 29x40 cms

A warm spring day and the windows are wide open to let the sun and warmth inside.

Geraniums or Pelargoniums are a common sight here as they can always be grown in window box even in our hot, dry summers. From a restaurant in the country near Trapani, looking out over the Sicilian countryside.

Safari

2011-05-17T13:13:00.000+02:00

'Safari' for Illustration Friday in watercolour and coloured pencil.
I imagine that a safari would be hot and dusty with glimpses of animals through the trees and I've been waiting for the chance to draw a zebra!

Leaning Gate

2011-05-15T16:15:00.000+02:00

Driving down country roads you come across many of these old gateways, marking the entrance to someones's land. I love the crumbly stone, the way nature seems to take over and the light dappling through the olive trees.
This one has a particularly nice gate even though it's leaning and is a bit bent, it's obviously had a life!

Beginner

2011-05-10T19:19:00.000+02:00

Illustration Friday - Beginner

First day at school and the long walk up to the door for a little boy just beginning his education.

A Sketch in Time!

2011-05-06T23:25:00.000+02:00

After turning down a backstreet in the city centre I came out into a large piazza and found this lovely view of a church dome shining in the sun after a rainstorm.
Here's my original sketch done in five minutes on the day, just enough to get some information and colours down. It may not look like much but I only have to look at this little sketch to remember how I felt as the scene opened out in front of me.

Living the High Life

2011-05-03T15:31:00.000+02:00

This poor man sits endlessly up on top of a high pillar, and he looks quite miserable too! I tried to find out some information about him, but no luck. His pillar marks an old gateway into the botanical gardens, but he is best seen (and sketched) from a quiet corner of the park nextdoor. He's so high up nobody ever tidies up the weeds growing out of the top, so he remains up there in his slightly unkempt glory!

Early Morning Down the Lane

2011-04-30T18:49:00.000+02:00

It was supposed to be a quick early morning walk down the dusty lane for the dogs, but I got distracted...it doesn't take much! The wild flowers caught my attention growing in the grass and tumbling over walls.

I took a few home with me to draw, these were lovely with their little faces turned up to the sun.

The bottom one of these is a wild sweet pea that grows everywhere, I believe it originated here in Sicily, first recorded by a monk in the 17th century.
There seemed to be a pink and purple theme going on, nature's colour scheme?

This is the view you get as you walk down the lane, one of my favourites, that I've sketched and painted many times. It used to be the view from my bathroom window but someone built a house nextdoor and that was that :(

A Girl With No Name

2011-04-26T18:17:00.000+02:00

This is a large coloured pencil piece, which had to be photographed instead of using the scanner. I haven't ever got a decent photograph of work in coloured pencil, the subtle detail that can be achieved just doesn't show up.
The statue is outside the town hall in the next village, the beautiful but crumbly17th century Villa Filangeri.

What I really need is a good title for this piece of work...anybody got any good ideas?

Journey

2011-04-19T19:45:00.000+02:00

To get through the hardest journey

we need to take only one step at a time,

but we must keep stepping.

(Chinese proverb)

Illustration Friday - Journey

Light as a Feather

2011-04-16T23:36:00.000+02:00

Something light for Everyday matters. I love drawing feathers and these are part of my little collection.
In the actual drawing the yellow and blue is hardly visable, the scanner picked up the colour off the white pencil.

Lunchtime in the Park

2011-04-14T12:16:00.000+02:00

A seed pod from a tree, but I'm not sure what it's called. I think the seeds were an orange/brown...any ideas?
I picked up the seed pod for my treasure trove from a park in Palermo. I've spent several lunchtimes in 'Villa Giulia' sketching and eating my sandwiches, it's a lovely peaceful place in the middle of a bustling city.

L'esedra

The park dates from the 18th century and has a perfectly symmetrical design in true Italian style.
There are four of these domed buildings facing each other around a fountain.

detail from inside the dome

There many statues and fountains and quiet corners and benches perfect for sketching and feels like a very romantic place. Not suprisingly it's a popular meeting place for couples in the week but full of children at weekends.

This poor boy is 'headless' sitting in the middle of a pond surrounded by calla lilies.

Of course there a lots of trees and flowers, and several of my favourite fig trees.

The branches and roots always remind me of legs arms and fingers!

Bottled Sunshine

2011-04-11T18:14:00.000+02:00

coloured pencil and watercolour

Illustration Friday - 'Bottled'

It was a beautiful sunny day yesterday, blue skies and no clouds. I would have loved to bottle up some of that sunshine and keep it for a rainy day or perhaps send it to someone else to enjoy. Obviously I couldn't do that so I picked a warm lemon and pushed it into a jar. The juice dripped down as I squeezed it into the small pot and the smell was wonderful.
I could bottle some wild flowers and buzzy bees next, but that's already been done...it's called honey!

Just a Peep!

2011-04-08T11:33:00.000+02:00

Everyday Matters - Draw your junk drawer.
We've all got one, perhaps more than one. I attempted this drawer several times in different ways, but decided to do just the corner as it was slightly over-whelming trying to draw everything. In this small part there is a stapler, sellotape and a bit of string and all sorts of ~~rubbish~~ bits of paper etc. I could tidy it all up, but then I wouldn't find anything!

Duet

2011-04-04T21:26:00.000+02:00

Duet - Illustration Friday
Sounds of the summer.... grasshoppers outside the window trilling together on a warm night.
Trilling - the technique of singing several pitches on one beat. (Trillare is the Italian verb and what a lovely word it is!)

The Black Wave

2011-04-02T14:31:00.000+02:00

"With love and patience, nothing is impossible"
Daisaku Ikeda

My version of the Great Wave by Hokusai, mixed media in my sketchbook.

Old Fashioned Toy

2011-03-28T21:27:00.001+02:00

Illustration Friday - Toy
There is something very appealing about dolls houses, as a child I spent hours arranging and re-arranging the furniture for my little doll family. I'm not sure that i pods and computor games can give the same satisfaction?

By far the most amazing dolls house and one I'd like to see, is the dolls house built for Queen Mary the wife of George V in the 1920's. Top artists and craftsmen used their skills to build tiny furniture and perfect working items, including plumbing and lighting. The dolls house is on show at Windsor Castle, but you can have a virtual look round here , if you have time to spare!

Terracotta Rooftops

2011-03-26T09:32:00.000+01:00

20x26cms

This is part of a Sicilian town clinging to the hillside. What really attracted me to the scene was seeing all the rooftops from above and all the old fashioned terracotta tiles. If ever I was going to build a house I would have to use some of those!
I started with watercolour, letting the colours bleed into each other, then I used coloured pencil for the details. I used Canson Aquarelle paper, which is the best I've found so far that suits both medias...but the search is still on for the perfect paper!

Drawing This Love

2011-03-23T09:25:00.000+01:00

Not a new piece of artwork but a frame for a video. Australian group Bright Knights are creating an animated video to go with their new single 'This love'. The video is made up of 2,700 frames and each one has to be coloured by hand. Anyone can take part and download a frame or frames to colour and be included in the video.

You can see the parts of the video already coloured and instructions for downloading here
It's a fun project and easy to do if you want to take part!

Cultivate

2011-03-20T12:05:00.000+01:00

Illustration Friday - Cultivate

I always wish I had time to cultivate different plants and flowers for the garden. By the time I've got some freetime in the summer holidays it's way too hot to make anything grow, it's all about survival then!
I have to stick to my succulents, cacti and 'sun loving ' herbs!
Watercolour, coloured pencil and pen in my sketchbook.

Along the City Wall

2011-03-19T11:11:00.000+01:00

Some more lunch break sketches from Palermo's seafront area. Here's a rear view of the 'Porta dei Greci', an old gateway set within the city walls. I liked the sparkling view of the sea from this side, even if the front is far more ornate.

This is the top of a beautiful pillar, one of two that seem to have once been an entrance way.
I've been using some very cheap Stabilo point 88 pens. They have a quality that I like (or defect depending on your point of view!) If you add water the ink melts into a watery effect.
See below.

There are 25 colours to choose from, some are very bright, but I bought brown, grey and black to play with, but I find the purple very tempting!

Stirring the Leaves Up

2011-03-14T10:56:00.000+01:00

For Illustration Friday the word is 'stir' and I tried to get away from the obvious spoon and bowl or cup.
This is a girl enjoying stirring up the autumn leaves, but then who doesn't enjoy doing that?
Watercolour pencils and pen in my sketchbook.

Wine in Cape Town

2011-03-12T19:34:00.000+01:00

Cape Town is this month's Virtual Paintout destination. Here's a vine grove in the Constantia Valley, a beautiful area just outside Cape Town. There are some thirty wine estates in this area that lies against a backdrop of mountains and apparently a big 'wine tasting' tourist attraction. I will remember that next time I drink some South African wine, although I admit to being biased towards Sicilian wine!

Pen, watercolour and coloured pencil in my sketchbook.
The Virtual Paintout website