Spring has sprung!

Ok, maybe not officially but it certainly feels spring-like here today. So posting a lovely yellow picture to celebrate. This is 'Water Flow to Old Town Mill', a mixed media on canvas that I sold a couple of years ago but it is now available as a Giclee print on archive paper - uploaded it to my Etsy shop along with a couple of others yesterday.

Well my luck seems to be holding up at the moment. Despite things slowing down and my frequent feers for the worst in the current climate, I have had a number of sales lately including 'Storm Brewing Over Oats Royd Mill' (See earlier blog) from The Calder Gallery. Then there's also been some lovely things like one of my paintings featured in Blog by Karen fields http://karenfieldsgallery.blogspot.com/

Then today - wonderfull news have won an original lino print by Scotish artist 'littlebird' http://verylittlebird.blogspot.com/ in her 'Pay It Forward competition. More details to follow. Will also soon be posting details of a course I am proposing to run at the Education room at Northlights. Watch this space.

Inspiration

Well, it was a lovely bright morning when I took the girls to school so I thought I'd go for a run when I got back before starting some work. By ten o'clock though this was the scene that greeted me! What a twist of fortune though because I didn't even realise that it was misty moody weather that I would be needing to inspire me for my next set of landscapes. Have been thinking of doing some more pieces along the lines of 'First light at Horsehold' (see a couple of posts ago). I've allways loved this piece but my work took a different turn after comleting it. So time to revisit and explore more possibilities. I'm going to work along the same lines in terms of proportion, dark and light balance and the importance of spacious painted areas. Will also explore though new landscapes, colour pallettes, and lightness. Have started to work on a few colour studies today whilst I still have pictures in my mind from my run. Didnt actually have the camera with me - above picture taken when I returned, inevitably too late. There was a moment when the cloud lifted slightly and a strip of sun on the horizon lit the middle ground. Hope I can capture it!

Must put my hours in at the studio next week. Have had a sick child again for most of this week but hopefully thats the end of it for now.

A Comical pair

Had a bit of an early start this morning. Not only was it Comic Relief Day so appropriate costumes needed for school, but also its Evies Birthday (pictured right) so lots of present giving and excitement. I cant believe shes TEN! That means ten years of motherhood for me, only three years till I have a teenager in the house etc etc and all those other thoughts that flash across your mind when you don't want them to. Thankfully shes not wanting to grow up too quickly it seems - she decided to be a rag doll for the day today and how gorgeous she looked. Izzie dressed all in red and when asked by Evie what she was declared she was in fact a Red Nose!

Storm Brewing, Oats Royd Mill

One of my most recent paintings currently on show at The Calder Gallery, Hebden Bridge . This is one of two larger scale pieces they have of mine at present ( 90 x 70 cm's ). I am happy to say that its hanging above the front desk - a spot that has proved lucky for me in the past, so fingers crossed! Had some good feedback already.

The Calder Gallery has two rooms - one of which is usually a mixed show and the other often a solo. My turn will be at the end of September. This month it is the turn of painter Eric Appleton.

We went to the preview evening on Tuesday. Unfortunately the artist himself couldn't make it but there were some lovely people there including several I knew so it was a pleasant evening. Eric's work met with a very favorable response. The piece below called 'Early start' is apparently the artists own favorite and mine too.

http://www.caldergallery.co.uk/

PS. One of my pictures has been featured in an Etsy Treasury!

Link to http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=43875

Thanks Victoria ( www.Furiousdreams.etsy.com )

Hooray! A Treasury!

At Last I managed to get a slot to create my own Treasury on Etsy. That means curating a magazine page of some of your favorite items from other sellers - what fun. See mine ' A Secret Garden' here : http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=43318 .

This is one of the twelve featured items 'Gothic Hare' a print by Valentinesattic of Cornwall valentinesattic.etsy.com

Part of the inspiration for this collection (besides the obvious wonderful Children's Classic story)comes from a childhood memory of mine. I will explain more shortly as this leads swiftly on to five random things I need to write about myself ( I was tagged by my friend Hannah Nunn http://hannahnunn.blogspot.com/.)

So, the rules of this game...

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules in your blog
3. Write five random things about yourself
4. Tag random people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person know they've been tagged

So, Here I go..

1. There used to be an old wooden door at the bottom of the garden when I was a child. It was always locked and I used to imagine a secret Garden on the other side. I later discovered it was just an alleyway but I have always loved the idea of discovering secret places. I have from time to time dreamed of discovering hidden rooms in whatever house I live in at the time. I wake up feeling disappointed but also still quite excited with a faint belief that anything is possible. The same goes for flying dreams which I'm occasionally lucky enough to have.

2. With the birth of my first daughter imminent and time between contractions lessening my husband Charlie rushed me off to hospital with no delay...except the necessary stop at a newsagents for chocolate and magazines!....I can't cope with anything without these vices!

3. I'm a bit of a twitcher and general nature lover. Last year on a boat trip from Arisaig to Muck I saw a Basking Shark! This May we're going to the Isles of Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Its apparently brilliant for wildlife, I'm so excited already!

4. I'd love to travel more. A couple of years ago I went with Charlie to Venice for just two nights. It was fantastic and I'm still feeding off it for my work. The older I get the more excited I seem to get about different places, history and culture.

5. I sometimes worry that my head is going to pop because I get ideas for my work faster than I could ever put them into practice and I spin off in too many directions. Work is so exciting...and frustrating!

I Tag:
Shelley http://oiseaux.typepad.com/
Sam http://samdolman.blogspot.com/ and
http://valentinesattic.blogspot.com/ ..........sorry folks!

Rollercoaster of a week

Just thought I'd show you the latest two prints to be added to my Etsy shop: www.kateboyce.etsy.com. Both have been popular pieces sold from my Open Studios and local Galleries.

This one First Light at Horsehold one of my early works was the first ever original that The Calder Gallery sold for me.

And this one 'Into the Valley ' is from last years collection.

I will be putting more prints in my shop soon. In the meantime if there are any paintings you know of from my website www.kateboyce.co.uk that you would like to buy a print of , just let me know.

I had great news at the weekend my first Etsy sale of two Originals to a customer from North Carolina - How exciting. Just the sort of news I needed after a week overshadowed by losing my beloved cat of seventeen years.

A final bit of news is that you can now also buy my fun Polymer Clay jewellery ( see below ) online from http://www.oddgems.etsy.com/

In Loving Memory of Harley/Harlesden/Denny/Bendo 1991-2009

Tolerant, loving, independent, playful,loyal and a good listener...all the characteristics I could wish for in a friend.