Finished rhododendron

Finished this one yesterday. I think I managed to capture the delicacy but also the vibrancy of colour in the plant.

Still working on the second one...

Rhododendron season at last

It is the glorious rhododendron season in South Edinburgh and the gardens around Morningside and Midmar are sporting brilliant bundles of colour. A glorious sight even in the current rainy weather. My favourite deep pink one in my own garden is in full flower and has been inspiring me these last couple of weeks to make some celebratory images.  Current works in progress shown below. I have laid down watercolour base layers and will now be working on top with pastels and coloured pencil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week's work

This week I have at last got round to making some mixed media works inspired by the crocus I photographed earlier this year at the Meadows (Edinburgh). I have several pieces on the go but these two I am the most happy with so far. They manage to capture some of the joy and thankfulness of being alive that I feel when I see this sight each year in the spring..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broom on Blackford Hill

Photos taken this morning on a walk up Blackford Hill (Edinburgh). Glorious yellow colour everywhere. My favourite season on the hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Latest Work - Altered Book

Following on from the Artists' Book Making course I did this year I have been working on this little Altered Book. I've had the book for a while - found it in a second hand book shop a couple of years ago - and wanted to do something with it as it is a lovely little book.

The book is about trees and I decided to alter it by adding material illustrating my own responses to some of the different types of trees described in the book, as well as highlighting and responding to some of the comments in the book itself. I made the (somewhat scary) decision to cut out all the original pages and fit a box rim to the end cover to contain the looseleaf pages I chose to put back in.

It was an interesting project with a lot of possibilities. Once you get over the initial shock of "drawing on" a real book (!), it becomes fun to pick out things that attract your eye or mind and respond to them. 

Willow

Rowan  

 

 

Sycamore

 

 

Chestnut