I drew a rabbit and fawn whilst the boiler was being serviced. The boiler man turned up an hour and a half late. And I know it’s daft but I couldn’t really settle until he came and then I couldn’t really do anything because he was here…                 [...]

Yesterday afternoon was spent painting bugs and spiders and berries. I always forget how much I enjoy painting. It’s snowing here and I’ve just heard that school is closing. I will have happy boys home in a short while.

Here are the latest pages in my sketchbook. I wandered round the gardens at West Dean over the weekend (after I’d finished teaching) but I wasn’t really dressed for the weather and got cold too quickly to do anymore. And yes, sadly you did read that correctly. I was really cold outside wearing a dress, [...]

       Joseph and my Dad had a lovely time painting together over the weekend. You can read about it here on my Dad’s blog. Joe is so proud of his painting that we’ve framed it and hung it in his room above his other treasures.

Yesterday, I painted an apple. Today I answered emails went to the bank forgot to take the library books back and did two loads of laundry. I preferred yesterday to be frank.          

 I had a lovely day yesterday making papier mache tea cups. The painted decoration was inspired by patterns found on my collection of china fragments (do you pick those up too?) I’ve grouted some of mine onto an old wall tile. The tea cups are made from Ann Wood’s excellant and very generous tutorial on her blog. I really want to [...]

After nearly three weeks of illness (the boys, naturally, gave their germs to me) and some frantic days spent doing everything I was supposed to have done already, and all the things that needed to be done this week anyway, it’s finally the end of term. Yippee! Time to slow down and start enjoying the holidays. Thanks for all your support over [...]

Thanks for all the well wishes. The boys are now well enough to bicker and argue with each other, about everything and nothing. I’ve been mono-printing owls (my tutorial here) and spending too much time escaping to the internet this week I found Agnes Obel (very calming music) and this interesting and varied blog: All is full of love [...]

Sitting up late filling my new sketchbook with ideas and colours (an old habit learnt at art school: select your colour palette and then mix large quantities of each colour in jam jars, ready to go at any moment)   inspired by my Field guide to the Night Sky project.

I’ve got plenty of things to do. Some things even have deadlines. Soon. But, instead I’m drinking too much coffee and enjoying the spring sunshine like I have all the time in the world. And it feels good.