A week of painting

I haven't been making jewelry this week. Instead I've been re-painting a table of ours.  It's a dining table that we use outside but the sunshine/UV rays had taken it's toll on it and the paint was flaking off badly.

The table and chairs were made by Sticks and we have a few of their pieces around the house.  We bought the table when we lived in Sanibel, FL - and it's lovely bright colors certainly suited the sunny seaside island.   But it works well here in CA too.

The repainting of it didn't use a lot of artistic talent. I wasn't creating the pattern myself, only following what was already there.  But I really enjoyed doing it. It was a little bit like "paint by numbers".

It was interesting to follow someone else's style too.  The whole table was first painted black so then all the colors go on top of that.  It reduces the 'glare' from the bright colors and makes a really nice effect.  I'll remember that when I'm next painting something.  So often we think of white as the starting background, but the black gives a really nice effect.

Anyhow, I had fun painting. The chairs were fine so didn't re-painting, but that meant that I had to match up the paint colors so it still all worked together.  I loved having my paper palette and adding a bit of this color, and then a bit of that color......The trickiest part of the project was the writing around the edge of the table - but that's also my favorite part of the table.  It is sweet, happy little phrases - with the best one being "kiss the cook!"

We've now sprayed the table with UV protectant and hopefully it will last a few more years.  Maybe that means the cook will continue to get kisses???? I do hope so :=D xx

Painting and uncertainty

By guest blogger Pete.

I have finished the painting of Lincoln Cathedral that I used as an illustration two or three blogs ago. I think that I mentioned then that I intended to paint in only the Cathedral and to leave the rest of the painting as an ink outline. This I have managed to do. Comments and/or critiques will be welcome. Please use the "comments" from the blog.


I also spoke about how uncertainty over the outcome governs a painting throughout the stages up to completion. I had prepared an outline for a painting of Lincoln's Castle Square - found in uphill Lincoln between the Cathedral and the Castle. Unfortunately once I had painted in the sky disaster struck. Now I am left with a ugly blotch in the top left hand corner. Drying has lessened the effect but I can't think of a way to repair it. I think I've damaged the surface of the paper whilst attempting to blot in the clouds with a soft tissue. If anyone reading this has ideas on how to repair this then I would be extremely grateful if you would contact me through the "comments".


The Lincoln Cathedral painting is to be my wife's Christmas card so don't tell her about it!!!!!!!!!!!!


Happy whatever-it-is-that-you-enjoy-and-gives-you-pleasure.

Sunday's spotlight -

By guest blogger Pete.

For some years now I have been a member of the Lincoln branch of U3A. For the uninitiated amongst our readers, "U3A" is the rather pretentious title of "University of the 3rd Age". Basically it is an organisation for those whose years have advanced more than a little.

Amongst the groups that I belong to is the Art Class. In actual fact "class" is rather misleading because we don't have, nor do we want, a tutor. I'm not saying that we don't need one but that we don't want one. Instead some twenty of us meet together once a week to do painting. Most tutors will want their pupils to be doing the same topic because this makes their job easier. However we twenty member of the Art GROUP are all awkward wrinklies and want to do our own thing rather than a common project. Within the group we help each other whether advanced or beginner and as a result we have struck up good relationships with each other.

My forte - another pretentious word but it does make me appear to have been educated when I use it - is detail. I just love detail. I've been told that I should take a photo rather than do a painting because my paintings tend to resemble photos in their detail. This criticism doesn't worry me. At my age I think I'll paint what I want to paint and how I want to paint it. I attended a Local Education Authority Art Class in the early days of my retirement and the tutor there demanded that we produce a complete picture within 90 minutes. It drove me mad. I only completed the course because I had paid in advance AND the coffee after the class was rather good.


Last week at my U3A art group I started a new painting and I thought it might be interesting for you (and fun for me) if I showed you the incomplete work and then, from time to time, showed you the various other stages right up to completion - that is if it reaches completion. My wife says that I'm a pessimist but Oscar Wilde reckoned that a pessimist is a realistic optimist. I think I'm a realistic optimist.

Any idea where the painting is set? Enter your guesses in the comments section......

Sunday's spotlight - Wisdom does not come with age

We have a guest blogger today - and with a bit more persuasion, I'm hoping this will become his weekly slot............... His name is Pete - he is my Dad!

You would suppose that wisdom, to some extent at least, comes with age. I can claim the age but the fact that I sit here to "write" a blog post for "Inside the Artisan" would suggest that my age has left me without wisdom. Let me explain.

I read Ruth's blog regularly - not that I am particularly interest in jewellery but mainly because she is my daughter - and the other day I rather rashly suggested to her that she get some guest bloggers to appear and scatter on her pages more wise words about crafting in order the keep the intestest of you, her readers. Within about 3 hours I had an e mail red hot from its dash half way across the world from sunny California to frosty Lincolnshire, U.K..

That e mail suggested that I be her next "guest blogger"! So you see what I mean about "wisdom does not always come with age". That being the case I cannot guarantee that more "wise words" will appear from this guest blogger. I've never written a blog before - that will give you confidence to go on reading - so what does it feel like to be the first folk to read these ramblings?

All of our family enjoy crafting of various sorts ( you may have seen my eldest daughter's Christmas card post)....and my own interests circulate around illuminated lettering, pastel portraits, watercolours and, my special weakness, photography. I am a "photoshop" fanatic so if you know anything about photography yourself than you will know the extent of my addiction.

My painting began many years ago in the late 1960s but work (and Ruth!) took up so much of my time that I abandoned it after just a few years. Since my retirement, however, I have returned to it with varied success and not a little enjoyment. I prefer to paint pictures in which I can imagine some story and so lose myself not only in the painting but also in other aspects. The city of Lincoln is really two cities divided by a steep hill, known as "Steep Hill". Believe me it really is STEEP. I walked down it the other day but I haven't walked up it for some time. Come to think of it, Ruth has never walked up Steep Hill. Every time I visit her and John they give Pam and I a medical examination by taking us on some steep climb to see how long it takes us to pant. The last test was down and up Grand Canyon (well, not all the way!) and, boy, did we puff. I think Ruth began to wonder if we would ever reach the top.

But I wander from the painting. It is set at the half way stage UP Steep Hill. The old gent is sweating and not really enjoying the climb. It's so hot that he has had to take his jacket off and stand impatiently outside the tea rooms, hoping to go in for a rest and a drink. You may have gathered that most English men and women have a weakness for tea! This particular tea room sells the most expensive tea in the U.K.. (I'll let you into a little secret - uphill Lincoln is a tourist trap. Downhill Lincoln is much more friendly but doesn't offer a Cathedral to visit). His wife is not to be rushed and has a quick rest whilst she looks again at the local tourist information leaflet she picked up earlier that day. She's sure that further up the hill will be much better and why not try this cafe near the Cathedral? I haven't found out yet but what do you think she has in that big black bag she's carrying? Pass on any ideas to Ruth.

Well, history has been made and my first blog is completed. I hope you didn't find it too boring."