Happy New Year

                                                                Little Brown Tea pot


At this time of the year it is traditional to take stock of the year just gone and make plans for the year ahead, catch up on all those things which have been pushed to one side to do 'later' and, in my case, try and stock up on art materials.

Although it has been cold recently, it has not been soooo cold as to make it impossible to paint outdoors, even with watercolour. There is a certain beauty in the winter landscape and the recent frosts have turned the fields and hedgerows into a land of crystal enchantment as if from a fairy tale.

However, if you live in part of the world where winter really means FROZEN, then perhaps January should be dedicated to the art of Still Life. Even traditional subject matter can be inspiring if you are willing to experiment with composition, change the size or format of your usual paper or canvas, and play with colours not usually to be found on your palette. It's all about being creative. We are always learning, and this seems to be the ideal time of year to play with our materials and see where it leads us.

Some of my New Year resolutions;

- Travel further afield for plein air painting and sketching.
- Push boundaries more - don't just stick with what I know I can do.
-Make better use of my sketchbooks.

Oh, and
- Try to update this blog on a more regular basis than of late. Who knows? I might even make it through to February !

HAPPY PAINTING