I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus!

'I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe last night' 

Transparent Watercolour 23 by 17.5 inches

I couldn't resist painting this one for Christmas. Have a look into Isla's eyes. Can you see the silhouette of Mommy kissing Santa?

 I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season. I am going to be taking a break now for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I will have lots of  new ideas to paint and share with you all next year.

Splash 19:Illusion of Light

I am honoured to have my painting 'A Penny for your Thoughts' featured as the lead image for the portrait section of the latest 'Splash 19: The Illusion of Light'  recently published by North Light Books. There are so many amazing images in this book. It is one well worth getting.

Small but Mighty

I've just finished this miniature transparent Watercolour that is just 3 inches by 4 inches in size. Although the kestrel is one of the smallest birds of prey she is much larger in real life than in my painting. The little painted kestrel measures only 2.5 inches by 1 inch and was painted with a magnifying glass and a very small brush.

 This is the painting matted and framed.

Lighting the Way

When you light the way for others, you also brighten your own path

Tower Bridge, London UK. Transparent Watercolour 28 by 18 inches

Walking beside the river Thames in London was something I loved doing, especially at night when the skyline was all lit up. This scene certainly has a place in my heart. The inspiration for the watercolour though was at a much more metaphorical level. The bridge at night lights the way and guides others in the darkness but in doing so it illuminates itself too. When you light the way for others, you also brighten your own path. Only by giving will you be able to receive more than you already have. Light someone's path today and brighten yourself too.

Leaf me be

There are times in our lives when we just need to take a break, to disconnect, to figure things out. At these times we need to be alone. We don't need to be comforted by others, we just need a quiet moment to take things in, all that has been, time to pull ourselves together again, or time to just let go.

'Leaf me be' Transparent Watercolour 20 by 28 inches

Creating this painting at my busiest time of year, for me has been my time out, my alone time, just me and my brushes, time for me to gather my thoughts. It has just been an odd hour here and there over the last few weeks but my 'alone time' with my brushes during these odd moments was just what I needed. 

Make sure you take the time out to take care of yourself however busy you are. You deserve it.

From Little Acorns

I finished the painting I have been working on this morning and am calling it 'From little Acorns'. This  is part of the well known saying 'Mighty oaks from little acorns grow' and is so true.  Many great things do grow from small beginnings.

My inspiration for this painting was the parallel between the young child full of hopes and dreams and the young oak sapling.  At the moment both child and oak sapling are small and vunerable and need tender loving care to grow but both are also so full of potential for greatness. Just as the tiny acorn sapling given the right conditions will grow into a mighty oak tree the young child's hopes and dreams given the right support and encouragement will be the gateway to their greater destiny.

Transparent Watercolour  Approx 21 by 20.25 inches

Thought Bubbles

Our thoughts are like soap bubbles floating in a gentle breeze on a summer’s day. Some are large, like dreams that glisten full of hope and promise. Others are smaller and less flamboyant but perfectly formed.  

Just like our thoughts, the fragile beauty of each rainbow coloured liquid orb is fascinating. For a short time they are a floating miracle, until they are no more.  Nothing is permanent, and like our thoughts and dreams, all things change.

Thank you for all your lovely ideas over the past few days about what the child might be thinking. I have a very creative group of friends. I will leave it to your imaginations to decide what thoughts she has in each bubble. (Transparent Watercolour 28.5 by 18 inches.)

Soap Bubbles are such fun to paint. This 10 minute video shows me painting a simplified version of the bubbles I created in the painting above. It isnt an instructional video. It was simply a first attempt at videoing me painting. I am really happy with the mount that my husband has made for the video camera so it can be suspended right over my painting area but we do need to work on better lighting as the glare from the wet paper is distracting and the colours are quite dull. Nevertheless I thought you might enjoy seeing my very first video attempt. (If you are subscribed to my blog e mail notification and are reading this as an e mail you will need to go to the blog if you would like to see the video)



Ona

A Flight of Fancy

Sometimes I just need to let my creative spirit fly free. ‘A flight of fancy’ Transparent watercolour 15 by 19 inches painted purely from imagination.

I have to confess I’ve had a tough month dealing with a nasty virus. For a while I couldn’t physically paint so I did the next best thing… I closed my eyes and created a painting in my imagination.

I wouldn’t trade my imagination for anything. The act of creation lifts my spirits and thinking outside the box is fun. Yes, it involves taking risks. You have to be prepared to try new things, be willing not to know and be ok with making mistakes.

But what if I fail? I hear you say

 My answer is… but what if you fly! Until you spread your creative wings you will have no idea how far or high you can soar. 

It’s been so much fun bringing this idea to life on paper over the last few days.

 

  Ona

Harmonic Distortion

I have been quietly working away at this full sheet Transparent Watercolour for nearly a month now and finally finished it yesterday.

Everything we see is an illusion. Even our perceptions of reality are illusionary and are usually distorted by our beliefs and ideals.

Sorry I didn't share the WIP photo's with you all as I painted this but I felt it would spoil the fun of the final illusion if you knew from the onset what was there. How many musicians can you count in the whole painting? Click on the image to see a larger version and to see all the fun distortions of the musicians in the clear bell shaped glasses.

Ona

Sweet Heart-Ted

With Valentine's Day just around the corner I couldn't resist painting this miniature Ted watercolour.

Little 'Sweet Heart-Ted' is seeking a home where he will be loved and thinks nothing would be sweeter than coming to live with you. Will you be his Valentine?

 Transparent watercolour (5.5 by 3.5 inches). 

Give somone a hug this Valentine's Day and make sure they know how much they are loved.

Ona

Music is a way to dream and to go to a different dimension

"Music is a way to dream and to go to a different dimension" Dido Armstrong

I managed to finish the watercolour I have been working on today and will now get it matted ready for the Studio Tour in a few weeks time.  Have you any ideas for a title? I love Dido's quote but its a little too long for a title.

Ona

Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

 For those of you that have been following my progress or watched me as I was painting at Tastes of the Hill last weekend here is the finished painting.

 Mischief and Giggles, Fun and Love, That's What Little Boys are made of. This young child has found a snail and is seeing how well he can walk the tightrope. It's a long way down!   

This was a lot of fun to paint. Hopefully it brings back memories of when you, a sibling or your children were young and would get up to mischief. If you have any stories, I would love to hear them.

Ona

Midnight Blues

It was great fun playing with light and dark in this painting and using the bell of the saxophone to create a misty dramatically lit stage for my saxophone player. I really enjoyed creating the concept for this painting. I used the lyrics from the Gary Moore song Midnight Blues as my stepping stone. I know Gary plays the guitar not the saxophone but it was more the emotions in the lyrics that inspired me.

When the shadows fall
I feel the night closin' in
There must be some reason
For this mood I'm gettin' in

Can't get no sleep
Don't know what to do
I've got those midnight blues

It was a great excuse to use all the different blues and purples on my palette too.

Ona

Commission

I finished the commission I have been working on today.  I hope you all enjoyed following my progress as I painted it. Thank you Sally for allowing me to share its development with everyone.

Ona

Don't Fret

Sometimes an idea for a painting just pops into my head and I have to stop and create it right away. This is exactly what happened with my latest transparent watercolour 'Don't Fret'.

Seems the cat in my painting has found a sunny spot on the fretboard of a guitar. What unusual places have you seen cats sleep in? Please share any stories if you have them. I would love to read them.

Eleanor Farjeon's poem is so true:

"Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.
Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.
Open draw, empty shoe, anybody's lap will do.
Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.
Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep anywhere"

Ona

Sugar Sugar

 These little hummingbirds are eager for sweet nectar at this time of year and seem to have discovered or 'noted' an unusual source for their energy rich drink. You know me, I just can't resist letting my imagination fly away with me at times like this.  I don't know how musical you all are but I also took some artistic license with the musical term at the beginning of the music. 'Volante' means light and fliting/flying. I thought it would make my little hummingbirds feel right at home.

 The painting is 25 by 15 inches in size and is painted on Arches 140lb cold press paper.

Ona

Giocoso

Giocoso means playful and merry and is used chiefly as a direction in music. I think these kittens are taking the whole musical term a little too literally though, don't you? I bet there will be trouble when the musician returns.

  This was such fun to paint. Its a transparent watercolour and is 28 inches by 12.5 inches in size. Hope it makes you smile too.

Ona

From Major to Minor

" Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness but as you go through life's journey, remember the black keys also create music."

Ehssan

We cannot really appreciate happiness without its mirror emotion sadness. Both are part of our  journey of life. Happiness provides satisfaction and resolution, sadness on the other hand helps us develop perseverance and strength.  Accept both and hopefully you’ll be playing a perfect concerto. 

It doesnt really come over well in the small jpg but I tried using several contrasting elements to help accentuate the mood in the 2 sections. In the main happy section my model Mira is using all white keys and in the reflection using mostly black keys. I also played with the sense of light in the main part of the painting versus the comparitive darkness of the reflection to help enhance the happy or sad feeling and lastly I used warm reds for the happy section versus cooler purply reds for the sadder reflection. These subtle colour differences are really lost in the jpg, sorry.

Ona

Animato Assai

I had enormous fun doing this painting, especially capturing the movement of the hair. I have chosen the title 'Animato Assai' because it is the Italian musical term for very animated and I hope the painting evokes both happiness and the feeling of movement.

Thank you Sarah for being such a wonderful model for this painting.

Ona

Acceso

I have finished my last painting for this year. Time for me to get ready for our christmas holidays now. This one was a huge challenge for me and I must admit I found it hard painting with these bright colours but it was a huge learning experience too so I am very glad I did it.  I am calling it Acceso because this is the musical term for 'ignited, on fire'. In spanish it also means bright, enthusiastic and passionate.

Ona