Recent Paintings

 

Mike's oil portrait of the guide at the Laphroig Distillery

Watercolour version of the above

Steve Cleary by Mike

Con's Cover Design for Moon in Leo based on a photograph taken in Furness

Northern Fells Dyptich

Northern Fells

I am continuing with my semi abstract landscapes, and Mike is getting rather good at portraits.

Photos, paintings, cake and drama- what more can you ask for?

We had the most amazing day out on Friday. It is difficult to credit how much quality there is, so close to home. The day was planned just for an art exhibiton, and to see the Quondam Theatre production which we had missed when it was performed locally.

First of all we went to the preview at Red Barn Gallery, Melkinthorpe. We were both really struck by the work of two painters: Jean Laing and Robert Newton. 
We followed with a great cup of coffee and delicious (in my case gluten free) cake in the restaurant attached to the gallery and nursery. (It was gluten free because there wasn't much room in it for anything other than chocolate :-)

The play was performed ten minutes away in the lovely village of Askham, which has an excellent pub, the Queen's Head. It has a welcome second to none, and again, really delicious gluten free food. One of the owners is Tommy Martin whose exhibition of photographs we saw in his gallery just opposite the pub.

Bellies and minds well fed, we went just next door to the village hall to see the best production I have seen yet by our excellent local theatre company, Quondam.

All this- and less than 45 minutes from home.

Results from the Summer School

Well, Brian's Summer School is finished, he is off to America, we are off to Canada soon, and Anna is back to work. Anna has achieved a lot with a super painting of Izzy and Shay in Greece, Mike has started experimenting with oils, as can be seen fom his unfinished painting of a country road near here, and my painting of a young cow in Grasmere village is ok- but not at all the new start I wanted. I tend to paint with obsessive detail, crouching over the canvas with a tiny brush, and my glasses pushed up, while I long to paint big impressionistic canvases, full of light and colour, suggesting great sweeps of landscape and sky. So I am disappointed in myself, that I have stayed within my comfort zone, even putting in the stone wall in the foreground which has become a bit of a cliche with me. Must do better.... but that will have to wait until the new term in September.

First two days of Summer School

Got going in our first two painting classes: I blocked in my cow picture, and Mike did his first ever oil painting. We are now looking forward to next week when Anna joins us to paint. All we need is Kate to come and play for us!

Welcome

Welcome to the official Trifolium blog. This is the place to see all our latest pots, paintings and jewellery and keep up to date with our other projects.