8th entry...out to work this am.....

and then the rest of the day with my boy!!!!
The rain is coming in but that shall not stop us maybe having a little stroll together I hope!  Now, a bit of  ironing is in order....get back to you later!!!

Jigsaw series - Christmas robin 2010

Moment in time series - ...cats will play...!

The bench people - 'Books are beautiful...' 2010

The bench people - 'If music be the food of love, play on....!'

The bench people  -' waiting....'

Ooops! I think that I have put a couple of paintings in twice...shows how senile I am getting!!!

My next thought, which came from T's comment is - do I focus still on my watercolours or do I move into my pastels...! I just love my pastels, and I know that it sounds stupid but I feel very disloyal to them - ha! ha! I know you think that I am cuckoo.. and although they are much harder and a longer process, I can be very good at them...BUT my watercolour I have always done and they seem to be what I am known for .....
Life is very confusing sometimes.....
Anyhow onwards to sups and  I shall chat again tomorrow; maybe my head will be clearer, or some omen will appear giving me a clue as to how to progress!!! You never know!

7th entry - missed a day, and I promised that I would try and write every day..

...however..!

This morning - Saturday - and I have been out to work - now feel shattered, and a bit sad...! Am off to my art room to see if I can get into the mood for a bit of artwork...The boy is out umpiring the girls hockey...try and log in later to say what I have done...!

Transcript of work by Anne Magill
Pastel by Sarah Orchard

So actually quite a successful afternoon...
Completed some watercolours with ink, and pastels, and got a 'pastel' out of my system...and I sure feel better!!!!

Just made a 'Danish apple cake for tonight - with fish and chips...Mmm! not sure they shall go together well, but hey!

So the curtains are closed, darkness is closing in.  Don't forget that the clocks go back an hour tonight!

Have a good evening, and I shall write tomorrow...watching 'Bugsy Malone' by the way....

6th entry.....a sad day!!!!!

Been out to work; done the bottle bank; going out to collect some sloes - if I know which berries they are - and gosh do I get SO hungry at home...toast, toast ,toast...then on to watercolour and pen my latest evening sketches, so back later!!!

The working day is at an end, and I await the return of my boy back from 'the smoke' for a cup of tea followed by a walk maybe! So no sloes collected, and no visit to my art room, but a productive day!

I bit my bullet and contacted a card company to find out how to send my 'series' in to them...so that is a start my lovely Manda...

5th entry...Today I have mostly been......

on my computer finding ideas for my 'Bench People'... and what a corka of a selection I have got...! So now I can sit tonight and sketch... yummy...!
These are a selection that I did yesterday....some 'Bench People, some 'Moments in Time'....am getting there, where ever that maybe.....

The bench people - ..lazy days!!!

The bench people - ..ooops! shust a few too many...!

Moments in Time series - 'Rainy Days...'

Moments in time series - 'sisters'

Out to work for a period of the day, then back home with my lovely boy - both of us quietly working in our 'work areas...' which was MAGIC!!!

Not doing too badly on the bloggy bit...5 entries and counting!!!!!
So...is anybody following this???

4th entry...Gosh...what a foul day weather wise!!!

Talked with my lovely next door neighbours about 'tabletop' exhibitions...and things to do:
Put this diary blog on my website... done!
Spend time on finding out how adobe photoshop works....!
Think South - they know what I mean!
Talk to some one to share an exhibition space with...!
Look into illustrating children's books - have always wanted to do this, but for some reason I have put it aside.......and actually the area that I have always focused on but maybe undervalue are my 'Bench people series' 'Moments in time'- should I focus on these more.  Have always done 'moments in time' for my friends...thus the illustrating...
So basically I need to FOCUS my skills, and recognise that I am still at the embryonic stage of my artistic life...I suppose it is better that not having been born at all.!

3rd entry.....Gosh! am I struggling this morning...'Moments in time series!'

.with the cold of my art room and my colours!  Some days the colours just come naturally - occasionally they end up being dirty....I did my sketching last night while watching 'Downton Abbey' (I love that sort of drama..) with the excited promise of watercolour and pen this am...whether my body was so tense from the cold...6C...

I don't know, and my other problem to be solved is the fact that I have 4-5 sketches to paint that are in a book.  This means that the previous painting is wet when I want to  work on the following one!!!!! So I am giving myself a break to let my fingers warm up!!!  Back later I hope......

Moments in time series - 'sisters'

Moments in time series -' waiting....'

Moments in time series - '..lovers...'

Moments in time series - 'Dressing up...'

Moments in time series - 'Mmmm! shopping...!

Moments in time series - 'lonely..!'

..this is what I have achieved this morning! I find the background always seems to come out so dark in my photos. Anyone out there got any ideas...?

2nd entry....building a business....!

Spent the day at some old, old friends so no art done...but good discussion in the car going with T! My trouble is
I am too eclectic...if I just chose to draw or paint sheep that would be great, but I have many different facets!
So commercially my 'jigsaw series' is universally liked, and then do my pastels for my pleasure.  Mmmmm! I like it! So stage one - which is what I am on is to get a series under my belt by mid November. Also to continue developing my 'moments in time series' an evening event which will incorporate 'daily sketch practice'.  It is SUCH a hard game to get yourself noticed...and I never was a sales person - still here goes....onwards to the morro..................

Today is the first day towards my future as an artist...

I am starting a diary on my development in art....to make me sketch more... want to share my love of art and get opinions from other like minded people; so if you are out there please join in and give your opinion - or set me a painting challenge!!!!!

This is my 'jigsaw series' that I am working on....

I love my watercolours with charcoal - have used them for years and years.  I love the wet in wet and blending of colours....

A sketch a day keeps frustration at bay!!!!

This is a watercolour and charcoal of a chicken we saw at a holiday farm we stayed at in Durham a few weeks ago...

'Chicken on the farm' - 2010
www.sarahorchardfinearts.co.uk

...and so at the end of a productive day...

'Jigsaw series - New Forest ponies' 2010

....this is what I have achieved.  Am I happy? Yeah! I was more patient with it than the other two that I laboured over.....Being chillier, the watercolour took longer to dry, before applying the charcoal. Ended up putting it on the rayburn.......
...onwards to another day!!!