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JULY NEWS

For Updates, Special Offers, Announcements.....and an insight into what's going on in my world.

Week 30: 28th July to 31st July

I spent most of the day in my studio today. A painting subject I had been working on has now been completed and we'll be painting 'Picnic Spot' in Capel St Mary Village Hall on Sunday 14th September. lf you'd like to book your spot for this class, either drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk or call me on 01473 311938. So far, the Apollo Studio accomodation is available for that weekend and if you book 4 nights or more, you'll be able to have an extra night free of charge (offer ends 30th September). You'll be able to see a larger version of this new painting HERE.

Today has been another scorcher. Pottering around at home has its advantages as I can take frequent 'breaks', in the sun, to water the garden, check the greenhouse, feed the chooks, in between a stock check, and packaging the internet orders. Our greenhouse has a bountiful supply of tomatoes, all green though. A couple turned red by this evening, so we'll have those with our dinner. If I don't pick them quick enough they seem to split open. The chickens looked at me with utter disgust as I threw them some new potato peelings. Our friend's chickens gobble their peelings up but it seems our lot have a more refined taste. Since the water feature on the pond has been working the chooks are facinated by the sound and I've found them on the patio, making investigations, several times. They are very curious birds and don't miss a trick. I wonder what our fish, seen here on the left, make of them?

Week 29: 21st July to 27th July

Sunday was another leisurely day. We awoke to the smell of home made bread and had breakfast on the patio. The chooks, ever curious, decided to join us - they know they'll get some tasty scraps if they hang around in the right place at the right time. Alan managed to finish off the fountain area of our pond and now the lion's head water feature and waterfall are working properly. A lovely background noise when you're sat relaxing in the sun. Our guests noticed some new occupants in the pond. Somehow we have 3 new fish, all about 2 inches long with grey/brown backs and slightly lighter tummies. We have no idea whether our own fish have re-produced or whether perhaps some fish eggs were brought in with some of our pond plants. We enjoyed a hot and lazy afternoon and the chooks followed suit as you can see above, relaxing in the shade. Shortly after our guests left, a new guest arrived. He was delighted to see a garden full of chickens as he keeps quite a few hens himself. What a small world, one of his hens can be sponsored via the Battery Hen Welfare Trust, of which he is a very active member. In the space of 30 minutes I'd learned all manner of new things about chickens from a cultured expert. Our guest even drew our attention to his car registration plate, which has the word HEN at the end.

We've had a very, very indulgent and relaxing weekend. Our house guests arrived Friday evening armed with Pimms, fine Australian wine, and various munchies. The weather has been absolutely beautiful so we enjoyed a rather lovely evening on the patio, catching up with our news. Alan has just installed a redundant sterio on our patio so it's nice to have some chillin' background music. On Saturday, our guests were introduced to our chickens and amused themselves with them for ages. It's amazing how tame they have all become and they are a constant source of amusement. We then set off for a day at nearby Jimmy's Farm , who just happens to be a patron of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust . Jimmy had some fine chicken specimens, some were absolutely huge. After a leisurely stroll through the woodland walk, some fresh chilled pear juice and a 'proper burger', we returned home armed with bags of fresh produce from the Farmers Market. I took a shot of one of the lily ponds on the farm. It was lovely to study these massive lillies close up, especially as we will be painting these with Darrell in October. The pond was alive with bright turquoise Emperor Dragonfly, adding to the colour. Once home, we had a cake-baking and ice cream making session and enjoyed the fruits of our labour on the patio with herbal tea. To revitalise ourselves even further, we decided to plug in the foot spa outside and us girls took turns in having a blissful aromatherapy bubble and vibration massage. We then had a huge jug of Pimms with our dinner and retired to the bottom of the garden for a bonfire party.

One of my painting subjects, Palm Bay, was brought about by a combination of things that went a little like this: A sunny hot morning, a viewing of Tom's gentle turquoise seascape on my Art Forum, waving my daughter off as she departed to the airport for a fornight in Greece. By the time I sat in my studio to paint I was in a holiday mode, thinking of soft sand and swaying palms. I keep a huge box file of photos, post cards, travel brochure and magazine pages in my studio. It's a handy resource and there's something in there to suit every mood. Here on the left you can see the photo I used, here on the right is the finished painting. It's been adapted in a way to make it easy for me to teach to students. If you have a favourite place, scene, photo or any other image and would like to paint it, don't be afraid to ask. Several students pick their own painting subject for a private lesson this way. I'm not saying all scenes will be suitable, but if it's do-able, I'll do it.

Yesterday I promised you a silly story. A week or so ago I was telling Alan how one of our bantams found a worm and was running around the garden with it dangling from it's mouth with all the other chickens chasing after it, trying to steal it's wriggly treasure. If I could have laid my hands on my camera quick enough I would have video'ed it, as it was hilarious to watch. Alan was really sorry he missed the episode. On Sunday afternoon, Alan was digging some areas of the garden for me to plant new bits and bobs. He uncovered a juicy worm and picked it from the soil. 'I'll give this to the chicks', he said. 'Perhaps they'll give another performance'. He then stopped in his tracks, looked back at me and asked 'do you think I should wash it first?'. Bless. He really does spoil these chooks. 2 sets of neighbours paid a visit today to see them and watch their cute tricks, they couldn't believe how our cats Ziggy, has become their newly appointed 'sheep dog' and Ripley is their unofficial 'guard dog'. I wonder what Darrell will think of them, perhaps they'll be laying by the time he arrives and he can enjoy a fresh free-range egg for breakfast. If they're laying as many as we're told we can expect, I might even take the excess along to classes for the students.

There's a new bargain to be had on the SPECIAL OFFERS page.

Here's the news many of you have been waiting for - the Darrell Crow October Workshop dates have now been finalised. We're currently organising the Painting subjects, with only a few final details to cover. What I can tell you is that we will be painting an exciting Wildlife subject '2 Swans' at both the Lambe School in East Bergholt and Heartlands in Gipping. As Christmas will be looming, we'll also make the Christmas Candles another painting subject. It'll make an ideal and unique Christmas decoration or a really pretty personalised gift for someone dear. The Lambe School at East Bergholt just happens to be a short stroll from John Constable's birthplace and studio. You'll not be far away from the site of his infamous 'Haywain' either. Do watch the timetable page - I'll be posting new information as soon as I have it.

We had some extra wildlife in today's painting class. In they flew, uninvited, making an itchy nuisance of themselves and sticking to our paintings. The dreaded thunder flies. I think Jim and myself suffered the worst as we were closest to the open door. These little beggers crawled all over our paintings, not doing any amount of damage luckily. Those that don't fly off will brush away easily once the painting is dry. I thought this would make a mediocre topic for today's news entry. The entry's are a little more interesting when they carry a photo, so, once I arrived home, I took out my painting so I could photograph it. I did feel silly lining them up for a snap as the chances of the little black dots showing up large enough for you to see are remote.........still, here goes. But, if you want to hear something really silly......wait till you read tomorrow's entry!

Our 'Art for Fun' art group had their last meeting before the Summer break today. We officially meet again in September, when I'm sure we'll be busy with the up-coming exhibition. During our meetings we work on our own projects, which is lovely to see watercolours, acrylics, graphite, charcoal, pastels all going on at the same time. Not only do we get a bit of work done, we also have a chance to catch up on each other's news over tea and biscuits. It's not just about art - often recipes are exchanged, outings and coffee mornings are organised, even our Christmas Dinner venue and menu was discussed. During the Summer break, we have the option to meet up at various local scenic spots and member's gardens for plein air painting. Hopefully this year I'll be able to make a few of these dates. I can't think of nothing nicer than sitting here, at Pin Mill, with a bunch of ladies, a packed lunch, some painting and plenty of chatting.

Week 28: 14th July to 20th July

After a refreshing few days away we've returned home completely relaxed and recharged. We ended up in Norfolk, on a really picturesque campsite with immaculate facilities. The approach to the campsite was just my cup of tea. Surrounded by woodlands - I just had to jump out and take a photo. Within minutes of finding our pitch, we were plugged in, kettle on and feet up with magazines (me) and paper (Alan). Pretty soon after, we decided to explore the area. We were only a short walk from the beach, through beautiful National Trust woods. One minute you're walking through arches of trees, the next you embraced open countryside and fields. All quite lovely..........not to mention inspirational. My idea of pure bliss.

While we were away, I managed to get some painting done too. It's just as easy to sit with one of these projects on your lap as it is to sit and read. As it is done in acrylic paint it's easy to work from a very small palette and the clean up process afterwards is finished in minutes. I took along several prepared canvases and completed Norma Jeane, seen here on the right. Alan actually gave some really valid input with this particular portrait as I was having problems getting the mouth just right. He made a couple of suggestions that transformed the finished image - I wished I had taken a snap of how it looked before his advice. Actually, Alan's input has changed the direction on several of my oil painting compositions too.

After a meeting today I've been given the go-ahead for a solo exhibition later this year. Watch this space for further updates, this one is going to be a little different from anything previous.

Fingers crossed, touch wood, we'll be setting off for a jaunt in the motorhome after this week's class. Where we'll go, we've no idea, but I'm sure it'll be somewhere lovely. Steffi is home from her holiday in Greece, so she'll be able to house/chicken/cat sit for us. Let's hope the girl's (chickens) don't play her up as Alan has had a devil of a job getting them back in their run. Speaking of which, there's been more interest today in the idea of a chicken painting, looks like the challenge is firmly on the table for this new painting subject. I'll look forward to tackling that hopefully early next month.

Week 27: 7th July to 13th July

In the week I'd been working on some Pop Art Portraits. I often take photo's of these half way through, just to view on the PC to see if the celebrity is recognisable. Often I'll e-mail this image to pals at the incomplete stage, for their input. See if you can guess this one...... I know when pal Tina views this she's have the answer instantly as she's a BIG fan. I've popped the finished ones in my Gallery and the Art For Sale pages.

3 deliveries arrived today, which means I can add new things to my art supplies pages. First off, I now offer a 24 stick set of soft pastels for just £6.99, including postage and packing. To go with the set is a pack of blending stumps, which can also be used with oil paints. I can now supply Palette Paper Pads - 40 sheets per pad for just £4.50, including postage and packing. There will be some new brushes appearing soon, including an absolute bargain of a liner brush at just £1.75. I'll be taking these items along to classes for sale at slightly reduced prices as no handling and postage is incurred. I think tomorrow's students are in for a nice suprise.

Today, as Alan has another day off, we picked up more chickens to add to our flock/brood/troop/posse...... I've been wanting Alan to come along so he can see the huge variety of beautiful poultry that are kept on the farm by my friend and student, Cherry. We now have a beautiful black Maran and a rich golden Welsummer. Here you can see them in their cat basket, sitting in the boot amongst the easels, DVD's and other painting paraphernalia. The black Maran fell asleep on the way home but within an hour they were both feeding with the others and free-ranging in the garden. Our neighbour has an abundance of red currants, so all Free Range

6 have been feasting on some berries. One of our elder chickens, the Cream Legbar, has finally got her voice and now gives a delightful cluck instead of her cheep. It's not going to be long before they're all at it. It's suprising how popular these feathered friends are - I now have another 2 requests from students who also want to paint chickens - a few more and we'll have enough for an intermediate class. I better get working on a suitable design. To help me with that, Cherry allowed me to take lots of shots of her stock with my camera. Here's a lovely scenario, a couple of silkies free-ranging in the sun in their farmyard.

Here's another internet tale for you. A few weeks ago, on another forum (nothing to do with art), a chap made a posting about trying to get compensation from a Nationwide Company for damage caused to his property due to their negligence. I read, with interest, several of his posts explaining how he had tried all the normal routes and was being continually fobbed off and given a run around. Reading of his plight took me back to my office days and I just couldn't help but get involved. I gave him some advice by e-mail and guided him step by step through the small claims process. His claim was settled promptly, with no argument and out-of-court. To cut a long story short, by chance, it turned out that the chap lives about 15 miles from me. I've just waved him off, after sharing a cuppa on the patio - he'd taken the time and trouble to pop over and drop off a lovely bottle of wine. Isn't that nice. Isn't it amazing too, how the internet can widen our horizons?

2 more colours have been added to the oil paints collection . I now stock Neutral Gray and Naples Yellow. These oil paints are proving to be very popular with quite a wide range of colours. At just £1.95 per tube, delivered to your door or £1.50 a tube if brought from classes, they're really economical too.

Here's an internet tale for you. A while back I joined an online art forum. When you're new to a forum it can be a little daunting. Everyone seems to know everyone else and you're the 'newbie'. Over the course of time and obviously through my posts, arty relationships have been built and forum members are now aware that I teach wet on wet oil painting workshops. The forum owner contacted me a while ago and asked if I would be prepared to come along to her local Art Group and host a class. That workshop took place today. It was lovely to finally meet the lady that I had been sharing forum posts and e-mails with. With a 160 mile round trip we found ourselves close to the Norfolk Coast in one of the most pretty village settings. The village hall was really light and bright with fabulous facilities. The ladies were brilliant, good humoured and extremely positive. All are returning home, a little tired, but with lovely oil paintings to show off to their family and friends. As I said right at the very beginning of the class, if you can stay awake for 5 hours and you can see what I am doing, I guarantee you'll have a great painting at the end.

It's nice to be the other side of the desk for a change. Today at our local 'Art For Fun' group we had a guest artist giving both a demonstration and short workshop in mixed media, combining acrylics with pastels. Unfortunately it's very rare that I can make these classes, but today was an exception. I really enjoyed being the student and not only picked up a few more arty tips but also tuitional tips. It's a lovely way to spend a day with friends and colleagues. We all muck in and bring a plate and enjoy lunch together too, (nice cake Pauline!!). Today no one seemed really sure what materials we needed for the project, but between us we pooled resources and had adequate equipment to complete the landscape scene shown above.

Week 26: 30th June to 6th July

I have been asked in the past, and more recently, to host workshops for Art Groups. If you'd like me to come along and host a class for your group do contact me on info@ayoubart.co.uk or 01473 311938 for discounted details.

If anyone fancies a day out next weekend, there's an art exhibition and sale at St Mary's Church, Coddenham, Near Ipswich. The opening times are 10am till 6pm on 12th July and noon till 6pm on 13th July. Last year this exhibition displayed over 300 paintings from 75 artists. Over 100 paintings were sold. Do drop by this pretty village if you're in the area. Entrance is free and commission from any sales goes towards funds for the church. For once, I'm strung, framed, labelled, wrapped and packed a week in advance!

I was up, packed and out early this morning enjoying the sunshine and the scenery of nearby Tiptree. (Yes, the Tiptree where the infamous preserves, jams and sauces come from). I was booked in to give a demonstration to a very good humoured Art Group who seemed absolutely facinated with the effects I was showing them. So much so, they want me back again! As this was a demo for an Art Group, I took the opportunity to take along a wide range of art supplies and DVD's as I know the members would probably want to have a good browse to find a few bargains. I can tell the water colour painters as they always head straight for my ultra fine liner brushes. Just about every member of the group thanked me at the end for an enjoyable talk - but I do have to remind people that hey, it's a great way for me to spend a morning too. Just compare it to sitting at a desk in an office with an irate customer on the end of a phone and you get the picture.

I've been fiddling around with one of the newest Class Subjects, 'Palm Bay'. I've tried the composition on a panoramic canvas and it looks quite nice. So I think I'll give student's at the Capel Class on August 6th the option of what type of canvas they'd like to use. Apologies, that horizon line looks a little dipped - it's the camera shot, not the painting.....but you get the general idea.

Remember last month I mentioned that I wanted a Wii Fit? These games boards are so hard to find and have been out of stock from just about every retail outlet in th UK. I thought it odd that I just happened to find a website that had some, so, made my purchase. It didn't take long for alarm bells to ring and one very sharp reporter has been following the story of these bogus Wii Fits. Due to her quick reaction, Sussex Police have been investigating the Company for over 2 weeks. Even better, the Company who took the online payments smelt a rat and actually froze the funds from online transactions in a holding account. Apparently over 2500 order were taken....... So, a word of warning to anyone making purchases online, (especially me): If it looks too good to be true, it probably is! I've quite gone off the idea of a Wii Fit now, I'll just stick to my trusty pushbike for the time being. More news about this scam HERE

I thought I'd let the girls out while I enjoyed a cuppa and a rock cake on the bench outside my studio. They are so funny to watch. Gilmour and Waters, the Barbu D'Uccle's (or Barby Que's, as Alan calls them) have feathered feet and look awkward when they run. They are tiny little bantams compared to the Rhode Island Red and the Cream Legbar. One of them caught the biggest worm and was running around the garden with the other chooks chasing. Although they're tiddlers, they've both found a new way to add to their height. On their return to the run, they decided to jump on top of the nesting box. This didn't seem high enough so they then jumped on top of the coop. They spent several minutes walking along the mesh roof, high above the Legbar, who was watching them from inside and looking at me as if to say 'they're being naughty again'. Rhode Island, who is the Guvnor, kept a careful watch on them at all times as you can see here. Speaking of chooks, I been asked to teach a painting of a chicken, it's a shame Valerie Stewart didn't include one of these in her pet portrait series. Still, it'll give me a challenge.

To add even more goodies to the SPECIAL OFFER page, I'm now giving a free night's accommodation in the Apollo Studio for anyone booking 4 or more nights. You'll need to contact me to confirm your dates before you make a deposit payment. The offer will run until the end of September 2008. It's a great way to combine a class with some private tuition (subject to availability). Perhaps you'd like to spend some days spent sight seeing in the heart of Constable Country or a paddle in the sea at nearby Felixstowe. The studio has an information booklet showing places to go, places to eat, bus timetables and other sundry essential info. The offer is for both single and double occupancy. For an extra £15 you can have a welcome pack of essentials which includes a loaf of my homemade bread and a bottle of wine to ensure you are able to put your feet up straight away with a relaxing drink. If you'd like to book some time away from it all, give me a call on 01473 311938.

Having just removed last month's Special Offers the page is left a little bare, so let's kick off the month with another SPECIAL OFFER . You have a chance to save £5 on the Jake DVD, a Pet Portrait oil painting project. You are taken through this workshop in step by step stages by accomplished portrait artist, Valerie Stewart. The offer closes on 31st July. Do feel free to share any projects you make with us, whatever the subject and medium. We're getting quite a collection of work appearing on my forum HERE Why not pop over and introduce yourselves, even if it's just to say Hi.

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