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Sue's News - For updates, special offers, class info and an insight into what's going on in my world JANUARY NEWS Week 5: 29th January to 4th February, 2007   A few weeks ago I was asked to host a painting holiday in Portugal. I have been undergoing talks with a lovely, bubbly British lady who has been living there for some considerable years. The accomodation, which sleeps 6 - 12, is in a very picturesque setting, complete with large swimming pool, (seen here on the left), and vast gardens. The manor house, shown on the right, is set in 90 hectares of mature olive and cork trees. Our discussions are in their infant stages but I thought I would run the idea past my readers to see if this kind of painting holiday would appeal, as you are always such a good source of feedback. There is still much to discuss, but hopefully I will have a better idea when the owner arrives here to stay in our own Apollo Studio , and also attend one of my classes. The owner is extremely clued up on the project, being an artist herself. If you think something like this would appeal to you, please drop me a line on ayoub_art@hotmail.com. Your comments at this stage would be more than useful to us both.
 I am so relieved to say that I have no more back-orders hanging from my various clip-boards in my home office. As I called into the Post Office this morning with a huge bag of parcels for despatch I was imagining the postage bill to be akin to a small mortgage. It's so time consuming at the Post Office these days, since the changes made to the size of packages and the price. As you're all aware, my product prices include postage. I didn't increase any of my prices when the Post Office made their increase, but I will most definately have to re-assess my figures to allow for this difference. Looking at my calender I can see I have a very busy February indeed and probably won't get around to calculating all these changes until the end of the month. So be warned, I will reluctantly have to make some small price adjustments. If you were thinking of placing any orders, I'd get them in before the end of February.
 With just over 10 weeks to go before Darrell's Painting Workshops , there is already talk in the forum about meeting up for a chat afterwards, perhaps booking somewhere for a meal. Some chaps are bringing along their wives, who will enjoy a shopping spree in town whilst the boys are painting. Do feel free to join in the chat. It's a good place to make your plans. Capel Village Hall has an adjoining bar which will be open after the classes, there's always the opportunity to head straight there immediately after the class for a relaxing pint and a chat with Darrell.
 Hoorah! The Landscape Brushes are here!! I couldn't wait for them to be delivered - I drove to the sorting office, paid the taxes and collected the package myself this evening. I shall spend the evening putting together the packages and despatch them first thing in the morning. Thank you all so much for your patience with these.
 Our pal Darrell Crow has returned from vacation and he tells me he is working on the painting subjects for our April Workshops . As soon as these images are available, I'll be sure to notify you on Sue's News and my Art Forum, Sue's Arty Party . I have made the 'Optional Accomodation' posting appear as the first item in the forum as it contains useful telephone numbers for the nearby Elizabeth Hotel in Copdock and The Old Manse guesthouse in Roman Road, Colchester. I can see Darrell made a comical entry in his own yahoo forum which I have to share with you here. And if you want to use any of the contents in April, feel free to do so. The 5 Best Things to say if caught sleeping at your easel: 5. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen." 4. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to." 3. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the thinner. You probably got here just in time." 2. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these canvases when you put your ear down real close?" And the NUMBER ONE best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your easel... 1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus' name, Amen."
The Belstead Art Group meets every Monday from 10am to noon. The classroom where the group meets has the most fantastic light, with picture windows down 2 sides of the room. There are tea making facilities, spacious desks and plenty of room to do your own thing. The group are always looking for new members, anyone can join, whether you are a beginner or an accomplished artist. For a small subscription of just £1.25 per week you will be able to escape to this quiet place and take full advantage of 2 peaceful hours without interuption. I'm already thinking this would be a good place for me to go to sketch some more portraits. The current members use many different mediums, from pastels, acrylics and watercolours..........this would give anyone an ideal opportunity to see other tools in action. One lady there told me how she likes to try and re-create 'Old Masters'. She has just finished a version of the Mona Lisa. How I'd have loved to have seen that. If anyone is interested in joining this group, please contact Tony direct on 01473 602089 for more details.  I have just conducted a painting demonstration for an Art Group in Ipswich. The venue was Belstead House, which is just down a narrow leafy lane, not a dis-similar scene to 'Woodland's End'. At the end of the lane is a courtyard with a large Tudor building with a small turret. I was inspired by the pretty surroundings before I even started. The demo went really well and I felt pleased to have passed on some useful tips, like covering your palette with greaseproof paper to make cleaning easier and less messy. I was encouraged when some members, who already paint Bob Ross Style, informed me they were not too happy with some of the Bob Ross products. I am not alone in suffering with liner brushes that split and splay out, and paints that go too thick too quick. They were intrigued that good old Winsor and Newton oil paints really do the job just fine. I always ask the question 'Who is it that is telling you that you MUST use Bob Ross products to get the desired results'? The answer is always, always, always 'A Bob Ross Instructor'. If a Vauxhall dealer told you that the only vehicle that could get you from A to B was a Vauxhall, would you 1) believe him and would you 2) buy one? So why do the same with paint? I was asked by the group organiser, Tony, to bring along some of my oil painting supplies, and I am really glad I did. I've been cleaned out of small fan brushes and script liner brushes! Luckily a new delivery of these and other products is expected by Wednesday. As I loaded my car to drive away I sat for a minute watching several squirrells jumping from tree to tree. I do wish I hadn't left my camera at home.
Week 4: 22nd January to 28th January, 2007  'Thinking Place' - Mick's second ever painting: I pushed Mick very hard during this private lesson. We embellished, we added extras and I know when he studies his painting at home he will thank me for it. Mick paid great attention to everything I said and he painted with confidence. In this lesson he has mastered the art of foliage and highlighting. He knows full well now that the 'knack' is in the loading of the brush and the angle with which it is loaded. At times the lesson was quite intense. I knew Mick had a great painting inside him and it was up to me to get it out of him and onto the canvas. It's often the case that students do not realise just how gentle a touch is needed and how a small dash of highlight can transform an area. Mick was concerned at one stage about the intensity of his waterfall reflection, mainly because it wasn't like mine. What Mick achieved was actually a bonus to his painting, throwing the waterfall a little further into the distance. At the end of the class we both stood back and admired his work. Mick was shaking his head in disbelief. Set in one of our most ornate Gold Frames , this painting looked an absolute stunner. It's one thing having a beautiful painting hanging in your home, it's quite another thing to say 'I painted that!'
I've just squeezed in another date for Woodland's End at the Green Room in Stowmarket. We will be painting this subject on both Saturday 17th February and Saturday 10th March. This is proving to be a very popular painting subject, so if you are thinking about giving this one ago, I wouldn't spend too long deliberating. You can call me on 01473 311938 or fill in the Booking Form if you would like to attend any of these classes. The class for the 10th March is nearly full already and I only posted the subject for this just 2 days ago! We are also painting 'Woodland's End' in Capel on March 4th, that class is filling pretty quickly too.  There's been a lot of painting going on with more to follow. On Thursday I re-painted 'Crimson Breaker' and half painted the new 'Woodland's End'. On Friday I completed 'Woodland's End'. Today I have painted 'Crimson Breaker' again, in class. Tomorrow I will be painting another 'Thinking Place' in a private lesson and on Monday I will be painting a mountain and lake landscape in a demo for a local Art Group. That's 5 consecutive painting days.........how lucky am I? (Mind you, you wouldn't want the brush cleaning and conditioning that goes with it!) It is not unusual for me to paint a class subject several times over in an effort to eliminate any potential areas that may prove tricky for beginners. The paintings do not go to waste, they either get donated to charity or they get recycled. If the paint is scraped off whilst still wet and the canvas scrubbed down, all you need to do is cover the canvas with black acrylic (gesso) and you're ready to go again. Please note though, all my students have brand new canvases - nothing but the best for you guys. Underneath 'Bluebell Wood', seen here on the right, was once a mountain snowscene.
 I've just booked another class date by request. On Sunday, February 25th at 12.30pm in Capel St Mary Village Hall, we will be painting Darrell Crow's 'Blue Romance' . This is actually one of my many favourites of Darrell's and I had a great time painting this from his Instructional DVD Workshop. If you knew how quick and simple that little light-house is, you'd be amazed. Already there's limited spaces for this class, so don't waste any time in making your booking for this. You can do this by either completing the Booking Form , e-mailing me on ayoub_art@hotmail.com or telephone me on 01473 311938.
 I like to take future class painting projects along to my classes as the paintings always look more impressive in the flesh. As Woodland's End sold just before Christmas, I've had to paint another, as we will be tackling this painting in March, both at Capel Village Hall and in the Green Room, Stowmarket. Yesterday I started work on this popular woody scene and this lunchtime I've finished it off. I've made several adaptations to this painting to make it fail-safe for beginners. With my artistic licence, I've also pruned the large foreground tree. I've popped a larger image of this painting on the Class Subjects page so you can see more details. I now have to think about painting subjects for April............any ideas anyone?
 For those of you with websites, there's a couple of postings from Robert Minchin offering free help and advice in Sue's Arty Party Forum to assist you in obtaining a higher internet ranking. My other little baby sister website: Wet On Wet Classes is already obtaining as many hits as my original old website did when it was 15 months old. Of course, it's necessary for me to filter out the regular visitors so as to make my statistics a bit more realistic. Wet on Wet Classes is just a basic website (at the moment) solely concentrating on teaching Oil Painting to beginners and was launched just a few months ago. I've another website out there too.....but I'll disclose that at a later date, it's far from ready yet.
 The 'New Day' painting class on Saturday February 10th is now full. There are a few places remaining, if you wanted to make this painting, on Sunday 4th February at Capel St Mary Village Hall. Contact me on 01473 311938 or e-mail ayoub_art@hotmail.com if you are interested in taking part in this beginner's oil painting workshop.
 In an e-mail received today from good friend Tania of Finca La Mariposa fame, she tells me how the weather has been so glorious, reaching highs of 27 degrees. Tania and I used to work together until she and her husband upped roots and moved to sunny Spain almost 18 months ago. Alan and I spent a lovely vacation there last Spring and look forward to soaking up some of their sunshine again. I've been keeping myself up-to-date with the goings on via Tania & Steve's Diary and I know we will see such a change to their environment. They have both been very busy embellishing their already beautiful home in the mountains of Valle De Abdelajais. As I look at the view of the mountains she has posted to their website today I can already imagine us sitting on the terrace with a bowl of olives and a glass of red wine enjoying Steve's hilarious tales. I'm currently reading 'A Parrot in a Pepper Tree', by Chris Stewart, ex (early) Genesis member. Chris embarked on a similar Spanish adventure but under much harsher conditions. My book is kept in the bathroom so I can read a chapter whilst having a long hot soak. When I read of Chris Stewart's ups and downs and his amusing view on life in Spain, I really do think of Steve. Maybe he should have a go at putting his tales in writing, I'm sure they'd make a very humorous read too.
My order of Trollbeads arrived very early this morning and everything else (well, tea and toast) was put on hold while, with bleary eyes, I opened each small package and added the beads to my bracelet. So today, I have been mostly jangling and rattling about as I type. Believe me, there was a lot of typing today as I tried frantically to make sense of the minutes of the meeting which I scribbled rapidly at last night's Committee meeting.  After a mild few months the temperature has dropped considerably overnight. Eileen, who runs the Club bar on Monday's and Tuesday's, predicted snow today. She was right, this afternoon we had the smallest flurry. Despite bright and blinding sunshine my car was frozen thick with ice as I left for work mid-morning. Amazingly my journey only takes me 10 minutes from door to door. It just shows what a difference avoiding that rush hour traffic makes. Working so close to Town Centre means I can either pop to my eldest daughter's for lunch (her shifts permitting) or meet up with the youngest for a coffee. I'll actually be able to give her a lift home too so she doesn't have to wait for the bus. Things are proving to be very convenient indeed.
Just before Christmas I sent a chap one of my free DVD's. He was reasonably local and he decided to come along to one of my classes. Shaun produced a really pretty pink snowscene that impressed both him and his family. He has been bitten by the painting bug ever since and has carried on painting at home. He tells me he paints side by side with his 7 year old daughter. Sometimes they work on the same painting together and, more recently, they paint their own thing too. Yesterday morning I received an e-mail from Shaun showing their latest paintings. Shaun has given his permission for me to display these on the 'Your Gallery' page. Now I'm not going to tell you who painted what, although if you hover your mouse over either image you'll see the name of the artist. Very hard to believe that one of these was done by a 7 year old....... Well done Kayleigh, (who incidentally is cuteness on legs.) Day 1 of my new job was quite an eye opener. I was a little nervous, as this position is quite different from Credit Management. The office, I soon discovered, is a very hectic place and time flew by so quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. One of the big pluses in my day was an opportunity to stroll through Ipswich for a business meeting. Although it was a short stroll, it was additional exercise I wouldn't normally have taken. The second best thing in my day was that I only spent a total of 20 minutes in front of a computer - hurrah! I'm liking this job very much already. Week 3: 15th January to 21st January, 2007  Julian tells me he received an oil painting set for Christmas. The equipment, apparently, is still sealed and in it's original box. But I think the seal will now be broken very soon. You can see here Julian holding his first ever attempt at oil painting and a brilliant job he's made too. He feels he has at least learned some very useful techniques that he can put into practice at home, and along with his Free 2 hour tuitional DVD , he's got some back-up reference whenever he needs it. He really didn't believe a first-timer could produce such a result and was really enthusiastic about how much he enjoyed his day. I could see Julian was slightly intimidated by the vast array of tools before him, but in less than 30 minutes he overcome his fears and was very soon painting with confidence. See, ANYONE can learn to oil paint.......
An hour or so into today's Painting Class we received some visitors. Mr Murkin had spotted my advertisement for Oil Painting Classes in a local art store. Unfortunately he does not have internet access and was unable to see the painting subjects and student's finished results. I invited him to drop by today's class so he could see my future painting  subjects on display. Mr Murkin arrived with several others and they were so taken with Blue Romance, which was purely on display to show the finished result of a Darrell Crow DVD project, that I will be hosting a class very soon to accomodate the party. As soon as I speak with Capel Admin to arrange another hall hire date I'll post it on my classes page incase anyone else would like to come along. Mr Murkin kindly brought some of his own paintings along and has let me share one with you all on the 'Your Gallery' page. He and his friends will make a fine job of Blue Romance, no doubt about it.
 I've just had a really enthusiastic student today. Karen took on board every single instruction and got things so right it was my pleasure to sit back and watch her embellish her painting with great confidence. Karen was given a private lesson gift voucher for Christmas and has left with another voucher for the February 10th class . (Only one free space on that class now, I'm afraid.) I'm hoping to convince Karen to take part in some local exhibitions as I know she will be continuing to paint in oils at home. Karen left with her framed painting in hand, a bag of brushes and tools, a huge smile (and some colourful dabs of paint) on her face. Here's a glimpse of her work - didn't she do well!
 Having a little look at my website statistic chart this morning, I was amused to see someone had found my website by google searching 'bricklaying in Dubai'. I guess that's got to be my most obscure hit to date. I am often intrigued by the many different countries who visit my website. To give you an example of the range of non UK visitors to my website yesterday (19th), I can see I had hits from over 15 states in the USA, Morocco, Ukraine, India, South Korea, Luxembourg, Canada, China, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Turkey, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Kenya, Malta, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Syria and last but by no means least, Spain. Another list tells me what pages were viewed, at what time and for how long. Best of all, I currently enjoy a 600% increase in my daily hits since I changed to this new website a year ago, although it has taken a lot of hard work and persistance to ensure such a high ranking. Now, if I had time, I could figure out how to use the rest of the statistics included in the package!
 I do like the unusual.... Part of my leaving gift was 'Troll Beads'. (What?!?) Yes, that's exactly what I said. I guess the best way to describe this unusual piece of jewellery is New Age Charm Bracelet. Instead of adding charms, you add beads. The Trollbeads come in all shapes and sizes and colours and materials. My workmates have started me off with 2 rather pretty hand made italian silver and glass bespoke beads. You can mark events and anniversaries with the beads and build up your own history/timeline. I've just spent more time than I should looking at some really pretty beads you'll see what I mean if you CLICK HERE I've also been indulgent and ordered myself a couple, I'm sure I can think of adequate events for them to symbolise. So: Kids, Alan, Mum & Sis, if you're wondering what to get me for my Birthday, here's a BIG hint :)
 Last night's oil painting demonstration for the ladies of the Buxhall Women's Institute was such great fun. I guess there were around 40 good humoured ladies present, with a few familiar faces too. I was in my element when I tapped in a large fir tree in a matter of seconds, receiving a quite audible gasp from the audience. So much so that I had to paint another 2 trees to see if the ladies would do it again! I've discovered Buxhall Village has it's own Art Exhibition in April and I will be taking part in this event. One lady at the demo was from the local press and I'm thrilled that she will be writing a small article about the evening. Another lady approached me to conduct a demo in nearby Ipswich too. Many brave ladies practised their skills at making the fan-brush fir trees on a spare prepared canvas. I hope to see a few of these ladies at classes quite soon. I left the ladies with 'Thinking Place' which will be on display for raffle over the next few months to raise money for a local ambulance service. I'll keep you updated with the result on that. Once again ladies, the pleasure was all mine............
 What a great 'last day' I had in the office, with BIG surprises throughout the day. It started off with extreme sabotage to my desk, with balloons and glitter and streamers everywhere! Nicula (master of scrapbooking) and Kerry, had made me a wonderful Treasure Chest, filled with photos of the office staff taken at various Christmas do's along with individual personal messages, Monty Python quotes and poems from staff members, a hilarious read and something I will truly treasure always. Kerry tried to convince me they had clubbed together and arranged for a male stripper, which would have been a bonus, but unfortunately was just a wind-up to keep me on my toes all day long. HOWEVER, upon hearing of this, my Manager, John, had a quiet word with Ted, a visiting air-conditioning repair man........I don't know what he said to him or how he managed it, but just as I was having my leaving presentation, Ted stepped down his ladder, whipped off his shirt down to bare chest and started towards me with devilment in his eyes. (And very strapping he was too........). What a sport and what fun. A truly memorable moment to be added to the many that I already treasure from my time at MGC. That John; 'he's Not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy'!
 The Ricky Gervais tickets for his 2 night Ipswich Regent gig in March went on sale at 10.00am this morning and were sold out within the hour. I was frantically ringing the Regent direct line and the alternative hotline whilst simultaneously trying to book tickets online. No Go! Luckily for me though, my daughter was actually in a queue outside the Regent just after 9.00 this morning and even luckier, she's managed to get me some tickets. We're taking great delight in ringing each other up and singing the David Brent dance theme.......Der-ner-ner-ner-ner-ner ! Maybe I'll make him the subject of my next pencil portrait. The TV show 'The Office' is so true to life, and after working in one for years I can honestly say ALL the characters exist in my present situation, so you'll appreciate what I mean when I say I will miss it.
 'Tis a strange week for me this week. I sadly leave my part-time job on Wednesday some 10 weeks earlier than originally planned. I've had the most fun ever in the office over the last 6 and a half years and I have received the hugest amount of support for AyoubArt from my colleagues. It feels like the end of an era and I will be more than little sad to depart. However, most unexpectedley, another part-time job has lured me away. I'll be working for an Ipswich CLub. This Club has seen the likes of Long John Baldry and the Spencer Davies Group, back in the '60's. It was a club member who gave the nickname 'Rod the Mod' to Rod Stewart, when he appeared there early in his career. I've been told Elton John has sung there too. It's totally new thing for me, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun. I wonder if I'll get to meet anyone famous?
Week 2: 8th January to 14th January, 2007  Let me give you a little insight into my job as an Art Instructor. Sunday morning, after cuppa in bed, switch on PC to check e-mails. Among a huge amount of Sues Arty Party chitter chatter forum notifications, some sales orders, the daily spam, there sits another lovely e-mail, from one of yesterday's first-timers. I know Mick won't mind if I share it with you guys.......
 We had a really fun class today, the first of the year. Dear Margaret has just finished her 3rd painting and she proudly tells everyone else that it's taken her 3 classes to learn NOT to fiddle, she even advised other students 'put your brush down and leave it'. All other student's in the class were first timers and the results, again, were truly amazing. All students managed to make their fir trees with the fan brush so well which isn't always easy when you are painting over 5 layers of paint. At times it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, especially when working on the mirror image of the hills and mountains. It turns out, all students were holding their breath whilst they were painting! We're wondering if next class we should have a respirator on stand-by, just incase anyone faints.
Thanks Arley for the timely prompt. Landscape brush update: Darrell has just discovered the brush company closed their warehouse for 2 weeks over the Christmas period and didn't make this apparent to those of us placing orders. We have written confirmation these brushes will be delivered to Darrell on the 15th of this month. Darrell will in turn send them straight onto me. This will probably take a further week subject to custom's clearance. Apologies for those of you with back-orders. I'm happy to refund you your money at any time if you don't want to hold on for the delivery. This company doesn't export direct to the UK I'm afraid so all ordering has to be done via a helpful US contact (Darrell). It's only my 2nd order and I can only calculate the expected delivery date based on what I am told and the efficiency of the first order, which took 3 weeks from placing the order to my UK delivery. My pending order was placed at the end of November and I'm a bit miffed they have taken so long, I hate letting people down. But , the good news is, this time I've ordered 3 times the quantity, so we shouldn't run out for a while as yet.
Have I gone and missed out on another opportunity again? I received a telephone call this afternoon from a husky voiced man asking me if I needed a male model. I was very busy in the middle of some correspondence and politely declined the gentleman's offer. 10 minutes after the call I was thinking of 101 different answers that could have been more apt - like e-mailing me a photograph for a start. Doh!  By pure chance today I met the lady who won 'Peach Dawn' in the Christmas Charity Raffle. As I was sat in my sister's hairdressing salon waiting for my blonde hi-lights to take, the winner of the raffle dropped by for a trim and style. Her excitement was more than apparent. Bernie, from Ireland, said 'I never win anything! I loved that painting as soon as I saw it and my family love it too. Sue, you should do more.' So Bernie, thanks I will. As soon as Dorden Hair Fashions are ready for another raffle I'll be ready with another painting for them.
 I'm in the money again.....an e-mail received yesterday informed me I have won a grand total of €1,000,000 on the Spanish Lottery (again!) and another e-mail received today tells me I have won £1,800,000 on the UK lottery. I'm one lucky individual, aren't I? Now, all I need to find out is who brought the lottery tickets for me. Was it any of you? On the subject of tickets, I was a little ahead of myself this morning. Ricky Gervais will be appearing in Ipswich Regent on my birthday, in March. I was told the tickets would be on sale from this morning at 10am and I was watching the clock to get in quick. I was a little early for those - they actually go on sale next week. Steffi is treating us to those as a birthday present. In the same week the Australian Pink Floyd Tribute Band will appear at the same venue - again, I'm never early enough to book a box unfortunately, now that would be the height of decadance. Looks like we'll dip into the compensation money and treat ourselves to a couple of tickets to see this great band. It'll get us warmed up ready for the real thing when we see Roger Waters at Earl's Court in May.
 Do you know, I haven't sketched in ages and there's a very good reason for that. I lost my sketchbook. A couple of days ago I rectified that situation and invested in a really good quality pad. Partially prompted by the anticipation of the new Portrait DVD series and actually partly prompted by dear friend, Trine, I've spent just 20 minutes in the evening after dinner and practised. Here's my version of a Hollywood actress. I've found, personally, with portraits, they either go well or they are hopeless. To me, it's all about frame of mind. There's absolutely no point in me picking up a pencil if I don't get 'that feeling'. Thanks Trine for the kick up the backside, I've been enjoying my little sketching sessions loads. I've a half finished portrait of Roger Waters to complete - the face is fine but the microphone and headphones need a little more effort. I've a lovely shot of David Gilmour to work on too. Sketching in my armchair under our corner spot light with a glass of wine is such a wonderful way to wind down.
Week 1: 1st January to 7th January, 2007  Remember Bobby the squirrel? He's been quite lively these last few days and often when I sit in my office I can see him running along the cables at the bottom of the garden. Yesterday I thought I was seeing double. Bobby seems to have found himself a mate and the two of them were running up and down the high wire having a great time. So far I haven't been quick enough with the camera as these little animals don't hang around for long. Now I have no way of telling the sex of these two, but I'd like to think Bobby has found himself a girlfriend. I'm going to call the other bushy haired creature Sheryl. Do you think I'll ever see Bobby, Sheryl and a line of littl'uns running the wire? Apparently squirrel gestation is only 45 days and the babies are independant after just 4 months.
As per my promise on New Year's Day and after sitting with a calculator for a while and thinking good and hard about what a Starter Kit should contain I think I've cracked it! Correction, I HAVE cracked it!! I am happy to offer a complete Learn To Oil Paint Starter Kit for less than a hundred pounds. Alright, it's only a penny less, but, when you compare the contents of this offer to basic master kits you'll see what a bargain you will receive. This offer price is only for the UK as I have cut things really tight to keep this under £100. Anyone wanting this Learn to Oil Paint Starter Kit to be shipped outside of UK will have to get in touch for a postage quote - ayoub_art@hotmail.com. For just £99.99 you will receive the following items: table-top wooden easel (as used in my classes), set of 13 basic oil paints, 1 inch and 2 inch landscape brushes, large and small fan brushes, painting/palette knife, script liner brush, half inch filbert brush, half inch flat brush, set of 3 foam brushes, set of 3 blender brushes, tin of branded liquid white, 10 sheet 14x10 inch canvas pad, and a single DVD project of your choice from the landscape series. The shopping basket for this kit is HERE  The new style frames now have their own shopping basket and can be found HERE . There's a really lovely new black one with silver inlay. We've tried several paintings in this frame and we haven't found one that doesn't suit it yet. We have added another traditional gold frame to the list too. This one has a slightly different embellishment and looks years old. It turns any painting into an old master. These new frames are just £27 to buy online (including postage). They are all made to fit my canvases measuring 20 x 16 inches. These frames are a special discount price of £17.50 when purchased from a painting class and paintings can be framed before you leave, which makes for easier handling. (It also saves us on rolls of bubble wrap, cardboard, packaging tape, our time plus courier costs and insurance, hence the substantial price difference).
This afternoon we decided to visit the coast. My father used to take us to a nearby stretch of beach, just outside of Woodbridge. It's known as 'Shingle Street'. It's probably approximately 14 miles away and I'm ashamed we had to get out the map book to find it's location. We didn't have a map book in the house with Shingle Street listed. After a quick internet search we got the general idea of the direction we should be heading. 'Shingle Street' is just that - a very long stretch of shingle dunes and sea and absolutely nothing else. It took some finding and we had a very invigorating walk along the   shoreline. I stood and studied the waves swelling, forming and breaking for a little while and paid attention to the light areas and the foam patterns. It's all good homework for seascape painting. On the left you can just about see Alan in the distance of this empty and unspoilt place. We were rewarded on the way home with the most stunning sunset off Bawdsey, looking over Felixstowe. It seemed to appear out of nowhere and the fiery intensity grew by the second.
 Yesterday I picked up a handful of Holiday Brochures. I really fancy a week later in the year in Croatia, I'm fascinated by the beauty of the Istrian Riviera. I feel the same, however, about the Lake District, Scotland and Cornwall and India and Andalusia and Turkey and Greece.......... Whilst browsing through a Hoseasons brochure I came across a holiday park in nearby Felixstowe. Felixstowe is a lovely resort on the Suffolk Heritage Coast and just a very short drive from Capel St Mary. What interested me is that you can book a 2 bedroom caravan (The Felix), which actually sleeps 5-7 for a short break for just £82 - thats per caravan NOT per person. The short break runs from the Friday 13th to Monday 16th April. What's more, this offer coincides with the Darrell Crow Workshops which take place April 13th to 15th inclusive. CLICK HERE for details or call direct on 01394 283393, Reference Felixstowe Beach, Felix, LP1489 - this might just be a very economical way of combining a mini-break at a pretty seaside resort with a few painting workshops. Pets are welcome in some of the designated Felix caravans although there is a small surcharge to pay. Felixstowe has it's own railway station with connections into Ipswich - so even better for those of you without transport. The bus from Ipswich Train Station stops right outside Capel Village Hall - couldn't be easier.
 I just want to welcome Bryan back to the flock. His long internet absence has been felt both here and in other forums. I know you can't spend too long on the computer Bryan and I know you check in here to update yourself. Nice suprise for you this morning - someone very special has left you a personal message in my guestbook. There's some flattering comments on my website too, high praise indeed from someone with one of the most beautifully laid out websites. Click Here and you'll see what I mean. When you wake up in the morning to a flurry of positive and cheery e-mails how can you fail to have a great day?
As if one delivery wasn't enough - the table was preceeded by a mouldings delivery. This means we can now offer some new style frames . There's a rather natty 2 and a half inch wide black shaped frame with a hint of silver that really does look sophisticated and stylish and compliments the oil paintings really well. As usual, we can give considerable discounts when these are purchased from the classes. I'll get the Picture Frame page updated just as soon as I can for those of you who order online. This New Year has started with several new products: 2 new DVD launches (Portraits and Seascapes ), a new painting class subject and some new design frames. 2007 - tis a year of change me-thinks. Today we took delivery of our new 5 foot painting table. I know it's just a table - but it's so nice (I know, I'm easily pleased) plus it's something I can add to my equipment. It's very light and portable and I can imagine how easy it would be to set up on my back patio for an outside painting session in the Spring/Summer - heck - me and Darrell could even paint side by side. Not only that, it'd be ideal for craft fayres too. Alan (alias Mad Professor) has a time-saving theory. We could flip up the table legs and slide the table into the boot of the car, we could then arrange everything on it and drive off. When we arrive at our venue we could simply pull the table out of the boot ready set out, flip down the table legs and presto! Mmmmmmmm (Don't worry, he wasn't serious.) I've just added the February class dates for the Green Room venue in Stowmarket. By popular demand, Peach Dawn is one of the painting subjects; that sure is a popular painting, both in classes and in Exhibitions and 4 spaces have been taken on that class already. The seascape class, 'Crimson Breaker', has also now filled. We have one person on a reserve list for this but if anyone else would like to paint this particular subject, just let me know (Tel 01473 311938 or e-mail ayoub_art@hotmail.com) and I will book another Saturday date at the Green Room.
 What a hard job it was this morning to drag myself out of a warm bed and prepare myself for work. Heck, even my car didn't want to start. I did have a laugh though as soon as I walked into the office. Normally we are greeted with a chorus of 'Happy New Year'. Today's greeting, however, was 'How's Arthur?'. Arthur, you'll remember from my December News was my Office Secret Santa gift - he's a baby Banana Plant. So, to update you all - Arthur is alive and well. He is due his weekly watering tomorrow. He lives on my office window sill (at home), in the light, and no, he hasn't yet been re-potted.
 Alan's daughter brought us over a Panetone Cake on Boxing Day. She thought the tin it was in would make an ideal storage container for my paints. She's right - the tin stands over a foot high and resembles a hat box more than a cake tin. Thanks for that Carla - your Dad's doing a fine job of getting through the cake. You don't even want to know the size of the slice he cut to go with his afternoon cuppa! (And the lucky begger doesn't put on an ounce either.) At this rate I shall be filling the tin with my own personal paints before the end of the week. Carla, incidentally, is directly responsible for my experimentation with alternative brands of oil paint. For Christmas a few years ago she brought me a lovely set of oil paints. When I unwrapped it I was thrilled at her thoughtfulness, but I did think that I would not be able to get the wet on wet technique as the oil paints were not the popular 'branded' variety. Her gift sat there for over a year, unused - until one day when I reached for my tube of titanium white and found it had hardened in the tube. So, in desperation I was forced to use Carla's variety and I haven't looked back since. It not only done the job, it done the job BETTER. The rest is history...............
Can I just draw your attention to the little image you can see at the bottom of each web-page. The little black and white seascape........ That's an AyoubArt personalised tool bar. For those of you who have already downloaded it, you might want to refresh it. A few more links have been added, and, of course, Sue's News is now refreshed to direct you to January instead of December. This tool bar is absolutely safe, I promise you. It contains, in my opinion, a most useful e-mail notifier - I have my 6 major e-mail addresses installed on my toolbar and I get an instant alert when incoming mail is received in any of them. The toolbar also contains a pop-up blocker. There is a weather guide where you can add any locations you wish, be it 'ayup' Yorkshire, 'ooo-arrr' Suffolk, 'diamond geezer' Essex or 'no way pedro' Spain...... There's a google search box, a set of useful links and many other features. It's easy to install, it's easy to remove if you don't like it, but best of all, you can adapt it to your own personal choices. I made it for my readers - feel free to enjoy it. First and foremost - HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!! Thanks to Darrell Crow, 2006 ended on such a high note which I hope continues for some time. It's been a fabulous seasonal break. We've had time to relax, enjoy our family, re-charge our batteries and make our plans for 2007. My office part-time hours will end in Spring and I have a lot of work to do before that period. Spring is something to really look forward to now for many reasons. I guess this first entry of the year shows what a difference 12 months and a bucket full of determination can make. We've reflected on the past year, and we've learned a lot of lessons all of which will be put to good use in 2007. My first project of 2007, due to several requests, will be to do my maths and see if I can put together a complete oil painting starter kit for a budget price. Lets see if I can have that up, running and available in my shopping cart before the end of the week. Meanwhile, I thought you might enjoy this.........I managed to get some painting done yesterday and a version of this will feature soon in my Oil Painting Classes aimed at beginners It's based on a Bob Ross study and I've decided to call this one 'New Day' - which is apt for the New Year.
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Copyright © 2003-2008 Susan Warne. Arts Council / Wet on Wet Classes /Apollo Studio Accomodation / Darrell Crow Studios
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