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The page to watch for important upates......and general chitty chat  October 27th: On the final stage of the portrait nude course, I used my original nude as the demo piece. She wasn't quite finished so it was ideal to show how the final details and all the fiddling can make huge inprovements to a subject that looked pretty much finished. She's finished now though, and duly signed. As soon as she is dry, she'll be varnished and framed as she was always intended to be a classic style painting for my lounge.
Maxine duly turned up armed with a collection of CD's and we complted the final stage in 3 and a half hours. The drapes are now a lot richer and the shadows and highlights are much more prominent. Interestingly, you might fairly assume that painting a pose like this would be much easier than painting a face with all the relevant features. You're wrong. There's more much more work to be done with subject like this. It's a great exercise if you really want to refine your glazing and blending techniques. 
October 26th: With the morning portrait session done and dusted, I had a quick turnaround in the studio to set up for the afternoon portrait class. Consequently, my work-in-progress portraits are accumulating quickly. There's many portraits hanging on the wall and on easels in the studio kitchen all at various stages of completion. Which is great for students to see, so they have an idea what each stage entails. On top of that are my own personal unfinished portraits, some of which are nearly a year old. I reckon if I had 3 solid days off, I might be able to finish all of them. I don't have that much time off though, so they will probably sit on the wall for a bit longer. I've already run out of wall space in the studio and am reluctant to start hanging more portraits on the wall behind us as it tends to close in the studio. I desperately need more walls. Maybe if I re-organise my gallery room I could find space for half a dozen.
Anyway, time to unveil the subject I chose for the afternoon class - you've been reading a lot recently about Ben - and many visiting students have now met him. But for those of you who haven't ................................ Mind you, I'm not sure I've captured the likeness at this early stage. His first words when he saw it were 'Who's that then?' Perhaps a kindly student will hold him down while I slap him.  October 26th: On went the studio stereo yesterday morning as I prepped ready for the stage 2 nude portrait class. I normally have the music off just before the class starts, but today it was still playing 'Savage Garden' as my student arrived. 'Ooooo, I love this song', said Maxine. So, we decided to keep it on. 'Be warned', says Maxine, 'I'll probably sing along'. I'm thinking - be warned yourself cos so might I. When the CD finished, Maxine selected the next album, and the one after that. It was great to have a paint-come-sing along and even a little dance when we stood back to review our progress. I asked Max to bring along her own CD's for tomorrows lesson, if she wanted. I really do think it's a relaxed way to paint and do it all the time.
So, if anyone has an upcoming lesson and fancies their own background music, feel free to bring some tunes. I only draw the line at Country & Western and Opera. I had a last minute change of mind for the nude portrait lesson and instead of painting the same subject as the student, I opted for a male nude instead. Here's stage 2  October 24th: I know you'll think I'm nuts, but anyone that knows me well also knows just how much I love Christmas. The Christmas season, for me, starts pretty much when the heating goes on. I have a theory that I just can't seat everyone I love around my table for a Christmas dinner. I like to start my Seasonal dinners early so everyone gets one. And of course, this means the tree has to go up. Long story short, the tree went up Sunday night and as I sat with a port (or two) counting my blessings and generally feeling the warmth of a good and happy life, doing exactly what I love to do. I really do feel thankful to be so lucky with my lot. I'll be having a Christmas away from home this year so even more reason to get my premature festivities underway. Fruit loop ? Yes, definitely and proud of it too. There's only one other woman that I know of who shares exactly the same attitude and she too has her tree up well early. Would it surprise you if I told you her name is Valerie Stewart?
October 20th: My cycling/walking/arty mate, Pauline, has asked me to give a mention to readers. Pauline is a member of a local art group (which I sadly had to leave when I took my part time job). The group will be exhibiting their work at the Harvest Moon in Capel St Mary. That's a double plus because not only can you see their lovely and varied pieces, you can also get a bite to eat from the family run restaurant. The group will be exhibiting from 29th to 30th October. You'll find the Harvest Moon just as you enter into Capel. Just take the left hand turn after the garage and follow it to the end. Pauline will actually be stewarding from 8 to 10 am on the 29th. Do say hello to her and make sure you ask her where her mad chickens are.
 October 20th: Speaking of the devil, you might like to see one of Ben's student's works. Janet has put her own touch on a version of Mangrove Oasis. She's achieved a very ferny feel to her background. She's added some pretty little blooms in her foreground, and also worked in a couple of little pathways to the foreground and the background.
Ben really does encourage you to go your own way as you paint. He pretty much has the same attitude as me - it's only paint, anything can be corrected so it's worth trying out your own ideas rather than follow a strict guide. I think you'll agree, both student and teacher have done a fine job.  October 20th: Well, I may be in the wars, health wise this week. But, I'm not going to let that stop me. Tonight I'll be coughing and spluttering at the gym I have just joined. I have my induction, which is pretty much a mini medical. My personal fitness programme will be put together next week but hopefully I can get a few sessions in before then anyway. Thankfully I won't be on my own - my mate Ben has joined also and already I can see he's got a competitive edge to him. We'll just have to see who can out run (or cycle) who on the machines. If you're a betting person, I wouldn't put your money on me.
October 20th: Urghhhh - I have my first cold of the year. So I've been heavy lidded, sneezing and coughing for England. Luckily (or is it?) I personally don't have any classes till the weekend, which gives me 2 more days to get over it. This week, I've been holding the fort for my boss while he enjoys a very overdue holiday in the sun. So I can pretty much cough and sneeze all I like as there's no one else in the office. A little out of my comfort zone as I'm making more progress with sales and consultancy enquiries than actual credit control, but thanks to modern day technology the answers I need are never more than an iPhone away. Saying that, be glad when he comes back next week and things return to normal.
 October 17th: ................but I am mindful of the saying 'all work and no play' so we set off on sunny Sunday and took in a few little galleries, enjoying the early autumn scenery along the way. One gallery featured some fantastic work by local artist 'Paul Evans' and his use of splashes of vivid colour really made his contemporary pieces sing. If I win the lottery I will definately invest in one or two of his works for my lounge and bedroom. The day ended with another beautiful splash of colour. The sight of the deep green crispy fried seaweed sprinkled on deep fried chilli beef and beef chow mein. Naughty, but very nice.
 October 17th: Where did the weekend go? Another glorious one, and good to be painting with a couple of my oldest students on Saturday too. (Old as in early students of mine from way back, not age). The painting continued into the afternoon as I helped Ben to re-work a seascape he'd been painting - just tickling a few things out, changing a few angles, adding some vivid highlights made a huge difference. When I work like this on one of his paintings, we both end up signing it and calling it a joint effort, a brilliant way to paint for the pair of us.
 October 14th: This week, 2 students have asked me to paint certain things as new painting subjects. I'm up for that and most of my subjects actually originate from listening to students and what they would like. Number 1 is an autumnal landscape, seeing as it's that time of year. After Saturdays class is over it's a golden opportunity to take off in the car, armed with camera, to take some snaps of prospective compositions. Number 2 is a sunset landscape, with trees and sheep. No need for snaps for this one as the student has left me a couple of pictures to give me an idea of what she wants. That one will be easy enough to paint, but to design it so it's easy to teach will be my challenge. But - I do like a challenge .........
Looks like the studio will be in operation both day and night to get these projects on the go. October 13th: I didn't expect this delightful Indian summer to continue for so long and it's great to still be able to spend the late evenings, under the stars. sat on the patio with friends and family. I love the quiet, stillness and peace that time of night brings ..... nothing but the cats hunting bugs and flying things, maybe the odd bat flapping overhead. Just generally enjoying kicking back and catching up with our days, bouncing painting ideas off each other with a few jokes thrown in for good measure. Long may this weather continue.
 October 12th: One evening last week I enjoyed a painting session in my studio on a couple of old re-cycled canvases. Well, it was more of a competitive painting session with my mate Ben. Trying to out do each other. With music blaring (sorry neighbours) and frequent digs and giggles it was great fun and we didn't even care if the paintings had to be scraped off at the end of the session. It was just a fun mess around. Surprisingly this new painting subject 'Night Storm' was born and I'll start teaching this to students in November. I'll upload a larger version in the class subject gallery. Ben will be meeting a few students soon, as he's offered to be coffee maker and brush washer at the weekend lessons. Beware, he has a wicked sense of humour.......you've been warned. Mind you, at the moment I seem to be the main target!
 October 11th: I've just uploaded the large versions of the paintings that Ben will be teaching from my studio next week on the class subject page. If you look closely at this Thursday/Friday painting, you'll see a neat little twist to the background. Ben's classes are just £35 per person, the £5 discount still applies if you bring a friend plus there's a free brush to all student's who attend the oil painting lessons. Do give me a call or drop me a line if you'd like to come along and learn some oil painting techniques. Money back guarantee applies. Details of dates and times can be found HERE Plus - although Ben is relatively new at teaching, he's already had his first taste of teaching this particular subject over the weekend with excellent results.
October 10th: I am in heaven !! A life changing moment! I have surround sound !! Finally !! Something I'd been meaning to sort for the last couple of years, but not really knowing what I was after. A chat with someone who is far more switched on about these things than I am made the solution simple. So ............. Sunday another chilled evening in front of the fire listening to cool tunes and unwinding before the week ahead is upon us all too soon.
 October 10th: I've enjoyed this weekend off to the max as it's the only one I have this month. Saturday was spent in London. As we crawled up Sloane Street my eyes took in all the lovely shops from Tiffany & Louis Vuitton to Armani. If I won the lottery that street would be my first port of call.
We had time for some culture too and spent time in the Natural History museum. (Taking a well earned rest on the steps outside). Relaxing in front of the fire Saturday night, playing music, watching telly and generally feeling content it was great to end the evening in great company. October 7th: Short notice, I know - but if you fancy a 22% discount on classes you are in luck. From October 17th to October 21st all classes will be just £35 per person AND the £5 discount if you bring a friend still applies AND students taking part in oil painting lessons will receive a free blender brush each too.
What's the catch ? - well, there isn't one. It's been something Ben and I have been thinking about for a little while. We've decided, after I've put him through his paces, he's ready to teach a class. Ben is not only painting in every waking hour, he's also designing, researching and puts a lot of time and effort into his work. He's taken a week off so he can teach his own oil painting designs, with a Pop Art class thrown in too. So basically, I'm saying, you'll be in capable hands with Ben (or I will give you your money back), you'll be able to take advantage of a discounted price and you'll be helping Ben further his art journey too boot. Rest assured, Ben has worked hard to get to this stage and I don't promote any Tom, Dick or Harry lightly. Give us a call on 01473 311938 / 079500 32557 or drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk if you'd like to give it a try. View Class Timetable here for dates and times.  October 7th: Remember that student, Ben, who I was telling you about. The one who shows me how to do things?
He's been buzzing with ideas since his first art lesson and is probably one of the most hands-on students I've ever had the pleasure to teach. Well earlier this week we got together and created a design between us. Both being huge lovers of music and having similar tastes we were in our element with the studio stereo playing and brushes in hand. Ben has been researching the Northern Lights for some time and wanted to create a more natural composition.  So he kicked off by carefully selecting his base colours and paying attention to where he laid them. He's been saying for ages we should make a painting with a deer in it .....So basically it was a case of 'I've started - you finish'. Above you can see our first joint effort, I'll pop a larger version in Sue's Gallery. When we'd completed the painting, it deserved a signature which actually looks quite cool. What a unique painting experience this was for the pair of us. If any of you have a painting buddy, I would highly recommend it. Watch this space for more ............................... :) And thanks Ben, you're a star xx  October 6th: For those regular readers (especially you Pauline), I promised you a photo on September 11th. Thanks to Karonica I can now show you the new way that I conduct lessons. I don't want you all to think I've been eating all the pies. As soon as I spotted this outfit in the venue classroom I couldn't resist having a go. I shan't share the shot where I fell on my backside and stuggled, like a beetle, to get back up again. Anyways, if you think my bum looks big in this do let me know. :)
 October 6th: As one series of portrait lessons ends this week, I've popped on another series for November for Saturdays. You can view the dates on the Class Timetable page.
Today I say goodbye to a portrait that many students have been enjoying (especially the males), Rhianna has been watching over us in our studio for the past few months. Tomorrow she'll be taken along to the O2 by my daughter as my gift to the talented and oh, so pretty singer. I pretty much raise a toast to Rhianna most Fridays, even if it's just a cup of black coffee as I play my favourite track from her latest album, Loud. If you'd like to share my weekend anthem theme tune - CLICK HERE  October 5th: I just have to share a photo of a student. James is just 13 years old. He's a chirpy little fella and never fails to amuse me with his reflections on life. We discovered a while ago that Dr Pepper and Pringles assist his painting technique.
James has painted a few landscapes with me with great success from day one. Recently he opted to have a go at portraits. I wasn't quite sure how this would work as it's  a relatively different experience, both in application and demo.I think you can see from the photos that James took to it like a duck to water. When I look at results like this from a young boy I can't help but think, 'if this is portrait number 1, what is portrait number 25 going to look like?'. I can't begin to say how proud I am of this fella. He has a natural talent, but best of all, he's confident and is capable of making major design and colour decisions for himself. He knows exactly how he wants thing to look.  October 3rd: Can we come and borrow your garden Mum? was the message I received yesterday morning. My eldest daughter had some university work to catch up on and decided she would rather do it in my back garden with the sun on her, than in her apartment. Although I had bits to do, I decided to join them in the sun and we were entertained by cats who insisted on climbing trees and sitting on all the paperwork. Quite funny actually. Soha's partner, Tris, managed a quick trip to Tesco's to pick up some BBQ bits and pieces for an impromptu meal with the fattest burgers ever. I'm sure she won't mind me sharing this photo with readers, seeing as she's uploaded it to facebook for the whole world to see anyway :) Apparently Tris ate 3 of these !!
October 3rd: Oh dear, well it just goes to show what can happen if you don't keep up with practice. The Saxophone ..... I've forgotton how to play some notes. I seemed to be putting a lot of energy into producing a sound at first, when it should be relatively easy. I gave the instrument a second short blast later in the evening and it was a little easier. At least while it's out and looking all shiny by the fireplace I will be able to give a toot every day, even if it's just for 5 mins. I'll get there ........
 October 2nd: Waking up this morning in a very happy place, after an evening of fabulous tunes and wicked humoured folk - one of my favourite songs popped into my head. As I walked over and threw open the curtains to a beautiful sunny morning I flicked on this number : (Click Here) If ever you want to start the day an a good note, this is the song for you. And inspired by music I decided today is the day the saxophone gets pulled out from the back of the cupboard, serviced, polished and played.
Wish the neighbours luck as I haven't played for years so will probably be starting from scratch. Either way, the sax is staying out. And if I ain't no good, then I can always stick dried flowers in the end!! Lets see if I have got my mojo back.  October 1st: How beautiful is this weather? How wonderful to drive the beautiful country lanes with the sunroof open and the music playing? Today I met up with a couple of my students for a brilliant get together for an art class. And I was a student, not the teacher, which is a very rewarding position to be in on many levels. Today we painted impressionist oils and it was a good exercise in loosening up. One of the best things about doing classes like this are the people you meet, who are all obviously like minded and equally excited. Socialising over lunch is a nice way to relax, especially when you're eating al fresco.
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