Life in the fast lane

Life in the fast lane

As I'm busy preparing for my next exhibition, I realise that I only have three weeks left to prepare before the long Easter Break arrives. My exhibition starts two days after the Royal Wedding, lots of bank holidays to plan around! Today I've arranged for posters and invitations which has taken me away from painting, but I've enjoyed a quick look back at last year's work and wanted to share my cyclists with you!

Keep pedalling!!!

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Prussian Blue!

Prussian Blue

I am slipping into bad habits...starting a painting without making sure I had squeezed the right paints in my palette. My painting style is very loose, painted usually with lots and lots of water, and it's edgy, and I mean by this that I react quite quickly to the effects appearing on the paper and try to capitilize them! I didn't have my blue to hand when I most needed it and couldn't find it in my box.....oh no, so I grabbed the nearest blue I could find.....Prussian Blue. What an amazing colour and how spectacularly it worked for me on the paper! I love it and will try to make the same mistake again ;-)

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Hitting deadlines

Painting under pressure

Isn't it strange how sometimes when we are under pressure we can produce our best paintings. Other times when there is a deadline to meet, it can have the adverse effect and we can seem to somehow lose the plot! I wish I knew why.

I had a bad painting day the other day. The next day, I decided to change my routine. I started slightly later, took a cup of coffee to my "painting pasting table" and sat with small pieces of paper and just doodled with a brush. I told myself it didn't matter and, as I normally love my painting days, I should just relax and not think of workloads and pressure ........ it worked and how different to the day before!

My painting always feels like it is slightly "on the edge" as it's so wet-in-wet and bordering out of control. So maybe that's why I'm feeling as if I'm balancing on a tightrope, not always a great place to be, but at the same time exhilerating and addictive!

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Exciting times

Where did February go?

Just a quick update email to let you know the changes to my website, please have a quick peek if you have time:

The major updates are:

1. Snippet of new paintings are going to appear on the homepage daily. Although I can't share the whole painting until shortly before the exhibition preview, I hope you enjoy seeing my work evolve!

2. My book. THANK YOU so much to those who have bought a copy. This means the world to me. I have sold the first print run, ordered the next and have just sent a cheque to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity "Kiss it Better" Appeal. By painting a pet portrait for a special person, I have been able to buy 15 copies to send to the oncology department to give to the parents of the poorly children. This has been one of the most important parts of my journey so far in this project.

3. Workshops.....going great! Due to a heavy work schedule I can't offer any more workshops at the Exhibitions but I will be providing demonstrations on an ongoing basis.

4. Tutorials. New....Pansy Practice. Have a go, it's great fun!!

I would welcome any comments - please do contact me!

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Old Boot

It's been such a busy but happy few weeks. I was smiling today, thinking of my last watercolour workshop. We warmed up with washes graded and flat, colour with pansies and tone with pears, but a few faces looked concerned as we built up and moved towards painting the old boot. Far from the freedom we'd experienced with the pansies and pears, the boot looks quite intricate and fiddly. I was delighted to see that everyone thoroughly enjoyed painting this and it wasn't as hard as they thought....how rewarding! We had some fabulous old boots!

The day was filled with lots of little exercises building towards painting a beach scene, but time got the better of us, and we had to stop short of finishing this, but everyone was keen to carry on painting when they got home.

Thanks to a wonderful group for making a wonderful workshop!

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Busy days.......

I can't believe how quickly time is marching on. From arranging for my first children's book to be published earlier this year to arranging a small exhibition with snowdrops and spring flowers, I would have liked the time to slow down, not fly past even faster.

Painting wise, I'm very busy as usual, but here is a little something to make you smile:

A couple of years ago, I visited St Margarets Hospice in Yeovil and was fortunate to be introduced to Patrick. He is a gorgeous black cat who, one day, casually wandered in and quite literally "made himself at home". He is now a valuable and much loved member of the team. I photographed him and painted a portrait in watercolour.

His portrait sits on the wall in the entrance to the hospice and he can saunter past and admire himself on a daily basis. He is now reproduced on greetings cards and is a fundraiser for the charity!

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Snowdrops and Hellebores

I'm enjoying painting snowdrops and hellebores at the moment. There is something magical about seeing these wonderful flowers, they are both so delicate - strange to think they appear at such a harsh time of year.

The sun was shining on Saturday morning and the flowers at East Lambrook Manor Gardens looked fabulous, I have so much material to carry on painting tomorrow and I can't wait!

www.kayeparmenter.co.uk