art, cats and other things

Boxing Cats

2012-01-30T13:10:00.000Z

Princess Honeysuckle and Sir Walter have this little ritual where they mirror each other in a sort of boxing match. It usually starts off quite playfully and can go on for some time. In the end it usually gets more violent and ends up with Walter chasing Honey off. It does look quite comical and we usually end up laughing at them which makes them stop and look at us in a confused and quizzical way. I managed to catch a little bit of the action on the camera yesterday.

Anyone for Tennis ?

2011-07-06T22:16:00.001+01:00

Anyone for Tennis ?, originally uploaded by HeatherButler62.

Vince

2011-05-09T20:46:00.001+01:00

Vince, originally uploaded by HeatherButler62.

This is Vince, he lives next door and he is huge. If we leave the door open he comes in and finds a comfortable spot and eats our cats' food. He is very friendly when he is getting his own way but can be hissy and scratchy if you try and throw him out. In this picture he was enjoying the sunshine in the back garden on a very sunny day in April.

Raising the sail

2011-05-07T07:41:00.001+01:00

Raising the sail, originally uploaded by HeatherButler62.

A quick sketch done at Mudeford on a lovely warm and sunny April day. Jon and team raise the sail on dingy Solitaire.

The Great Hall Winchester

2011-03-12T21:56:00.001Z

The Great Hall Winchester, originally uploaded by HeatherButler62.

This is one of two drawings I did in Winchester Great Hall when I went to listen to and see an Installation by Janet Cardiff of the 40 part Motet an piece of choral music wrtten for 40 voices by Thomas Tallis for he occasion of Queen Elizabeth I fortieth birthday about 500 years ago. The artist has recorded each voice seperately and it is played outof 40 speakers arranged in a circle. Listening to these wonderful voices washing across you in the majestic surroundings of Winchester's medievil Great hall, with 'King Arthurs' round table on the wall above you is a truly awesome experience.
Whilst I was there a class of 7 and 8 year olds came in on a school visit. They were so excited. The teacher got them in a big circle for a few minutes to appreciate the music. Afterwards some of them came and looked at my drawing. It was very sweet to see them somewhat overawed and really loving their day out. Winchester UK

'Computer Solutions' shop in Winchester

2011-02-18T08:37:00.001Z

'Computer Solutions' shop in Winchester, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

I drew this from the Window of the Winchester Discovery Centre. It is a very boring looking computer shop but the building it is in like many in Winchester is much more interesting looking with ornate plasterwork and little balconies. I wondered if it had a former life as a pub.
I am trying to do some sketches for the 'Urban Sketches' group every week using Winchester as my subject. This is week 2, it is also a good excuse to try out different tea rooms and coffee bars, never a bad thing !

Jelly mould 1

2011-02-02T22:52:00.001Z

Jelly mould 1, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

I picked a couple of jelly moulds in a favourite junk shop, i liked the shape of them which was part fossil or sea creature, part flower or in this case even woodlouse. I took some photos on a cloth picked up at another retro shop in Cardiff.

Room with a View

2011-01-24T22:23:00.001Z

Room with a View, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

Painted from memory and imagination this is partly inspired by a room and window in Soller Majorca. I was using my new gouache paints and brushpen and was influenced by the paintings of Raoul Dufy and the illustrations of Ludwig Bemelmans.

Gothic I

2011-01-15T23:34:00.003Z

Gothic I, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

I took this photo on boxing day, it was a very bright and frosty day and the sun was streaming into the dining room of the Old Methodist Chapel in Broughton where we spent Christmas day. I was experimenting with different depths of field.

Decopatch at Poppies II

2011-01-09T08:38:00.002Z

Decopatch at Poppies II, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

We spent a pleasant couple of hours at Poppies Crafts while the children did Decopatch, a papier mache activity which involves covering animal sculptures and other things with torn-up tissue paper and PVA glue.
The room was full of children having birthday party fun. We found a quiet corner and the girls got creative and I drew the scene. Note the dads hanging around not sure whether to get involved and the life size papier mache giraffe. What I didn't draw (and perhaps should have) were the lovely flapjacks and brownies that everybody was eating.

Birds in My Garden

2010-12-31T08:23:00.000Z

December

This month has been a really challenging time for the wildlife. We have been putting out extra food for the birds who have been prepared to take the risk getting it despite being eyed hungrily by four cats. The blackbirds demolished all the leftover windfall apples and I threw a few extras on top of the snow layer to keep them going. I have put out lots of bread and ham fat on the bird table and we have seen a pair of Magpies squeezing on to the table to get it. Also acrobatics from a couple of blackbirds clinging on to the peanut feeder.

Birds in our garden this month include: A pair of Magpies, Jay, Nuthatch, Robin, Wren, Blackbirds, Blue tits, Coal tits, Great tits, Jackdaws, Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Carew

2010-12-27T08:36:00.001Z

Carew, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

This is Carew, she lives in Bristol. She popped in to visit and came into the house makiing straight away for the Chinese rug where she rolled over and waited to have her tummy tickled. She has a very low- hung tum and is quite an old lady. She comes around to visit for the attention and also to eat the scraps that have been put out for the visiting foxes.

Christmas Baubles

2010-12-24T07:26:00.001Z

Christmas Baubles, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

Close-up photo of baubles on a small golden Christmas treee.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Street at Dusk

2010-12-18T11:48:00.001Z

Street at Dusk, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

I sit in the car on this rather featureless street every week while waiting for my son to finish his piano lesson. I was sketching in the cold at dusk as it was getting darker on Friday and the tall hedges, concealed driveways and looming trees started to take on a feeeling of a kind of menace. The arrival around the corner of the man walking his little dog brought it back to a kind of normalcy. The streetlight lit up the tops of the hedges giving them an orange glow. I was drawing for about 20 minutes and by the time I finished it was almost dark and I could hardly see the page.
Wellow, Hampshire UK

Honey and Walter at Christmas

2010-12-01T13:53:00.001Z

Honey and Walter 1, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

Spent a fun Sunday afternoon trying to take Christmas photos of the cats for our Christmas card. It seemed to be quite a simple task but Walter started playing behind the sheet and nearly pulled it down, then he broke a bauble and frantic sweeping up ensued so as to not cut little paddy paws. Honey just hid and wouldn't cooperate. We managed to get a few good shots of the cats singly but it took three of us, one on each cat, one on camera, handfuls of biscuits and a suspended Christmas toy on a stick to even get past first base. Managed to get some photos with resigned looking cats in the end. The old adage, "Never work with children and animals" comes to mind. The kids were fine though in fact very helpful but Sir Walter and Princess Honeysuckle are a pair of prima donnas !

Toffee Apples

2010-11-26T19:05:00.001Z

Toffee Apples, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

It has been an appley month, I am slowly working my way down the box outside the back door. This is my second attempt at toffee apples the first being a batch of 20 made for bonfire night. They were very good if a bit chewy and I used up all the old bags of sugar at the back of the cupboard. This batch I used golden caster sugar, golden syrup and a teaspoon of vinegar and they were perfect. What a great way to eat one of your 5 a day !

Shadows in Waitrose Carpark

2010-11-25T19:31:00.001Z

Shadows in Waitrose Carpark, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

This is the edge of the Waitrose supermarket carpark in Romsey, from my new studio (my car) I sketched the line of trees and the shadows they cast on the wall. I left out the row of cars and as a result it looks much more picturesque.
It was a lovely November day and the colours were wonderful. The low hedge is a little haven for birds and in the spring was noisy with the once ubiquitous (unsure of spelling) but now threatened house sparrow.
I would have liked to sketch a bit more but as usual had to go and get something for tea !

Stormy Romsey

2010-11-19T12:48:00.001Z

Stormy Romsey, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

I was stranded in the Waitrose carpark by the awful weather and took the opportunity to sketch the silhouette of the buildings against the angry sky. I was part way through the sketch when a large Range Rover parked next to me blocking most of the view. The challenges of sketching on location !

Winter hedgerow II

2010-11-19T12:35:00.001Z

Winter hedgerow II, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

Driving around the country at this time of year I have been struck by how much colour there is in the hedgerows. The branches stand out very black but there are loads of berries and coloured leaves that I have been trying to capture in my sketches using mixed media but particularly my new box of neocolour. The sky has been very dramatic and the trees have loomed out of the mists.

Drowned Apples

2010-11-13T19:11:00.001Z

Mobile Upload, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

Torrential rain last week left the apples under this tree in the Hillier Gardens swimming for dear life. It all looked very colourful in a wintery sort of way.

In charge of the stall

2010-11-11T09:24:00.001Z

In charge of the stall, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

We spotted this little chap in sole charge of the stall in Romsey market. I don't know if he made many sales but he looks a little bit worried about the responsibility.

Apples

2010-11-09T23:03:00.001Z

Apples, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

It has been the best year for apples since we moved here nearly fifteen years ago. Although many of the apples are still a bit spotty they are still very tasty and because we have so many all at once apples are compulsory eating every day.
We have had apple sauce, apple crumble, apple cakes, caramelised apple slices with bacon and I also made twenty toffee apples for a bonfire night party. I really should have photographed them as they looked very decorative and it was my first attempt but they didn't last very long.

Ladybirds in my studio

2010-11-09T13:31:00.001Z

Ladybirds in my studio, originally uploaded by beach pixie.

I am trying out this new link directly from my flickr account.
It is that time of year when nature starts to retreat inside; whilst looking for things in the corner of my studio I chanced upon a couple of colonies of ladybirds, they were all bunched together behind some old frames in this very dusty corner.
I had some there last year but now there are a lot more- word must have got out. Lurking there too was a very large spider, probably very pleased to have found a spot with such a handy larder of food to see him through the winter.

The Garden, Grand Hotel Verona

2010-09-14T16:55:00.000+01:00

Ray Relaxes

2010-09-13T22:09:00.000+01:00

Our next door neighbours cat Ray was photographed nestled down in a basket of weeds that looked like his nest. He was obviously very comfy and was captured mid-yawn. Cats have a hard life!

Larmer Tree Festival, Couple listening to the bands

2010-09-13T21:48:00.000+01:00

Sketches of people seen at the Larmer Tree Festival in Wiltshire earlier in the summer. It was great for people watching. This older couple had fold-up wooden chairs and were sitting in front of us. The Larmer Tree attracts an eclectic mix of people, lots of families who look like they have just stepped out of a Boden catalogue. There are also plenty of leftover hippies and plenty of kids enjoying the trainee Glastonbury. The girl was one of many I saw wearing a tutu. This years must have. She was resting on top of a large exercise ball ! I don't know why. The band I enjoyed most was The Voluntary Butler Scheme.

Larmer Tree Festival, Girl with ball

2010-09-13T21:39:00.000+01:00

Sketches from Bath

2010-07-15T11:57:00.000+01:00

2010-06-28T14:57:00.000+01:00

To be topical I did a couple of sketches relating to the World cup. What an abysmal showing by England but it was exciting while it lasted. Both sketches were done whilst waiting for children doing clubs. I seem to do a lot of this but at least it uses the time productively. I used one of the famous Moleskine notebooks so love by Picasso and Heminway .

2010-06-08T12:37:00.000+01:00

Honey and Walter like nothing better than a raw egg, they start to miaow when they see the carton come out of the fridge. Here they are sharing a saucer. They are perfectly behaved and no one pushes. The Southampton Cat Protection League obviously trained them very well !

2010-05-26T20:36:00.000+01:00

Very happy today to have found out that I won the Andover Open Art Competition with my picture "Two Sardines"

2010-05-25T06:44:00.000+01:00

Spent a lazy afternoon with relatives enjoying a barbecue and soaking up the sun. The palm was casting some interesting shadows on the wall of the house. Cats Mr Snow and poor old Blackie were lazing in the sun and looking hopeful for titbits from the barbecue.

2010-05-17T21:45:00.000+01:00

The garden is looking beautiful at the moment it is full of bluebells forget-me-nots and apple blossom, I have been trying to capture the magic of the look of it with limited success. Spot the garden gnome which we inherited 14 years ago when we moved in.

2010-05-17T21:40:00.000+01:00

Second sketch of the blossom and bluebells leaving out some of the details.

2010-05-17T21:09:00.000+01:00

This was the third attempt I had at painting the garden, by now I was getting quite minimal in my treatment of the flowers.

Rolly Mo

2010-05-16T10:12:00.000+01:00

I was getting up the other morning when there came a shout from downstairs that "Walter has caught a massive shrew" on closer inspection it turned out ti be a little mole and sad though this was I thought I would take the opportunity to draw it. Anyone looking up the drive might have wondered why I was staring so intently at the ground for 20 minutes.

2010-05-10T22:17:00.000+01:00

This is Fat cat, Jon sees him on the way to work every day. He lives near the South Bank, London. He is very fat and a bit grimy but quite friendly. Lots of people laugh at him and take his picture.

2010-05-10T21:31:00.000+01:00

We have a pair of great tits bravely building a nest in the bird box despite the fact that the garden is regularly populated by at least four cats, some of them massive. We captured Walter making a good attempt at getting to them, however, even his long sleek proportions stretched up the studio wall will not allow him to reach his meal. (we hope).

2010-05-08T15:16:00.000+01:00

I did this sketch of Romsey library from the car in about ten minutes, it is an old schoolhouse. There is a narrative to the picture. The cat on the left I drew crossing the car park, a few minutes later I depicted him again perched precariously on a steep roof trying to reach the crows on top of the library. I was about 5.30 PM and very quiet the only sounds being the cawing of those crows and the occasional car. The horse chestnut blossom looked lovely.

2010-05-08T15:10:00.000+01:00

I sketched these guys clearing the tables in John Lewis coffee shop in Southampton.

2010-05-05T14:21:00.000+01:00

I sketched this couple enjoying their coffee in John Lewis last week. They were sat in front of the big plate glass window that gives such a great view over Southampton water and the docks. There were no cruise ships in port on that day only a container ship with a red hull. The view used to be better until they built the great big blue monstrosity that is IKEA.

2010-05-02T17:04:00.000+01:00

I snapped this in a field near Redlynch in Hampshire, the question being is it a scaredog or a scarecow keeping this scarecrow company and scaring off the birds ? I though initially it was a Friesan cow and that the rear end had collapsed but perhaps it is a dog seated with it's owner ?Anyway it seemed bizarre enough to made me stop and take the picture.

2010-04-30T16:35:00.000+01:00

Had a call to say the Tory leader was visiting Romsey so I popped in to see what was going on (and to boo a bit ) and sat in the Market place sketching the press, political aids and police. I have never seen so many people in suits and with sunglasses on in Romsey at one time. All had mobile phones jammed to their ears and seemed to be having frantic conversations. It was all very entertaining and I wished I had gone in earlier as there was great scope for sketching people

2010-04-29T16:26:00.000+01:00

I did this drawing to kill the time on the plane back from Malaga the day flights restarted after the volcano eruption. The guys were occupied with handheld gadget and not really aware that they were being drawn. The light from the windows was very bright and I don't think I really captured that but I was pleased with the sketch particularly since I didn't let myself rub anything out. I didn't really enjoy the flight I kept looking out for plumes of volcanic smoke.