Fun Weekend

It's been a fun weekend and a busy one too! Saturday saw me baking cakes in the morning for our Sunday Popup Cafe.
The afternoon was spent in the studio, just having fun, experimenting with indigo ink, a watercolour brush, a marker pen and plain old cartridge paper

Whilst listening to a couple of podcasts and using photos from one of my walks last week. The dead tree was drawn first, all in black ink, just playing and swirling the brush. I then used a light pastel for the highlights. Barrhill Wood was done with the marker pen and indigo ink applied with a brush.

This morning I helped out at our popup cafe in aid of Kirkcudbright Arts and Crafts Trail. The monthly farmers' market was being held upstairs and we were supplying the much needed refreshments! We were kept very busy, it was great fun. One of our customers came in with some lovely tulips in her bag, which she had aquired for £1!! After showing interest she kindly went back upstairs to buy me some - when the stallholder knew I would be painting them, she gave them free of charge! How kind!
I finished my shift at 1.30pm so headed home for lunch and to tackle the ironing mountain that had sprouted in the back bedroom. Then I could go to the studio with a clear conscience!! I painted this little 6" square in a couple of hours. Tomorrow I hope to produce something a little bit larger before the tulips go over!

I'll finish the day off watching one of my favourite TV police detectives "Vera." Aaghhhh, the sigh of satisfactionhttp://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/margaret-milligan/bi-colour-tulip/232022

Sunny Sunflower

I love sunflowers but do prefer the smaller headed varieties. The big thick stems of the large ones are so unwielding, so whichever way the head is flopping, that's it, no room for manoeuvre!
My beginners to my classes were given this as an exercise during last term so my demo piece has been sitting half done, till today!

Tulips are from Heaven

This has been a hard month, painters block, tiredness etc. After a great few days with B and the added advantage of beautiful weather. I feel on top of the world today! Finishing this 12 inch square still life has helped too!

I am really pleased with how it has turned out. Now time to set up the next one.

A small group of us have got together to open our studios over the summer months. I have been tidying the garden, like mad. Still so much to do and now the rain has returned...so little time!

Painters Block

I've been having great difficulty getting myself down to my painting. I started a still life at the weekend and was really excited with how it was going. I came down the next morning to find my lovely drooping tulips were standing poker straight! They haven't moved since, I am looking at them right now and I am calling them all the ..... under my breath!
Since then I am just lost for what to do! 

This afternoon I was listening to a podcast about artists block, all the while scribbling away on a scrap piece of cartridge paper. Before I knew it, I was drawing myself! I use a large mirror in the studio to check my values etc during painting and was sitting right beside it!

I actually enjoyed the process! All my scribbles are on the back of the sketch. In the podcast, one of the speakers suggested that having a block can mean you need to take a new direction. What's this telling me then? I love drawing people but hate the stress of commissions. Life drawing is my passion but very few buyers are looking for figurative work and certainly no galleries here show this kind of work.
Maybe I just need to buy silk tulips!!!!!!

The Absence!

Life has been hectic, I have been tired and no painting has been done! I forced myself to the studio yesterday, playing a bit with colours on tiny wee boards and then decided to do a quick 6x6inch of my grandson Oliver opening a gift on his first birthday on 28 Feb!

I feel his head is a little too round but will correct that over the weekend.

He was rushed to hospital last night as his temperature was at 39.8deg. His doctor had diagnosed an ear and throat infection in the morning. He has been poorly since the weekend. He is now home in his own bed, temperature at a safe level and just hope the antibiotics kick in soon! They are all exhausted!

These are the little made up landscapes I played around with yesterday morning. I did enjoy the exercise even though I have been so tired this week.

Life drawing finished last night, thank goodness, all the organising, setting up, two nights a week for ten weeks finally at an end till September! I LOVE life drawing but it is too long without a break! I have a few things planned for the summer though!!

I end on a piece of fabulous news, our son and his wife, who have been married for nine years are expecting, the baby is due in September!!!! We just need little Oliver to recover quickly and all in the Milligan household will be hunky dorey!!