Another difficult week.  Apart from my knees hurting all the time, we had the exhibition at Quarr Abbey.  I think it was reasonably successful.  I sold quite a few small oil sketches, three larger paintings and quite a few cards.  However, overall, I think our presentation this year was rather poor.  It looks as though we haven't learnt any lessons from last year.  However, that is all about to change.  Because of new laws relating to my card reader, we can no longer operate as a group.  This has meant that I have set up as a Sole Trader.  Since my gross income from painting is considerably less than £1000, I do not have to register as a business.  Thank goodness.  I do have a booking with Quarr Abbey for next year and I am still going to go ahead with that, and perhaps will invite a couple of people to exhibit alongside me, although the exhibition will be in my name.

I did post the image of the oil sketches last week, but this is of the "wall" of framed jpaintings. I sold everything in the bottom row, with the exception of the Marshes picture.

There are a few things I will have to do to make sure my "business" is presented in a more professional way, including labels etc. and updating my website.

The watercolour live session was on Thursday evening, and  I think the paintings were ok, if a little rushed.

Certainly used a lot of paint!

Henry, and us, are still missing Muffin dreadfully.  Poor Henry, he is really so sad, just doesn't know what's happened.  We do keep taking him out, but he is still so unhappy at home. 

Because of the pain in my knees, I haven't been swimming, but hope to start again tomorrow. 

 Yet another disastrous week.  I fell over on Monday while out for a walk with Henry and whacked my knees really badly.  Since then I haven't been able to swim because of the pain in my knees. It is getting better, but very slowly.  When I fell I was really worried that I had broken something. Fortunately, I think all is ok, but how stupid was that!

Next disaster was that Perry has his credit card compromised, and it was all my fault! I still feel terrible about it.  We thought we were both being really careful, but hey, things happen.  Lesson learnt!

 I did manage a small oil painting at the weekend, and I'm quite happy with it.

Also, our exhibition at Quarr has started.  It's ok, but I think in terms of presentation we could have done much better.  Still three days to go, but sales are really low.  I have sold a few small oil sketches, but no pictures so far.  This will be the last time we can function with the group as it is.  I have to make a brief presentation to the group of Tuesday about where we go next.

Perry made a little stand to show some of the small oil paintings.  I think it's good and we are going to try and put another one together, so it can be displayed on the wall.

Well that's all for today and I'll continue feeling sorry for myself with my bad leg! 

 Life is not the same without Muffin.  Henry is so sad, it's difficult to get him up and moving.  When we're out he's ok, but as soon as we come home, he's just listless again.  I think we are going to have few weeks of this.

I have done some painting on line again. One watercolour session, one oil and one gouache (that one was not too good).

 I actually did the oil painting again, as it was originally quite messy.  Think I even managed to get the loose painting effect second time around.

Again we did two watercolour paintings.  I was quite pleased with both.

Getting ready for the exhibition at Quarr next week.  As there has been road disruptions and also people are generally very careful with the money now, I don't think it will be a financial success.

I have been swimming and also doing some sewing.  Also got a new kindle. So now we have one each. Might be a bit cheaper on the book front.  Who knows. 

 What an absolutely awful week.  Poor Muffin has now left us.  Poor chap's heart finally failed him on Thursday. It was all really quick.  We are all really sad, especially Henry who is very depressed now his chum has gone. We will miss him so much.  In the short time (two and a half years) he was with us, we felt we all fitted together well.  Lovely happy character.  Stoic. Perhaps we should all take a leaf from his life's book.

The day after Muffin died, our fridge freezer packed up! Managed to  put our frozen food in David and Ann's freezer, but the other stuff we've had to put in an electric cool box that we had in the roof!

My car has decided to develop a leak - not helped because it's been raining so much. Just can't trace where it is, so now it's an ongoing project.

Boat went back in the water on wednesday and we all (including Muffin) sailed it back to it's mooring.  There was no indication even then that there was going to be a problem with Muffin. 

Looks like the forthcoming week is a week to sort ourselves our. 

 

 Not really a good week.  Been a bit overwhelmed by the forthcoming exhibition at Quarr Abbey, which has thrown up a number of problems regarding exhibiting. Will see what happens!  Today spent rather a long time getting paintings etc. ready for the exhibition. About four new ones and quite a few oil sketches.

Swimming has been going ok, although had one day where it was really, really crowded.  Would like my own pool!

The watercolour live on Thursday was pretty tough. One picture I did was awful and the other was only just about passable, hence why I'm not posting the pictures.  I've been trying to do a sketch a day outside, but so far, out of eight days have only managed four outside, and they weren't too special.  Roll on sunny days.

Took the boat up the river on  Tuesday and it was lifted out on Wednesday.  Perry has been working like a Trojan ever since. It goes back in the water on Wednesday.

That's all. 

 We actually had two days of sun this week, and stupidly thought that spring had arrived! No such luck.

I've been continuing to do the oil and watercolour live sessions.

 This is the one of the two watercolour paintings, done in just over an hour.  I was quite pleased with this one - the other, not so.  Definitely using a lot of paint.  Might have to replenish some.

This was from the oil live session.  Similar to the watercolour subject the week before, but again I quite liked this one.  Got a lot of paint on in just over an hour.  

With the exception of the live sessions I haven't been doing as much painting as I feel I ought to. Must be due to the weather!

I have been doing some sewing and also the swimming.  Finished the last of my extra swimming lessons on Tuesday.  Can do front crawl quite well now, but just don't seem to have the stamina to continue with more than a few lengths.

Boat comes out of the water on Wednesday, so Perry will be involved in lots of work.  Me, I'll be sitting with the boys!

We have an exhibition coming up in about three weeks, so today I buzzed round starting to get things ready.  I have lots of small oil paintings and about four new watercolour paintings.  I hope it's a success, but I have a feeling that I may be a little over optimistic.  Still.  Will see how it goes.

I am keeping up the osteoporosis exercises, and am now on week 5.  It's a 52 week plan, so quite a bit to go yet!

It's now stopped raining, so it's time to take the boys out, and get this blog posted. 

 

 We're back from our Cotswolds trip. However, firstly I must post the two watercolours I did with the live session. I did them on the Thursday, the day before we left, so didn't have time to post them.

I was quite happy with both of them, even though they were done very quickly.

This Friday was oil live, but although I took part, I was not too pleased with the results, so I will not put them on the blog.  The Google meet seemed to work with Chrome, so hopefully that's a problem I wont't have to repeat.

The trip to the Cotswolds was quite fun.  Despite the frightful weather, we saw the family every day and had a good time.  It was very relaxing, we went into Witney twice and Burford once.  Perry managed to have a day at Bletchley park, and enjoyed it.

The cottage we stayed in was lovely and the boys got used to it very quickly.  It was a shame that we were unable to walk very far with them, but it was impossible with that amount of rain. We also saw a lot, and I really do mean a lot, of flooding.  The roads on the mainland are dreadful and we will never moan about the roads on the Island again.

It all worked out well, and hopefully, later in the year, we will do it again.  Very unlikely in the summer months, as we will be sailing, but also it really is expensive. Later in the year, definitely.

Back to swimming tomorrow, and must get on with some more painting.  I only managed a small amount while we were away, and it really wasn't very special!