Do Blogs Have Birthdays... Mine does!!!

It is exactly one year ago today since I started my bog!! For those who have followed regularly you will have some idea of what has been going on but I did want to mark the birthday of my blog with a bit of an update from my first ever post.

A few stats to start with:-

Just over 25000 page views, can you believe that??? Am amazed as I don't have that many followers
88 at the last count!!
90 posts... a whole selection mainly of my ramblings on art with a few other gems thrown in!
800+ unique visits this month (not at the end yet which is why there is a plus sign!!), again with the number of followers am thrilled with that!!

For any tecchies out there I do have Google Analytics attached to my blog....not much idea what to use the info for, but it does show me a rising trend in the visits to my blog, it shows that people move from one page to another and also that I do get visits from a variety of sources and many many countries with quite a high proportion of new visitors each day.

I started the blog for a few reasons, such a lot was happening I thought it was a good idea to start recording my thoughts and  progress, I thought it would be a good way to show my work altogether and would provide a platform to share a few tips and hints about how I go about things with an odd step by step thrown in along the way (for those of you who have asked me to do videos, please be patient I haven't forgotten, just need to get something set up)...as many of you will know I have started tutoring and have found a passion there which almost rivals my love of painting so I love sharing on here and love it when people ask me questions about colours, techniques in fact anything at all and am especially pleased when people say they like coming to my blog as they learn something... that is the real icing on the cake for me!!

Firsts this year:-

Exhibitions

I have done 4 and sold 5 paintings from them  plus another two from someone who had seen my portfolio and one from a workshop, I have no idea if that is good or not, but I am really happy with that!! I may do 2 exhibitions over this summer and have a biggie in November which I am really excited about. I have also sold another 4 paintings from the start of 2013 and as was pointed out to me that is one a month so I hope I can continue with that!! All my work on here is for sale by the way, some framed some not (though I can easily unframe if I need to post anywhere and obviously drop the price!!) and I was interested to read on another blog how the artist is always prepared to consider a reasonable offer... his work was not too expensive anyway (as mine isn't!!) and I am happy to do the same!!!Please e-mail me if you are interested in anything.


Tutoring

I have visited 7 different Art Groups and so far all have asked me back with firm bookings from 4 with tentative dates from 2 more so am delighted with how that is going... I have just two more sessions to run for one group out of a block of 6 they booked me for last Autumn... they have a big choice of tutors they could have asked but was thrilled they chose me as I love going there and they have made me so welcome as I have to say, have all the groups!!

Have just checked up and I have run 29 sessions since the Summer...10 of those in January!!!

My own group runs every other Thursday from Autumn to  Easter and they have asked me to continue for an extra 2 sessions and start a little earlier in September which I have been happy to do. We have been covering lots of topics and I can actually see the progress they are making.


Greetings Cards

Have done well with these and need to get some more printed as I have very few left.... all sold by word of mouth as I didn't have them for any of the exhibitions but I do need to get some for the future ones I have planned.

Step by Steps

I have now done 3, all posted on here... all flowers, have only just realised that so need to do one or two other topics now.

Brusho

What a product... I love it and under the careful, inspiring, guidance from Joanne Boon Thomas I have had a huge amount of fun and done a few not bad paintings as well... Brusho is a whole new world which I am so glad to have had the opportunity to experience!! Joanne is running a holiday at Bandouille in France in the Summer.

I have tried to stretch myself this year and have attended workshops with Jean Haines and Joanne Boon Thomas. I have tried tackling new subjects, techniques and generally throwing myself at the mercy of these pesky watercolours and thought I might just show you a few of may favs for this year

This one just happened!! No drawing, no sketches no planets just straight in with the paint and instinctively with the colours... was and still am, very pleased with this!!

My first attempt at going big.... 25"x20" and my first ever step by step... if you check on the side of my blog this is actually the second most popular post I have ever done and I was delighted with this as I really thought I was losing it half way through!!

This was another which just appeared (don't you just love it when that happens), I haven't framed this yet but think I will for the next exhibition, it is  from a photo taken by my brother in law as we walked along the banks of the River Lune and is called Hidden. It is one of a handful of buildings I have done... I am working on them as I love streetscapes and would love to be a bit more adept at doing them!!

This does have to be one of my all time favourites, and was short listed for the Ken Bromley cover competition.... I was working on a series of Sea Holly and this one I did do some prelim sketches to work out a new composition different to the ones I already had in my reference photos so am proud of this for a number of reasons... mainly because it is my own composition with a bit of originality!!

This was the first ever full painting I demonstrated at a workshop... did two or three practices before and am delighted to say I have done this at 4 groups with really good results everywhere!!

Brusho..... done at one of Joanne's workshops, I did a block of three sessions in October having had a taster in May.... it is fabulous and I love it!!!

What  can I say... I love this one.....maybe the dogs all paint themselves as this was another one which just appeared!! My friend's dog Holly, such a cutie, I loved painting her, and think I captured the essence of her!!

This was the first pencil portrait I have done in more than 15 years and I was so pleased with it as it really captured the dog and wouldn't have worked half as well with my usual charcoal... his fur was too short and smooth. This did take me longer than a charcoal drawing but  I think was worth it for the final result.

I have only just painted this and believe it is special as it represents a shift in my thinking... it tells me that I can work things out and I can actually get close to what is in my head... something we watercolourists don't often achieve and get very frustrated about... it is also something I have worked on and rescued from the brink and encourages me to check out some of my most recent work which has been "binned" (only metaphorically as I keep everything!!!) to see if they are in fact just unfinished. Jean Haines taught me a lot about that and I do now work on pieces for much longer but when doing new subjects or trying something new, I sometimes get to a point when I don't know where to go as with this piece. With nothing to lose I tried a few things and thankfully they worked and I got a lot of satisfaction from completing this one


Reading this back makes me realise that in fact a lot has happened in the last 12 months, with so many firsts for me and I am so grateful and understand how lucky I am to have been able to retire so early to allow me to pursue this lovely career.... I can never see it as a job and even though I am able to spend a lot of time painting and have to prepare for workshops it is never a chore, I love every minute and cannot believe that I am able to do this!! I know it is a cliche but the saying "I don't know how I ever found time to work" couldn't be more true for me!!!

I really would like to take this opportunity to thank you one and all who visit my blog and take the time to read my ramblings...and if you are still here at the end of this marathon, then well done to you and I hope to keep you all engaged in the next 12 months!!!