RUSTY Rackets and HOT NUDE!!!

And before any of you ask, no this is not a self portrait!!!! Her figure is marginally better than mine!!!! I thought this image, which I found on images of tennis players, killed two birds with one stone.... topical as we have been playing tennis and an obvious choice to continue with my very serious nude series!!!! I am obviously far too light of foot and active on the court for anyone to have been able to take such an action image of me like this .........I am however wondering just what I'm meant to be fiddling with under my dress..........maybe best not to dwell on that!!! By the way, I do like the intense action and movement around the racket on this, and I don't know if it is clear on here but the droplets of sweat breaking from the forehead.......

Just before we went to Lake Garda a friend of mine text me asking would I like to go to a "Rusty Rackets" session at our local tennis club. As this was my first Monday off work I jumped at the chance though haven't played tennis for about 15 years. Anyway today was the third time I've been and have also persuaded my husband to come as well, so this morning having taken our ibuprofen and paracetamol, mine for my knees and back and him for his moderate to severely arthritic hips we sent off in the glorious sunshine for our tennis session!!!

Gary, the coach said last week he could see we had both played before but as I prepared to listen to his compliments about our skill and talent and how we had obviously not lost it.... he followed up by saying yes he could tell it was a long time ago as our rackets were so antiquated!!!! He said today he thought ours would be an interesting household as he observed my husband and I (I know I sound just like the Queen!!!) be ceremoniously whooped by the opposition one of whom has either had or needs 2 new knees!!! But it's the taking part that counts... right????

Anyway we thoroughly enjoyed again, and look forward to more sessions in the next few weeks, we may even treat ourselves to new rackets as that is obviously affecting our performance!!!

So my retirement is taking many new paths, strangely enough another participant was a lady who is running the art exhibition I am attending in a couple of weeks at the same venue, she called me later and asked would I mind her mentioning my name to the Bolton press to help advertise the event..... mind???? No I don't mind at all though am not sure why she thinks it may help as I am absolutely certain no-one will have a clue who I am!!! But baby steps and who knows what will happen!!

What am I up to?? And is it finished???

This is my first ever blog and has been prompted by some changes which are going on in my life at the moment the most significant one of which is that I am about to retire in the next couple of months. This means I can devote more time to my art which has become quite a passion (and one of the reasons I am retiring)

I have been a member of a local art group for about 3 years and am about to start running it in a teaching capacity. Over the last year, I have done 3 workshops for them and had some surprisingly good feedback considering I have never done anything like this  before and now have another group who would like me to run some sessions as well. 

Hopefully this will fill my time and I won't know how I found the time to do my proper job in the first place!!! Somehow I can't see art as work at all, seems too much fun and pleasure to be considered anything other than a treat, pure indulgence... to be able to pick up a brush and paint as well as helping others share in this amazing hobby just seems too much joy to be considered work!!!

Is it Finished?????  

This is an image I have been working on for a few days now with the help of a pretty special artist and am wondering if it is finished... I think I am going to add a little more contrast to it yet... we'll see, am quite liking how it has progressed and I have learned a lot by working on a piece for a while, not something I am used to doing, but will be doing more of in the future.... definitely the way forward if I can curb my errant tendencies!!!