Daffodil Time!!

Like  many painters, I like to paint what is in season and Spring Flowers are my favourites to paint mainly because for me they signify sunshine and a hint that some warmer weather may be on the way!!

As many of you will know we have a puppy (well he's actually one today, but still very young) and he seems to love digging up bulbs so at the start of the year we had no idea what spring bulbs we were going to have in the garden this year if any. We had a bit of a scare a couple of weeks ago...as we have seen the daffodil bulbs growing we have realised that the bulbs which are to his taste are the tulips. Well,  the other night having let him out, he wasn't too happy to come back and we became concerned he had eaten a few...licking his lips and soil around his muzzle sort of gave the game away!! We know he has eaten the odd one in the past and not come to any harm but we suspected this time he had had a few more.

I checked the internet to find they are poisonous and some dogs have died consuming them so ended up ringing the emergency vet service but no answer. Anyway I decided to watch him carefully and ring again if he started to display any signs.....apparently they start panting and drinking lots as they can cause an irritation in the mouth and oesophagus and all he was doing was going to sleep... so after an hour or so I decided he either hadn't eaten that many or he isn't too susceptible to them!

Anayway I digress... back to the daffodils!! I just cut one for my reference and took it with me to my art group last night. Last year I only used one as well, I simply turn them around placing them in different positions to create my composition. I did a daffodil painting last year and was really quite pleased with it but was unsure as to whether it was finished. I am a member of a watercolour critique group and to be fair, the consensus there was, that is was finished but I still didn't feel it was... anyway I worked it more and unfortunately lost the spontaneity of it.....lesson learned!!

So this time I wanted to do a similar composition, and see if I could nail it without overworking. I used the same colours but different brand. I have become an ambassador for the MaimerBlu range of paints and have to say I am liking them!! I tried to get the same pigment numbers I have in my W&N and Schmincke paints so they are working nicely for me.

The palette was purple, lemon yellow, turquoise, and orange. These colours are compliments so as well as light dark contrast I can achieve colour contrast too and hopefully a combination of both. As my work shows, I do seem to be drawn to a cooler palette, blues, greens, purples, yellows are some of my favourites.

I didn't finish this at the group but worked on it again today while starting another. I decided to do an different composition and settle on a horizontal one for the piece and also used a different palette.

Lemon yellow, cobalt blue, ub, a cool red, orange so still able to get some coolish greens the red allows me to get a purple... here are the two so far....

 I am also working on a couple of others at the moment... I used them as a study piece for the last workshop I did in Oswestry so I have a lovely vase of flowers to work from now

Chester here!!

Well am back esconced at the humans after a lovely stay with my puppy trainer while those two went off on holiday without me.....grrrr

I think I had a bit of a premonition about this as I had to go for a little "trial" weekend not long ago. Well I showed them......I bent 2 metal cages, chewed up a whole bed and worried the life out of my puppy trainers two dogs and spent the whole of the second night howling and whining... how was that then?

Anyway I was fair worn out when I got home that Sunday morning so I slept and slept and slept, after all I am still only a puppy and I do need my rest. I did try hard to behave myself for the next few weeks...... we went for a lovely walk with my trainer and I was such a good boy coming back at every blow of the whistle...Mum and Dad were so proud and he said he could tell they had been working with me!!

Me being a good boy and coming back when whistled!!

So about a month ago I was collected and taken to my new home where at times there were 4 other dogs....heaven that's what I call it!! I was on my best behaviour as the parents didn't really want to pay for 2 more cages and another bed and I could sense they were a little concerned to say the least about leaving me, so I decided to do as I was told, speak when spoken to and be seen and not heard....result!!!

I was brought home when they came back from their time away and was sooo excited to see them. I know they were told to ignore me when I came in and my female human did as she was told... for about 10 seconds and my male human for even less and then they were both on the floor with me fussing and stroking me and I was back in the driving seat!! Well for that evening anyway. Then they resorted back to this odd behavior I have observed... they ignore me when I jump up and greet them, still don't let me on their bed or on their chairs but I keep hearing them say to everyone how I am getting better and after all I am only 11 months old and still a baby really. The thing is I don't think my behaviour has changed, it is them who have been acting weirdly, I mean what is all this not looking at me when I stare longingly into their eyes, it's enough to turn a puppy to drink!!

Those were the days!!

 Still keep trying in case they forget and can't resist me!! Also saw my female was taking a photo and tried to look my best!!

Anyway I have had some lovely walks this past week, we have been on the moors, to the seaside, through the woods and I am loving chasing after my ball in fact it is fast becoming my favourite thing!! Am not too good at bringing it straight back yet (too many new smells which stop me in my puppy tracks ) but am sure they have a plan for that too!!

 I do howl a lot in the car but I just can't wait to get out for my walk.....I don't know if it has anything to do with that but they have started just taking me in the car and then coming back home without a walk, so sometimes I go in the car and get a walk and sometimes I don't? What's that all about? Not quite sure what they're playing at but will let you all know when I've sussed it... they keep saying what a clever boy I am so am sure it will come to me eventually.

So that's all for now... they keep throwing the ball up and down hills and telling me to hurry up... I mean I only have little legs but they don't half motor when I'm after that ball so I am worn out during the evening and can't spend all my time on the computer!!