Developing my back garden

since the disagreement with the neighbours I have left the front garden alone. Letting the bushes and grass over grow leaving the CD tee pee which now I feel looks like an elderly royal dropping off to sleep in their finery

I have been gradually using my back garden less and less as I felt like I was on show. this came to a head when a member of next doors extended family stood in their garden shouting at me in my kitchen. I put up a bit of a CD screen and more gazebos. next door kindly put up a netting screen.

I am so happy, it has totally changed the feel of my garden

A Kitch net curtain is fun

I now spend most of my time outside developing my sting weaving

creating sculptural forms and letting the bind weed and nettles grow up

I'm away for a week I'll photo it when I get back to see how much the plants have taken over

Miriam's Big Beautiful Flowers

 

Prolific Artist Miriam works with me at trinity has been developing her paintings at home during the summer

large acrylic painting  from real flowers I like the use of colour and space around the subject 

Miriam's progress is stunning

Miriam has been working with me in my garden taking her ideas of colour and form into 3D

A shocking display of petty spite boardering on criminal vandilism

yesterday I returned home after taking a short walk and a pint with a disabled friend(a visually inpaired MS sufferer)to find this mess 

there was a thick high hedge dividing me from the large noisy family next door, a bit of a buffer and a back drop for my sculpture

I've put up with their children constantly throwing things over and climbing in. so I had not trimmed the hedge too much as a softer more sculptural feel suited my garden better

when I naturally complained the parents weren't available and I was told I was a mad and my garden was an eyesore by members of the extended family. when I did speak  to the father he told me to get over myself and started insulting my friend, with adults like this no wonder the kids are a nuisance.



This is their garden now, its been a mess for over a year

I will have to biuld some form of screen as I have lost alot of privacy

Adults working with me in a workshop environment

water colour and acrylic painting at Trinity evenings

learn about watercolour washes



 figures and portraits

or acrylic land scapes

on location, from memory

or a photo, come and have a go

learning/remembering how to Paint and draw at Trinity evenings

Most children enjoy painting and drawing but many people don't have the confidence or  time to comtinue and they miss it.Come and have a go its very relaxing, in a studio/workshop environment, and I can show you some simple rules of composition and colour  that will help give you confidence to develop your own style. practical advice on  how to draw cartoons or devleoping a painting from a doodle.

 2 point perspective

What ever your level what ever subject interests you 

Colour theory practical tips

 you will develop individually in a non judgemental environment

Drawing to understand volume

 For a couple of years I was lucky enough to teach at Warickshire college
I took on the challenge of teaching waterbased painting and painting and drawing for beginers, I enjoyed very much, but there were a few in built problems for students,size of class & price, for me paperwork .Evening sessions at Trinity aim to address these issues, Evenings at Trinity have very small classes & you pay only when you come. At present demand I am running 3 sessions, this can increase. we start back from September 5th.

Evening sessions at Trinity

I have been developing evening painting sessions at Trinity Catholic School, Leamington Spa. Very small groups of students of all ages and ability work along side me 3 nights a week.

See My page, Classes for details for September.

Still life, we all worked on a set up for learning from each other about colour and form
Acrylic on board, Helena Godwin

Old glass is a challenging but beautiful subject
Acrylic on canvas, Helena Godwin

climbing out of mud, a painted sketch from a photo
this posses the question why paint from a photo, what does the artist bring.
this sketch captures my experience of the numerous times I have been in this situation.

sketch 2

Sculpture has been my Major interest since leaning to carve in the early 1990s
I have produced some beautiful work, that I exhibit regularly, and sometimes sell. the problem is I'm very limited by lack of suitable studio (gazebos blow down) equipment and really good professional materials. so I have focused my energies in two other directions
My garden installation (see older blog posts ) and painting at Trinity.
 I have always found Sculpture very instinctive, ideas come naturally, but I have approached Painting from a more intellectual angle I've had to learn rules and do exercises to practise similar to a musician learning a 2nd instrument.