Can you believe this weather?
Especially if you live on the East Coast of Bonnie Scotland!
We have had five days of torrential incessant rain, wind and fog, and I for one have had enough!
Although I'm not impressed with this thing called 'summer' so far, I'm determined to find a positive.
With all of the wet weather at least when I finally get to go out into the garden once again, the huge weeds that have appeared will be easy to pull up (or that's my hope)
I did spend time working through my email in-box over the last two days and I've managed to answer over 100+ emails!
I had intended to visit everyone once I'd answered comments on previous blog posts, but I'm afraid that was a step too far. I just couldn't manage it. I'm hoping you'll forgive me and now that I've caught up I'll be able to pop over to your blogs to see what I've been missing.
There's always the added bonus when there's a little extra time for painting and that's just what I did, although once again it's unfinished work.
I thought I'd paint something with reference to Father's Day, which is this coming Sunday in the UK.
I would give anything to spend a day with my Dad... having had him taken away from us all too soon... when I was only 16 years of age.
So if you have a Father/Dad I hope that you will spend some time with him, tell him you love him and hug him as tightly as you can.
I thought that I'd try to create a loose painting for this piece.
Anyone who knows me knows just what a challenge this is for me.
If you missed my post last week of my gin bottle painting then click here
Here's my initial sketch for this week.
I realise that the tightness comes as soon as I touch the paper with a pencil.
It restricts me, but I've yet to master painting without a pencil!
I under painted as usual, as now I realise what a difference that can make (thanks Tracey)
I used my favourite Kuretake Japanese paints.
I've still got quite a bit to go with this painting, but I know I'll not be too precious with it.
The lettering is completely wrong and I've winged it considerably on the smaller writing by just putting some squiggles in.
I thought I'd just show you one more photo today.
This is a large jar that sits in a corner of my patio windows.
There are two, one either side, but it appears that we have a leak!
This happened yesterday and it's the same again today.
It's very disconcerting listening to dipping water!
Well that'll be another job to keep newly retired hubby amused!
Locating the leak source and fixing it... at least the plants are safe for now.
Locating the leak source and fixing it... at least the plants are safe for now.
I've got some very exciting news to announce soon.
I'm still working on it, but once it's sorted I'll be sure to let you know.
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend and I'll look forward to seeing you again soon.
Beautiful work Neesie, I also have to sketch in pencil first. We celebrate Father's Day in North America on Sunday too. Great job your husband did on fixing the leak!
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine, Maybe I'll be brave enough one day to try to create a painting without using a pencil first.
DeleteHubby can't attempt to fix the leak until the torrential rain stops... so we could be using the water catcher for some time.
I'm hearing that tomorrow might be brighter. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
This weather is enough t make anyone hit the bottle - same here, rain and storm without end! Sorry that you've sprung a leak though....Happy PPF, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteHaha... brilliant comment Valerie,
DeleteIf this weather carries on then I could well be tempted to hit the bottle.
Drip, drip, drip, DRIP... see everything is magnified!
Happy PPF and hugs back to you. Let's hope summer comes to call soon.
Lovely watercolour. I like those paints.
ReplyDeleteThanks June, I'm having fun so I suppose that's all that matters.
DeleteI adore these paints and will certainly be using them for ever more!
Fabulous rendering Neesie -- the painting looks so very REAL! I definitely do not have a gift with watercolour -- yours are delicious! I'm sorry your weather is so crappy -- it's tiring because you can't get outdoors and enjoy the summer ... and the leak ... just what you needed! The weather has been unusual here as well for this time of year -- lots of rain and little sun. The forecast SNOW the other day - felt like it could - but it didn't! Enjoy your weekend, Neesie. So enjoy your work. hugs, Donna
ReplyDeleteThanks once again Donna for your lovely encouraging words.
DeleteSummer... ahh yes I remember it well. I just wish I could experience it once more. I can't believe you nearly had snow! My goodness... now that's serious!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend too... with the sun shining hopefully!
Hm-m... I am looking forward to hearing your exciting news. We also have had rain, rain, rain on the east coast of the USA! Your bottle is fabulous! I love the vibrancy of the colors.
ReplyDeleteHere's a little hint Faye... Look at the top of my sidebar! ;D
DeleteThanks for your compliments, but I feel I don't justify them as I did rush it and didn't try to be too precious with it. Normally I try really hard to replicate it as best I can.
Thanks for your visit and I hope you have a great weekend.
I hope the sun shines for you soon. Peroni is delicious, we can buy it here in California too. Your bottle is gorgeous, I think painting glass objects would be hard.
ReplyDeleteNo sun Terra, but thankfully the rain has stopped. Now my hard work will start whilst all the ground is damp. I'm hoping that the weeds won't put up a fight and will pull out of the ground with ease.
DeleteThanks for your compliment on my Peroni bottle. Painting glass is difficult, but I'm powering on... I'm trying not to get too bogged down with detail.
Great idea to use squiggles for the small print on the bottle! Lots of stuff like that can be fudged and nothing is the worse for it.
ReplyDeleteI was really trying not to be too precious with this painting, so thought the squiggles would be fun. Normally I'd be so particular to try and get the writing just so, but this bottle has really small writing and would have been a nightmare.
DeleteI'm glad you understand.
being a real amateur in sketching I VERY rarely sketch without pencil:) Your bottles really are looking so good! Sorry to hear about the weather-and especially those leaks. I do hope it improves for the weekend! Happy PPF!
ReplyDeleteYay Linda the rain stopped this afternoon and we've just had an hours sunshine before it set. It's such a relief to finally see it.
DeleteThanks for your comment and maybe one day I might be brave and not use a pencil. I dread to think what the outcome might be though.
Too bad about all the rain. We were cold and grey and wet and now finally some summer weather. I hope your skies turn blue and warm ASAP. Excited about your news...hmmm, and do love this weeks sketch. Enjoy your weekend! Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteWell I'm pleased to report Erika, that the rain stopped today and we've just seen the sun for an hour or so. It is such a relief after so many days of bad weather.
DeleteThanks for your comment on my sketch and if you look at the top of my sidebar you will find a clue about my news!
Have a wonderful weekend too.
I must begin with an, Ooh, and an, Ahh, at your bottle. I love your bottles; with the gin one my most uber favourite! I haven't done much sketching in an age and fear I will have gone back a hundred steps from where I was *sigh*, Hey-ho, there's nought for it but to get back on that horse as soon as possible, whenever that may be.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on the weather, jeez louise! It is drier today mind, and hope it remains so until I get the weeds pulled and bark mulch put down. The greenery is looking lush, but I need sun now in order to get my bountiful supply of strawberries to go red. I hope you get to weed too and that Muffy enjoys a drier belly, hehe.
Your water catcher is intriguing. Is that it's purpose, or is it re-purposed from it's first life?
Enjoy your weekend whatever you're up to :D xoxo
Never mind about not sketching for so long Mo... maybe the break will work in your favour. You might be on fire once you start!
Delete(Trumpet fanfare) Hey the rain finally stopped and we've just had the sun poke out for the last hour. It's so good to see it at last.
Muffy is happy to finally have dry paws as well as her belly. It's no fun being that low slung!
The water catcher was a candle in a jar with a rope handle. It's large and thankfully was in the right place at the right time! We have two... one at each corner of the patio doors, but the leak thankfully only came in on one side.
Everything has certainly gone mad in the garden, unfortunatley so have the weeds. I really must rethink my borders to illuminate them or at least reduce them as much as possible.
I've strawberry's too so let's hope that sun continues to shine.
Enjoy your weekend too.
The gin bottle is coming along fab! On my! You just had all new windows put in! Did they forget to caulk one of them?! I'd be calling them back to fix the pesky leak.in the meantime, I'll send sweltering hugs from FL. And will try to post a new card to the blog. Think of how pretty the flowers will be when the rain stops and everything pops open. :)
ReplyDeleteI know Nan, but it was exceptional rain for five days and we're not sure it's coming from the window. We have a large window upstairs which fills a whole wall and then underneath there's wooden panels, down to large patio windows and doors underneath. So it might just have found the easiest route down through, which brought the water inside into the corner. No matter... I'm not amused and hubby has been up a ladder sealing everything in the hope he finds it!
DeleteIt has two chances and no doubt at the next rainstorm we will know.
Thank you for your sweltering hug I sure needed it.
The rain stopped and we did actually see some sunlight for an hour before it set. I can't believe what a relief it was to see it at last.
Leaking is never good. Hope the hubby finds the problem.
ReplyDeleteEnough rain already. But I bet it felt good to get through all the emails. I get behind like that quite often, myself.
I can't paint without a drawing in pencil, either. Admire people who can. Looking good, though. :)
Thankfully my huge mason jar saved the day as it started to leak during the night Rita. I couldn't have placed it in exactly the right spot if I'd have tried. Pure flook but so thankful as it saved the day.
DeleteWe'll have to be brave some day and try to leave the pencils in the drawer.
Have you thought about moving to Italy? Nice weather and clearly someone at your place loves their beer ha ha! You could then paint a whole slab of beer as you're so good at it.
ReplyDeleteWe've been laughing as I seem to say quite regularly "it's lovely when the sun comes out" It's beautiful here compared with Melbourne weather, so I think the whole world is having it wet at the mo!
Exciting times ahead, can't wait :)
Wren x
Italy... hmm...Ora c'è un pensiero
DeleteThere's a few who love that particular brand of beer here Wren. I'm not sure I'd like to paint that many bottles though. They're a little tricky.
I'm so happy to say it was lovely when the sun came out because it actually did manage an hour this evening. After five days of horrendous weather it was fantastic to finally see it.
The weather seems to crazy in many places at the moment. We really need to get a wriggle on as it's June already!
Ah we have rain rain rain too of late...however the trees and grass are so happy. The plants are a bit water logged. I like the cooler weather since a few weeks back it was unbearable. I wish it would be a little more random. Up country a few roads washed out and people have no way to getting out... scary. Thankfully it hasn't been as harsh here even with the thunder and such!
ReplyDeleteGreat bottle...you'd never know it wasn't perfect...looks awesome from here!! So sorry about your leak...such a headache..not to mention ka-ching involved!! Can't wait to hear your news...I am kind of guessing what it might be...we shall see if I'm accurate!! Stay dry my creative friend!
Hugs Giggles
Everything has gone ballistic Giggles... it's like all of my plants and trees are on steroids! We have a thing called a soak away in the garden for when it rains so that the water coming down the hill to our property soaks away and is redirected away from the house. We now have it full and it is like having our own pond!
DeleteI haven't experienced unbearable for a few years now. We've had road wash away and rivers burst their banks too. It's really been so bad, but thankfully the weather is starting to warm up a little and we've actually seen the sun today.
You're kind words warm my heart once again... but it's not even near done yet!
As for the leak... hubby has been up the ladder and we're all water-tight once again.
I think I know what you're guessing and that's not my news... well not yet anyway. If you look in my side-bar you will see it!
Rain here too...
ReplyDeleteSo many details, would've been too much for me to paint! :) You did it well!
Have a good week ahead!
Thanks BLOGitse, it's a little much for me too although I've got a lot more to add to it before it's done.
DeleteWe thankfully have warmer drier weather today. Thanks goodness. I just hope it stays.
I hope you have a good week too.
The squiggles for the tiny wording worked very well. Lettering is always difficult. We are having a heat wave in Los Angeles. It's expected to be over 100 degrees tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteYou mean my cheating squiggles worked well Barbara,
DeleteI'd seen someone else had done it once and I didn't have as much time as I had had to paint the gin bottle... so to cheat was the best option.
Ahhh a heat wave... I remember them well, although over 100 is not nice. Keep cool and hydrated.
I'm not a beer lover but I love your illustration. :) Hope your hubby fixes the leak soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a beer lover either NatashaMay, but I thought the bottle was a good painting project, especially as it was Father's Day last Sunday.
DeleteI'm happy to report that hubby is currently up the ladder fixing the leak as I type. We are now water tight!
Here you go again...by the time you finish, it is going to be every bit as fine as your gin bottle. Hope fixing the leak goes well. A drip, drip, drip will drive you nuts:-) I think your squiggle were very creative and look just fine. Have a nice week. genie
ReplyDeleteOh I'm not so sure about that Genie. I'm really being so slap dash with this one in the hope that the looseness will come across.
DeleteI find it very difficult to do, but it's good for me.
No more drip, drip, drip! Thankfully we are now watertight.
Wow! What a fantastic painting! You really brought that painted bottle image to life! Thanks for the inspiration! Happy PPF :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Mona, your comment has made me smile.
DeleteI thought it was a good painting project with it being Father's Day yesterday.
Happy PPF to you too
And once again I say yes - yes to more of your art work.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your leaks - leaks can be hard to locate. Hope you have it all patched and ready to go now.
sandy xx