Winter Spring or Summer

Spring is late never mind summer but I think it may have arrived . It was a lovely sunny day today. Jac was mental  more like a cat on a hot tin roof. Alex is now into cleaning, everything is sparkling and I mean everything.

We had a visit from Sam Tan, the Fire Brigade who inspected the house and changed a couple of smoke detectors (which were working but were old). A very good service and a good scheme.
I asked them about the scheme and they said we go  around the "elderly" and check for faults and advise on fire safety. Thanks, so I now know what category I am officially in!

I spent most of the day finishing a commission. It isn't exactly how the customer described it but I am pleased and I think she will be too.

 The Link a bit of a tangent but I like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHpkYI5_FY

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"

Alex and I looked after one of our beautiful grandchildren over the weekend. I took the opportunity to do a couple of drawings.
Children are not great at sitting still but there again neither is Alex, so it is always a challenge to get a drawing done. It can be a bit like doing a hundred drawings in different positions and putting them all together in your head. If you really have to do a drawing of a fidgety child its best to do lots of sketches first. You can of course use a camera and work from an image (there is nothing wrong with that) but I personally think you can lose something doing it that way.

Frisky Cows

The cows were a bit frisky this morning. Although they are basically just curious it can be a bit unnerving when they run at you, and when one does the rest follow. By turning and waving your arms they generally stop but they seemed quite persistent today and Jac was quite concerned. They eventually stopped about 5 yards from us.

We watched a fox across the fields whilst having breakfast and the kite came across the back valley.

I am currently reading Carmarthen Underground by Gaynor Madoc Leonard so I have an idea of the series for when I do the book cover for the next one. I am about half way through.  It is very different an enjoyable read especially for someone from the area.

All at sea

It is I note time for the yearly dose of insanity that is the Turner Prize nominations. I generally don't take much interest and this year is no exception. So I suppose logically it is unfair to be critical. On a positive note I did see one of the nominations was a painter. Anyway I still cannot come to terms with people being rewarded for coming up with the most obscure or most outrageous idea and calling it art. "You can call a wheelbarrow a Rolls Royce but its still a wheelbarrow." Or maybe not even a wheelbarrow!

Now for me the painting above by Stanhope Forbes is, Art.

Stanhope Forbes trained as an artist first at South Kensington School of art, Lambeth College and then  the Royal Academy under Millais. This sums up why he can paint. All the odd ideas in the world cannot make up for a lack of knowledge and experience. Unfortunately we live in a time of instant everything and people want to be artists in an instant without putting in the ground work. I am afraid in my view rewarding these pretentious ideas merely encourages more of the same and does no great service to the development of Art at all.

Anyway I just put myself back in the dinosaur class! (Not that I ever left it.). As a point of fact the dinosaurs ruled the world for quite a few million years until an unkindly asteroid came visiting.

Speaking of dinosaurs here is my link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imwq6L9Yq9Q

Broadhaven

I finished the above  painting of Broadhaven today. You can just see Rickets Head in the background. The painting of Newgale shows it from the other direction. One of the joys of painting is that you can have a blue sky whenever you want (or snow or rain for that matter!). A bit of blue sky wouldn't go amiss just now.
Time for lunch now.

Newgale

Following our trip to Pembrokeshire yesterday, I started  a painting of Newgale. I finished it today shown above. The outcrop in the near distance is Rickets Head beyond which is Nolton Haven and Druidstone.

Today we received 3 postcards from Lanzarote. Nothing unusual in that. They were from one of our daughters and her family who were on holiday. Its just they have been back about 6 weeks! Anyway nice to know they are having a good time.

Picton Castle

Alex and I went down to Pembrokeshire for a change this morning. Had a look around Narberth and then had lunch at Picton Castle.  I sat on a bench and took the opportunity for a 5 minute sketch. When I got up I realised the bench was damp! There was a display of paintings by Paul Martin in the gallery which were well worth the visit.
Back to Carmarthen then to pick up two grandchildren.