It's a Jubilee Parade

I love being a Brit. We know how to put on a show. This afternoon around a thousand boats flotilla-ed down the Thames and the Queen kept waving. It was, after all, her Jubilee. The weather was dreadful. It was cold, windy and raining, but we pull out our sou'westers and thermal undies, stick feet in wellies and just go for it.

This family braved the drizzle to go to a local 'picnic in the park'. Some enterprising souls brought their own tents. We just dodged from the Antiques to the tea tent and face painting then slipped and slid through the quagmire that was once parkland. We don't care. It's our Queen's Jubilee and we're jolly well going to enjoy it.

You've got to admire the woman. 60 years on the throne and still smiling, still poised and elegant, still very much a figurehead and a bastion of all that's British, even if no-one can quite fathom what she carries in her handbag (maybe a couple of quid for an ice cream if the weather's nice).

She only has to say the word and the Royal peacocks change their plumage just for her. Red, white & blue is so this season.

I've no idea what possessed me to draw a peacock to celebrate the occasion, but let's just go with it. A Jubilee-inspired piece for Sunday Sketches.

Peac....

I had great plans for a literary post today to accompany this work in progress painting for PPF. Lots of words, deep thought and maybe even some story. Unfortunately I have once more been struck down by the dizzy inner ear thing I've been plagued with before and my mind has turned to squelch. Movement is a scary process. I'm not in the best of moods.

Still, don't want to miss the party. This isn't finished yet. I'm painting over old works - treating them as a ready-made layered background. Maybe one day when I'm famous but long gone, this painting will be unearthed and scanned by the latest digital technology to reveal the sad 'Lola' underneath. Poor Lola, she lost her youth, her Tony, her mind and her painting!

Hopefully have the finished version to show you next week.

Please send get well wishes my way. I feel pants :(

Peacock blue

I painted this a while ago after I purchased my wonderful peacock handbag. I'm sure I blogged about it, but can't remember sharing this picture. I wanted to meld girl with bird and attempt to capture some of nature's deepest colours and shimmering highlights.

I always felt this picture wasn't quite finished though and meant to return and add an embellishment or ten but you know how it is, you move onto the next one and the next...

Tonight however, my peacock lady has been given the opportunity to spread her tail feathers once again and show off a little (artistic licence naturally required since we all know that its the male peacock with the fancy feathers!).

I'm playing with the Digital Whisper artists again this week and using the peacock images provided to layer up and blend. Look at those amazing colours, textures and shapes. Isn't nature just the most wonderfully inventive artist - with the richest palette imaginable?

I feel I finally did my peacock girl justice. I think I like the close up dark one best. She seems to be hiding some mysterious secrets don't you think?