Self inflicted torture

Jill Haiselden has been busy with a demanding craft project over recent months. "Here at last, is a picture of the cross stitch embroidery I started before the lockdown. As you will see from the close up, which covers less than a square inch, it was a kind of self inflicted torture as the colours changed stitch by stitch in some places! I chose for the subject which made me smile even when I was cursing it."

Reworked and revised

This is Sue Embrey's reworked buttercup heaven - "It’s so useful going back and revising and revising! One learns a lot!!!"

Favourite Spot

Catherine Beech sent in this image. She says. "It’s the arbour at the end of our garden, a favourite spot for a glass on a summer evening, complete with Boaty the cat who thinks we put it up just for him!"

Apples

Canon Stephen Hutchinson, a gifted pastel artist, developed his skills by painting nothing but apples week after week. Fellow students on the part-time course he attended in Redditch called him the 'apple man'. 

There are so many ways to paint a single apple and it's a challenge that lends itself to experimenting with different media. It was Ian Fountaine that suggested this challenge for LAS members so his is the first of the many apples below.

Watercolour by Ian Fountaine

Diana Woods-Humphery said, "I have just spent most of the afternoon painting an apple in acrylics. As you will see, I cut it in half first!  Hope that comes within the terms of the challenge"

Acrylic by Diana Woods-Humphery

Sue Murphy said, "Rather than try to emulate all the skilled watercolourists in the Society I thought I would try a somewhat abstract apple so here’s my Royal Gala in acrylics using brush, palette knife and comb."

Homework

Brian Griffiths is running an online class and one of the participants is Daph Willett. The first image below is one of her homework pieces. The second she says is very Arthur Rackham - only needs a fairy.

Found

"I found these feathers in the garden and I’m always amazed at the intricacy of nature’s patterns so it’s a challenge to try and draw them. This is pencil and Derwent lightfast oil pencils, blended with Zest-it pencil blend on medium texture cartridge paper, A4 size." - Sue Murphy

'Found' by Sues Murphy

Sea Symphony

Sarah Amery has shared another three paintings she has done recently, all in acrylic on canvas.

"The first", she says, "is an attempt to paint myself (I usually avoid painting people!) playing viola, which I get a lot of pleasure from. This viola is a very special instrument as my father made it for me! I really wanted the viola to be the main subject, I chose a lot of greens to help the viola stand out and it’s a peaceful calm colour, playing makes me relax!"

"The other two are pretty much made up from lots of photos of the sea, just miss it so much and hoping to go to Cornwall in a few weeks."