We are about to decamp to Donegal for the summer/early autumn. I have mixed feeling about returning to oil paints. It’s been a quite a steep learning curve getting comfortable with acrylic paint but I feel like I finally got there. I am not sure what it will be like to paint in oils again, oh the the joy of easy blending! I will continue my practice of laying down an underpainting in grey-scale paint, regardless. Here are some of my recent acrylic paintings, mostly of Inishowen Penisula (Donegal)
You probably think that artists are good at creating paintings/images in all mediums; oil, watercolours acrylic paints. Many probably are, but I am not. I need to work at it. It’s a bit like being an athlete. You might be great at football but it doesn’t automatically mean you are a great sprinter, tennis player […]
What’s in a name? It’s complicated The name of the city I am living in right now is contentious. It’s official name is Londonderry but no one here seems to call it that, not even the council. Most people in the city itself, Protestants as well as Catholics, call it Derry. This suggests it is more […]
The ‘Illuminate’ festival is running over two weekends in Derry, 17th – 20th and 24th – 27th February, from 6pm – 9pm. We visited it on Thursday night. It was very cold (double socks and thermals weather) but mostly dry. This was important was all the sites we visited were out of doors. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and a brilliant introduction to Derry.
Definitely a washing line girl myself Emma!
HaHa!Me too. I have always thought rotary lines as being quite exotic. They don’t take up much room. Invented in Australia, apparently.
Yes I have one of those, though it’s a little wobbly! Didn’t know it had Aussie origins 🙂
I see clotheslines only occasionally in my suburban region. My neighbor next store uses one.
Solar and wind power are the ways to go!
Real nice painting.
Take care—
Neil S.
We usually have plenty of wind here in Wales, sun is less easy to come by. Thank you for your comments, Neil.
My mother always used a clothesline till she couldn’t anymore. In California, it was used all year round. Unlike her, I was an “as soon as I can get my hands on a dryer” adopter. Then when I moved to a cold climate, it was either the dryer or clotheslines in the basement. The dryer won before the competition was even announced. Ah, modern life…
California must be an ideal place for a washing line – all that sunshine. Mind you, there is the hassle of pegging the clothes out. I will only use wood pegs. I hate plastic ones.
The rotary line was being used in 1860s in Australia and in 1911 Gilbert Toyne, a blacksmith, wheelwright and farrier, too out a patent on 4 rotary designs. He went onto market these designs himself.
Solar in summer ( hah! When we have one in Swansea) and radiators when it’s raining. Stops the air in the house getting too dry.
That’s pretty much what I do too! There’s also wind but its no good if its raining.
Dried two machine loads on the radiator yesterday 😁
Either you have a small washing machine or some good double radiators around your house! I only ever manage one load at a time.
The house is surprisingly warm and I have a couple of clothes horses as well, one for over the bath. Mind you, my house looks like a laundry most of the time lol
Lol! I used to have a clothes horse, I don’t know what happened to it, now you mention one!!
My mother in law gave us her one for over the bath, brilliant. Does tons of underwear then folds away. It’s easy to forget these old household things when we’re surrounded by modern equivalents like tumble dryers. I bought an old mangle recently but that’s to convert into a printing press.
I knew it – a pasta machine doesn’t make pasta in your house, either (lol)!
Ps congratulations on getting into the Swansea Open. Are you going on Saturday?
Thanks Rosie – yes, we are going along. I am really looking forward to see all the different art by Swansea-based artists. Are you?