Spring has sprung and with it the promise in the air of new beginnings, plans, hopes and dreams. It makes my heart sing a little when the sun shines and all the flowers start to show themselves. 

 “Nostalgia in reverse, the longing for yet another strange land, grew especially strong in spring.”      ― Vladimir Nabokov, Mary         

                                                     

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”

                                          ― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

May Blossom - Judith MacGregor

My blossom painting seems rather apt, so thought I must share, it still evokes the same bright promise I experienced when producing it. Gouache paints, helped give it a dusky chalky finish.

I can recall painstakingly painting all the turquoise blue around the blossom at the very end, to ensure it looked vibrant. That took some time, but was worth it for the end result!

With that in mind, I think it's time for a new project! Now where did I put my paints....

        

Celebrate ones that have passed.

So, it's already several days into the new year and whilst reflecting on Bowie's death and indeed others I have lost last year and over the years, it made me think of Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos), a Mexican holiday observed throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

I think it's a marvelous way to honour someone you have lost by creating a celebration of their lives. Bowie was forever changing his styles and was never afraid to do so. I aim to achieve this in my artwork, being bold and having many different styles while still remaining true to myself.
So here is a snippet from my Frida wallpaper collection, with it's marvelous clashing colours. It's a bit of a change from some of my earlier pastel florals and I enjoyed the challenge of creating something a little unusual.

Hope you enjoy it, at least it'll keep the winter blues away for a tad!

Finally finished Mr Lapwing for the BUNT exhibition, highlighting endangered species and fauna in the South West and in association with Bristol's Big Green Week. I had a few teething problems with the varnish, but gladly Mr Lapwing now has a nice coating to keep his feathers pristine. Have enjoyed painting him, might do a series of birds just for fun in the not too distant future.

The Golden Tree

Here is a drawing I did for a recent exhibition. The golden tree grew from a single seedling given to a small boy by some friends of the forest, he nurtured the seedling and it grew into a big golden tree. Many creatures from across the land came to live in the tree. It also has a golden lift shaft for those creatures unable to manage the stairs.

Hello and welcome to my blog.
This is the first entry, so please excuse any hiccups as I begin filling it with work of my own for you to enjoy and other things which may be inspiring me.