Armistice Day

Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

This beautiful poem was pointed out to me from Dorothy, a member of I Draw and Paint, that I belong to.  I am so glad she did.  What a poingant end to an emotional day.

Photos by Stephie Butler

These incredible images were taken by Stephie Butler who is an outstanding portrait watercolour artist in her own right and will be coming back to us next summer to hold another workshop. Check website for details. To see more of her Images visit here website www.stephiebutler.com

ART

And to end this post in fitting style...here is my little collection of gelli prints that I have done as a lead up to this day.  The collection is called Cenenary Fields 2014 and each is approximately 6 x 6 inches.

Ghosts of Summer          Blowing in the Wind        Lest we Forget          Les Champs Sauvage                           

2 Videos to watch and created by ME
These paintings were created on a Gelli Plate that I made following this technique  and to watch a short demo on how I created Blowing on the wind click here

Stephie Butler

All of this and alot more can be learnt from me by attending one of our residental weeks here at Bandouille.  I will be  running a Gelli Plate and printing workshop next may covering lots of techiques and how to make the tools to do them.  So please click here to find out more

Catchup again with you soon.  Feel free to leave a comment both here and on youtube and tell me what you think

Bx

Its Poppy Time!

I think I am not alone to say that most of us were very touched by the incredible display of handmade poppies displayed in the grounds of the Tower of London as a tribute to the fallen of the First World War. And also the effect that it has had on the nations here and abroad.  This one display contributes heavily to our childrens edcuation both in History and humanity.

This whole year has had me thinking about poignant images to reflect this and I have almost completed my little collection of Gelli Prints and the print below is the result of the video which you can view here                                                                                            

This is the first little video clip of I hope many. I enjoyed doing this and this was my first take. I learnt alot from doing it and have welcomed some wonderful professional advice too from a dear friend Corinna who films for a living.  All done using my ipad as the video camera and an easel to prop it up. So only basic equipment but effective.  Alot more to learn though.

Blowing in the Wind

I will post all of the prints on Novemeber 11th after the minutes silence.

This short clip shows how I use the plate to create my little landscapes and has been done to promote my Gelli and Printing workshop next year here at Bandouille. The workshop will be limited to only 6 participants to make sure we all have room and therefore early booking recommended.
Non painting partners welcome!

Also if you love Gelli Printing I have just joined a couple of Facebook pages which look very inspirational and I thank them for adding me to their groups.
Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts and Gelli Printing too

More about gelli printing in older posts

Click here for details of the above workshop and our watercolour workshops and standard holidays here at Bandouille in 2015.  Please note that Keiko Tanabe will be now running two workshops next year - May 31st and August 23rd

Carp fishing holidays also available.

Enquiries and bookings are better than we have ever had and we are looking forward to another busy year next year.  I do have a couple of other things up my sleeve, but nothing is yet confirmed....so you will have to wait

This is it for now...I know you are all amazed how I have managed to keep this short, but will be posting again soon.

Bye for now 

Bx