Jessie Lilac Blog

It's the week before christmas, I've got a little time to paint in my sketchbook before the family arrives in a few days. This one was painted with acrylics. I find painting a face a challenge with acrylics compared to watercolours. What do you think? Which do you find easier and why? I'd love to know. :)  The title of this post promises a walk but before we go out, let me show you my colourful blanket that I'm making. It's getting nice and big now. Not long until it's finished. It keeps my legs warm in the evenings while I'm crocheting it. How very useful it is already!  The sun was out, the sky was blue, perfect weather for a winter walk.  Blaise Castle is somewhere I've been visiting all my life. For me, it's at its best this time of the year.  The stonework has been restored and I stared at this sculpture for ages wondering if it was a dog or a lion. I decided on a dog in the end.  A real dog sprints across...

Before I show you the real tree, here's a little painting I made with watercolours.  It measures approx. 14 x 20cm (that' s approx. 5 ½  x 8ins.) It's painted on strong 300gsm watercolour paper with Scmincke paints, my favourite! Have I got time to list it on Etsy before christmas? Yeah! Click here if you'd like to have a look at the original painting my shop. Please be quick if you'd like it to arrive with you before christmas as the last date for posting to the USA is 11th December. (UK customers have until the 18th.) ~  Thankyou for looking! :) Now onto the real tree... If you've visited me here in christmases past you'll remember my trusty old fairy. She's survived yet another year much to Youngest Daughter's pleas to get a new one. "She's not even a Barbie!" she exclaimed in disgust.  Good! I don't want Barbie dressed up, thankyou VERY much! ;) I have nothing against Ba...

Have you started decorating for christmas yet? Is your tree looking splendid? Maybe you have more than one? What about your other decorations around the house. Have you adorned your fireplace with evergreens and flowers and decorated those old household ornaments with festive arrangements? Are your candles lit for the dark afternoons? Or do you have beautiful lighting that looks lovely just as it is? You might have guessed these photos that I took yesterday weren't taken at home but at the lovely house in Wiltshire called Stourhead House .  You didn't think it was mine did you? :)  The garden there's lovely too, always something beautiful to see. I must get on with my own decorations! I shall be back before long to show you. xx ⋆ * ⋆ * ⋆ * ⋆ * ⋆ * ⋆ *

Two Birds , mixed media  Hello, how are you on this December day? You might remember these paintings I'm about to show you when I blogged about them in the summer here and here . Since then, they've been on their adventures in exhibitions but now they're back, I've listed them for sale in my Etsy shop. :) 'Summer Breeze' , mixed media Each one measures 40 x 40cm and is painted on  3½cm deep box style canvas. (That's 16 x 16ins,  1½ins deep). ' Two Birds ' (cropped) I love the colours, so bright and warm. I have them on my wall at home at the moment to cheer up these winter days! But I'll be more than happy to sell them to a lovely new owner! :) Summer Breeze I love to paint birds. My fascination with them came originally from reading fairy tales. (I still like to read fairy tales!) They appear as other beings, having human-like attributes.  To me they convey emotions and are such a lovely shape...