Jessie Lilac Blog

Thankyou you SO MUCH if you're reading this because it means you've popped over to see what I'm up to.xx I'm very sorry that I've not been here blogging as much as I'd like to, it seems that a lot of people are abandoning their blogs and spending more time on Instagram these days. I'm afraid I too am one of those 'guilty' of this! As a very visually oriented person I know the appeal of posting on Instagram. I believe it began as a photography site and for people like me who would rather look at pictures than text, it's the ideal place to catch up on what others are doing. So after a lot of thinking, I've decided to use Instagram as my main blog, so if you'd like to see what I'm up to then do please come over there and say hello. I'd be so happy to see you there! Social media is always changing and maybe I'll come back to Blogger again but for now I'm going to be at https://www.instagram.com/jessiespainting/ Hop...

Hi there, lots have been happening in the world of Jessie Lilac this week. It's funny how there's a lull and then things happen all at once isn't it? First of all I want to tell you about a gallery near Bristol called Tinca Gallery that contacted me about my paintings. I went to visit them and it was the sort of gallery I love, the rooms were interesting shapes and very light and spacious, the work displayed was gorgeous and I was very thrilled when the lovely owners asked to have my paintings there! It's been a few months since I've been in an exhibition so some of the paintings that they liked were still on Etsy. I've taken them off there now and I've decided that my Etsy shop will be for my smaller works and my watercolours from now on. :) My other piece of exciting news is that I've been featured on the blog of Judy Darley, a local writer. She's written a lovely article about my work and I'm so happy that I was asked. Please ...

Thanks for all your lovely comments and for the new likees on Facebook! I update my Facebook page on an almost daily basis as it's so easy to upload (lets hope that's not tempting fate!) If you haven't already, come over and say hello, I'd love to see you! :) I like to do a blogpost every few days too, bringing all the things I've been doing up together. Here's an art journal page I made... I used a texture medium and stamped into it with plastic stamp shapes, adding layers of paint. I love how the relief catches the colour leaving the background showing through. I must do more of it on my next painting because I do enjoy doing it. I've always done this technique on paper but I'm sure it would work on canvas too, even with the springiness, don't you think? I've finished this one and loved using the bright cheerful colours. When I took it to the kitchen to take a photo, I realised it has the same colours are one of my favourite cup...

Many of you will know Gretel Parker from blogging or you might have bought her wonderful artwork in felt or paint in the past.  On 21 January, Andy Macauley, Gretel's sweetheart and life partner of 21 years died unexpectedly. Andy was her world and having lost both her parents when she was a child and having so siblings, she needs much support from her friends at this terrible time. If you think you could help in some way please click here  and if you would spread the word through social media, that too will help Gretel. Thankyou kind people.xx

Since I wrote the last post, (which I've now made private so it looks as though it's not here), I've been feeling uncomfortable with the personal revelations that I wrote in it. Maybe I'm now unveiling something else about me by saying that sometimes I feel relaxed and happy to share anything and everything about me and at other times, like now, a little self conscious about it. I hope you don't mind, especially those of you who were kind enough to write lovely comments. I haven't deleted the post, I've kept it because I treasure the time people take to write to me. :) Thankyou for understanding. xx I hope you're all having a lovely week despite the rain! 

(click on picture to see much larger) The day has dawned for me to announce the winner of my recent giveaway . Thankyou so much for following me, and a big thankyou and welcome to my new followers! So, the winner of my watercolour painting is Cynthia of Gallerie 46  !! Congratulations Cynnie! Could you please send me your address so that I can send it to you? ******** Do you remember I was making some patchwork a few weeks ago? Well I've finished my cushion but now I have the patchwork bug! I can't stop and I've started yet another one! I might have gone a bit mad with the very bright primary colours of this one but I think it looks just right amongst the paler colours of the room don't you? But what else can a colour junkie say?! ;-) The blue patchwork cushion is one I made before and the table is of course painted by me. :) Blogger is still having a few problems with allowing comments on some people's blogs. Please know I have been leaving comments...

This is a painting in my sketchbook I made yesterday. It was really just an excuse to try out that particular colour combo! I've used watercolours here but I think it could work in acrylic too. I do tend to paint different subject matter depending on which medium I use. My acrylic work is more abstract and experimental but the watercolour work figurative and more 'precise'. I'd like to combine the two but still they remain separate. Do other artists do this too? If you are an artist, have you found this with your own work? ******** Could I just say, if you think I haven't been visiting your blog recently when I usually do, I have! :) It's just that in the last couple of weeks Blogger won't let me leave comments on the posts where I have to choose my profile from a drop-down menu. I expect other people might have had the same problem? Please could you change your settings if yours is one of the blogs that do this. I miss commenting! :) EXCITING UPDATE !!! ...

I don't know whether it's all this heavy rain pouring down today that influenced me but I originally painted this illustration with very bright warm colours! I quite like the effect the of the monochrome. It gives it a different atmosphere doesn't it? Here's the original colourful version. Which do you prefer? I'm going to be listing this on Ebay later if you'd like to buy the original. The bidding will start at just 99p so it's a chance to snap up a bargain! (detail) ******** I had a lovely surprise in the post yesterday. A parcel arrived from my talented blogging friend Pati . I was a winner in her recent giveaway and won a lovely etching print!  Thankyou Pati! :)) You can see more of her lovely artwork here.

I have some news today! I've been very kindly given a blog award from the lovely Foxglove Spires . Thankyou so much! As part of the acceptance, I nominate 15 other bloggees to pass the award on to. As you all know it's so very difficult to pick out particular blogs because when you've been blogging a long time you come across so many wonderful inspiring places. Thankyou to all of you who are 'following' me and welcome to you new ones :) Here are 15 of my favourite blogs (I have many more!) for you to visit and enjoy, as I do. Some you might already know, some you might not but all are worth a peek!: All I did was listen Sea Angels Henhouse Victoria Stitch Dyche Designs Green Whisper Sempiterna Me Gina Lee Bobo Bun Enchanted Moon Stroke of the Brush Sew on and Sew on Cherry Fields Do you Mind if I Knit? Julia Crossland It's so difficult to pick just 15 and I have many more I follow that I've listed in my sidebar on the left, a list growing all the time! ;o)

The moon is the earth's natural satellite and don't I just know it today! I've really felt the force of the full moon affecting everything I've been trying to do! But I did end up making this painting so all's well that ends well. Thankyou for bearing with me through my ordeal, it was so reassuriong to hear from you and to know I'm still functioning in the Bloggesphere. I do hope my older comments from you come back from the stratosphere, they are very precious to me. Thankyou for your patience :)

Sometimes I like to make little paint sketches using whatever mediums I'm in the mood for. Sometimes watercolour, and a little bit of coloured pencil, This one is a base of pink acrylic paint, then drawn on top with a gel pen, then I used my Inktense pencils to colour in the hair and flowers. I've also had a play in Photoshop combining 2 pictures together to make my new header. I used this one, and this one, this one above shows what it was like before and this one is after. Much better I think! (Or should I make that moon lighter...hmmmmm.......)

You might wonder why I haven't been blogging for a while. It was supposed to be a couple of days away in Rome but ended up with us spending the last 7 days trying to find a way to get back to the UK. We arrived back last night after ten journeys to get here and I'm feeling quite traumatised by the whole thing because we went without the children and my biggest fear was not seeing them for such a long time. Many people, probably most, are still stranded on holiday so we're the lucky ones. We saw lots of beautiful things in Rome and had an expected stop in Paris (see pic above) so we were lucky enough to have moments of pure bliss mixed in with the terrible stress of not knowing if we were going to make it back. I've got lots of things to sort out at home first but when I can, I'll be back here visiting you all and I look forward to getting back to normal. It's good to be home, you have no idea!

Hello out there! I feel like I've been bound and gagged the last couple of days. My laptop had an accident and is now in the fixing shop having a very expensive fixing done. We have a family computer which I resorted to but again Fate stepped in again and stopped the keyboard from working! HOW frustrating was THAT? (very!) I later found out that I could have used an 'online keyboard?' but even this is irrelevant now because it's been taken away to be repaired so here I am on a borrowed one, unable to blog properly. But... While I'm here I must say a massive thankyou to Amalia for giving me the Sunshine Award! There are so many of you that bring sunshine to my life with your wonderful blogs that I want to pass it on to you, yes YOU reading this now! This Land of Blogs is amazing and continues to amaze me all the time. Thankyou everyone who is part of it :o) I can't upload a picture or even the picture of the award in this post as I'm on a borrowed compu...

Don't forget my print giveaway finishes tomorrow when I'll take all the names of you who commented HERE and have a draw to see who wins 3 free prints of the paintings of your choice :o) I'm having a bad morning and managed to kill my laptop with my clumsiness, so I'm on the main family computer and have posted a picture I did a while back instead of a fresh new one hot off the page! I went to see the film Micmacs last night, I'd recommend it to any fans of automata . Here's the trailer: I find automata fascinating to watch. There's something quite eery about the movement that almost seems human. One place I would absolutely LOVE to visit is the Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre but it's in Glasgow, a long way from where we live.....oh one day......!

Hooray! My chocolate bar arrived from April . Thankyou April, there's not much left of it as I write this as a have quite a penchant for the stuff, so it's a good thing I took this photo as soon as it arrived otherwise you wouldn't be able to see how enormous it is! April has a blog called Ugly Rabbit and I was the lucky winner of her giveaway! Talking of giveaways, I'm having my own this week and if you go to my last post and leave a comment you too can be a winner. I've been having fun painting trees and owls and cats. And this morning a session of life drawing. This one was done using watercolour pencils. This one, graphite pencil. This one pen and ink. This pose reminds me of the Little Mermaid. Maybe I'll do a painting from it one day, afterall, I love pictures of mermaids!

I've been doing some festive themed paintings and finished this one yesterday. I thought it was about time I changed the look of this blog to match the time of year, so by the time you read this it might already be bedecked with the colours of the season! I feel the need for a new header and I think this painting shall fit the bill.

I've been Tagged by the lovely Karen from Moonlight and Hares! This isn't a photo of Karen, or me, or my cat (I don't have one). It's actually Mavis, my eldest daughter's cat. I love this relaxed pose, it says it all about how cats know all about the good life! On with the questions: What is your current obsession? The meat industry. My vegetarian daughter recently sent me a shocking video about animal cruelty so I'm seriously thinking about becoming vegetarian again. What skill would you have liked to develop if you had more time? Growing my own food in the garden. When the children were smaller I did a little bit and hope one day I'll find the time again. What are you wearing today? Green tee-shirt and comfy jeans, green sparkly flip-flops, turquoise dangly earrings. What’s for dinner ? Pizza because my youngest daughter's bringing friends home to get ready for the school disco later and it's easy to prepare! What would you eat for your last meal...

Thankyou Joanne :)) Just look below at what I've been awarded by the lovely Joanne ! I'm so honoured- 2 awards in 2 days!! Joanne shares a love for PreRaphaelite painting and Arthur Rackham with me and her paintings are beautiful, so go and have a look and feast your eyes on her web-site and blog! Here are a few rules when accepting your award: 1. Deliver this award to eight other people. 2. Include the following text with the award on your site... These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut,even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. As this award is about new friendship in Blogland, I've chosen eight of my more recent favourites that I haven't yet had a chance to show how much I appreciate their blogs. Right then, here we go: Skipping in the Meadow Nicola Toms, Illustrations Magic Lantern Show RRR El Dibujo del Gato M...

Thankyou very much my lovely bloggy friend Soulbrush . She's very kindly given me this Award! Today she's celebrating her 2nd Blog Anniversary (and 1040 posts!) with a giveway, so hop on over to her Blog to get your name in the hat and to enjoy the creative energy you'll find there! Below are the sketches I did to try out an idea for the Illustration Friday post. I copied the basic shapes from a magazine photo of real rabbits, then added my own idea of what colour they could be. I prefer the bottom picture because they look a bit more human!

How different a lovely sunny weekend can make me feel! And to make it even better, I logged on this morning to find that I've not only won an award from Joss , but also won a give-away from Sandy ! Thankyou both so very much :)))What a lovely start to the week. Above is a little picture I did yesterday morning with a green gel pen sat in the warm sunny garden and it's march!