Jessie Lilac Blog

(click on the pictures to see bigger) Ever since I first started art college I've kept a sketchbook. At first I found it laborious and self conscious but after time I grew to enjoy it and eventually to actually need it! My favourite size is A5 with a hard cover. I think this is because it reminds me of a normal sized book and although I don't read novels very often, I can relate to the excitement of looking at the cover and wondering what's lurking inside!  I tend to use it as a visual diary and among the pages are fragments of my inner life. Sometimes the pictures are easy to interpret and with others I don't even know what the pictures are about until I go back and look again and the passage of time reveals the answers to me. I love to look at other people's sketchbooks too and at a recent visit to the Beryl Cook exhibition I enjoyed her little sketches on scraps of paper as much as the finished paintings themselves! All the pages shown here in this post are

Do you ever have a time set aside for making art and for some inexplicable reason, you feel stuck and can't paint? Well that's been me. My muse appears to have gone on holiday! While I await the return, I've been doing other creative-type things to help me keep sane. ' Sane' you ask? Yes and I know I'm not alone in this. I've spoken to other painters who feel the need to be in the creative process otherwise they get a little difficult to be around (to put it politely!)    So, I've redecorated the sitting room and bought a lovely garland to hang on the wall. I love it! (click on the photos to see them bigger.) It makes me happy just to look at it. :) I've bought a new frame for the etching I won in a recent giveway and now it looks just right. When you feel unable to paint or create in your usual way, what do you do to stay in the creative mode? 

Here is my very first Youtube video. I've always wanted to make one and it's only a minute long if you'd like to have a watch. :) In other news... I've been busy making more patchwork. I found an old sheet that was just asking to have a new lease of life. It did a very good job as a bed sheet for many years but now it can have its moment of glory as part of a cushion cover. Here's a close-up. Sorry about the picture quality, I took it with my phone camera but I think you get the jist. :) I've also been gardening and found an old yukky coloured pot that was a nice big size but eww what a disgraceful colour it was. I got out my trusty can of lilac aerosol paint spray and now it is a delight to my eye! I know I haven't yet finished the patchwork cushion cover I'm making at the moment and I really shouldn't even be thinking about buying new pieces of material when I've just boasted about recycling old ones but. What can you do when

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

Hello! Just a quick note to tell you I'm going to be posting the winner of the giveaway later today. My computer is being very   s-l-o-w    today, other wise I would have  done it sooner. Thanks so much to my followers of this blog and welcome to you new ones. It's so lovely to have you here! For the very last chance to win, please CLICK HERE . :)) See ya later!xx

I'd like to tell you that this is my allotment but it isn't. A very kind friend had surplus fruit and veg and said come along and help yourself! This morning in the pouring rain I rang to ask if it was still ok to come over and she said yes but come dressed for the mud! It turned out to be a lovely hot sunny afternoon though and with the faint noise of the local Festival in the next field, it was very therapeutic being out in amongst all that green. Talking of which, here is a page from my sketchbook using lots of green ink with just a few tiny touches of pink. Can you see her scarecrow peeping? I wish I'd taken a closer up view of him now! I've now got a very healthy supply of garlic. I love garlic and would have it in every meal that I ever cooked if I could. Oh I do already! Some people, well most that I come across, don't like the smell but I lOVe the smell. Am I alone in this?? Let me finish this post by showing you another page from my sketchboo

A shoulder to lean on is a good remedy when you're feeling down.

Each year around the summer solstice, brings a walk at Barbury Castle to watch the sun go down. The sky started to get prepared for its evening performance. My brother gets ready to take some pictures and the show begins. I haven't changed the settings on the camera or the computer, this is for real! The end of the show and my youngest daughter takes the last bow. An amazing sight was had by all. ******** I'm holding a Give-away to say thankyou to my blog visitors.Have a look at the previous post to see! :)

This morning I noticed to my delight that I have reached 300 followers! Thankyou all so much for your visits and for your wonderful words. I very much appreciate your visits and love to read your messages. In my last post I showed you a painting that I'd almost finished, ready to sell on Ebay. Instead of doing this, I've decided to give it away as a gift to one of you out there in the Bloggesphere! To win this all you need to do is to become a follower (if you haven't already) and to leave a comment on this post. :))  It measures 12 by 9 inches and is painted with watercolours with added touches of gold and silver. The scan doesn't pick up the metallic shiny bits very well, so here are a couple of photos too. I hope it will find a nice new kindly home! Now that I've got my camera out, I thought I'd snap a few flowers in my garden. I like deeply coloured ones. and brightly coloured ones. (click on photo to see much bigger) and then I heard a buzzing