Sunday 15 March 2020

Plague,Disease,Death, how artists have reacted.




The world is facing a new plague,Covid19,these are some paintings and illustrations from the past showing how artists reacted in their own time to similar disasters.
                                                                        



Death Seizing a Mother by Kathe Kollwitz,1934


                                                                            
                                                                     

The last great pandemic, Influenza 1918


                                                                 
The Doctor,Luke Fildes, 1891

                                                                               
Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward, Luke Fildes 1891

                                                     
Diptheria,Richard Cooper Tennant




Widowhood

                                                                          

Monday 23 December 2019

Snow Scenes,Favourites Ancient and Modern



Painted Winter


We have not had any serious snow in the UK yet, I love it as long as it does not go on for too long.As soon as there is some snowfall I go out with a camera to find suitable views to turn into paintings.Given that I live in a city with many lovely old buildings that is not hard.
Winter snow scenes remind me of memories of Christmas, friends and family returning home ,and the cool, cold silence and peace that a deep fall of snow imparts.
 Many famous artists have painted snow scenes , here are some of my favourites.
                                       
                                                                   
Winter Landscape ,Rowland Hilder
                                                     
                                                   
Painting by Jack Sorenson

Cover for The New Yorker 1942

 Village Scene Christmas Card by Evynd Earle

Snow Scene ,Pissaro



Hunters in The Snow ,Breughal the Elder





Blizzard by Nina Macquire






Returning Home, Ellison Hoover

City Under Snow by Anton Piek









Tuesday 19 November 2019

Selling my stuff,Ebay or Amazon?



My Cambridge Attic is still full of books


After a week of trying to set up an Amazon Selling account I have got absolutely nowhere.They keep telling me I have to send different documents to prove that I am me,
perhaps I should stick with my ebay account.

At least it has given me more time to select a few books to sell.

When the account is finally set up I shall start with these two.


                                                          

 This book published in 1985 is full of charming illustrations to well known poems
 about elves and fairies.



A more recent book is 


                                                      



I bought this book very recently,it is a very full account of modern still life .It was not quite what I wanted and I shall be selling it for a lot less than the £22 I paid for it.
                                                          

 

Monday 11 November 2019

Too Much Stuff





            The time has come, I have to get rid of some of my stuff, it is taking over especially the books so I have spent hours opening an Amazon (UK) selling account and will be selling some of my lovely books under the name 



                                                         Cambridge Attic



    My attic is not quite as bad as this but it will be if I do not start downsizing soon.


                                                     
Photo by De Mies found on Pinterest



Sunday 27 October 2019

Witches ,Goblins ,Mischief, Famous Scary Illustrations for Dark Nights


The clocks have changed, the nights are getting darker .Time for witches and other spooky characters to step out .
                                    
                                             Something Wicked This Way Comes


                                                       
The Autumn People by Frank Frazetta (1965)






                                                                                       
On a Bat's Back I Do Fly by Helen Jacobs (1880-1970)






                                                                                                   
Two Witches Inscribed Teheran




                                                                                                          
The Wind's Tale  (Hans Anderson) by Dulac (1882-1975)


                                                              
 

                                                                                               
The Witch from Walt Disney's film of Snow White
                           



                                                                                                      
Rip Van Winkle by Arthur Rackham


         






                                                                                     
Halloween Illustration for War Time 1942






                                                                                                
Hansel and Gretel, Arthur Rackham

                                                                  

Saturday 12 October 2019

Summer Days Turned Into Paintings




Summer is over and I have used the things that I saw around me to make 3 paintings for an exhibition.

One of my academic neighbours let a rose bush grow wild and it has reverted to natural flowering for a brief period in June showing the pretty traditional Tudor rose blossoms. Still to be seen in our hedgerows in England.

                                              




I have inherited a lot of pottery and china from my grandmothers and mother .I shall have to cut down on it sometime but have fond memories of drinking tea with my family brewed in this old teapot.


                                                                       






Sunflowers did well in my garden , their big golden heads alive with bumble bees and butterflies.The shops were full of big cheap bunches of them too.I saw the Van Gogoh exhibition in London in July, who could resist having a go at a sunflower painting after seeing his?



                                                                                               







The Final Result


                                                             




              Three paintings entered for the Cambridge Open Art Exhibition


Grandma's Teapot sold already.




                                                            


 

Thursday 15 August 2019

A Good Book,10 Best Paintings of People Reading




I love reading and I love art.


People reading have been the subjects of many  famous paintings.Reading when travelling,with children,in the bathroom, or my favourite place which is in bed.
 We read to learn,for the pleasure of a good book,letters from loved ones, to catch up on the news or to find comfort  from old favourites like The Bible.

These are some of the reading paintings that I like best. 
I wonder where you  dear reader are reading this.



                                    
Reading The Bible by Albert Anker



                                                               
                                                                    
Painting by Ho Shoha


                                                            
The Law Student by Norman Rockwell
                                                                                 
The Readers by Joseph Lorusso
                                                                                               
A Good Picture Book by Walter Firle
                                                                                               
Lamplight by Georg Pauli
                                                                                       
ABC by Jessica Wilcox Smith
                                                                                  
Letter from The Front by Agnes Goodsir
                                                                                                   
Painting by Sally Storch
                                                                                               
Painting by Grace Cha