It's been hot here in Mid Devon these past few days, I have been out walking and admiring the views. also, enjoying time with friends and visiting the hospital I am doing ok, getting on with things and enjoying the warm weather

Making the most of summer while it is here

As an artist I am always on the lookout for inspiration, this time it came in the form of bumble bees on a lavender plant.

Now I had to choose my favourites and put them into an order that made visual sense ( to me a least) . I wanted different bees in different poses. I printed all the photos off and and cut them so I could lay them next to each other , move them around until I was happy. I wasn't aware I was following any hard and fast rules on composition, but I did know  I wanted .

Once I was happy with them I took out a larger piece of paper A2 I think and started to sketch them , remember you are in charge you can put them where you want

Now I can start to paint. I painted left to right across the page so I didn't smudge my work , and tried to let each bee shine.

one down six more to go, and that is how it went for the next few days , working on my bees, listening to the radio, putting paints down to get on with another painting or fit in with something going on. I have 2 teenagers both in the middle of exams so I do need to be available, or not as the case may be. 

I wanted to keep the lavender loose , try to show how intently each bee seemed to be working on each flower. I left the bees on my work bench and studied them carefully there seems to be at least two kinds of bee in the painting .

I finally finished the bees today after 4 days work, ( very unusual for me) .

At the end of the week we are off to Cornwall where I shall hopefully do exactly the opposite, quick on the spot sketches.

Try to fit your painting to match your mood and timescale, that way it works with you not against you, and make sure it is always fun x