Oslo domkirke with blue skies and chickens

Sunday was such a beautiful sunny day, we took a big old stroll around the city and went into Oslo domkirke for the first time. It is such a lovely tranquil place with amazing paintings on the ceiling and so peaceful. Lit a couple of candles for friends and said a wee prayer. Will be back again soon and can't believe have never visited inside before. They have a great programme of music so will definitely be back for a concert and a sing along, (must practice my Norwegian first though.) The statue of the chickens outside made me smile as have never noticed them before, they are great lads and hope to do a separate pic with just them and their cheeky faces. The watercolour was supposed to be a full size but messed up with the sizing and ended up with only the spire as ran out of paper...

Oslo Fjord in oils.. Spring sunshine and tippety toes

This dinky landscape canvas has been in the flat since winter last year and have been wondering what to paint onto it. But the snow and rain didn't seem too cheery and the shape lends itself well to a big blue sky.


Although I like working with oils, they can be a bit faffy and the work of the devil to clean the brushes. In fact, I now have a fetching blue streak in my hair and one or toe blue toes after stepping on the corner of the canvas while it was outside drying...the sparrows did a wee dance across the sky too, their little toe prints aren't too noticeable and hopefully add to the scene. It needs some more colour and a bit of depth so will work on that, hope the seagulls don't decide to hop over it as well.

New magazine - Nørd Hæftii, features Oslo sketches

Was very happy to receive a copy of Nørd Hæftii magazine in the mailbox this morning, (the girls published some of my sketches on the back cover of their first issue). I had to do a little dance in the street and jump up and down a bit. A bit undignified for an auld gal but never mind.

Loving their magazine, (it's in German so thanks to Google Translate), really like their funky layouts and swooshy format. Wishing them loads of success.

www.noerdhaeftii.com

Fairy queen, purple fish and a butterfly elf chap with mice for shoes.

For some different ideas, I've been looking at old Scottish Fairy tales as many have great old illustrations. Decided to have a crack at a children's picture for the fun of it and this one is a work in progress .. but may have got a bit carried away with the colours. As for the content, there is not only a palm tree, but rogue dancing mice, purple fish and spooky bubbles. Not a notion at all as to where these came from in my head, and not smackering  of tartan in there too, so who knows ...

A Highland Coo, (he's no there noo..)

Stumbled across a lovely picture of a highland cow yesterday, he is some laddo with a wooshy fringe and cheeky look about him, so had a crack at a pencil sketch for his face. Something about him reminded me of hairy teenage boys in the 70's hanging around street corners... not sure why. The lines of text are a nod to McGonnegal and his poem about the coo on the hill.

Calton Hill, Edinburgh, Easter time

Back to Edinburgh for a few days over the Easter holidays and took a hike up Calton Hill to have a quick sketch with some pastels, it's a mad old scribbly picture as was a windy day  but lovely and bright. Really enjoying  working with the pastels as they are so quick and cheery, blue fingers though, not with the cold, with the crayons...

Good morning Mr Blue Sky

Spring is in the air and the brushes, crayons and paints are out again, yabadabba doo. Trying out some new ideas using pastels to celebrate with a more abstract format and some funky colours. This is a first bash to get going again after the Winter hibernation. 

Ghosty ships in the fjord

Very atmospheric down beside the water yesterday morning and felt like being in a black and white Victorian postcard, so quiet and misty. The boats have their Winter coats on to protect them from the snow and looked almost spooky in the fog. There was a light coating of ice on the fjord which made a lovely crackly pattern, whooshing about..

Portobello beach in May, and no rain...

Home to Edinburgh for a couple of weeks and had a wee stroll along the beach at Portobello early one morning. There was a man with a red jacket, and he did have a dog ... it was a very fast lad though and scooted about all over the place chasing birds and sticks and all sorts so wasn't quite able to catch him on the picture, hence the blurry bit. Might have to do a wee bit poetic licence and pop him in beside his owner.

Autumn sunlight in Northumberland

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons but feel a bit sad after the harvest is in and all the fields are ploughed ready for Winter sowing. This pic was taken early one morning when the sun was low, the sky was a watery blue and the fields a lovely chocolate colour. I like the old broken gate and wee Archie the schnauzer looking out, he had been chasing rabbits and was ready for home and a sausage for his breakfast.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

John Keats

Ode to Autumn

Catching some sun in Rhodes before the Oslo snow arrives ...

Lucky to squeeze in a quick week to Rhodes recently and catch a bit heat. Even though it was the end of the summer there, the colours were bright and vibrant. The picture here was a quick wooshy one while looking out from the room in the late afternoon, not many people out there and the garden by the beach was getting a bit wild, which was kind of nice too.

This old chap was sitting in front of me at the pool and as I'm not very good at drawing people, I decided to have a bash, (but only while he wasn't looking). One funny thing was the angle which his toes poked out at and looked like they were coming out of a strange part of his body.

In the centre of the pool was a garden arrangement, so had a crack at that too, it was a safer option than grumpy boy.



Swirly words, soldiers and seagulls

Working on a new project today with calligraphy ideas and small line pictures based on some of the photos I've taken recently. 

Really wasn't thinking too logically about the project from the start and went headlong into it. As it's on cartridge paper, the finished picture would go all wibbly-wobbly if I add watercolour paint to it now, but have some lovely bright crayons so will add a spot of colour here and there to brighten it up a bit.


Added some colour to the background and the pictures to lift the picture a bit and now thinking about creating a circle image next time. It might be an idea when the snow comes for a Christmas card... oh the snow, better get the furry boots and gloves looked out for that.

And gin to help keep warm when painting..

Searching for treasure on the Flaggy shore, Finavarra, Galway

The lads had a great time filling up their pockets with odd shaped stones and 'gems' from the Flaggy shore in Ireland. We're now building a cairn with assorted rocks from Ireland, Northumberland and Norway, (it's only wee but is growing after every trip).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairn

Beer Palace, Oslo and local brewery

What a coincidence, nipped into the Beer Palace (local bar) last night for a quick gin after the traumas of running the gauntlet in the supermarket and up on the wall was this old tin poster for a local brewery. It looked familiar..

Christiania Bryggeri (brewery), what a fantastic old sign, I love the font and colours in fact, decided to have another gin just to celebrate.

According to Wiki:

Christiania/Oslo

Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King Christian IV. It was rebuilt closer to Akershus Castle, as Christiania (also spelt Kristiania in late 1800's). In 1925, the city reclaimed its original Norwegian name, Oslo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo

Aker Brygge lighthouse (and the dog was there chasing his tail...)

This is one of my favourite places to go for a walk every morning and the old fellow is often there with his collie dug (who likes to look over the side of the quay at the seagulls, sure he would like to have a go at them). Had another shot at the pic again to try to get it lighter than the last version. Lovely sky today with a wee bit of pink going on up there, must have been the traces of last night's storms.

National Theatret in the morning light, Spikersuppa, Oslo

It was a beautiful, quiet, sunny morning today and the sky is so big and blue again... just lovely. I like the way the statues outside the National Theatret appear like ghostly shadows from the stage of long ago, reciting a play or a poem, eery in a way. But they look as if they are having a good time, discussing their lines.

There was a flock of birds flying high over the roof which, to be honest, I hadn't spotted when taking the photograph and was delighted to see them later when looking at the pic on screen.

http://www.nationaltheatret.no/

Fresh fish and chatting lads at Aker Brygge quay, Oslo

The wee fishing boats had a good night with their haul and had a large cargo onboard this morning. They were doing a roaring trade with the local restuarant owners and these two lads were having a right chuckle and full of fun in the sunshine in between serving their customers. 

Stilt man at Aker Brygge

This statue is just over the way in the water beside the moorings at Beddingen in Aker Brygge. He looks out down to the fjord and is a big tall chap perched on his stilts. I've noticed when it's really quiet in the mornings, the same seagull likes to perch on his head and do a wee dance.

The sketch started in pencil and then I got a bit carried away with the black pen and a dab of paint. It had got to the point where it was finished, but then took it too far, grrrrrrr..

Old cottage and dancing farmer's wife

Following the scary cottage pic, I was thinking it might make a fun character for a child's story, (with a dancing farmer's wife, for some reason...).

Galway Cottage with whiskers ..

Very forgetful as spent the weekend in Galway, Ireland and forgot to take the sketch pad and pencils ..but luckily had the camera snuck away. There was some stunning scenery with greys and greens and such a beautiful location. This old derelict cottage was both spooky and cheeky, it looked as if had been abandoned years ago and the garden was very overgrown. The roof was covered in crockly ivy and looked like a whiskery old man with a mad hair-do. Would loved to have hopped inside for a peek but was a bit scared. Going to have a crack at a watercolour of it later..