Clevedon | On the Bright side

Rowans and Redwings

…for September is a bonny month of autumn sun and harvest moon, of high tides and berry-dripping hedgerows – and it’s my birthday month. All those Christmas shenanigans have a lot to answer for the many September birthdays on my calendar. Forget I mentioned Christmas!

It is said that nature’s colours do not clash, which is just as well because our garden is currently a randomly pretty tapestry of yellow, blue, pink and purple late perennials all being visited by countless bees and hoverflies. We don’t use sprays in our garden and it pays off in terms of all the wildlife.

Flower Border

And what of painting and getting ready for next year’s exhibition in May? Well, I have only produced one painting this month (Rowans and Redwings above) but I have had a lot of fun in connection with my art. The month started with a trip to RHS Rosemoor, Great Torrington, North Devon www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor to take three paintings which I was invited to display at ‘The Artists Garden’ exhibition there. The exhibition attracted many visitors and looked lovely. I am pleased to report that I not only sold many greeting cards but also my painting called ‘Mevagissey’.

Mevagissey Harbour

As the month went on a lady called Alison Crump was instrumental in introducing some new art initiatives for Clevedon’s first Tides Festival held by MARLENS (Marine Lake Enthusiasts) www.marlens.org.uk

Alison matched businesses with artists, persuading shop owners to display paintings in their windows. Any sales would generate commission for MARLENS. I didn’t sell any work this way but had a great deal of pleasure in displaying 2 paintings with Twentyfour Shoes www.facebook.com/twentyfourshoes and 2 paintings with Present Company www.present-co.co.uk Many thanks to these smart, quality businesses for showing my work.

Another highlight this month, also organised by Alison, was to spend a day in the company of Ian Cryer PROI (President of the Institute of Oil Painters based at the Mall Galleries in London). Ian did a demonstration of oil painting during last Friday morning and then took a master class of six people.

Ian Cryer
( www.theroi.co.uk)

I haven’t painted in oils for over twenty years, preferring acrylics, but I am keen to take up oil painting again and enjoyed the day so much that I have sent my application to become a Friend of the ROI.

And then there was last Sunday – a beautiful sunny day more like summer than autumny September.

Me with my ‘Art on the railings’

Clevedon Pier

It was the weekend of the Tides Festival and Alison had done it again. She had organised ‘Art on the Railings’ whereby artists displayed paintings on the seafront at Clevedon. This was definitely a new venture for me, and having checked the weather forecast, packed up a selection of small paintings, framed and unframed prints went and set up my display. I had no expectations whatsoever. I merely wanted to support the festival, but what a great day. Hundreds of visitors came to Clevedon and locals turned out too, so that I talked all day to people I knew and people new to me, amongst them fellow artists. People were interested in my paintings, wanted to know more about them and took details of next May’s exhibition. Because of my sales I can now make a small donation to MARLENS’ funds.

All this and a birthday too. We’ll be going to an excellent restaurant called The Leaf. www.theleafathamgreen.co.uk This fine-dining restaurant is a purpose built business that is part of St Katherine’s School, Pill, near Bristol. The dishes use locally sourced ingredients and all meals are freshly prepared, cooked and served by the school’s catering and hospitality students.