Its Spring and the beehive is finished.

The four panels of the beehive are finished.

It took me the winter months to paint the four panels, because really its four paintings.

The last coats of varnish will go on this weekend and next week the beehive will be send to Paul and Emma and Paul will use the beehive for advertising his new business in Arrowtown "Honey & Cacoa".

I am pleased with the result and the Spring panel with lamb and daffodils was finished a week before our official Spring date, the first of September, also the birthday of my daughter Rachel.

Spring lamb and daffodils

Lake Wanaka and Summer Lupins

Arrowtown river in Autumn colours

Dudleys Cottage in Winter Arrowtown

Summer art

 The third panel for the beehive is finished and this is the Summer panel.

Again the South Island of New Zealand, Lake Wanaka with the Lupins in flower in the foreground.

During November, our Spring time, the lupins are in full flower till after Christmas.

A spectacular side when driving through McKenzie Country the colour of Lupins everywhere.

With Ollie my dog I went to the Hospital and Rest home for a visit and Ollie taught himself how to play with the balloon without popping it. Ollie loves balloons and nothing more then exercising with the residents and they love him too.
I filmed this on my camera and it is great to watch him.

Winter Art

                                   

The Winter panel for the beehive is finished, I painted Dudley's Cottage, a cottage build in 1880, the oldest cottage in Arrowtown.

I changed a few aspects, because I had to use winter and summer photographs of the cottage, but that is the artist interpretation.

By using cool colours of purple and blue as the base I created a cold winter feel of a snowy day.

I used warm darker colours behind the trees and brought those back in the tyre marks on the road and  the dried winter grasses in the foreground.

I know I shouldn't use warm colours in the distance, but sorry I broke the rules, because I think it works for this painting.

Dudley's Cottage is now a cafe and gift shop and will be next to Paul and Emma new business' Honey and Cacoa.'

The painted beehive will sit outside the shop and hopefully will be a nice talking point.

                                             

On Wednesday at the elderly activity morning we started to paint terracotta pots for Springtime to plant with Tulip and Daffodil bulbs.
The pots need to dry and next time I will bring stencils to decorate the pots and then we will plant the bulbs.
It was a rainy day so a nice way to spend the morning.

Autumn art

The Autumn side of the beehive

                                                 

Its Autumn and the trees are in wonderful colours of red, yellow and orange. 

When I drive through our country side of the Moutere I enjoy the golden colours of the vineyards and the hazy blue mountains in the background. I am blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

Our son Paul and his wife Emma are opening soon a new business called Honey and Cacoa in Arrowtown, near Queenstown selling New Zealand honey and chocolate.

I am painting a beehive with the four seasons and have just finished the Autumn side.

The scene of the painting is in Arrowtown.

The beehive will be placed outside the shop.

Yesterday I did a creativity session at our local resthome and hospital.

Working with pastels colouring in autumn leaves.

Art is such a relaxing activity for people suffering from dementia, really being in the moment.

A little bit of joy and colour in the day.

Bees wax candles and summer sketches

Designing and the first drawings for the candle labels

                                    

The Summer has turned into Autumn and the mornings are getting chilly with a real Autumn feel in the air. The evenings are cooling down and tonight I have lit the fire for the first time.

Only a few weeks ago it was really hot and I went for a  last swim in the sea. 

I like to take my sketch book when we go for a picnic at the beach and my sketches are an impression of the time spend at the beach or Summer activities.

The sketches are by no means totally accurate, but for me they brings back the feeling I had when I did the sketch; how windy it was or how hot the sun felt, the smell of the sea or the noise of the waves. More then any photograph taken a sketch tells a better story of the moment I was there.

I am making scented beeswax coconut oil candles and like to sell the candles soon on markets and my Felt shop and also in the new shop Honey and Cacao in Arrowtown, a new business for my son Paul and daughter in law Emma.

I am designing and drawing a label for the candles and working on a hexagon with bees all around, I started this afternoon with the drawings. 

The candle burns very well and doesn't tunnel at all, my test candle has now burned over 14 hours and is still going.

It is nice to be inside with the fire going and my art stuff all over the dining table and some quiet time for me.

Beeswax Coconut candle burning well

Sketches of shells at the beach

Sketches of strawberry picking and landscape

Sketches of flax and stones

Sketches of a day at the beach

Animals and painting

It has been a while since my last blog post.

Christmas and New Year have been and gone and life is settling again after a busy time.

I have plenty of work in my garden after a spell of dry weather and now lots of rain.

The first crop of apples are ready to be picked and made into apple sauce for the winter.

I had time to finish my oil painting The Good Shepherd and the painting is about a shepherd after mustering carrying an exhausted heavy Merino sheep back on his shoulders to the flock.

His sheep dog by his side.

                                              

 Also I got my botanical water colour painting printed as cards and I am selling the cards on my New Zealand web Felt shop and in a local shop in Mapua.

 One of my hens got broody and I don't have a rooster, so I bought 6 fertile eggs from a local breeder and 3 of the eggs hatched and now I have little baby chooks, hopefully not all roosters.

 My other chicken feels very lonely now, so she hops on the deck and sits near the window and I am sure she would like to share the dog bed with Ollie if she could.

 Ollie learned to sit in kayak for the first time and is enjoying every moment.
I love all my animals!