Amongst the wild flowers in the lawn I discovered this spider with wasp-like markings poised unmoving in the centre of her web; looking it up on the web (!) I found that it is indeed called a wasp spider, and depending on its age it weaves a zig zag design on its web, much as…
In late June I found a wee swift nestling chirping frantically on the floor of my studio. The swifts had made their nest in a hole in the wall outside and somehow he’d fallen through to the interior landing softly on some fabric. I popped him in a nest I’d picked up years ago, and…
There was a fascinating article on the radio the other morning about how spiders can “fly”. Apparently scientists, after much study have discovered how they manage to land on ships in the middle of the ocean, which Darwin noted when on board ship, but he didn’t pursue investigating it. Spiders have been filmed waving one leg…
Listening to Pam Ayres this morning on Saturday Live ( radio 4) sadly bemoaning the fact that country fields no longer have the huge variety of spring flowers they used to have when she was young; 60 years on and here in France, I realise how lucky I am that I can still have that…
Atmospheric mountains form a backdrop to our friends’ house and village, they can change mood not only from day to day, but from hour to hour, grey dreary skies transform to spectacular cloud formations, then to deep blue skies, Constable would have been in his element painting here. On our return from a short break…
I had an interesting painting project to do recently, rather smaller than the vast wall or ceiling areas I’m often asked to do, but still a challenge all the same: I was asked to restore a large antique toleware tray, I said was happy to give it a go ( probably a phrase that would…
2 weeks ago Meggie dog went into veterinary hospital, she was immediately put on a drip, as she wouldn’t drink, after 5 days (and several hundred euros) she’s back with us again, and we continued nursing her for a further week and now nearly 3 weeks after the illness she’s back on form, if a…
Forgive me for including wildlife notes, again, but since childhood I was always fascinated by biology; in fact when I left school I went to work in a biology lab to train as a microbiologist whilst doing day release to get my qualifications. Whilst I enjoyed the work, I found the repetition required in research…
Autumn has arrived, and although it can be warm, it’s now turned quite chilly; even so a bushcricket still thinks it’s summer; twice now I’ve accidentally disturbed its nest which it insists on building inside the upstairs window frame, so when I open it to clean the window, it dislodges and falls to the floor…
As I was reading in the garden at lunch, a strange and beautiful insect landed on the edge of my kindle. He was a pert and quirky little fellow, only 0.5cm long, with a tail not unlike a scorpion’s, and entirely lemony-yellow; I first noticed him because of his peculiar stance which was to rock…
My aim is to finish the details on the ceiling by the end of this week, hoorah!..the birds are completed…. about 50 in number. I’ve tweaked the swirlies, having given them more contrast here and there. I was slightly held up because I decided to repaint the owl, I had got over-enthusiastic with the number of feathers…
I have recently completed a commission for a chef, who wanted me to paint from an old black and white photo he’d found of a gathering of busy chefs eating together, a shalloon or a shallot of chefs perhaps, or maybe a shamble? Then I got distracted finding a French word to describe a band…
Well it’s been over a month since I posted a blog, the days fly past and summer is here. Last year I accidentally dug up some lizard eggs, (here) and found some more the other day in the same place, an earth-filled cavity in the low wall, obviously a favourite spot for Mme Lizard to…
Two or three times a day I walk the same path through the forest with dog Meg at my side, or maybe she will be trotting inquisitively ahead, or behind glued to my heels from fear of a distant gunshot or woodpecker. It occurs to me that we each get different perceptions from this pleasant time…
All day long yesterday and today we could hear the distant mournful cries of cranes as they fly North from their winter feeding grounds in Spain and Africa, up to the Baltic States to nest and breed during the summer months. They fly above the house twice a year when heading either north in Spring, or south in Autumn. It lifts your heart…
Putting my thoughts about classical music into words.
Lily S. May--Life with Art
sharing the creative process of artist, illustrator, and book lover, Judy Watson
Sharing my work and thoughts....
painting...drawing...making small worlds
Essays on Mathematics and Culture
postcards from the hedge - a blog by Phil Cooper
views from the artist's studio.
ARTIST: oils, watercolours, trompe l'œil and design
lizkingsangster 