The Spirit of the Ice Bear

"Ice Bear Spirit"
11 x 7 1/2 inches
Original Watercolour painting

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This blog goes days and days without a post from me, and then TWO in one day! Stick with me, it's worth it I promise you!
Here is the finished painting, which I've been working my socks off to get completed today. I've framed it, and it goes up for auction tomorrow night, at the Fire and Ice fundraiser at Castle Drogo. This is in aid of the Ice Bear Project, the brainchild of sculptor Mark Coreth, who aims to raise awareness of the effects of climate change by bringing his truly amazing ice sculpture of a polar bear to Trafalgar Square, London and Nytorv square, Copenhagen. Over the course of several days this imposing bear will melt leaving nothing but a bronze skeleton and a puddle of water. Each hand that touches the bear melts a little bit more of the ice, giving a stark message about the effect each and every one of us has on the fate of the Arctic.

If you wish to put in a bid for this painting, please email the ice bear team here: kesella@icebearproject.org


And please, I'm asking a favour here, if you have time, and love what Mark is doing, please pass this message on! Time is short, the auction is tomorrow night, and the first bear arrives in Trafalgar Square on the 8th of December. We aim to raise as much money as possible tomorrow night, so please tweet this, blog this or pass on this facebook link.
Many, many thanks!

You are welcome to use these images in passing the message on (but please respect the rest of my artwork and images - all are copyrighted!)

If you like to let me know in the comments section of this post, I will send a print of this painting to one 'passer - on' drawn at random on Saturday morning 9 o'clock UK time. So hurry along - only 24 hours :)

Of Bears and other Beasts

Fairytales are everywhere I turn at the moment. There is wild magic in the air, the raging winds which buffet my little house make us want to curl up and retreat into imaginary worlds. We lit the fire, and watched a film - The Secret of Moonacre, which I somehow overlooked when it was released at the cinema. It was a beautiful, enchanting tale of the dangers of pride, redeemed by the ultimate act of self- sacrifice. It had my daughters and I mesmerised!( and it made us cry a tiny bit!)

See the trailer here

And this song - Beasts by Slow Moving Millie, is the perfect song for a night of fairytales.
(Yes, it's THAT song from the Virgin advert)

I have been re- reading East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and reminding myself how much I am in love with Kay Nielsen's illustrations. His polar bear is hauntingly beautiful.

There are polar bears everywhere I turn at the moment. Tomorrow night we are attending the Fire and Ice Dinner, at Castle Drogo, which is fundraising for the Ice Bear Project. It promises to be a great evening, in a spectacular setting, with talks from Mark Coreth( sculptor), Nick Baker (wildlife expert and TV presenter) and arctic explorer Pen Haddow. There are still a few tickets left if anybody wants to come!

And here is a glance at the rough sketches for my latest project.
More on this later ;)

Two Rooks

I finished another pair of transformation paintings this week - two rooks.
These are actually portraits of myself and my sister ( I'm the one on the right, for those of you who don't know me - and those who do, but still don't recognise me with a bird's head stuck on top of mine!)

And a busy day in the allotment! I picked elderflowers for elderflower champagne, and thinned the beetroot. We had the beetroot for supper, both roots and leaves - they were so sweet and delicious! The fruit will go in the freezer for a few days until I have got enough to start making batches of jam. The blackcurrant bushes are laden, branches almost snapping under the weight of fruit, but something is scrumping our strawberries, despite them being carefully netted.

Midsummer nights

I love these long hot summer evenings. Walking on the hills this evening I stopped to watch the hay being baled and brought in all around me. The grass is nearly waist high, pinky seedheads puffing pollen at me as I wade through. As the sun sets in an orange glow, the hills looked as though they were burning, an echo of the real flames that licked across them as they were swailed earlier in the year.

The forecast is good for the next couple of days, and everyone will be baling through the night. Even I suddenly have a glut of grass on my poor, dry hill pasture. The small ponies are grumbling at being shut away from most of it.

I've almost finished the painting too. It is still continuing on with the transformation theme. Can you see that this is my crow girl again?

Thankyou!

Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for all your helpful comments on my last post. I'm sorry that I didn't have time to reply to everyone individually, (too busy dealing with animal stresses this week!) but I REALLY do appreciate your kind words and advice.
The buttercup rash has completely gone on three legs - it's lingering still on the fourth, but I'm working on it. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be bothering Red in the least.
Today's good news is that Marlene has come into season, so not in foal!

I also found time to do a quick painting of a bloke with a stoat on his head. And a small boy masquerading as a chaffinch. My sister and I are organising an Open Studios event for Chagford Arts Festival in about three weeks time, so I am desperately trying to finish some work to exhibit!

Heron girl

Heron Girl

5 x 4 inches, watercolour

Here's the latest in the series!

Rabbit Boy

Rabbit Boy

After a bank holiday weekend spent almost entirely in the allotment I managed to paint another little transformation picture. Sadly I think my scanner is on the way out :(

And the Winner is .......

Mary! Congratulations ! If you could let me know your address, either through the 'contact' button on the blog, or leave it as a comment ( and I will delete it instead of publishing it), then I will get your hare painting sent off to you!

I think that Beth Grim deserves a special mention for offering up the tastiest nettle suggestion- Thankyou! So, as promised, Beth, you can choose a 6 x 8 image from my Etsy shop, or the blog if there is a print I haven't got round to listing yet, and I will print it up for you and send it off!

And, continuing the themes of transformation, here is yet another painting. I am really enjoying myself painting these - I could go on for ever!

Illustration friday "Theatre"

Hare Girl

Hmmm, I grant you this is a rather tenuous link to the IF topic this week, but still, Theatre is all about taking on another persona, and becoming someone else, albeit temporarily!

I really can't scan this one properly - it is far more contrasty than the original, but after an hour of trying to adjust it I've given up. My scanner is usually pretty good, but it just doesn't seem to cope with this combination of green and rusty red.

Don't forget, the draw for the Sepia Hare painting doesn't close until the end of the day, so there is still time to sign up if you fancy it! Sign up here.

An Owl Girl

"Owl Girl"

I painted her today, the first full day's painting I have managed in nearly a month. Sometimes it's a relief to have a rainy day!

Don't forget, there are still a couple of days left until the draw for the Hare painting, so go and leave a comment on that post if you want to enter!

Illustration Friday 'Instinct'

Our animal instincts are only just below the surface. What animal guides you?
These two paintings, just finished today, are the last ones for my exhibition. I couldn't resist returning to themes of transformation, and I'm pleased with these girls! Unfortunately, the scanner hasn't picked up the facial details very well - it's all a bit washed out. But I will get some better scans done so that I can make prints.
These, along with the other Fox and Crow paintings, and the Sky Pirates, will be on exhibition at The Courtyard Cafe, Chagford, from the first of March, and then offered for sale.