Hi everyone!

I was away in Spain for a week with my sister to her place in a place called Torrox on the costa del sol in the south of the country and had a nice relaxing break. :-) The weather was up and down, with some overcast days and one day it rained quite a bit but other than that it was lovely and it was very warm. We went into the nearby town of Nerja (10mins away) and did some shopping and sunbathing on the sea front. This town is so pretty with the famous 'Balcon de Europa' a favourite place to visit and lots of lovely little restaurants all vying for business. I bought some lovely hand-crafted tiles in a little shop by a local artist which I always go back to each year as I love his work. I would love to have bought some of his large colourful glass bowls but I wouldn't be able to bring them back in my luggage. He uses beautiful rich reds, oranges, blues, whites in his glassware and also some jewellery.
The beautiful oranges of the roof-tops against the rich white of house walls are beautiful in Spain and the many colours of lovely bouganvillia flowers and stunning blue flowered trees are beautiful! :-)
Where we were staying there are many retired English people and we have got to know them all well - and their dogs!! They bring their dogs for walks many times a day. We also go on long walks down the hillside by the local farmer's fields and see the goats being herded on the goat-track which is lovely as both my sister and I love the nature aspect of our holidays. They grow lots of fruit, like lemons and avocados and tomatoes are grown everywhere in plastic and mesh covered structures. I bought a few lovely items at the local Monday open market inhe including a nice dress which I wore out one evening when we went for an Indian meal in the local Taj Mahal restaurant. Overall it was a lovely holiday but so disappointing to come back to the same wet, cold and overcast weather in Ireland which I had left behind before I left! Hopefully it will change soon.
I am putting a few photos up for you. :-)

On another note - I am working away at getting paintings ready for my solo exhibition coming up on the 8th to 19th of July in our local library here in Rush, Co. Dublin. Three back from the framer yesterday and and another two gone in. Busy...busy...  :-) xx

Hi everyone!
I did this simple little painting earlier. Weather is so bad today that I just felt like doing something nice and summery! :-D

Hi everyone!
I hope you all had a lovely Easter! :-)  Really enjoyed it myself with the family, plenty of eating, drinking, games, chocolate etc., We spent the Easter Sunday down in Glenn and Aiva's house and they also had a guest arrive from Denmark called Urska too which was lovely meeting her on the day.
I have been working on different pieces and trying out layers and textures in nature, enjoying it. I love the way everything in nature is made of one layer (the earth itself) and then subsequent layers of bracken, leaves, weeds, wildflowers etc., and it fascinates me how you look at the outer layer  (say in the hedgerows) and through that you can see other layers in the distance behind it! Hope I am explaining myself properly! I also love the abstract elements in nature, shapes, forms - I am so interested in these and will be experimenting more.
Weather is beautiful at last and it's so great to throw off the heavier coats and jackets, boots etc., I love cycling and being out in this type of weather so I had slacked off being in the studio for a bit  but I am always taking things in in my surrounding no matter where I am and it has an affect on my art.
Just putting up a few of my latest .......

I did this painting called "Erosion" - mixed media on canvas - 80cm x 50cm, with my inspiration coming from the erosion of our local seaside cliffs during the very stormy weather recently, exposing beautiful rock strata and colours. I'm not sure which way to turn it as it looks good either way. :-)

"Erosion"

Recent work.....

Have a lovely weekend everybody! :-)