Keeping dry on a wet day

Morning all. What a difference a day makes. Woke up to a misty, moisty morning with no sign of it getting any brighter. The hills are most definitely not alive today. Fortunately it’s very cosy in our campervan and I’ve brought plenty of things to read and do, including my mini paint set and my handmade sketchbook. I’d seen it on Instagram and simply had to have one - like you do!

I did wonder if it would really do the job. It did  😊

I enjoy creating, especially art. I’m not an artist, per se, but art journalling gives me a thrill (unless it goes horribly wrong) which it often does! Anyway, I have fun. Which is what it’s all about isn’t it?

Have a good day and I’ll catch up again soon. P x

Our weekend

I've recently enrolled at a local watercolour class, so off I went on Friday afternoon with my half finished painting under my arm to join my colleagues for a fulfilling couple of hours painting, losing myself in the total relaxation that art brings me.

Then it was off for the food shopping - ingredients for a dessert I was making for Saturday evening - more about that later.

Saturday morning saw us over at the stables where we took our grand daughter A for her weekly horse-riding lessons.

Beautiful day but muddy wasn't the word - it was horrendous as we walked through the woods in our wellies following the group of riders. Back to our son's house for a lunch - Italian flatbread sandwiches and steaming cups of tea. We then went back home to start preparing the dessert for the Burn's night dinner we were going to at our friends' house that evening. We often have 'theme' evenings with these friends and enjoy pulling it together with typical music, clothes, food and props to complete the said theme.

Our starter was Scottish smoked salmon

Followed by Haggis, Neeps and Tatties with an Angus steak

which was sooooo tasty

Dessert was my contribution - Scottish Cranachan 

made with sweet raspberries folded into cream

flavoured with honey and whiskey and 

layered with  toasted almonds and oatmeal

It was delicious I have to say

Sunday - well what can I say - it rained from morning through 'till evening and in any case it was nice just to have a lazy, put-your-feet-up kind of afternoon in the knowledge that the evening's viewing in front of the fire -  Countryfile, Call the Midwife and Mr Selfridge would finish the day of very nicely.

How was your weekend?

I'd just like to say thank you all so much for your lovely comments on  my recent posts - all very much appreciated.

See you soon x

Belgium - part 2

Another highlight of our recent trip to Belgium was to visit the city of Ghent. Many of you already know that I am on the last leg of  my History degree. My current module is Art History - Renaissance and I'm loving it.

We have to choose a particular piece of artwork to research and write about in our final 4500 word essay in May. I have chosen the famous "Ghent Altarpiece" painted by the renowned artist brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck from the Northern Renaissance workshops, in what was then called the Netherlands but today known as northern Belgium.  So it was no co-incidence that we made this trip which has gone a long way to aiding my research with the added bonus of being able to view this masterpiece  for real at St Bavo's Cathedral.

 

featuring "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" 

 

 

This impressive Gothic cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks of the city of Ghent 

 



where this sculpture of the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck stands outside

 

 

 

The deli's and bakers shops were so tempting

and I love that you can have a coffee or beer in the same establishment

as an antique shop/art gallery!

 

In Brussels there were many flea markets but sadly not enought time to visit

 



 

and allthough I was done with Christmas, it was interesting to see the
Christmas markets, which I'd never seen or been to before

 

I hope you enjoyed this tour of our short but sweet trip..

 

Bye for now

Leonardo da Vinci - painter at the Court of Milan

; This exhibition was a much awaited visit and proved to be all that we hoped it would be. Our slot was 1pm and due to take about half an hour. It turned out to be two hours long in the main galleries and then we moved on to the Last Supper which was housed in another part of the National Gallery. Exhausted by the end,  but such a privilege to see this once in a lifetime exhibition of most of Leonardo's work.

Leonardo trained in Florence where his gifts as a painter and musician were soon recognised. He moved to Milan in the late fifteenth century and sought patronage of Ludovico Sforza, whose aspiration to create a perfect city inhabited by exceptional men of talent made Leonardo the ideal court artist.

Amongst the many paintings exhibited were The Musician, The Lady with an Ermine, Saint Jerome, The Virgin of the Rocks, The Madonna Lita, Christ as Salvator Mundi (the recently restored painting) The Madonna of the Yarnwinder. Lastly we viewed the full-scale copy of his Last Supper painted by Giampietrino about 1520 which includes details permantently lost in the original which was one of Leonardo's most celebrated works of art painted as a fresco on the wall of a refectory of the Domenican Convent adjoining the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

The process of drawing was vital to Leonardo's investigation of the world and the evolution of his compositions and many of his sketches are exhibited alongside his paintings as well as sketches of anatomical studies. Other works by Leonardo's pupils and followers reveal his tremendous impact and are included to explore issues of attribution.

The National Gallery have many upcoming events in the form of courses,workshops, talks and lectures and more exhibitions planned for 2012 including Turner and Titian.

www.nationalgallery.org.uk