Oh definitely, it’s good to give examples of how good it could look in different mount/frame configurations.
I’m glad the HR meeting is over. Someone apparently overheard me say something they took exception to. Very petty and all sorted now.
Afternoon, so glad it was nothing too bad for you Margaret and it’s resolved. I used to work in HR and found very often comments that people took exception to were usually something they overheard and misinterpreted, especially when taken out of context.
Hazel, I see your painting in a soft semi whitewashed light wood, I love that we all have such differing tastes makes for interesting discussion 
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Glad your meeting was OK Margaret
Thanks Max, yes me too I like how we are such varied artists makes for an interesting thread
Hope you all have a good day
Hazel
I did a couple of quick blog posts yesterday. Just to keep the blog updated, I’m really busy at the moment - been a good week for art but I’m behind with blogging so did a quickly 
http://www.artinwax.co.uk/blog/new-paintings-art-in-wax/
http://www.artinwax.co.uk/blog/wildflowers-encaustic-painting-on-birch-panel/
I have now listed my wildflower painting …
https://folksy.com/items/6570874-Wildflower-Art-Landscape-original-Painting-
Interesting blogs Hazel, and good to see this one listed. I’m sure it won’t hang around too long in your shop as it’s so beautiful 
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had a difficult day…my laptop decided to go in a loop and I couldn’t close it down or open it…I had the “shutting down” sign for over 3 hours !! I had to get a friend to come up and help…all sorted now but it was a bit of a nightmare. Haven’t had time to do anything today as I went to the main pc and although I could email etc from there, I cannot crop my pics or anything on that machine. I decided to download picasa and that took a while but then I couldn’t get my pics to here from picasa…it refused to let me find them…sigh.
Anyway, hopefully now, I am back on my lovely laptop…and with the knowledge that I will need to get a new laptop at some time fairly soon…aaargh…
I will try to do a listing later…
Hope everyone is ok.
Evening all 
Wow, lots of natter to get through! Brenda, glad you got your laptop sorted, and Margaret - glad the meeting went well yesterday. I may not make a fortune doing art for my living, but at least I no longer have to put up with the dreading meetings at work!
Hazel - I like the picture in the white frame best. For me it shows the colours up best. We all have such different tastes LOL!
I was tidying the garage earlier and found my old art portfolio from school - it brought back a few memories! I took photos of some of teh stuff, and thought you all might like to have a nosey Bear in mind I’m 45 now, so these were done quite a while ago!
This was a self portrait when I was 14 or 15 - I remember the dress well. I loved it! And it was the only black thing I ever had in my wardrobe. This was done in oils.
And this was also done in oils - a still life. Again, I was probably 14 or 15.
I had an obsession with drawing dancers. I was lucky enough to see the Bolshoi Ballet when I was about 16, and these drawings were mostly, I think, taken from images in the programme.
And Stephie - following on from our FB conversation about nipples - I did a life drawing class with a friend outside of school (we only ever had a female model at school as we were an all girls school). We had a shock when we found out the Saturday course has a male model! I was sooo embarrassed. He had a little net covering on his bits and bobs - I couldn’t bring myself to look there, let alone do any shading etc! And looking at the drawing I can see I was obviously too embarrassed to do the nipples too! LOL Thankfully the second sketch was a back view! This was age 17.
I think I could fancy getting back into drawing figures again, looking back on these.
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Good morning, well I am shattered today went to Worle yesterday for work 3 meetings spent around 5 hours travelling with little or no break inbetween meetings and I didn’t get home until well after 7, another long day today but mostly I’m delivering training and then off out after work for a drink with one of my former colleagues who is retiring today.
Thoese sketches are brilliant Sara, your dancers are particularly lovely, I really like the way you have given movement to the subjects. It would be really inteeresting to see some more recent sketches to see how you have grown. I think my art book is up in the loft somewhere, may dig it out, sadly it’s probably just a few sketches as we never had any real ‘teaching’ or models and I never stayed on in school left at 15 and didn’t really do anything outside of class in those days. I do remember doing a self portrait though, it would be fun to see what my art was like back then.
Glad the laptop is sorted Brenda,
Will go and read blogs tomorrow Hazel as I’m off to work in a bit and probaby not back here this evening.
Waving hi to Margaret. Have a lovely day everyone
Thanks for showing these early artworks Sara it’s fascinating to see what you were sketching so long ago. The movement in the dancing sketches it admirable, I particularly like the one with the pink background. I can understand your embarrassment at having to sketch a male life moded, I couldn’t do it!! You had lovely long hair in your teens, that self portrait must mean a lot to you, recalling how you were then.
Glad the laptop is sorted Brenda, I occaisionally get that situation where it’s ‘shutting down’ for ages, and I just cut off the power and start again!
Don’t work too hard Max! I’d love to have your energy!
I’m having a day off work today, I’d planned it a while back but particularly as that HR matter is still plaguing my thoughts I can really do with a day away from it all. I feel quite drained after it and can’t help wondering who reported me and whether the person I suspect is the right one or if I’m maligning her. I woke in the night and had to go get a cup of tea and surf the net for a while to distract myself. The plan is a meal out at lunchtime and a drive out to some gardens I’ve never visited before, see how the day goes.
well just lately my time just doesn’t seem to be my own.
Margaret, I even unplugged my laptop but when I put it back on it just came up again as “Logging off”…I had expected the message telling me that it hadn’t shut down properly and then I could have started again…anyway a friend who takes pc’s apart, sorted it out and it seems ok now.
I have been painting and here is a fairy that I did this morning…not listed anywhere yet.
.
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She’s beautiful Brenda and I love her face and expression. The clingfilm effect on the wings is stunning too!
Evening everyone, just on my way home, lovely catch up with friends. Margaret I’m sending a virtual hug and hope you feel better this evening after a day away, I can understand how upset you are, just remember we all love you here, please do try to put the incident behind you and move on, I often wonder at some people’s motivation in trying to get others in trouble, especially when the matter is petty I usually find they are sad lonely or unpopular individuals and are just trying to get Attention.
Wow Brenda she is beautiful
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What a busy thread, so nice to see!
I was sure I’d commented when I saw Max’s wonderful dragon (I have a thing for dragons) but nope, my comment is not there. Hey ho, the dragon is fab Max!
Hazel I like the white frame best too. It wouldn’t do for us all to be the same
Sara thank you for showing us your early work, I really love it. You have such a pensive expression on your face in your portrait, it’s beautiful. And I LOVE the still life, the knife is so shiny, what a good contrast against the wooden board and the veggies. You clearly have a talent for life drawing, I’m envious of your muscle definition and shapes - I’m going to have to find a class, I couldn’t even get the proportions of an iron statue right yesterday 
Brenda I’m glad you’re sorted too. Your fairy is gorgeous. I was thinking about you today, I’m using purple masking fluid on my latest commission (it’s of a wedding venue near me) - it’s perfect for my scene which has a lot of blue in it, but would be a disaster for you!
Margaret sending hugs your way. I listen to “book at bedtime” on the radio iplayer when I can;t sleep, it takes my mind off things and is rather soothing.
Waving to everyone reading the thread and anyone I’ve missed (not intentional, I’m just really busy)
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Margaret, I was so busy earlier that I missed your post…please keep your chin up…people can be SO petty at times and if this person really knew you, they would know that you would never knowingly do anything wrong or hurt anyone…You can be confident in the fact that you are a lovely person…always feel free to pm me if you need to rant or get anything off your chest.
Waving to everyone…
sorry I am missing a lot lately but SOOOO busy with other things.
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Many thanks for the good wishes everyone, it’s much appreciated!
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Good morning everyone, and happy 1st August. I’m looking forward to an afternoon out for a family meal and then on to the theatre to see Jersey Boys :). This morning I am doing my art journal for June and July so will post a pic and blog link later on, I can’t quite believe it’s just 2 weeks to the big day, I have just a few things left on my list so need to pull my finger out and finish it off. I had to change a few things along the way like walking in Brecon as I did some damage to a tendon in my heel (doing the garden!) which is going to take a long time to heal so changed that as well as learning to ride a bike, and I’m not going to meet my target weight loss but generally I am really pleased with what I have achieved over the last 12 months and it certainly got me motivated to do some of the things I kept putting off!
Waving hi to everyone and nice to hear from you Stephie, hope you all have a great day and I’ll be back later with a blog
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Blog and art journal are now done, just need to shower and change then we are off out http://paperchainsandbeads.blogspot.co.uk/
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Well done Max on achieving so many of the things on your list! Wish I’d thought of something like that when I was approaching 50! Maybe I’ll do it when I get near 60 in another 8 years time!
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What a lovely keepsake of your year Max. I left a comment on your blog for you
I’m painting today (can’t show you as it’s a wedding commission) and I’m making very slow progress as I’m also trying to sort out car insurance which is an absolute nightmare - adding my 19 year old son on so that he can help with the 8 weekly drive to Cambridge is proving rather pricey!
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Morning all 
Brenda - loove the purple ladies you have been doing
Max, that journal is fab. I have some blank ones I got for decorating up a year or so back - they are still blank LOL!.
Thanks for all the lovely comments on my old sketches Stephie, I really recommend life drawing classes - you get a chance to look really closely at the human body, and see how the muscles lie etc. I’d love to do some classes again - it’s on my to do list
I’m taking orders for Christmas commissions already! My regulars know to get in early for the decorations and gifts they want
I took some time out yesterday just to play around with miniature painting, here’s a few of them:
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