Talking Paint

Himalayan Poppies
These beautiful cerulean blue poppies are quite difficult to grow in your garden and as the name suggests, they originate from Tibet. In this painting I wanted to accentuate the blue of the fragile petals, so I created a dark watered-silk effect background in indigo causing the gold stamens to sparkle in contrast.

Pear Blossom
One spring I took a photograph of the pear blossom on our one hundred year old pear tree in our back garden. This painting is a direct copy of the way the blossom fell and how petals were being blown onto the wind. It always reminds me of spring and these two paintings are hanging on the wall in our hall at home.

Loen, Nordfjord, Norway
My father went to Norway on business in 1960 and sent me and my sister lots of postcards while he was there. When he came home he had bought me a lovely turquoise, enamelled butterfly brooch (which I still have) and a book of photographs of Norway. I always promised I'd paint this one - my favourite.

Lindisfarne
I have been to Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, twice and loved it each time. There is something special about an island, especially when it is cut off by the sea at certain tides and only reached by a causeway. This painting shows Lindisfarne Castle in the far distance to the left and it is the sky and sea that are the main focus of the picture.

Mermaids' Pearls

I have always wanted to paint mermaids.  The large mermaid in the foreground is blowing out bubbles to the shoal of purple fish.  This stream of bubbles looks like a string of pearls and meanders through the fish to her right hand to be caught by the next mermaid in her right hand and up to the third mermaid swimming in to the picture.

Blue Iris

Blue Irises are stunning in your garden.  This design is one of my most popular in my stationery designs.

Harebells

These were my mother's favourite flowers and I painted this bunch of harebells and had it framed for her.  She had this on the wall of her bedroom until she died. I now have the painting and it always reminds me of my mother.

Bluetits

We have an abundance of Bluetits in our garden.  They love to congregate in our birdbath and have a communal wash and feather preen.  Here there are cornfields beyond and an intertwining of Honeysuckle.

Delphiniums

Our garden Delphiniums always need staking as they are top-heavy and topple over.  Bees and butterflies love them.

Tibetan Full Festival Costume, Gondalen Monastery

I have highlighted this exotic costume and headdress with electric blue around the head quadrant of the painting to emphasise the spiritual dimensions of Tibetans.  Unfortunately their culture and their religion, Tibetan Buddhism, is a culture and religion in exile, forced out when China invaded Tibet.  Since the 1990s the Dalai Lama has been governing in exile. The time will come when Tibet and its wonderful culture will disappear as it will be assimilated into the Chinese culture.  I cannot believe there has not been an international outcry about this.  Over 500,000 Tibetans have died since the Chinese occupation.