5th day botanical art workshop holiday by Oslo Fjord.

July 5, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

If I start writing a little bit weirdly, it’s because I gave fallen asleep writing this. Today I am tired, but not because of the course itself.

We have had another super day in the Thon Hotel, Åsgårdstrand. Even the well travelled amongst us feel that the hotel is really looking after us well.

This care and attention to detail by the hotel, has meant that we can immerse ourselves in botanical painting. Everyone has worked hard to perfect their individual techniques – and it’s paying off.

The afternoons are meant to be used on doing what we want to do as this is a holiday. However, except for short excursions, the majority have just wanted to work. I have taught and given individual attention in the morning and in the afternoon I am with them in the studio, but can give them help and advice when it’s asked for. In the meantime I paint only in the afternoons And evenings.ikpj

I have been painting a plant that we begged and borrowed in Åsgårdstrand, on the condition that I sent a card of the finished painting. I have been working to achieve this before it dies. The plant is a Cornus and I carried on after supper this evening and until midnight.

Anyway the pictures. I hope you will agree that the improvement is very good.

4th day Botanical art workshop holiday by Oslo Fjord

July 4, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

Again a lovely busy day with some really good results. Practice certainly makes perfect. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of some of the finished paintings today, but promise to do so tomorrow. But I am very thrilled with some of the results so far.

I have promised the others on the workshop holiday to tell you and show you a little of how the Thon Hotel Åsgårdstrand is looking after us. They have been absolutely marvellous and do everything they can to make our stay as comfortable and worthwhile as possible.

You have already seen the room that we are using as a studio, with its view facing east over the Oslo Fjord. You have also seen some of the pictures taken from my room and possibly realise how early the sun is up. The hotel is even making sure that our plants don’t suffer with the early morning sun and warmth, by closing blinds etc. for us.

The food has been amazing and they have even catered at extremely short notice for people with a combination of allergies and still made them feel excited about the flavours in the food they were getting.

There is quite a choice of food right from breakfast through to supper and they make a point of normalising gluten and lactose intolerance as a minimum.

These are pictures of just one coffee break!

When the coffee arrives, the room empties very quickly!

This afternoon we went to a Viking House museum not too far away and got a different perspective on how the Vikings lived and were appreciated.

When we got back, we still were served our tea! and in the same style as these pictures. A choice of a very healthy or a very unhealthy snack – or a combination.

Getting back from a light evening walk with my visiting family at 24:00, I took this at 01:00.

3rd Day Botanical art workshop holiday by the Oslo Fjord

July 3, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

Everyone is getting into the thick of their botanical art pictures. Some have chosen quite small plants which is quite difficult to do. Others are learning new techniques and have been so patient in practising them.

It isn’t often that one gets a whole week to go into such detail and I am very pleased to see such improvement. Some have practiced getting smooth washes, others intricate detail and some have not done botanical art before. I think and hope they might have become smitten.

Today the sun was shining all day and those new to Norway understood about the very special clear light here. Both sea and sky seem extra blue and nature in general seems more sparkling than we are used to in the UK at least.

This afternoon we visited a lady’s garden. We had seen some lovely and unusual specimens in her garden and one student was brave enough to ask to visit her. The lady had a beautiful pink Cornus (Dogwood) in her garden. She promptly cut off a piece and kindly gave it to us to paint.

2nd day botanical art workshop holiday by the Oslo Fjord

July 1, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

Something must be going right as they are already talking about ‘next time’.

Now I’m not sure if they are saying this only because Norway is so beautiful, or if it is because it is a good workshop! They (and I) do love the food.

What I will say is that it is very difficult getting everyone on time to meals during the day, or keeping up their fluid levels with the lovely fresh water readily available. But, we are having a lot of fun and being extremely well looked after by the Hotel.

This holiday is giving the less practised of us, more time to practice painting botanical art. It is also giving the opportunity to paint plants they haven’t painted before. Tomorrow I must take some pictures of some of what has been achieved so far. But in the meantime, some more pictures from today.

The first picture was taken from my bedroom window at 00:30 this morning.

First day botanical art workshop by Oslo Fjord

June 30, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

The sun shone in my window at 05:00 this morning – bright and powerful. I went back to sleep!

After a lovely breakfast in the Thon Hotel Åsgårdstrand, we started the workshop by choosing specimens to paint.

I had been very lucky to get some Norwegian plants from the mountains in Telemark as described yesterday. I had also got some standard flowers from the local garden centre, but nothing exotic from warmer climates. In addition to this, some of the students had been out and picked some flowers (with permission) round the hotel.

The plants chosen to paint were Multe or Cloudberry, pansies, Dianthus and the lovely Hydrangea Paniculata. Some people will be using watercolour, and some coloured pencil. It already looks very promising. So far graphite drawings have been done and traced ready to start painting tomorrow. Although one person has already completed one small picture.

The first picture is from my bedroom at 07:00 this morning. The remainder are from the room we are using to paint. Please make particular note of the final picture which is a view from our painting room.

Meeting the Norwegian Botanical art holiday group

June 29, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

At last we have arrived. I met up with seven students later on this afternoon. Unfortunately the eighth student was unable to come as planned and will be missed.

People haven’t come all the way to Norway only to have a holiday, but they have also come because of the workshop in botanical art. The weather for them is improving and that helps. Each of the ‘foreign’ students has commented on the beauty of Åsgårdstrand and the surrounding countryside, so I hope they will become almost as fond of Norway as I am.

During the day I have selected potential subjects from a nearby garden centre, but best of all are the plants collected in Telemark for the course. Hopefully you will see a little of them during the week, but I am very grateful to the lady who collected them for us. Takk skal du har Dagny!

These are a couple of pictures taken from my bedroom at 22:30 this evening. Sorry they are slightly unclear, I obviously didn’t keep still enough.

The Norwegian Botanical art workshop holiday about to start

June 28, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

I am in Norway, in my daughters house, in the lovely town of Tønsberg. I have at last got this far.

I have been chasing my tail for over a week and you can be allowed to feel really sorry for my husband who has borne the brunt of it. Every day , I thought today I would paint – but no. What has happened?

Apart from putting everything together and packing for this workshop, I have marked assignments and spent hours on preparation for the Palmengarten exhibition in Germany.

But worst of all, one of our cats – in fact my daughter’s cat on permanent loan to us, suddenly became seriously ill and nearly died. We have spent a lot of time at the vets and he was hospitalised and on drips to give him some fluids. But, we were allowed to bring him home on Wednesday and we can safely say he has definitely used up one of his nine lives. We now have a lovely cat sitter looking after the animals whilst we are away.

We travelled to Norway yesterday and tomorrow will be trying to find some suitable plants in preparation for everyone’s arrival tomorrow afternoon. I will also be meeting a lady from the Botany Society who has taken a trip up into the mountains to get some special Norwegian Flora for us.

Today was rather cloudy and colder than it has been. In fact my daughter tells me today was the coldest day since March! I have been going on about the beautiful warm weather they have had here. But my tall, strawberry blond daughter is beautifully brown- so it must be true.

Hopefully I will get a few minutes each day to keep you updated about the workshop holiday.

Photos from the small picture of a dead rose head in watercolour. Try as I might I didn’t get a chance to finish it before I left. The other picture is showing a little bit of the chaos in sorting for the Norwegian workshop.

Final day at Stansted and more

June 9, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

I am so tired. Happy, but tired.

Today we had fantastic weather and loads of visitors. For me there continued to be a constant stream of botanical art interested people. So many to explain to about botanical art and illustration.

I wrote this on Sunday and then fell asleep! It was an interesting and rewarding three days which might even have benefits in relation to future work. I also managed to get a little done on the Irises picture in coloured pencil.

This week has been catching up on paperwork, gardening and more painting as I couldn’t bend any more. But now at least we can see the flowers for the weeds and overgrown Forget-me- nots.

Next week I have a three-day workshop called ‘How difficult can Roses be?’. The roses in the garden are now in full bloom smelling beautifully and ready to be painted. Luckily we have all sorts which will allow people of varying abilities and experience to get a good result.

But it is now only two weeks until my husband and I travel to Norway in preparation for the workshop there.

The irises so far.

Stansted Park Garden Show – stand AD25

June 3, 2014April 4, 2015 | Gaynor's Flora

You are all invited to come to Stansted Park Garden Show. This a yearly show situated near Chichester. For those who love their gardens, this is the place.

I have a stand in the Art and Design Marquee – and I’m terrified! Not that there is anything to be terrified about.

I believe that I am the only botanical artist there although there will be a plenty of general art and design. But there will be plants and lots of them.

Summer still does not seem to have reached us yet. Chilly and cloudy with the occasional sun burst. But I am told from several sources in Norway that they have summer proper! I can’t wait for the workshop there in four weeks time.

In the meantime, I have again spent most of the day on the organisation, information, form design etc. for the SBA exhibition at Palmengarten. I think that so far I must have spent a week solid on this. The emails come in fast and furious following sending out an email to all members asking if they intend to submit. The response so far has been really good and today I got the instructions and forms finished off and sent to those thinking about exhibiting.

I managed to start painting at 17:00. Not much of the day left. My husband had got some more Irises for me to work on the Coloured pencil picture, so I did a little on that. By the way, I intend to work on the irises in coloured pencil and the Mandeville in watercolour, at the Stansted show. But it will be different days spent on each. I haven’t decided which days yet.

This is how far I have got with the Irises. I’m afraid the lighting was not very good for the photo, but it’s better than nothing.

Tomorrow will be the last weekly botanical art class until September. After which I will be packing things together to take to Stansted for setting up on Thursday.

GAYNOR'S FLORA

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