Students at work painting the floor

I can’t paint the walls it causes too much pain so I am watching the other students work hard. I’ve made cakes and brought milk for tea. I am the chief tea maker.

Well it is the Easter holidays so today I am visiting Tate Britain to see the Van Gogh in Britain Exhibition. It is a glorious day in London so we are starting with an Orange juice sat in the sunshine.We have just spent 2.5 hours in the Exhibition I enjoyed it though I’m now exhausted. The reason for the Exhibition is a bit contrived as Vincent was not an artist when he lived in London though I do accept that the art he saw whilst living there influenced the subjects he chose to paint and drawing when he later became an artist.No pictures to share from Vincent but here is my drawing on Henry Moore’s Reclining nudeToday we are visiting The Royal Academy. Renaissance Nudes, I wish this had been on before our nudes assignment! Very quiet so we were allowed in early once again no limit on time once you ate in. Well presented and all connected. It flowed.Found a cafe in the RA I didn’t know existed.Not cheap! Broccoli £4.50Tate Modern today we have booked to see Pierre Bombard. Just found out about Tate Collective which is good for my son and anybody under 26 years old as it gets them into the Exhibitions for £5. As an older student I only get a £1 reduction.I love the CC Land Pierre Bonnard exhibition The colours are wonderful. Again it took 2 hours I was glad to be using a scooter as Due to my fibromyalgia I couldn’t have managed without it and I wouldn’t want to miss out.

Last day home via Oxford and the Ashmolean museum. We went to Jeff Kooms exhibition my son was not taken with Jeff Kooms at all , I think hid ‘inflatibles’ are fun but wasn’t taken with the ‘glass orb’ art. I feel you should see art that you don’t like as well as art you do like. If you are not open to seeing different ways of expression then you risk missing something amazing.

Sat in the museum sketching

I can’t believe we have reached the final project of this year already, the year has gone so quickly.

I now have some ideas that just need finishing but I have a flare up of my fibromyalgia and am struggling to think nevermind do anything. Thankfully the print technition has offered to make my screen my ideas below

I don’t know if the end product will combine them or not I will try both and see.

They didn’t turn out quite as I expected but I enjoyed the process of making the print and have learnt loads.

Okay I thought I try and make a stained glass panel I have daffodils growing in my garden

They are my models

First attempt poor I couldn’t keep an even pressure on the tube

My second attempt was with a glass pen, so much better

Now comes the

bit I’m looking forward to, colouring in.

The final middle panel now for the final effect

They are sat on a light box and black cartridge paper used to cover the surround.

I offered to do a painting for the school auction to raise money for equipment this is the result

Last week I exhausted myself visiting lots of collections looking for ideas. We started with the Grundy art gallery in Blackpool. I’m sorry to say I had not heard of it before as it is a lovely little gallery and well worth a visit.

Visit 2 was to Manchester art gallery which has loads to see but I particularly wanted to see Leonardo da Vinci (10 pictures from the Queens exhibition. They were as good as expected, now I feel the urge to visit some of the other galleries where his art is on display.

Third visit was to Towneley Hall which was a very interesting old building with lots of art on display as well as the old furnishings and paintings that had once belonged to the Towneley family. Their collections of objects were interesting to look at but didn’t give me any inspiration.

My fourth visit was almost an accident as it was only being tired that we sort a place to visit on the way home (from family). We went to Howarth Hall which houses the largest collection of Tiffany glass outside the USA. I love the rich colours and the irridesence the glass craft is skilled and beautiful. I feel I have found my collection. Now how to use this inspiration in my art?

Visit 4 King street gallery Lancaster

A lovely little gallery worth a visit if you are in Lancaster. Visit time half to one hour.

I visited London with fellow students and my mother who acted as my supporter. We visited as many galleries as I could cope with in 3 days. after the visit I created a book describing how I felt about my experience.

I was not well when I did these and I think is shows. They are hot wax pictures or encaustic art.

The first picture is how I see me as a retired nurse, the second is how others see me. I enjoyed cutting the hand out of perspex. the third picture is my attempt at drawing myself, it isn’t right.

we were each given a bag of bits and challenged to make a sculpture I hope you like mine.

I chose to draw a pen knife, as a Girl Guide we carried a pen knife on our uniform belt.

After several trips to St Georges shopping centre we were instructed to produce a piece of art inspired by the building my final piece was shopping in the DNA (photo top left).