On Friday I said I wouldn't do any painting. Ha!  On Saturday I finished off some paintings. On Saturday evening I said I wasn't going to do ANY art on Sunday.  Ha!  On Sunday I managed a few artfree hours but succumbed and did this portrait....The moral of the story being that I can't through a single day without some form of drawing or painting....

When I was at school my art teacher told me to 'loosen up' my style of painting and drawing as I would labour over every line ensuring it was perfect, while the rest of the class had found a more carefree way of expressing themselves.  I never found that way of expressing myself easy because I only wanted to paint realistically.  Everything had to be the way I saw it. Not how I felt it.  
Since putting together the smaller works (at smaller prices) I've put down on canvas something more painterly.Sometimes when you can see brushstroke and paint the connection with the artist is preserved. 

       I think the buyers of these paintings will be walking away with a great bargain. Please email me if you'd like to know the price of this painting. You'll have a pleasant surprise 

  

When anything is small it tends to have the cute factor attached to it, so when I saw these 4"x5" miniature canvasses at the art store I was hooked.  I had no idea what I wanted to put on them, but knew that in time I would know. First I thought of eBay (which I still intend to use) then when the idea of holding the exhibition in support of the Children's Hospital in Dublin came to me, I knew that these little canvassess would serve their purpose. 

I've always believed that art should be available for everyone to collect without costing the earth, and these small paintings will make a great start to anyone's art collection. They come in at a great price (I can't disclose prices online at the moment), and are very cute on the wall, and are perfect as a set of three for small wall areas up or across. I have ten to sell, and so far have painted what you see on the right. I have Lovehearts, Jelly Babies, Dolly Mixtures and M&Ms to add, the rest will come to me later. 

One thing is for sure. Whoever buys one of these paintings will make a great start to their art collection and help improve the quality of life of sick children at the same time. So it's a win win situation.  If you'd like to know how much these cost please e-mail me at serenityinstone@gmail.com   (shipping isn't included in that price, but won't be much at all as they weigh nothing at all)
  

I have scheduled an exhibition for 9th February in my local town. It's not at a gallery, or an exhibition centre or even anything like a cosy coffee shop, but in a library where  people visit everyday of the week and the paintings are guaranteed to be seen.  Which is important consider that 
I am organising this event with the Children's Medical and Research Foundation in mind so the exhibition has to be central and my hope is that it will be well supported. It promises to be a good evening for all who do come along, with candy themed music, a raffle with great prizes to raise further funds for the foundation.  The support of local sweet shops being very much appreciated in this venture.   

In terms of paintings I have counted 18 so far and visitors can expect to see 10 paintings of popular branded chocolate bars, a Trio of truffle paintings (6"x6" each)  Spinning Tops, Ferrero Roche, Jelly Babies, Lollipops, Love Hearts, Liquorice Allsorts and some American chocolate such as the one featured here.  Nothing is too large for good reason and I am delighted to offer some miniatures too.  Chocolate prints may also be on offer depending.

So what is so artistic about a bag of sweets, you might ask? Well, take this ordinary bag of Spinning Tops. Just strawberry and vanilla flavoured white chocolate with sprinkles in a cellophane bag tied at the neck. If you empty them out onto a plate their visual appeal soon dwindles. But in a clear bag and with a good light source you soon start to see many beautiful colours being reflected back from the plastic : blues, pinks, ochres. The way the artist presents the sweets is paramount to a getting a good finished painting and only with good composition and lighting can the artist get a good visual message across.  My message in this painting is not about the sweets at all, but that "clear cellophane can be so beautiful"