A Splash of Paint

The middle of May, and finally the central heating has been turned off. Last weekend heralded the warmest few days of the year so far and, typically, I could not enjoy them as much as I would have liked. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, it’s just that the weekend happened to be the very same as my art group’s annual art exhibition, its 28th, and I had volunteered to be one of the stewards for all day Saturday.

Admiring the paintings
(the snow scene is one of mine!)

This year, our chosen charity to benefit from the entry fee, refreshment table sales, raffle, and a percentage of paintings sold is Freewheelers EVS – a voluntary organization in SW England who transports blood, pathology and microbiology specimens, patient notes, X-rays, breast milk and other medical supplies, plus delivery every night to two local air ambulance bases, using specialist motorbikes.

Some 240 framed and canvas paintings were on show, plus many more mounted only. For my part, I entered 5 pieces, 4 of which were for sale, one NFS, plus 2 reserve works. The reserve paintings are replacements kept back to replace those sold. In most exhibitions, anyone buying a painting can only take away their chosen piece at the closure of the show, which can be as long as a week or month in some cases. This can prove difficult for some people, so it was decided two years ago at our show people can take away their purchase/s immediately, thus we keep reserves rather than have empty space on the exhibition boards.

Decision finally made of what to exhibit

During my tour of duty I helped the ladies on the refreshment table serving tea, coffee, cold drinks and cakes etc, all home-made by members, but most of my time was spent manning the raffle ticket table. Prizes were 3 paintings donated by different professional artists who had during the past year given demonstrations to our group. Amusingly, our Chairman and Treasurer won 2 of the paintings, to light-hearted calls of “Fix” and “Fiddle” by the audience.

Delicious home-made cakes on the refreshment table

As normal, the show was busy but like last year, sales were slow and down. That said, on Friday’s Preview Evening, one of our newer members sold 4 of her paintings. A good job we had reserves to hang. To my delight, 2 of my paintings were sold during the course of the weekend, making me one happy painting bunny.

Priory Bluebells – Sold

English Summer’s Day – Sold

The event was tiring, mainly because of the heat, but most enjoyable. I arrived home exhausted and after treating myself to a large gin and tonic, took to my bed early. As a consequence, I missed the fantastic Northern Lights show taking place, something we never see this far south in England, and something I have always wanted to witness first-hand. Curses. Curses.

A few of our 60 artists from Frome Valley Art Group

Meanwhile, it’s back to the easel to paint for next year’s show. I have plenty of ideas. Whether any come to fruition is another matter.

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs

Spring. What Spring?

Here we are in the middle of April: springtime. Such a shame in the UK the weather isn’t playing ball. As I write this, hailstones are hammering down in between heavy rain showers, the wind howling, strong enough to send pots crashing to the ground, and the temperature has plummeted in sharp contrast to the weather we experienced yesterday and the day before – the warmest days of the year thus far. Crazy. No wonder us Brits are obsessed with our weather.

At least Dave managed to mow the lawns and get the sweetpeas, carrots and onions into the ground at the weekend, whilst I was able to do some weeding and pruning and general tidying up. We did have leeks growing ready to be planted out, but some pesky slugs had better ideas and demolished all twenty of them overnight. We have been overrun with them and snails this year thanks to the all the rain.

I think, too, the weather is the cause of my current loss of mojo. No matter what I plan or want to do, I do not have the impetus. I need warmth to get me going, a bit like a lizard (I must have been one in an earlier life!). How I’ve missed not being able to sit out on the patio just after dawn and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee as I watch and listen to the birds and observe the wildlife in the garden. I need that special hour or two in the early sunshine to set me up for the day. So far, I’ve only been able to do it once this year, and I wasn’t outside for long. Hopefully as the weather improves (fingers crossed) I will be back up to par and raring to go.

Another reason for my low mood is because this month has seen me hit a milestone birthday. Birthdays are not something Dave and I celebrate, we don’t give each other cards or gifts; we don’t do anything special such as a meal out – Dave isn’t one for that, he’d much rather he or I cook a meal at home, but I cannot believe I’ve reached my platinum birthday. Where have all the years gone? The muscles may ache, the knees hurt climbing stairs and I don’t have the energy of a teenager anymore but inside my head I still feel like one.

That aside, it is lovely to receive cards and beautiful presents and birthday messages from family and friends. Talking of cards, I might have mentioned in the past my two older sisters are identical twins. Believe me, when I say there is a solid telepathic mindset between twins, as I have discussed in the past. My sisters often unintentionally dress the same, have been known to buy the same clothes, give each other the same gift; the list is endless. This year they even sent me identical birthday cards, and they were not together when they bought them! Spooky? No, it’s what happens with twins, and Dave and I are still laughing about it.

The crashing pot I mentioned earlier was a birthday present from unexpected guests who arrived on Friday morning. We love blue pots and this was a beauty complete with a pretty pink azalea bush in flower. It looked lovely on the little garden table between our two patio chairs. Not any longer. Oh well, a perfect excuse to visit the garden centre and buy another. Or two. Or three.

On the whole, I’m feeling better already writing this. Life is great. Yes, it has its ups and downs, its heartache and loss, but also it is full of laughter and fun, and family and friends are an important and vital part of it. There are so many good things to be thankful for, and it is true that life is what you make of it. I’m never down for long, it’s just that this year it seems longer than usual.

Meanwhile, the black clouds have been swept away, the sky is blue now and the sun is shining. The central heating may still be on but from here things can only get better. And they will, starting with this little springtime painting I’ve managed to finish in time for next month’s art exhibition! Till next time, take and enjoy your spring whatever you are doing.

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs

Little Rays of Sunshine

Dismal, mild and wet sums up our winter so far in the south of England, but there’s currently a golden swathe of brightness on my front lawn, thanks to a quirk in geography, location and micro-climate. This happens most years in January running through to late spring. I’m talking about crocuses, or to give them correct plural term: croci.

In most places in the UK, the first signs of the changing season are the snowdrops often seen poking through a covering of snow, but not in my garden. It’s always the crocuses that appear first, usually pale purple ones, followed by the yellow and then dark purple ones, often appearing in flower on New Year’s Day, although this year they have been a little late.

One or two snowdrops by the hedge beat them to it, but we are not complaining. Eager to learn more about these cheerful globlet-shaped flowers, I recently did a little research and came across a few facts about them.

• Croci are one of the oldest cultivated flowers in the world with records going back to the Minoan civilization long ago on the Greek island of Crete.
• The name comes from an ancient word for the spice saffron, which is harvested from an autumn-flowering species of crocus.
• Crocuses are dwarf perennials of the iris family.
• The Romans brought the saffron crocus to Britain, but the more familiar winter and spring flowering corms come from the Balkans and Turkey, identified in 1753 by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.
• Crocuses grow best under lawns and are an excellent source of nectar for bees.

Each year, we plant up pots and tubs with them along with daffodils and hyacinths for an early spring display which are then planted in the lawn alongside the drive. Every year the bulbs multiply; where once was one flower stem, the next year 2, 3 the following year and so on. It is only in the past 4-5 years we’ve added snowdrops into the lawn, and these too proliferate year-on-year. They obviously like where they are, as do passers-by along with children going to and from the school at the end of our road. They often run to the drive, stop and look, pointing out the things they see to their parents. This week the first of the daffodils opened fully, a real sign of spring and much to my delight.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we have had a damp start to 2024. At times the rain has been torrential, non-stop, with strong winds that have flattened many of the crocuses, but Monday of this week saw glorious blue skies and warm sunshine allowing those flowers that have withstood the deluge or arrived a little later to open up in their full glory. A shame the schools are on half-term this week and the kiddies and parents have missed the lovely sight.

Meanwhile, whilst the rain tumbled down, I took up my paints again and thought of one of my favourite summer flowers. Somehow this little beauty sprang up from the paintbrush.

Until next time…

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs

Moving Forward

I find it difficult to think we are in the third week of 2024, and even harder to believe that this day last week, was the day my family said our final farewell to my 97-year-old mother who sadly passed away a few days before Christmas. It was a simple, non-religious ceremony with only immediate family, lots of tears but also lots of laughter, just as Mum had wanted; she hated fuss. I think she would have approved both of what we did and the music we chose.

The last six weeks have gone by in a blur of emotional and physical stress I can only express as a surreal, out-of-body experience, however, I am finally back down to earth and moving forward. Through all that has happened, the support of close family and friends has helped us all come out the other side, for that I am extremely grateful.

Our Christmas was cancelled and in the suspension of time between losing Mum and the funeral, I kept myself busy by blitzing the house, as being away at Mum’s hospital bedside for most of December, trust me when I say nothing was done in the way of housework although Dave did his best in my absence. When bored with cleaning or stopped by him from doing more, the only way I could cope was by turning to my paints, although at times it was a struggle to stay focused and I nearly scrapped this one, but glad I persevered and finished it.

So, a new year, a new beginning in many ways. I am not one for making New Year Resolutions but I am determined this year to finish all those tasks I’ve started but yet to finish, particularly where my writing is concerned. I know I am ready to move on because I am itching to get back to my books. Moon Stones needs to leave the house to seek a publisher, and the next installments are tamping away inside my head, impatient to be let loose. Spring is in the air here despite the frost and cold we’re enduring this week. There are snowdrops and crocus in flower on our the lawn, daffodils in bud and many of the shrubs already showing new shoots, my garden boots and gloves calling, but they will have to wait a while before they are allowed out of the cupboard.

Meanwhile, a few more trips to Reading are necessary as there are legal matters to sort, signatures required on several documents, the bungalow to clear and put up for sale whilst we wait for probate. Then my sisters and I are going to take ourselves off for a much-needed holiday. We need it.

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs

October Warm Feelings

Chatting yesterday with my mother, she asked what I’d been doing these past few weeks. “Nothing exciting,” I told her. “All quiet and much the same as usual here.” After I put the phone down, I realised this wasn’t true. Looking back at what has been happening, this past month has been anything but.

First, I’d managed to finally get my latest novel to the stage it was ready to be sent out to my beta readers for comment etc, and breathing a sigh of relief, I began work on the next book.

Second, came a lovely day out with a long lunch and tea meeting up with writing friends at a garden centre. Always a pleasure and always so enjoyable and inspiring. That alone would be a highlight of the month but more was to follow.

Writing aside, I’d also managed to finish a large painting to order which is now hanging on our lounge wall. Dave is well pleased with it. So he should be, it was his idea! It took a while for us to agree on the colour scheme, needless to say he won, but it has given me inspiration and ideas to do more statement art pieces in the future.

On top of that, I was elected as Vice Chair of my art group. The current Chair is retiring at the end of the year due to ill health, and it was deemed by all 59 members I would be a good candidate to take over. Time will tell whether they are right. My first task was to present gifts to the current committee at our AGM. My next will be introducing our guest demonstrator artist in November, a professional portrait painter I’ve never heard of, so I need to do some reading up on him.

Still on the theme of painting, I had been approached back in the summer by a beautiful UK magazine called Landscape (“Life at Nature’s Pace” as they style themselves) requesting to include one of my paintings in their November edition. Of course I said yes! That edition was published recently. It’s not a large feature, but that doesn’t make it any less special, at least not for me.

And it didn’t end there. As a direct result of that feature, someone I know who ran a magazine on writing contacted me asking if I would like to provide some of my artwork to use as covers on two new magazines being launched at the end of the year. Wow! All Your Stories and All Your Poems will be published in print and online bi-monthly, one featuring short stories and articles on any topic, the other poetry. There is no payment for this, but I will have a full-page advert in each edition my work appears on. I have this morning sent off a raft of what I hope are suitable images of some of my paintings. Whether any or some are used remains to be seen, but it has certainly given me a boost. Thus, as much as I hate this time of year, especially as this weekend we have experienced our first frosts of the autumn, I have a warm cosy glow inside, one that isn’t because the central heating has been turned on.

So sorry, Mum. I’ve been exceptionally busy this past month, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs

I Can Do This

Could someone please pinch me and tell me I better not be dreaming we are in the middle of September already. Our week-long summer has gone, the nights are drawing in and yet I feel I have achieved nothing this year, and certainly am nowhere near completing tasks I had planned to finish. Yesterday, doing our weekly supermarket shop, the first items seen stacked by the entrance door were mince pies, lebkucken, stollen, and boxes of Christmas cards. Either the world has gone topsy-turvy or I have. Okay, I know this happens every year, the moment the children return to school after the summer break, the shops gear up for Christmas, but I’m simply not ready for it yet. 

It’s because it’s autumn here, a time of year I do not enjoy. Being an artist, I know I should for the glorious colours that nature provides and the bountiful fruits of the countryside, but it’s the season that always makes me feel down. The thought of long cold winter nights and foggy grey days makes me want to pack my bags for warmer climes. If only I could hibernate for four months. Yeah, like either of those is ever to ever happen.  So I just have to make the best of things. With no sun and cold weather, I can’t spend all afternoon in the garden. With rain and snowy days outside, inside I can paint those colourful landscapes and flowers I crave. I can curl up by the fire with a book. Better still, I have no excuse not to sit at my desk and write my own stories. Positive thinking is the only way I can cope with the months ahead and come out smiling at the end. 

That week of summer seems so far away now. The garden is still looking glorious and the new large painting I’m doing is coming along nicely – nearly finished. My latest novel is on the cusp of going to beta readers and critiquers (bless you all and thank you for helping to keep me going). There’s nothing now to stop me, only my own … what? Fear of failure – yes, that is what I’ve come to realize holds me back. As it does with many of us creative creatures, be it writers, artists, dancers, wannabe chiefs, ballerinas etc and so on. We always doubt ourselves and our abilities. Why do we torment ourselves like this, or is it only me? I don’t think it is.  

I’m trying hard to look on the bright side, I have much to be thankful for even though it has been a difficult year family wise not only for me, but for many others too. I’ve lost friends along the way this year, sad anniversaries coming up, but it’s no excuse to mope about. Life’s for living, life’s for making the most of every day, every hour, every moment. And that is what I intend to do. Starting right here, right now.

I only have to look out of the window or over the backyard fence to give me inspiration.

A Road Less Travelled

July for me started on a high. After a long 3 years, it was time to travel down to Taunton for a much longed-for get-together with our writing group, namely Tricia (waving madly to you), Avis, and our hosts Rosemary … Continue reading →

Time Flies

Is it really the middle of June already? Can it possibly be the year has reached half-way, next Wednesday being the summer solstice, the longest day? It is certainly true the older one gets, the faster time passes by. I’ve tried working slower, drag time out, but that doesn’t work. I plan to do so much and yet even less seems to get achieved. Oh well, nothing I can do about that, so let’s talk about other things.

How about a spot of gardening? Our new “pond” garden is filling out nicely. I threw down lots of different seeds and planted a few perennials which are all growing well and now have an over-abundance of poppies coming up. Good job we like them. The real test will be to see what, if anything, survives the winter in there because we found, to our dismay, over winter and during our wet spring, the pond garden morphed into the “bog” garden. It became so wet and and claggy you dare not step on it. Planting up this spring became a game of one foot down, plant, and get out quick before you sink.

The Pond Garden

All this is because we could not remove the concrete shell below ground that ran to a depth of 6 feet. We filled in as much as we could with the bricks from the outer 3-foot-high walls above ground before putting in the topsoil. Hence there is no drainage. With hindsight, we should have put in a deep layer of sand. Plants that like damp soil are loving it and thriving, so next year it might be full of hostas, astilbes and irises. Or water lillies. Time will tell.

Revamped border outside the dining room

The rest of the garden is surviving, that being the operative word. Following our wet and cold winter, and equally wet and cold spring, we are now experiencing a very hot spell with little rain for 4 weeks despite the odd thunderstorm or two last week. Showers are forecast this weekend so we are making the most of the glorious weather. Some mornings, especially today, it has been too hot to sit out, so I’am thankful we have ample shade from the house over the patio of an afternoon. I love the heat and warmth but do not enjoy direct sun, as I burn readily. All this outdoor life means little work is achieved indoors, the lounge and my workroom/studio too hot being south-facing, but we don’t mind. Our summers are too brief not to make the most of them, and it’s wonderful to be able to enjoy evenings too out on the patio with our music playing softly as we sip a glass or two of beer or wine or G&Ts. It makes all the effort and work and expensive of gardening worthwhile.

First of many oriental poppies opening today

And as usual, we’ve gone a little potty on the patio

One thing I was not enamoured to see this week on social media was a local hostelry advertising to “Book Now for Christmas!” What? Too early to even think about that. But as Dave reminded me, Christmas is only 6 months away and you know how quickly time flies.

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs

Another Year, Another Show

I cannot believe we are midway through May, if only the weather would improve too. Here in the UK it has been a very windy and breezy Spring, today being the first true warm day when we could go outside without coats and gloves, the heating indoors switched off, hopefully now until Autumn, and the sun shining enough to encourage Dave and me out for a drive, taking in four garden centres – a record for us. We only came home when we did because we couldn’t fit any more plants into the car, and ours is no small vehicle, that’s for sure. The next few days will find us busy in the garden.

4 Garden Centres = busy planting week!

It was good to be out, relaxing together as the last few months have seen me working in my office-studio-workroom most days, either writing/editing or painting. It has been the time of year when my art takes over as exhibition season loomed again. This year, I decided to exhibit at two shows, one run by my art club, the other an open exhibition in a nearby town. A total of twelve paintings needed to be chosen, framed and made ready for hanging. Choosing which ones is always difficult, as is deciding the sale price, especially this year considering the current financial crisis. Would people want to buy? How much would they want to spend?

All artworks were delivered on time, and I could breathe a sigh of relief. But there was still more to do. As I am on the club committee responsible for public relations and the group website, I needed to put out plenty of advertisements in art magazines and local press, put posts up on social media, and various websites to entice the public to come. The show is always in aid of our chosen charity, and with two paintings donated by professional artists for our raffle, the more that heard about us, the better.

Preview Night at Frome Valley Art Exhibition

The first exhibition was over this weekend just gone, the preview night having taken place Friday evening; a busy 3 days for all of us volunteers who help put the show together. The preview was well attended, a jolly social event in which several sales were made (not mine, I hasten to add). Saturday was exceptionally busy despite there being numerous other public events on in the region. My day was spent manning the entry and sales desk. It was lovely to see a fellow writing friend arrive whom I had not seen for what must be 5 years or more. As we have a refreshments area in situ, I took time out to enjoy a catch-up with her over coffee and cake. My day was further heightened when one of my paintings sold, one that I nearly did not put in. Isn’t that always the way?

“A Host of Golden Daffodils” – SOLD!

Sunday was unusually quiet so we decided to close the show early, which was a pity because the quality and skill of all the framed artwork there, a total of 232 pictures with 41 being sold, was excellent. In the 5 years I have been a member the standard from everyone has gone up and up. Many of our visitors commented on the talent exhibited, but it became clear people were buying the less expensive, smaller paintings, few of the larger framed, such as most of mine, were sold. This came as no surprise. Most are cautious about how they spend their money at the moment, many worrying about meeting food and heating bills, and buying art can seem a frivolity when other things are more important.

But I do not paint to sell, I paint because I enjoy it; having someone like my work enough to purchase it is a bonus, so I am not disappointed that this year I only made one sale. Many in the group sold nothing, but that does not matter to any of us. We enjoy what we do, we have a great club with lovely people, some who come for the social aspect, others who wish to learn to be better artists, and those who simply want to bring joy and colour into the world. I like to think I am one of the latter.

Moving on to the second exhibition… The preview night was yesterday, in a town about a half-hour’s drive from my home. The venue itself is a small museum, or “heritage centre”, as they call themselves, with little room to show many paintings. Four of us from my group put in several exhibits, about half of the 30 in total on show. This preview night was exclusively for exhibitors (few of whom came), the town mayor and relevant local councillors and venue staff, about 12 of us there in total! Running for 3 weeks, the centre hopes and expects many visitors to the exhibition as in other years, so it will be interesting to see the outcome.

Slideshow of a few of my other paintings at the two exhibitions:

• 

  Ullswater

• 

  Field Flowers

• 

  Bluebell Cascade

• 

  Nutty the Squirrel

• 

  Yport

• 

  Coreposis

• 

  Favourite Reading Place

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs

Going Back

I can hardly believe we are almost a third of the way through 2023. It’s scary when I consider what I have or haven’t achieved so far this year. With all that has gone on (nursing and worrying over my 97-year-old mum, looking after Dave pre and post his hip replacement, weeks without a washing machine, and so on) I’ve surprised myself by finally getting back into editing mode with my novel, two successful paintings completed, with another in progress, and one not so complete but will be soon.

What I have had problems with is reading. Considering how much I used to read, even known on Amazon as “AvidReader”, no matter what I started, I could not finish, either losing interest, the story didn’t engage me, or I was too tired to read anything. Most unlike me, normally having 2 if not 3 books on the go: 1 for reading in bed; another when there’s nothing decent on television, which is often; and in the summer, 1 in the garden. But for the past few months I can hold my hand up and say nothing I pick up inspires me to continue.

Truth is, I missed reading and determined to retrieve my lost mojo. Like my music tastes, I enjoy many genres but autobiographies are not ones I generally turn to. I can count on my hand the few that I have read: The Moon’s a Balloon, and Bring on the Empty Horses by David Niven; one about the composer Claude Debussy; and 2 years ago the autobiography of a close childhood friend, Peter Beaven, Director of Music at the Royal Military Chapel, Sandhurst, who sadly passed away suddenly this January.

Chance would have it, good old Amazon flashed up an autobiography on special offer. It was for Not Dead Yet, by Phil Collins, the singer/songwriter/drummer/actor. I enjoy his music and singing, and knew Phil came from my home town in West London. But apart from his music, that’s all I did know about him. Curious, I bought the book.

Although I am still reading it (I’m half-way through), I am so pleased I did. I learned that Phil, 2 years older than me, grew up a few streets away, his mother worked in a toy shop I knew well (I was probably served by her), and that teenage Phil frequented the same clubs, pubs bars and nightclubs I did. It is quite possible we were there at the same time on occasion.

Reading about familiar places and haunts, streets, cafes, incidents I remember came to life again, going back in time. He talks about the background to many of his songs and albums, the highs and lows of touring, his marriages and divorces, his children including the actress Lily Collins, how the music industry has changed since the 1970s, the concerts, the other bands and musicians he’s played with. His part in the film Buster, about the 1960s Great Train Robbery. His writing style is relaxed and full of humour, wit and sometimes with a sadness. In reading, it is his voice you hear, speaking as he would directly to you in normal conversation. I’m loving it. So much so, each night this week I’ve gone to bed early in order to delve into the world of music and rock&roll and visit memory lane.

My reading mojo has returned. Yay!

Kit Domino’s websites and blogs