I just thought I would show you my studio space, which is in fact in my lounge.  I try to stay organised as I find that I work better in a clean and clear space.  My table has felt a little cluttered recently but the two canvases are almost complete, meaning I will have more table space again.  Sometimes it can take real motivation to paint in my own home, but there are positives, such as being able to have my dog with me and obviously being able to access somewhere to create at any time of the day or night.

          I am feeling more confident and actually find the shorter poses easier  because the marks need to be made much faster and there is a lot less fuss.  I am still learning about proportions and think I need to work on paper bigger than A4.  

        This painting is taking me quite a long    time to complete, the style and subject are both new to me.  I hope to add a few more layers and finish this soon.  The top figure reminds me of the self portraits by Frida Kahlo.   

   For the last few weeks I have been attending life drawing classes, although one of the models was fully clothed.  I am a great believer in trying new things and then practicing repeatedly.  I am gaining confidence with drawing the human body and find it helps to consider the various shapes.  

  Mermaids are something I used to dream about as a child, so I seized the opportunity to take photographs of a life model, with the idea of using them as a reference for an oil painting.

  I liked the colourful dreads which I would also like to incorporate into a portrait.