Puffin painting & Farne Islands Northumberland

I've been having fun on a virtual holiday escaping lockdown again.  This time I've been recalling time spent in Northumberland a few years ago.  While there we sailed to the Farne Islands, which is supported by the National Trust, to see the puffins, other sea birds and seals.  Well worth a visit, as is Bamburgh Castle, at top of the painting.  We hope to return again when circumstances allow to visit the Longstone Lighthouse. 

As usual, the painting began with a few scribbles in a sketchbook, to remind myself of the subject and roughly work out a composition.

Then fun with paint on the easel.

First a background.

Archival quality prints in two sizes are now available from my Etsy shop.  More information about my work at www.beeskelton.com.

Small painting of Golden Hare

Golden Hare - acrylic painting on gessoed board by Bee Skelton

Here in farming country it's not unusual to see rabbits and foxes along with the sheep, cows and horses.  But whilst I know hares are part of the wildlife mix, I see them less often, and when I do they're usually moving too quickly to take proper note.  Imagine my surprise when this one stopped outside my kitchen window, pausing long enough for me to grab a photo!  He is such a big handsome fellow.  I just had to paint him.

Ignoring the barred gate in the photo I composed his portrait on square 8x8 inch gessoed board using acrylic paints.  Although it doesn't show well in the photo, it was late afternoon magic hour, and the light made him appear to glow golden.  I've attempted to emphasise this by contrasting the warm colouring of the fur with the cool blues and greens of the background.

It's now available for sale unframed, so you can choose a mount and frame style to suit your decor.  Here's an idea how it could look with a frame added.  Please check my shops and website for further information or contact me personally. 

 You can reach me by email beeskelton@gmail.com or see more work in my Etsy Shop or website www.beeskelton.com

Black poodle custom portrait painting

Completed black poodle custom portrait.

I received a commission to paint a poodle with a cute smiley expression as a gift for the clients father.  It was a interesting project as the little dog is completely black.  I've painted many black dogs before but on this occasion decided to accentuate lights and medium tones using distinctive blue notes .

black dog work-in-progress 1

I worked on a stretched canvas using acrylic paint rather than oils because the painting was required quickly.  Oil paint would have taken too long to dry before it would have been safe to ship to the USA from my studio in England. I started with underpainting in soft warm colour intended to be complementary to the blues to be worked later.  A loose sketch of the poodle followed in thin dark grey paint.

Gradually tones, texture and colour were developed and finally a simple background that was carried onto the sides so the painting can be displayed without frame.

If you would love a portrait of your own dog, send me your favourite photo for FREE consultation and advice to beeskelton@gmail.com

black dog work-in-progress 2
more tone added

black dog work-in-progress 3
with light/medium blue notes

black dog work-in-progress 4

black dog completed side view

A dog really is for life

My sweet Sally

I just want to tell you about Sally, the sweetest, most loyal, lovable little dog, who we had to say a final good-bye to this month.

We first saw her 13 years ago as a tiny, skinny, dirty-grey scrap of a creature on the motorway just outside Limassol, Cyprus.  She was hit by a car just ahead of us, who failed to stop.  My husband and I ran waving our arms and managed to slow down the traffic enough to pick her up before she was hit again.  She appeared to be dead, but I just couldn't believe that life could be there one second and so completely gone the next.  I hadn't a clue what I was doing really, but tried to do what I thought was correct resuscitation procedure and H drove us to the nearest vet. On the way I saw her eyelids flicker and felt her sigh. But even so the vet said she was dead and it took some persuasion for him to check properly.  And then he sensed a very tiny heartbeat.

From that moment her recovery and wonderful new life began. Miraculously the only injury she had was a hole through her skull above her eyes.  She was mostly unconscious for around 3 days and then Choo Choo one of our other rescued Cyprus poodles dropped a ball in her bed inviting her to join the pack and play.  We think her head injury caused some kind of short-term memory loss and she never did learn to play.  Rather like a baby duckling with mother-duck because I was the first living creature she saw after her near death, I became her mother and centre of her universe;  even when asleep she would continually check to see where I was and would search me out if I'd left the room.  We had a special bond that I can't really put into words; the love we felt for each other was unique.  I love all my dogs, but there will never be another Sally.  RIP baby.

Snowdrops and Sparrow acrylic painting on canvas

20 x 20 cms (8 x 8 ins approx). 

Unframed
Sold 

Back to painting birds this week.  Softer more muted colouring than previously.  Perhaps it's the frosty weather having an effect.  The snowdrops are less obvious in the garden than last year.  I think the birds have been pecking at them before they've a chance to flower.  Hopefully some will survive.  But just in case I've popped a few into an imaginary pot in this painting.

I used acrylics on canvas. The deep sides are left white, but I will probably paint the sides to suit the painting, making the picture suitable to hang on your wall without framing. Would also look good on a niche or shelf. You can add a frame if you wish when it arrives with you.

Available in my Folksy shop.  (This painting has now sold.  Others available)

A murder of Magpies - mixed media art

Mixed media painting by Bee Skelton

We only saw one or two magpies in the garden when we first came to the house last year, but since then my husband has dangled several bird feeders from every tree and the magpie population has soared, as have all the other wild bird species we attract.  But I really am in two minds about them.  It seems to me the collective noun for magpies is quite apt;  a 'murder' of magpies.  The magpie diet is incredibly varied and as well as the seeds and nuts we give them, they're quite partial to picking off other creatures in our wild life garden.

Nature really is red in tooth and claw and the bloody colour and these birds inspired my latest painting.  It's a mixed media collage piece on gessoed board and I used ripped pieces of one of my printed papers for the background, then added the birds and details with acrylic paint and inks.  You can see more information or buy the finished painting by clicking here.

Sea bird art and Cornish daydream

Kittiwake seagull

This mixed media painting of a kittiwake sea gull was inspired by memories of happy seaside holidays.

When the boys were little my absolute favourite place for summer holidays was Mousehole in Cornwall.  We used to stay with a couple providing bread and breakfast accommodation at their cottage on one of the narrow village streets above the harbour.  One of my strongest memories was waking each day to the piercing cries of seagulls.  Some people might find that annoying, but I loved it and everything else about the place;  the tiny harbour beach, sandcastles, buckets and spades, dinghies, searching for crabs in rock pools, Cornish pasties for lunch at Pam's Pantry (I still ate meat in those days), fabulous fresh fish from the Newlyn boats, walks along the coastal path to Lamorna, trips to St Ives and so much more!

Now we're planning our first English family holiday for decades and heading back to Mousehole next year with one of the grown-up boys, who now has a wife and two boys of his own.  So EXCITED!

For information about the painting or to purchase please click here.

Bird art - Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Mixed media painting of a goldfinch.

Living way out in the countryside has lots of advantages.  The one I love most is the way our garden and the surrounding fields attract so much wildlife, particularly birds.  I'd never seen a goldfinch until I lived here.  They love to eat the fluffy seeds from the tops of thistles bordering the sheeps field.  At this time of year, they've just about finished off all that's available.  I wonder what they'll eat until the fresh thistle crop grows next year?

To purchase the painting or see more information please click here.

Cat coat of many colours - folk art

MM6 Cat Coat of Many Colours

I love my three cats but still struggle with their complex personalities.  One minute they're like furry angels, all snuggles and purrs.  The next the blood-thirsty little brats are stalking wild birds and field mice in the garden.  And they're not exactly underfed.  Just another of nature's mysteries.

George - sketchbook

 This drawing of Gorgeous George crept into my sketchbook a while back, lord of all he surveys from the kitchen window.  He rarely stirs from the house, but even he's waylaid the odd feather now and again.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StudioBee

Cat nap doodling

Cat Nap - mixed media painting - 8 x 6.75 inches

This little snoozy cat mixed media piece started as a watercolour painting that was going no where, but had some pleasing colours that I thought would make a good background for other media.  I softened the colours slightly then added collaged elements of other painted and drawn papers onto it and allowed it to take on a life of its own.  Developed onwards with gouache paint, more detailed mark making with Inktense pencil and fine nib pen and ink.  The idea of the dreamy cat just started to happen. A glorified doodle really.  Doodling is so therapeutic.  If you haven't tried it yet, I can recommend it.

You can email me for information about anything you see.  A small collection of work can also sometimes be seen in my Etsy shop

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View from my window

A damp day and very misty earlier.  I'm loving the soft cool colours of the views through my kitchen window.  The sheep are lying down on the saturated grass.  Hardy creatures and so fortunate to have their thick heavy wool coats.  Nature got it just right as always.

You can email me for information about anything you see.  A small collection of work can also sometimes be seen in my Etsy shop. 

Portrait for Our Friends Dog Rescue

Portrait of Henry

Our Friends Dog Rescue http://ourfriendsdogrescue.org.uk/ is in need of all our help to continue their excellent work.  I am absolutely delighted that Brenda Pollard commissioned me to paint an oil portrait of Henry, her handsome boy, with her fee going to help the cause.

Sadly Henry is no long with us but Brenda was able to send me some old photos of him to help me create a likeness. Below are some work-in-progress images for those of you who like to see the process:

Line drawing in pencil on the canvas

Started by adding main areas of light and shade with large brush.

Henry portrait work-in-progress 3

Henry portrait work-in-progress 4

Henry portrait work-in-progress 5

Henry portrait work-in-progress 6

Henry portrait work-in-progress 7

Henry portrait work-in-progress 8

Email me for more information about any of my work.

Animal Art Charity

Probably for the first time, I've found how positive and useful Twitter can be. Through @PeterEgan6 the British actor, who is passionate about animals, particularly dogs, I got to hear about http://www.ourfriendsdogrescue.org.uk/ 

Please take a look at their website and you'll see how URGENTLY they need our help!

Unless enough monies can be raised to secure new land for the shelter, in a matter of days the possibility exists the dog catchers will move in to remove over 300 dogs, and take them to the killing pound, where they will be starved to death without food or water ... possibly much worse.

Please do what you can to help by donating;  spread the word by mentioning them on Facebook and Twitter;  tell your friends and email contacts.


Here's something else you can do:  If you've ever thought of commissioning a custom portrait painting of your own much loved pet, now's your chance to do just that and help save the lives of over 300 innocent animals.  Today I created an Animal Charity Art section in my Etsy shop and added a listing for Our Friends Dog Rescue.  Every penny/cent, 100% will be donated to the charity. 

My thanks to PeterEgan who has already Re-Tweeted my Our Friends Dog Rescue portrait painting charity information.

Lady Love!

Some regular visitors have been asking about how Lady is getting along.  Just in case you missed it, here's a blog post going back to when we first found her on the mountain.  http://indigoblah.blogspot.com/2010/09/animal-art-and-rescue.html  And here's how she looked then ....

 Since then she has continued to get stronger and all her physical problems have been dealt with, while we tried to find a good permanent home for her.  She has had all her vaccinations and last week was spayed by Dr Dimitris.  She still needs to add some weight, which she is doing steadily but still quite slowly.  We can still see her ribs.

Lady has the most amazingly kind nature; her temperament is just about perfect and her personality is warm and loving.   So you won't be surprised to hear that we just cannot bring ourselves to part with her.  We love her very much and she is now a permanent member of the family pack! :)

Memorial Pet Portrait

A lovely lady internet art client, who commissioned a couple of portraits some time ago and has since become a friend, made a request which set me in a quandry.  

Her little dog, Jake, a faithful companion for many years, came to the end of his life and she misses him so much.  She wanted his portrait painted.  And here's my problem.  The photo image she wants to remember him with is not great;  as you can see, very little of Jake can be seen in the middle of lots of ivy leaves.

 To be honest, under normal circumstances I would have been tempted not to accept the commission in this form.  But I know how much it means to this lady, so I explained the problems to her and my reservations,  and agreed to give it a try.

 ACEO 3.5 x 2.5"

Acrylic on mount board

I couldn't see any detail of Jake from the photo so had to work intuitively with a bit of additional visual information from the client.  I'm so glad now that I didn't give up on this.

Animal art and rescue

 

My family of pets make great subjects for the sketchbook.  Ideal because generally they don't stay still for long, even when sleeping.  So they encourage rapid spontaneous drawing.  

You can email me for information about anything you see.  A small collection of work can also sometimes be seen in my Etsy shop. 

Earlier this month my dog pack increased by one.  Yet again, I'm sad to say, because of the cruelty of a local human being.  When we found her, Lady had been dumped on the mountain and was hiding in a thorn bush waiting to die.  She was terribly under-nourished, suffering from a blood infection caused by tick infestation and also had ring worm.

The bald skin was caused by the ringworm fungus.

 Here she is patiently allowing Dimitris our vet, remove ticks from her bleeding ears.

 I'm now very happy to say that almost 3 weeks later, Lady is in much better shape.  After lots of antibiotics, vaccination, good food, vitamins, minerals, many special shampoo treatments and loads of love, her blood is recovering as is her skin and her hair is growing again.  She has the sweetest of natures and is lively and full of fun without being difficult to handle.

Here she is playing with George, who she absolutely adores!

Girls best friend

I've painted this happy little dog-walker, with green striped top and red shorts, onto another collaged background.  I like her skinny legs and equally skinny dog.  

If a man's best friend is his dog, then I'm four times blessed.  I didn't set out to have a dog pack, but that's how it's turned out ... and as for the 2 inside cats, 1 outside cat, with one pending.... just don't go there!


Each have joined the family in a variety of circumstances, but all were following their near death experiences.  As each one arrived and wrapped themselves gratefully around their first meal chez Skelton, we avowed each time that they were absolutely the last four-legged additions the family would be getting  ....  till next time ;)


Teddy we rescued as a tiny traumatised puppy from the centre of a main road 8 years ago.  We suspect unbelievably, she'd been dumped from a car.  Choo Choo was found in almost similar circustances a few months later;  Sally was found senseless on the motorway, after being hit by a car, and Daisy was dumped by hunters on the mountain where we live....  I won't describe or publish photos of the thick metal collar she was wearing when found, nor her festering flesh protruding through the gaps in the tight links, it's too sickening.  Suffice to say these horror stories have happy endings, their lives have been transformed for the better and so have ours.