A word from Alice - studio stories from Alice Draws the Line – Alice Draws The Line

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A word from Alice - studio stories from Alice Draws the Line

  • Fantastic Foxgloves

    A few years ago I was walking the dog with my Dad and he asked if I'd seen 'the Foxglovery’. A made up name for a familiar place, one that had rece...
  • The Artists’ Gallery

    I’m really thrilled to have joined The Artists’ Gallery, a cooperative forming a gallery run by artists, at the Ludlow Farmshop site at Bromfield, Ludlow. 
  • Apples for breakfast

    Sometimes something will catch my eye, and that’s it I’m completely distracted and focussed only on that. This happened this week. You may remember me saying that I have apple trees in my garden? 

    In the autumn there were so many apples that I had to keep clearing them from the lawn, and so I rolled them (as I if was playing lawn bowls) onto the ‘will-be-veg-patch/flower-bed’.

    In the cold snap this week the birds (and a squirrel) have been loving the apples that remain. They are nice and soft, and are probably a bit like stewed apple now!

  • 2023 in review

    A year in review. I have made this list of 23 things about 2023 that I can think of, in any old non-chronological order! Some really frivolous things and others more significant to the development of my art practice. It has been fun to do and useful at the start of 2024 to consciously think about what I want to put into this year.
  • Brampton Bryan Christmas Open Studios 2023!

    We are once again opening our studios for the first weekend in December for the Brampton Bryan Christmas Open Studios!

    This year there will be a trail of 5 studios plus the wonderful Aardvark Books open over that weekend. 

    10am-4pm and the village postcode is SY70DH.

  • Sketching in pyjamas…

    As I walked to the kettle I noticed how the kitchen light caught the flowers I had ready and waiting to take to my friend. 

    The lights shining on the flowers cast such a striking, clear shadow onto the floor. Before I even managed to finish making my tea I’d found two A3 sketchbooks and put them on the floor where the shadow fell. 

  • The Royal Mail Carriage

    I did a craft fair at the Severn Valley Railway this weekend and it was held in the Engine Shed at the station at Highley. My stand had its back agains the carriage that King George travelled in, my chair by its wheels. I set up early and had time to have a wonder around before visitors arrived. My favourite exhibit was the Royal Mail carriage. 
    I love letters and letter writing, and handwriting and pens and stationery… I also like steam trains!

     

  • Doing the things I like to do

    I recently read how few weeks there are until the end of the year, and how it’s a good idea to make a plan if there are things you want to get done in a set time frame. So I thought about what I’d like to do between now and Christmas and I made a list!

    I thought about what I want to do each week and I wrote out a list. Having it on a piece of paper on my desk is helping me to actually do the things! 
  • Under the oak

    This Oak tree made an amazing base to sit at, lean against, and look out through the branches. I really like looking out through a canopy, and especially if there is light behind, playing on the leaves. 
  • Holiday cottage views

    Our holiday cottage had decking in the garden with a lovely big table where you could take in the views and plenty of space for a sketchbook!
    This was a graphite sketch during the golden hour on one of the first evenings.
  • Beach days

    I challenged myself to do some speedy surfer sketches! There was a surf school and they were going through the different poses needed for surfing. 

    They didn’t stay still for any length of time and so working quickly was essential!

  • A few days in Pembrokeshire

    Back in August (2023) I had a lovely few days in Pembrokeshire. I thought I’d share some of the sketches that I did there. 
    This was one evening. The others decided to have an evening walk along the headland. I couldn’t resist the lure of the picnic bench and view to set up my watercolour pad and paint the view while they were stretching their legs.