Flying off with the hummingbirds….

As of tomorrow, I will be travelling, painting and writing….first in Cardiff, Wales for just a couple of days where I will  enjoy a friend’s birthday and a visit with my cousin.     Then back to London to pack…..and onto wonderful Olhao, Portugal for the rest of April….which means I will be back here in May with hopefully lots of new work and thoughts…..

watercolour/gouacheThis year I will be spending the first week in Portugal painting and writing on my own, and then the group arrives for a week of creative adventure at the school in Alhao….http://www.artinthealgarve.com – one of my favourite places.

Looking down into one of the courtyards from an upper balcony at the School……I always take time  out from my on line activities when I go on my trips so that I can fully focus on observing, sketching and writing…..

Armona Island, just a hop, skip and a fifteen minute boat ride from the School….Which means I wont be back here until the beginning of May…..I wish one and all a beautiful April…..filled of course, with magical hummingbirds.

A Bientôt

Love After Love – by Derek Walcott.

 

 

watercolourDerek Walcott’s words remind me that we can search for all of our lives, but ultimately as surely as spring follows winter,  we always come back to ourselves.

watercolour/gouache – some hummingbird magic.

Derek Walcott – Nobel Prize in Literature 1992 – T.S. Eliot Prize 2011   – (1930 -2017) 

A Bientôt

 

 

 

 

 

Magical hummingbirds for the weekend.

Enjoy a weekend filled with creativity and magical hummingbirds.

A Bientôt

Eric the Red

I painted this watercolour in 1976 when Eric the Red, was just sixteen years old.

    

Three years earlier in 1973 we had moved into a house just across the road from Eric’s parents.     It was another case of meeting people and having no idea of the impact they would have on my life. 

Jane, Eric’s Mother, became one of my closest friends and confidant until she died a few years ago.

Those were happy days…more simple and relaxed.     Eric’s brother and four sisters were always around in a neighbourhood where lots of children, including my own, would be playing outside, climbing trees, and getting into all sorts of wonderful mischief:)

Today, forty-two years on, I think of Eric’s family as my own extended family.    We see one another as much as possible, and keep in close contact through social media.

I am reminded as I write these short stories of the importance of being open to the new people who arrive in our lives, seemingly by chance.   

Clearly, the hummingbirds were weaving their magic the day I met Eric and his family. 

A Bientôt

Freedom to fly…..

During the past few years although in many ways my life has been wonderful….with growth in different areas, I have had one big issue which has taken up far too much space in my head…..and as of 1st January, this has been released…..and I can already feel a huge sense of freedom.

With this sense of freedom comes an immediate opening up of the senses….

An instant reminder that all of life is interconnected, and …….

That ‘none of us is ever creative enough to know how things will actually work out….’

An affirmation that when we do what is put in front of us to the best of out ability, with a willing and grateful heart…miracles can and do happen.

The Magical Hummingbirds have clearly been working overtime:)

This post is written with a huge amount of gratitude.

HummingbirdHQ.com

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

A Bientôt

The joy of flying with magical hummingbirds….

When I am drifting off to sleep I often imagine myself flying alongside the magical hummingbirds.     It helps me to see the world from a different point of view.

To see the bigger picture…

Rather than getting caught up in all the minutiae of life….

It’s very freeing……

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend filled with magical hummingbirds and the occasional good cup of tea – or whatever else appeals:)

 

HummingbirdHQ.com

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

A  Bientôt

Colour and Hummingbirds for the week ahead…

Some colour and magical hummingbirds for the week ahead…..

In the midst of our busy lives, Hummingbirds remind us to savor each and every moment. 

and of the freedom  beyond our human world.

They teach us to be persistent in the pursuit of our dreams..

and to be playful….

HummingbirdHQ.com

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

A Bientôt

Moving in ever increasing circles….

As we move in ever increasing circles….I am reminded of the words of William Henry Davies.

‘What is this life if full of care – We have no time to stand and stare’ 

Or take out some watercolours and play a little…….

Wishing everyone a Tuesday filled with Magical Hummingbirds.

HummingbirdHQ.com

A Bientôt 

 

Magical Hummingbirds for the week ahead…

More colourful, magical hummingbirds for the week ahead.

In the midst of juggling our daily lives, Hummingbirds remind us to savor each and every moment. 

to be playful….

and yet to be persistent in the pursuit of our dreams.

When things get a little heavy in our human world, I imagine the hummingbirds flying free above it all……

HummingbirdHQ.com

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

A Bientôt

The dramatic work of Phyllida Barlow

I love to observe how dramatic shapes work together, and so when Maureen and I walked into the gallery within Tate Modern housing Phyllida Barlow’s sculptural installation, I felt a sense of excitement.

Born in 1944, Phyllida Barlow has made imposing, large scale sculptural installations for over four decades.   Using inexpensive, everyday materials such as cardboard, fabric, timber, polystyrene, plaster, scrim and cement, her distinctive works focus on her experimentation with these materials, to create bold and colourful three dimensional collages.

I loved the way the installation worked against the more classical curves of Tate Britain.

Having enjoyed Turner’s sublime paintings,  it made for a huge contrast to enter the world of Phyllida Barlow.

Maureen features in this frame as she walks through the installation.

The large black boxes appear to be very heavy, but in fact are made from a very light weight material.     Another element to the work was the wonderful smell of wood.

Shadow play on the gallery floor adds to the interest.

 

Colour and texture….so interesting juxtaposed  to the elegant curves of the gallery.

I wonder what the Magical Hummingbirds would think of this.   Maybe some hummingbird feeders could be added:)

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

HummingbirdHQ.com

A Bientôt