Graham took me to Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill for my birthday in early November.  He adores oysters and wanted me to paint a plate of them for my exhibition in May next year. We got there quite early having dropped in at the Royal Academy on the way to see the 'Bronze' exhibition.  They produced a plate with three different kinds of oyster, Mersea, Loch Ryan and Dorset, all on a bed of ice and seaweed.  Sustained by a delicious cup of coffee and later a glass of Sauvignon, I painted as much as I could and Grahamthen devoured them with relish.  I sent the photo of the finished product to Bentley's and they are keen to use the image for their Christmas Card.  I took it to my printers, I-Pixel this morning.  Apparently, I cause them real problems as I use off white paper.  Hopefully he will manage.....

'Name' paintings

It is mid May and it is still quite cold outside.  I have managed to do some painting, but not a lot.  I have done a number of 'Name ' paintings which seem popular as Christening presents for a few friends and relatives.  I try to make them as personal as possible,  with references to the child's home, or the place of their birth. Here are a few examples of ones already done:

I painted these two piglets not long ago.  They belong to Penny Johnson of PJ's catering, and I am afraid are destined for ham at some stage.  They seemed to be friends and it is so strange that something so cute as a piglet can change into a huge sow with a really ugly profile.  I used a bit of chalk to show the hairs on the back.
 The big sow belongs to Richard and Annie Hall at Hailes, near Market Drayton.