3 Jan 2011 VAT rise tonight!

The dreaded VAT rise tonight will push up prices of paintings and prints....IF you buy them from a VAT registered gallery or website. Hey ho! Sigh. Just say to yourself that all the money goes to small children in hospital, and is not wasted by the government. That way it hurts a little bit less.


For a couple of days I have been working on my upcoming seminar for the Spring Fair in Birmingham in just four weeks time. My subject is Art Business and Licensing. 
Here is a still from my Power Point slide show.

1 Jan 2011 New Year, new painting, new print!

Happy New Year!
I've been finishing off the new painting, and then adjusting and developing using Photoshop to make a good print for my customer.
What do you think of it?

31 Dec 2010 New Years Eve. More work on the Venice commission.

Today is another dull and overcast day. I've been Facebooking and watched a video on internet marketing. The small rowan tree outside my office window has been visited on an off all day by about 20 waxwings who are busy stripping it of all the berries. What a stunning bird!


Meanwhile I have been popping in and out of my studio to do more to the Venice commission.
So far so good.

30 Dec 2010 progress on canya see whotitis yet?

More work on the Venice commission today.





Yes you got it! Its the view from the Accademia Bridge looking towards Salute with the Guggenheim villa on the right.

29 Dec 2010 A commissioned piece.

I have been asked to paint a new version of one of my favourite scenes in Venice.
Can you see what it is yet?




The work is in acrylics on a 40cm x 50cm gesso panel.
More later as it progresses.

20 DEC 2010 Prizes are all gone!

The final winner came round to pick up her framed print yesterday. 
So the six winners of our daily prize draw have chosen and collected their prizes.


This who they are, and what they chose  [cue drum-roll]




20 Nov 2010   Ava Jessey     'Polperro Low Tide'   by Colin Ruffell




21 Nov 2010   Daina Warbis   'Girl with Kite'   by Fran Slade




27 Nov 2010   Louise Courtney   'Lets Play on Brighton Bandstand'   by Colin Ruffell






28 Nov 2010   Christine Connoly   'June Summer'   by Shyama






4 Dec 2010    Nicki Winton    'Brighton'  by Colin Ruffell



5 Dec 2010   Anne-Marie Roberts   'Lets Play on Palace Pier'   by Colin Ruffell


Thanks everybody who came to see our show, and thanks indeed to all those who bought artwork from us.


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

17 Dec 2010 A Golden Moment


 Today is our 50th wedding anniversary. So here are some photos from that day.




We were art students. We had no money, so we borrowed the clothes. Everybody said that it might last a year or two.