Street party for 'The Big Lunch'.

It rained for the first time in weeks!  The neighbours had been planning a street party as part of the nationwide Big Lunch. And we had official permission to close off the top of Springfield Road down to outside the pub. We had hoped to have lots of fun and games up and down the road. But the skies opened and we had to shelter under makeshift gazebos and sunshades. However we had a great time, met lots of new people, and made new friends. 

22 May 2011 Third weekend ... three more days left.

Today is the sixth day of our Artists Open House event. Once again the weather is kind... no rain. Yesterday we had about 200 visitors and over 100 filled in one of our 'Do You Feel Lucky' cards to try to win our daily prize draw for a print of your choice. Here are two of this years winners with their chosen prints.

1 May 2011. New book...'Brighton' by Colin Ruffell

Just finished editing and have now published a new 21 page paperback book in full colour titled 'Brighton'. 

It has 20 colour plates showing my original paintings of Brighton and over a dozen other photographs about the process and biography stuff. All the paintings shown in the book are published by us as signed prints on paper or canvas. Some of them are also greetings cards. 


http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/brighton/15596808


The new book should be available on Amazon as well! 
I have ordered a few copies to sign and have here for the 1st Open House weekend in 7 days time. Lets hope that they arrive in time.

22 April 2011 Good Friday.

This morning I read another post from Robert Genn. Robert is an artist from the Vancouver area in Canada who sends out twice weekly newsletters to thousands of avid followers worldwide. He has lumbered himself with a huge task but seems to thrive on it. Here is a link, I recommend it. http://painterskeys.com/
The posts are varied in content and I always read and enjoy them. Thanks Robert.

A quote from this mornings message is from Winston Churchill. Very apt for so many budding professional artists just out of art school.

"I began my education at a very early age--in fact, right after I left college." (Winston Churchill) 

18 April 2011 Back home from Cornwall and the Drang opening!

Fran and I went down to Cornwall for the launch of the new Drang Gallery in Padstow. Alan Furneaux was there so we had a good natter about the price of fish and the role of a professional artist etc. Fran and I ate in Rick Steins Bistro even though we hadn't made a booking. Lucky us. 

Alan and I seem to have made a good impression on the Mayor as well.

The art gallery scene in Padstow is quite extraordinary for such a small fishing village. We went into at least seven that were well worth a good look. They ranged from the all white, all Cornish, mostly under £100 sort...right up to the resident artist selling at £4000 a pop, and the Drang with the BIG NAME ARTISTS like Damien Hirst and Sir Peter Blake. It feels really good to be there.

15 April 2011 Padstow here we come!!

Off to the Drang Gallery opening launch event tomorrow in Padstow. I expect to meet up with Alan Furneaux there. Alan moved from Brighton to Penzance in Cornwall a while back after being a fellow member of the Fiveways Artists Group doing the Artists Open Houses. Here is one of his paintings from his blog. This one is 'Landscape around St Just'. Nice isn't it?

10 April 2011 OK So I changed it!!

Had another look at the Farmhouse Kitchen painting 'finished' yesterday and decided that it needed a tweak or two before varnishing. See the difference?