'Distant Isles III' - off to a new home via the An Talla Solais Members' Show. 

I hope this finds you safe and well. 

The past few months have been busy with supplying my stockists, as everywhere gradually opens up again. It has been good to be back at Poolewe Tuesday Market again - there are always interesting conversations to be had with visitors, as well as with my fellow stallholders. It's great to hear how many creative folk are around!

Inchgowan Fine Art

Inchgowan Fine Art is opposite The Old Inn, just along from Gairloch Harbour, over the old bridge. I'm delighted to announce that I now have artwork on show at a lovely local gallery - Inchgowan Fine Art in Gairloch (formerly Solas Gallery).  There's some framed work on the walls, mounted work in a browser and smaller framed and mounted work - all original watercolours and mixed media.  The two paintings shown below - 'Coastal 6' and 'Shore 1' are currently on show there. 

There is an interesting mix of work by several artists - well worth a visit!

Coming Soon ....

Do you still send postcards when you're away on holiday?  I know, I know, we've forgotten what it's like to be away on holiday. Here's hoping you get to travel before too long. I was away for a break last week, in another beautiful part of Scotland - yes, there are definitely other beautiful parts - and it was so refreshing to have a change of scene. We don't need to go far to get the holiday feeling, I believe. 

Back to postcards ... there's a new project in the offing, more news soon!  Keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram for updates.  Here's a sneak preview.   ​

I hope this finds you safe and well. 

I'm delighted to say that a number of my stockists are now open again -  Gairloch Museum, Loch Torridon Community Centre, The Button Bothy in Poolewe, and Cabinet in Ullapool.  Please check their websites and/or social media for opening times. 

I'm also very happy to say that Poolewe Tuesday market will take place for the first time this year tomorrow, Tuesday 4th May!  I'm so looking forward to seeing my fellow stallholders again and of course meeting visitors old and new.  The market is in Poolewe Village Hall from 10am - 2.30pm, with a takeaway cafe raising funds for the Highland Hospice running most weeks.  I'll be there most weeks until the end of October - see my website for further details.

​Many thanks for your continued interest in my work.

Hope to see you soon!

best regards

Jennifer

I find the alphabet a helpful structure in my writing, so when I came to write a list of what I feel grateful for over the past twelve months, I turned to it again to help me.
​It didn't let me down.  
 
A is for Art and creativity – admittedly, this has come in waves, but at times has been very helpful in keeping me moving forward.

B is for Black Isle Correspondent, daily videos from; a little bit of madness, kindness and real life every day, especially during the first lockdown. Grateful thanks to Anna Massie.

C is for Camomile tea. And cake – the making and partaking of it, the sharing of it with friends, when possible.

D is for Dog.  My dog for making me smile every day, and often laugh too

E is for Empty beaches for walking on, I'm so lucky to live where I do.

F is for Friends and family, for staying in touch

G is for Growing things and gardening.

P is for Playing music on my mandolin. Also Photography - taking photos feels like a form of meditation to me. 

Q is for Quiz shows on TV, especially Only Connect and Mastermind. Monday evenings’ entertainment.

R is for Refreshing my knowledge and love of languages and learning a new one or two, on Duolingo.  Also, reading.  Novels, poetry, familiar and new.

S is for Slowing down, social media, staying in touch. Also Soup, the making and supping of it.

T is for Tunes – playing old ones and writing new ones

U is for Unforgotten – a cold case series on TV; totally hooked. Also old murder mysteries, the familiarity of them, the satisfying resolution.

V is for Very funny radio programmes, especially some of those on at 6.30pm on Radio 4, providing lots of laughter while I make my tea.​

W is for Walking. Every day. Walking and the peace of it. Sometimes walking with a friend.  Also for Writing; the joy of putting words together, in a poem, a story, a post.

X is for Acceptance – I will cheat a little here perhaps – taking the X to mean being not being allowed to do things. Accepting the situation, the imposed restrictions, the fact that I could not travel anywhere and no-one could come here – all that. Accepting it all made it a whole lot easier to make the most of what I could still do – many of these things are listed here.  

Y is for Yes – saying yes to new things, to taking part in online workshops and courses and exhibitions.
​
Z is for Zoom, which I hadn't heard of this time last year, but now value highly, for staying in touch and keeping things going. ​

Distant Isles I.  Original watercolour on paper. 45cm x 25cm approx. Unframed.

Hello.  I hope this finds you safe and well and managing to find a way through what is hopefully the last part of this very trying time.  

Living where I do, I’m very fortunate to have beautiful beaches nearby to walk on. I do this most days, with my dog.  Sometimes, if the weather is wild or wet, we venture inland a bit, walking in a sheltered glen with large trees and a burn flowing through it.  I’ve taken a lot of photos over the past year of walking. Mainly on my phone, sometimes with my camera. I've posted some of these nearly every day on Instagram and less frequently on Facebook.  There's a spot where I always go and stand, at the far end of one of the beaches. I now have a whole series of photos from that spot – I'm working out what to do with them. 

I've been doing some more writing recently, spurred on by attending (online) a wonderful week-long Arvon at Home course, called Exploring Creativity.  I've posted a few poems on Instagram and also on my blog. Watch this space for further developments.

I've also been updating my photography portfolio on the Photo4me website. 

New work and Poolewe Market
​
I've recently spent some time in the studio, painting a few more seascapes.  The first of these is shown at the top of this newsletter.  I plan to add some more coastal works to the collection – these proved popular at Poolewe Tuesday Market last year.  Speaking of which, we're keeping our fingers very firmly crossed that the market will be able to start for the season in early May.  Of course, this will depend on the regulations in place at that time. I'll keep you posted. 

I'm so looking forward to getting out and about and meeting people again; I’m sure you are too!

See the Seascapes

Online Shop

For now, my online shop is very much open. There are still some limited edition prints available, calendars are now reduced in price, and there are some new small works to choose from. There's also a wide range of greetings cards, some sketchbooks and notebooks and even keyrings.  Happy browsing!

Limited edition prints
There are some of these still available, at sale prices. The Thistle image below is an example.  To be discontinued.
 Shop the sale »

Notebooks
A variety of customised notebooks are available in my website shop (see image below)
I just received some new stock, so new designs, of both notebooks and sketchbooks, will be available soon! 
 See the notebooks »

Thank you for your continued interest in my work, it's greatly appreciated. 
Hope to see you soon - until then, stay safe and well.

all the best

​Jennifer

There are days
when your footsteps in the sand
barely break the surface
when the grains are hard packed -
stacked by the receding tide
the sea seeped away
drained into the bay
those are the days
when you make no impression
barely a dent is rent
in the perfect surface
only the occasional crack
of a shell as your track
shifts to the high tide line
 
there are days
when the sand shifts -
drifts beneath your feet
each step an effort
in the soft brown sugar
of the shore
and others have been here
before, churning, turning
stirring its softness,
leaving it spoiled
soiled until the
tide turns
 
there are days
when the top layer
of sand looks firm
but your boots sink
several inches
into its depths
you plod on,
across the bank
leave holes where
you sank
but rose again
 
there are days
when the sea weeps  -
seeps its way
back up the shore
more and more
till what seems firm
is liquid
and when stepping forward
you realise
a little late
the fate awaiting -
the fluid form
lying low
ready to pull you beneath
its innocent surface
with an insistent grasping
 
there are days
when the wind howls
across the bay
your boots
sandblasted by the
loose top layer -
the poor dog’s eyes
filled with grit -
those are
no days to sit
and stare
out to sea

I hope this finds you safe and well and bearing up under whatever restrictions are in place in your part of the world. 

The season is over for Poolewe Tuesday Market – it was wonderful to be part of it for the first time this year. We went out with a bang, with all the stallholders dressed up for Halloween for the last event.  We are looking forward to having not one, but two Christmas markets – on Friday 27th November (4-8pm) and Saturday 28th November (10am -2pm) in Poolewe Village Hall.  I will be there on the Friday evening. 

2021 calendar

This year’s (or should I say next year’s) calendar features photographs taken over the past twelve months, on the west coast of Scotland.  As before, it is a slimline calendar, with each image printed on the back for use as a postcard. Below are some of the images in the calendar. It's now available to purchase in my online shop.

I hope this finds you safe and well and able to enjoy a little freedom at last.  I have a few pieces of news to share.

Poolewe Tuesday Market
I am delighted to let you know that the wonderful Poolewe Tuesday Market started up again on 18th August. This was thanks to the meticulous planning and hard work of the organisers.  Of course it is a bit different, with a limited number of stalls each week, a takeaway cafe (some weeks) rather than a sit-in one and a limit on numbers allowed in to the hall at any time (currently 20 visitors). It was so good to be out and about (wearing one of my own mask designs, of course) and talking to people face to face again.  I will be at the market every Tuesday (except 22nd September) until the end of October.  It's open 10am - 2.30pm every Tuesday in Poolewe Village Hall.

New Stockist
Delighted to say that the Button Bothy, located within Poolewe Village Hall, is now stocking a range of my greetings cards.  This is a gem of a shop, selling jewellery, buttons galore, scarves and other gifts, and also providing access to Ron's Book Bothy with an eclectic mix of vintage books, prints, charts and maps. 

In the meantime, if you're not in the northwest Highlands or aren't planning to visit anytime soon, I have a wide range of items available in my website shop. 

Many thanks for your continued interest in my work - it is greatly appreciated.  If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch via the Contact page on my website.

wishing you all the best

Jennifer

​
I hope this finds you safe and well.  There has been some more summery weather on the west coast these past few days and I am enjoying starting to see the fruits of my recent labours in the slowly developing "garden".  It's like painting a picture, I've come to realise - putting colours and textures together, to create something pleasing to the eye. Of course the garden "picture" does not stay the same, as the seasons come and go, so the gardener must be continually trimming and tweaking, looking, adjusting and adjusting again. It is a continuous work in progress.

Many of you already know that as well as painting, I love taking photographs. I know lots of folk have been missing visiting their favourite places in Scotland in recent times, so I've been busy updating my website to include a photography page, showing a selection from my portfolio. This links to another website (Photo4me) where you can buy canvases, prints etc. of my work.

There's 10% off just now, on all items - just use the code kindness2020 at checkout. 

• Virtual Exhibition -
• A selection of my photographs
• On the Photography page of my website
• Always there - visit to view whenever you like

​

If you're finding it tricky to get hold of greetings cards just now, I've expanded my card collections - there are now 15 different collections, each with 5 different cards.  Hopefully there's something for everyone - shown above are -

• ​Panorama Collection 1
• Flora Collection 1
• Panorama Collection 2

and below -

• Highland Collection
• Linoprint Collection 1
• Letterbox Collection

​
As always, thank you so much for your interest in my work, it is greatly appreciated.  I am hopeful that there may be some opportunities to share my work in real life before the summer is over. 

In the meantime, stay safe and well.

all the best

Jennifer

Abigail had only one fault.  Being right.  Charles had always said so, back in the old days.  Days before he died so suddenly, keeling over in the churchyard during that dreadful funeral.   Elspeth; that was the woman’s name.  Fairfax, or Fairweather, something like that.  Grand sort of name for the mousy, waiflike creature with long fair hair who lived at the shabby cottage at the far end of the village.  How she’d come to live there, no-one really knew. 
Idleness is a sin, as Abigail knows only too well, gazing out at the snow swirling onto the patio and the neat lawn beyond.  Jolted back to the present by the harsh ringing of the telephone, she goes through to the hall to answer it.  Knowing it will be her son, Simon, she simply says “Hello”.  Looking at the black and white graduation photograph of him on the hall table, she listens for a long time, saying nothing.  “Mum; Mum, are you still there?”
“No Simon, I’m somewhere else entirely.”
“Oh come on, Mum, it’s not that bad, is it? Poor Dad didn’t even have a chance to get to know her.”
“Quite right, too, she should never have been born.”
“Really, Mum, I can’t speak to you about this any more right now; I’ll call back later when you’re in a more reasonable mood.” Simon hung up; Abigail dropped onto the chair by the phone, sat picking absently at a pulled piece of grey wool in her cardigan sleeve.  Trust Charles to have gone and done something stupid and then left them to pick up the pieces.  Unbelievable, that’s what it was, that her husband of forty years could have had a daughter that none of them had any idea about.  Vile thoughts ran through her mind, of revenge and justice and things turning out for the best.  What a pity Elspeth had been allergic to peanuts and that she had had no idea about it when she invited her for afternoon tea that day when Charles had been away on business.  Extremely unfortunate, too, that Charles’ pre-existing heart condition and the fact that he’d run out of his medication, had meant that he’d dropped dead at his bastard daughter’s funeral.
Zealously, Abigail set to work polishing the silver cutlery and laying out cups and saucers for bridge club later on that afternoon.

This is a short story I wrote a number of years ago.  It is from my first collection of short stories and has been broadcast on Two Lochs radio in their Westwords programme. 

 
Afternoons in the Brown household were generally given over to drawing spaceships.  Barry tended to do intricate scale diagrams of complicated designs.  Charlie’s efforts were usually brightly coloured, with birds and animals added for decorative effect.  Daphne worked diligently, doing complex calculations concerning power outputs, thruster positions and light year estimations. Every evening, the three siblings would compare notes, pinning their efforts onto a board and pointing out special features.  Finishing a spaceship drawing was something none of them had ever achieved.  George, their father and inspiration, was long dead.  He had been a technician at the local spaceship factory and harboured desires of going to Mars one day.
“If only we could get someone to build one of these, to see if it worked!” Daphne said one winter’s evening, her mouth full of tea and bourbon biscuit.
“Just let me make some phone calls,” said Barry, brushing custard cream crumbs from his Arran jumper. 
“Knit one, we could knit one!” shouted Charlie, waving his arms around, a jammie dodger in each hand.  Lovingly, his siblings smiled at him and then at each other.
“Maybe, Charlie, maybe,” Daphne said, gently.
“No, really, I saw a pattern in last month’s “Novelty Knitting for Novices”.  Only snag is how many balls of wool we’d need; I think it was two and a half million of blue and one and a half million of white.”
“Perhaps we should see how Barry gets on with his phone calls,” said Daphne quietly, watching Barry pick up the phone and dial.
“Question for you.  Richard, on the funding front.  Spaceship project; some fabulous designers have a terrific plan.  Time to get up to date and move into new sectors, eh?”
Until that moment, neither Daphne nor Charlie had any inkling that Barry was on nodding terms with Sir Richard.  Very soon after, the call concluded and Barry was grinning from ear to ear.
“We’ve got a deal; he fell for it hook line and sinker!  Extra income from our pension payouts next month will make up the balance.”
“You’re a genius, Barry!” cried Daphne and Charlie.
“Zog, here we come!” shouted the three grey-haired siblings, waving slices of Victoria sponge in celebration.