 I hope this finds you well. It's hard to believe that autumn is upon us already, this year has flown past. We had five glorious sunny days recently, which we all agreed must be our summer! The weather has been particularly poor this year. That has not deterred the visitors - the cafe has been busy with travellers from all over the world, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, as well as Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Both the cafe and gallery in Poolewe have gone from strength to strength, with wonderful feedback from customers. We are currently open Friday - Monday 10am - 4pm and plan to do the same through the winter. We will be closed for staff holidays from 5th - 21st November inclusive, reopening on Friday 22 November. Sketching North Erradale sketch.     Sketches - clockwise from top left - Cove, Firemore, Riverbed near Kinlochewe and Poolewe from Inverasdale On the few fine days we've had, I've taken the chance to head out with my sketchbook. The trick is to find somewhere to perch, usually on a rock, where I can lay my sketchbook on my knees and my tools out beside me. I mostly use charcoal for an initial drawing now, as I find a pencil too restricting. Sometimes I use a graphite stick, but I like the rawness and immediacy of charcoal. The sketchbooks are from Pink Pig, the examples shown were done in large square ones (11 x 11 inches). As you may already know, I sell customised sketchbooks, which I have linoprinted with my own designs. A wee travel set of watercolours provides all the colours I need. But I use a big brush, not the tiny travel one, as I like to use lots of water and work very quickly. This is mainly for practical reasons - the light can change very fast, or there is a shower of rain approaching, or the midges start to bite! Nothing can beat sketching out in the fresh air, with the sounds and smells and sights of your surroundings all being absorbed into your work. WritingEarlier this year, I finally got round to republishing my two books of short stories. They both contain ten short and very short stories and are available from my website shop and also from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe.   As well as the short story books, I've put together my first ever collection of poems in a wee book. Again, the book is available to purchase from my website shop and from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe in Poolewe.  Christmas cards    4 of the 8 designs It's that time of year again! This year's designs (all 8 of them) are just in from the printer. I used natural materials to lay out the images, then took photos and did a little editing to add in the wee extras! They are now available to purchase from my website shop and directly from Bridge Cottage Art Cafe. Calendars2025 calendars are now available - as ever, they are slimline ones, with each image printed on the back for use as a postcard. The images are all from artwork produced last winter, during the Art Portfolio course at Bridge House Art in Ullapool. Available to purchase from my website shop, Bridge Cottage Art Cafe and The Button Bothy at Poolewe Village Hall.     Thank you for your continued interest in my work, it is greatly appreciated.
I am heading off to Harris for a week's holiday in a couple of days - really looking forward to a change of scene! I will be dealing with any orders after I return on 9th October. all the best Jennifer
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Thank you First of all, I'd like to say a massive thank you to you for all your support! Running a small business can be a lonely thing to do (also a lovely thing, of course), so all the feedback I receive at markets and elsewhere throughout the year means the world. So, thank you if you came along in person to Poolewe Tuesday market, or Torridon Thursday craft market this year - it was great to meet you! Or if you bought things from any of my stockists, or indeed from my website - thank you. It's all greatly appreciated.
I'm missing my weekly outings to Poolewe Tuesday market (pics of my stall above), and fortnightly trips to Torridon. There may be news in the offing about a market in Gairloch next season - watch this space!  Christmas cards If you've not written your cards yet, (I've only sent the ones that go abroad...) I have a few packs of Christmas cards left. I've added a mixed pack into my website shop, as I realised that not everyone wants a pack that are all one colour... There are two each of red, green and blue in a pack.
Calendars There are a few 2023 calendars left - when they're gone they're gone. As in previous years, each image is printed on the back for use as a postcard. So you can send a postcard every month, or save them up till the end of the year ...
With the end of market season, I've spent the last few weeks updating my website shop (phew!). It now contains most of the items I have for sale. There are mugs, coasters, keyrings, small original artworks and bigger ones too. Also, various sizes of sketchbooks and greetings card collections. If you'd like anything posted to you, please don't delay - the last date I plan to be posting items is Monday 12th December. Writing
In recent times I've been going along to a lovely new event being hosted by Gairloch Museum. The Ceilidh House is a gathering of folk, every fortnight, to share songs, stories, poems and music. These can be our own compositions, or those of others. It has been so lovely to share in this way and it's prompted me to revisit my poems and writings. Perhaps the winter will see a gathering of these into some tangible form. (I do still have a few copies of my two volumes of short stories available). A writers' group is also starting up again here - it's always good to have somewhere to bounce ideas/receive feedback. As I said at the start of this newsletter. Thank you for reading this far! In the meantime, wishing you peace, health and happiness over the festive season. all the best Jennifer  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  Pebbles on the Beach has moved... Since the summer, I have been based near Gairloch on the northwest coast of Scotland. I am happy to say that this is where you will find me for the foreseeable future. The move is opening up new opportunities, as well as giving me the chance to strengthen existing connections. I am looking forward to the next chapter.  Exhibitions I currently have paintings (all from The Shipping Forecast series) in two exhibitions - the "Out there in Torridon" exhibition at the Loch Torridon Community Centre Gallery, and the Members' Show at An Talla Solais in Ullapool (my first time exhibiting there, delighted to be taking part!). Opening times : Torridon - Mon, Wed & Friday, 11am - 3pm. Ullapool - Open every day 11am - 1.30pm and 2-4pm, until 22 December. I am delighted to say that I will be exhibiting at Inverewe Garden in 2020 - more news about this soon. Christmas Fairs I'm taking part in two events in the coming weeks - firstly -
I will have a selection of my products at the fairs - shown above are Shipping Forecast calendars, mugs, coasters, small original linoprints (new designs), customised sketchbooks (watercolour paper) and small original watercolours. As always, thank you so much for your interest in my work, it is greatly appreciated.
All the best, Jennifer  I hope this finds you well and that you have enjoyed the summer - it definitely feels as if we are moving into autumn now. I am happy to be taking part in North East Open Studios again this year - at the same venue as last year - the Phoenix Centre at Newton Dee in Bieldside, Aberdeen. There will be nine of us showing a lovely range of work - from furniture to textiles, fused glass to painting, mixed media and printmaking. We call ourselves Art at the Phoenix for this event. I am number 302 in the NEOS book.
I have continued with The Shipping Forecast series of paintings and will have more of these on show, as well as small mounted works, mugs, coasters and of course greetings cards and 2020 calendars. There will be updates on my Pebbles on the Beach Facebook page throughout NEOS.
Opening Times -
I look forward to seeing you there! |
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