 Luskentyre beach on Harris I hope this finds you well and enjoying some summery weather. It was unusually hot here for a few weeks recently, but now the normal school holiday weather has resumed, with wind and rain. The garden is flourishing now that it's been watered and everywhere is looking very green. I enjoyed ten days' holiday (actually, our honeymoon) on Lewis and Harris in May; it was great to explore different landscapes and beaches. Plenty photographs were taken and a few sketches made.
New market I'm delighted to say that I'm now taking part in Ullapool Local Artisan Market. This event takes place fortnightly (approximately) on Mondays in Ullapool Village Hall, from 10am - 4pm. There's a great selection of local arts and crafts to browse and buy. I'll be there on Mondays 7th & 21st August and 4th & 18th September. You can also still find me at Poolewe Tuesday market every week, Torridon Thursday Craft Market on alternate Thursdays and Gairloch Thursday Market when I'm not in Torridon! All dates are available on my website or on each market's Facebook page.
I'm still enjoying linoprinting and have had many lovely comments about the results at the local markets - thank you! I mainly print onto sketchbooks and notebooks, but I've also started mounting prints on paper. The puffin is a recent, popular addition and the three fishes design has become a favourite. New Designs I've been taking more photographs recently, rather than painting. The result is some new mug, coaster and card designs, entitled 'Lewis Blues'. Two of the new mugs are shown below.
Members' Exhibition at An Talla Solais in Ullapool
I've submitted some work - photography this time, for a change, for the annual Members' Show at An Talla Solais in Ullapool. Here's hoping it's accepted!
Thank you so much for your continued support, it is greatly appreciated. all the best Jennifer
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 I hope this finds you well and enjoying some more spring-like weather. It was warm here for a while and all the leaves started appearing on the trees, at last. That lovely fresh, light green that only lasts a short while. It has turned chilly again, so work in the garden is on hold. PoetryI signed up to NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) this year – actually to something called Escapril, organised by a lovely poet in Aberdeen. The aim was to write a poem, based on a provided prompt, every day all through April. Only two days to go and I’m happy to say I’ve produced something every day so far! I’m one of those people who works better when given ‘homework’, so I’ve enjoyed the challenge. It also reminds me just how much I Iove playing with words. Here’s my effort from Day 4. The prompt was ‘attention’. PAYING ATTENTION there are days when every blade of grass every stalk and stem every lichen smothered rock demands, commands your attention when every raindrop that hasn’t reached the ground is found in the leafy crevice of a lupin there are days when from nowhere sudden primroses appear daffodils dance in drifts of yellowness when buds burst into leaf a sheaf of green where all was grey when you step aside, avoid the furry caterpillar on the path Local markets
The local markets are now in full swing and I’m enjoying being back at them. It’s good to see familiar faces and to catch up. And having conversations about creativity is always a joy! I’m now stocking some larger sizes of sketchbooks (I’ve got my eye on them for my upcoming holiday on Lewis and Harris) and I enjoy hearing what people plan to do with them. A couple of new linoprint designs have appeared recently – a small puffin and a larger heron.  ExhibitionsI’m happy to have a couple of small pieces of work in the newly opened spring exhibition at Loch Torridon Community Centre gallery. ‘Seaweed 1’ and ‘Seaweed 2’ are gelli prints. It’s a medium I’ve not used very much, but which is great fun! A recent conversation with someone at Poolewe market reminded me of it. That’s how it goes. The Carron Pottery gallery now has a few of my artworks on display. They’re also now fully restocked with my linoprinted sketchbooks and a selection of my small originals. Later in the year, on Saturday 1st July, I’ll be at the Gairloch Gathering, in the field beside Sands campsite. Fingers crossed for a fine day! It was a grand day out last year.
New stockistThanks to a chance conversation at Gairloch Thursday market, a selection of my products is now available to purchase from a new stockist. Gairloch Marine Wildlife Centre and Cruises, based on Pier Road at the harbour in Gairloch has my marine themed mugs, coasters, keyrings and cards. As always, many thanks for your continued interest in my work - it is greatly appreciated.
all the best Jennifer  Out and about I hope this finds you safe and well. The weather at this time of year can be a little challenging. It can rain for days on end. When the wind gets up it batters everything and can make shutting car doors a challenge. At last the days are getting a little lighter, stretching at either end. When a fine day comes along, it's a jewel to be treasured. Everyone is out in the sunshine, smiling and commenting on the fineness of the day. Even a dry day is a small triumph. On some of these rare fine days, I've been out sketching. Some new places and some familiar ones. At some point, I hope to transform these into 'proper' paintings. I'll keep you posted. 
Market season starting soon It will soon be time for the local markets to start up again. I've been missing them a lot, so I'm really looking forward to being back! This year I'm planning to be at three regular markets. Delighted to say that a new one is starting in Gairloch Community Hall. It will be on every Thursday throughout the season The ones I plan to be at are :
 Stockists Just a reminder that a number of lovely places stock selected items of my work. These include Gairloch Museum, the Carron Pottery, Loch Torridon Community Centre Gallery and Gairloch Gifts. A full list of them is on my website, along with opening times. Some of them are closed at the moment and will be reopening soon for the visitor season. In the meantime, a wide range of items is always available from my website shop. Including greetings cards, sketchbooks, coasters, mugs and keyrings, as well as original artwork. I've just added some more small original works, which I've done over the winter. See below - Winter Morning #1 and Winter Morning #2
Photography If you're more interested in my photography, then please do have a look at my portfolios on the Redbubble and Photo4me websites. The former has a huge range of items available, from hardback journals to aprons, backpacks and pet bandanas. The latter specialises in canvases, framed prints, picture boards and other forms of photographic prints for hanging on your walls. Enjoy!
As always, thank you for your continued interest in my work.
If you have any queries at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I look forward to seeing some of you again during the 2023 season! all the best Jennifer  'Distant Isles I'. Delighted to see this original painting off to a new home last week. Hello, I hope this finds you safe and well. At long last it feels as if some sort of normailty is resuming. I'm so enjoying being at Poolewe Tuesday Market every week. And a trip to Torridon every two weeks to take part in the market there is a joy as well. Having conversations with people, untrammeled by masks, is great! Linoprinting news
Last month I completed a commission - printing a set of notebooks destined to be gifts. The cover design was of Schiehallion, a famous Munro in Perthshire. It was a new direction for me, and fun to do. It has prompted me to look more closely at the mountains nearby - watch this space for further developments! Another new linoprint design is the croft house (image above, printed on a sketchbook). Market days I continue to have a stall at Poolewe Tuesday market and will be there every week until the end of October, except Tuesday 16th August. You can also find me at Torridon Thursday market, twice a month at Loch Torridon Community Centre Hall, in Torridon. The next one is on Thursday 14th July, 10am-3pm. In the meantime, if you're not in Wester Ross, a selection of items is always available in my website shop. Also on the Photo4me and Redbubble websites.
Many thanks for your continued interest in my work.
all the best Jennifer  I hope this finds you safe and well. Happy New Year! I know it's a little late in the day to be sending such greetings, but I feel as if I am stepping rather tentatively into 2022. This time last year we were in lockdown once more and it's quite hard to believe we are now free to be out and about and that everything is opening up again. I find myself blinking in the rare glimpses of winter sunshine, as if coming out hibernation, starting to believe that it really is possible to move forward again.  Delighted to say that I donated £55 to the World Wide Fund for Nature, from all the Christmas card sales at the end of last year! Many thanks to everyone who bought cards - much appreciated. I received a lot of positive feedback about the designs, which is encouraging me to explore other avenues along similar lines. Watch this space...
I've been updating my website shop - a continuous task, like painting the Forth Rail Bridge, which never ends, but is nonetheless very satisfying. I've added a range of items back in, including some original linoprints.  Back in the studio The winter skies here can be very dramatic and are an endless source of inspiration. The trick is to have everything ready to go - paper stretched onto boards, paints, water and brushes organised. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Of course, in real life that's not how it goes - I've finally got back into the studio to do some painting - above is a work in progress. Or maybe it's finished? I've been adding islands into my seascapes recently - decision, decisions!
Coming up
The lovely Gairloch Museum is reopening for the season next week, on Thursday 10th February. I'll be along to check on my cards and sketchbook stock in the gift shop. I'm looking forward to taking part in Poolewe Tuesday Market again this year - from the end of March until the end of October, all being well. I'm hoping to be there most weeks - I'll let you know dates as soon as I know. It's also looking likely that I'll be exhibiting some artwork at Inverewe this year (I was to have had an exhibition in the cafe there in 2020, which of course did not happen). It will be great to see art exhibitions happening there again. You can find out more on the Galleries @ Inverewe website. Many thanks for your continued interest in my work. Wishing you peace, health and joy in 2022. Jennifer |
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