 Spring news from Pebbles on the BeachHello and welcome to the latest edition of my newsletter. I hope this finds you well and enjoying some spring sunshine! We are finally seeing signs of life here - the daffodils are out, primroses have made an appearance and my pots of tulips are making steady progress towards flowering. There is much birdsong in the mornings and great excitement locally about herring spawning in The Minch - including sightings of many gannets, porpoises and a few whales (humpback and minke), following the fish. I shall always be a zoologist at heart!
I find the winter skies here very inspiring - they are often dark and grey and full of rain, above a sea which can be steely grey or dark turquoise or indigo blue, depending on the light. Observing and absorbing these led me to paint a couple of short series of watercolours recently - 'Distant Isles' 5-11. and 'Winter Skies' 1-5. I don't think I'll ever tire of painting seascapes.
I've also been working more with mixed media recently - mainly acrylic paint with graphite, charcoal and pastels. And anything else that comes to hand, if I'm honest. Building up layers, scraping them back, watching to see what emerges. I tend to work on one large sheet of heavy duty paper, which I divide into a grid using masking tape, after the initial, random layer of paint has been applied. It's a method I developed during my time on the portfolio course last winter with Bridge House Art. The end result is a series of small, abstract works which I feel reflect my surroundings here in the coastal west Highlands of Scotland. A shoreline, a rocky coast, a rockpool, perhaps, suggest themselves.  One of the lochs in Laide Wood in recent spring sunshine It was National Poetry Day recently, so here's a poem It's an 'associations' poem, a form I learnt about during an online Creative Explorers workshop in early 2021. It's best read aloud. Each word connects with the next in some way - sometimes opposites, sometimes synonyms and sometimes in a more surprising or unusual way. Enjoy! Lily, valley, polish, boots lily, valley, polish, boots march, April, spring, newts pond, ponder, think, brain head, school, teach, train track, trace, pattern, dress child, toddler, sticky, mess Eton, posh, fish, trout fin, scales, weigh, out in, pub, beer, wine grapes, raisins, chocolate, mine coal, black, mourning, suit lily, valley, polish, boots I've written quite a few of these poems - several are included in my first poetry collection, which is available from the cafe gallery or from my website shop.  Bridge Cottage Art CafeIn the meantime, we're gearing up for the tourist season at Bridge Cottage Art Cafe. We've been open all winter and are grateful for the support of local customers, many of whom are now regulars, as well as those from further afield. Key info :
 Members' Shop reopens!
Last but not least, I'm delighted to say that the Members' Shop at An Talla Solais reopened today and it's stocking some of my work. Including small original artworks, greetings cards and linoprinted skethcbooks. It's situated at the entrance to the gallery on Market Street in Ullapool. Also opening today at An Talla Solais are two exhibitions, one by Susan Lorna Brown, entitled 'Search', the other 'Glacial Narratives : The Greenlandic Chapter'. Both are on until 4th May. The gallery is open Wed - Sun 10am - 1.30pm and 2pm - 5pm. I'll be visiting at some point! Many thanks for your continued interest in my work. all the best Jennifer
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 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  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 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  I hope this finds you safe and well. At long last, it feels as though spring is in the air - there are wild violas in the garden, the larch is covered in bright green paintbrushes of fresh needles and there are primroses in the woods. Visitors have started arriving, places are opening up and it's time to move forward again. New Stockist - The Carron Pottery I'm delighted to say that I now have some of my work in stock at the lovely Carron Pottery, at Cam-allt by Strathcarron. I'm especially happy about this, given my long-standing links with Lochcarron. I spent most of my childhood holidays there, staying in my granny's house in Slumbay - the area is full of happy memories. The Pottery now has a selection of my greetings cards, linoprinted sketchbooks and notebooks and also some small original, mounted watercolours.  Torridon Thursday Market - fortnightly This week saw the first Torridon Thursday Craft and Food Market in Loch Torridon Community Centre Hall. I'm delighted to be taking part this year - I'll be there every two weeks with a selection of my original artwork and gifts. The next market will be on Thursday 28th April, 10am - 3pm. There is a lovely mixture of stallholders, all with a warm welcome. Poolewe Tuesday Market I'm happy to say that this market is up and running again (the first one was on 29th March). I'll be there every week until the end of the season, at the end of October. This year sees some lovely new stallholders joining in, as there is space for a few more folk again. It's always lovely to meet new people and catch up with folk. I look forward to seeing you there! It's on every Tuesday from 10am - 2.30pm.  The linoprinted sketchbooks and notebooks are proving to be very popular. I now have a wider range of sizes - from A6 size, plain cartridge paper, to 11 x 11 inch large square sketchbooks. Selected sizes are currently available from Gairloch Museum, Poolewe Tuesday Market, Torridon Thursday Market, Loch Torridon Community Centre Gallery, Carron Pottery, and The Button Bothy in Poolewe.  Exhibition at Inverewe Garden, Poolewe
I'm happy to be part of a mixed exhibition at Inverewe Garden: Opened on Friday 15th April In Osgood's Cafe - at the top of the main car park. On show until further notice. 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  'Distant Isles II'. Currently on show at Loch Torridon community centre gallery. I hope this finds you safe and well end enjoying the summer. It's good to hear that things are opening up again - it's been a long time coming. New moving image work on show In my previous newsletter, I mentioned that some new work had been selected for an upcoming exhibition. I'm happy to let you know that the online exhibition, 'A Space Between', curated by the Society of Scottish Artists, is now open and is available to view until 5th September. My moving image piece, combining photography, spoken word and recorded sound, is called 'Sand'. There is a lovely range of work to enjoy.  Postcards now available I've produced a set of six postcards featuring local scenes and landmarks (4 are shown below) and am happy to say these are now available from a couple of local stockists - Gairloch Gifts (at the Filling Station) and the GALE centre. They're also available directly from me at Poolewe Tuesday Market. I'm there most weeks until the end of October. Details of dates are available on my website. Some of these images are also available as photographic prints and canvases via my photography portfolio on the Photo4me website. Restock of Loch Torridon community centre gallery I delivered some new work to the lovely Loch Torridon community centre gallery the other day - several seascapes (see top image) and a selection of small works and greetings cards. I'm happy to say that they're now also stocking a selection of my customised sketchbooks and notebooks. The gallery has a great mix of work on show (including ceramics, baskets, glasswork and more, see images below) and there is a lovely popup cafe, which is open Monday - Friday 9am - 6pm.
Many thanks for your continued interest in my work. Do pop by and say hello at Poolewe Tuesday market, if you're in the area. best regards 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 My November newsletter has just been sent out, by email. You can read it here.   MBC Art Exhibition I hope this finds you well and that you have had a good summer. It's hard to believe that it's mid-August already - so next weekend is when the Milltimber, Bieldside & Cults (MBC) art exhibition takes place at the Phoenix Centre at Newton Dee in Bieldside. I will have a few paintings on show, both framed work and mounted and also some of my cards. There is always a great selection of work by local artists.You are very welcome to come along when it's open (see the opening times above). The Milltimber Playgroup mums will be providing teas, coffees and homebakes at the weekend! Hope to see you there.  North East Open Studios (NEOS) (Saturday 9th - Sunday 17th September). Just a wee reminder about NEOS. This time, for a change, I will bepart of a lovely group of artists and makers at the Phoenix Centre at Newton Dee in Bieldside. I will have a bit more space than in the cabin, to show my work. The venue will be open 10am - 4pm every day. I am number 263 in the NEOS directory this year. Look forward to seeing you there!  Last but not least ...
I am delighted to be supporting Cornerstone's first ever Art Fair, which will take place on Friday 29th September - Saturday 30th September at the Sir Ian Wood Building at RGU in Aberdeen. They have an Instagram account where you can have a wee preview of the art which will be available to purchase. Thank you very much for your continued interest and support. Jennifer |
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