all that glitters...

As ever, I'm always looking for new techniques and ideas to experiment with. I have been playing with a few different ideas recently. I wanted to try to recreate the look of cameo jewellery in a painting, easier said than done! Here is my first attempt using both acrylic paint and watercolour. I have also been playing with collage and finding myself very influenced by the change of season. Autumn is certainly here. The piece that I am currently working on is certainly influenced by our current Autumnal foggy, misty weather....I will share it when it's done. To see more of my work, stop by at facebook.com/hrequineart

Yes, Autumn is pretty much here. The days are getting shorter, the leaves are fading from green to gold, and the breeze is fresh. Another summer is departing and leaves me wondering where on earth the time goes! Then I look back to the Spring and it feels like a long time ago, so I think it's just a sign of how much we seem to pack into our lives that makes it feel like the time evaporates. This watercolour was inspired by one of my sunset rides. I love how the light turns everything golden and my horse seems to enjoy it too! Wherever you are, I hope you can find time to enjoy a sunset or two this week. Heather You can follow me on facebook: www.facebook.com/hrequineart and instagram: hrequineart.

It's funny, I was a salesperson for 17 years but self promotion just doesn't come easily to me. Still, necessity breeds action (or something like that), so in addition to my ramblings here, I have a facebook page for my art: www.facebook.com/hrequineart and I have joined instagram as hrequineart. Feel free to visit, like, follow or whatever. Meanwhile my collections All that Glitters and Silhouette are available. They come mounted and framed and ready to hang for £35 + delivery. This is Sapphire - My thoughts are now turning to my next collection, plus I have a commission to get busy with, but first a little special canvass I think! Watch this space to see what I do with it. :)

Art is... For me, an emotion. A feeling. Here's a thought; What other species greets a fellow with. "Hi, how are you?" There is a phrase in every language for this. So from the dawn of communication, or at least some early point, humans were aware of each others feelings and emotions. Not only that, but were interested in them, albeit it for empathetic or mercenary reasons. So art is a way to express and share our emotions. How does a painting make you feel ? A picture, play, movie, song, or dancing all provoke some kind of emotion within us. The artist is portraying their emotions via whatever media they use and sharing this with anyone who cares to partake. So what emotion am I portraying with the above picture? Well, I am happy to leave that to your own interpretation :)

Yes, I know it's only August, but the nights have already started to draw in and forward planning is a good thing, so here is a preview of what I have in store for the autumn. The"All that glitters" range will be available on my website from September. Priced at £35 for a framed original, just in time for Christmas. I am really excited about these and a new series "Silhouette". Here is a preview of some of my favourites from both:

This week, thanks to enjoying some discounted bottles of iced latte, I thought I'd do something different with the empty bottles. Following the excellent tutorial from Gabrielle Pollacco, I altered the bottles. It was an easy, fun project. I thought I would share my step by step photos to show what I did with the bottles. First, I took the labels off, washed and dried the bottles, then added 2 coats of gesso to each. When the gesso was completely dry, I gave each bottle 2 coats of a pale yellow acrylic paint. When the paint was dry, I went over the necks, base and edges with brown ink, smudging it and blending to give the paint an aged look. Next, I mixed a watery blend of brown and black acrylic paint and splattered the bottles, using a dry brush dipped in the paint. I stamped randomly around the bottles with black ink before adding my decoupage from the first edition Rose Garden pad, plus some of my own had made flowers and tied ribbon around the neck. Et Voilà!

Just a short, sweet update this week as I have had to work (day job) for 6 days in a row, so this is my one day off before I'm back to work tomorrow :( Still, I have made time to finish a couple of wip's so I feel that I have accomplished something! These are 2 more in the All That Glitters series. These are such fun to do. Twinkling water colour backgrounds, bordered with texture paste. The horses are painted in gouache. I love the contrast of the shimmery background and flat mat subject. It shouldn't work, but it does!