Kim's on the plot, Robert's in his studio

Stunning spring day , we head off to Eastergate where Kim is cultivating an Organic fruit n veg plot . She's recycled some windows to make cold-frames and there are lots of lovely wood chip paths and home-made gates and hurdles using  available wood. Kim's bought a load of fruit trees and a little self assemble green house from Lidl ! So we get to work  putting it together. Kim sets up a tea-station makes us a brew ! So when we've completed our task we can sit and admire and celebrate with a cup of lemon n ginger .

After refreshing lemon n ginger brew Joel and I head over to visit Robert Olliver-Joness in his Studio down the road in Eastergate

 Robert is working on paintings for an Exhibition in The Reading Rooms Margate Opening on the 17th March

Sun sun sun spring has sprung....

Such a cracking day Joel would like to have a look at some horses , so we head over to a friends stables in the Witterings , but because of the weather all the horses have rugs on so sadly Joel only gets a few head shots having waded through the waterlogged fields. After a coffee at "The Landings" we go and look out some more horses in their paddocks near Roman Landings , not as muddy but they too have their rugs on .
Thandi asks us for lunch over Goodwood way so we head on over and Cliff lays on a mouth watering spread, and then takes Joel over to see the horses there. He gets some great shots and goes home a happy boy .

Barbara's back from India ready to get oils on canvas

Joel and I went to visit Julia at Winter's Moon HQ in Chichester . Julia is keen to host Joel and Barbara's  Exhibition in her show room/warehouse in May to co-inside with the Open Studio's .
Julia lets us root around and put a few random items together for Joel and Barbara to use , an old iconic telephone, candlestick , melamine jug , an old kettle...
The following week we head over to Barbara's and present her with the box of goodies, excited, they then decide to use the canvas they'd prepared previously with the aubergine grid . And they're off!

Kicking off with the telephone on the aubergine grid

Love Love LOve !

Barbara pulls out an old canvas she'd started to paint over and they decide its just right for the JUG !

Using the black pens to start

Off the grid this time ...free ranging jugs !

Leave jugs for now to start on candle stick

Again they use a preprepared canvas and use green pastel stick and pink for background

The green is so vibrant its a winner !

Back to the jug ... using blue pastel

Out comes the BLACK .....

Just Gorgeous !

Prepping canvas for next time ...Blacks where its at !

Painting over an old canvas

Barbara and Joel worked really hard and intensively this morning , we leave Barbara rather drained and exhausted !

Off the grid and out of the box , Barbara & Joel cut loose...

Woe Barbara's on the grid ! new look at New York...

Out of the cupboard , a box of Barbara's Dad's old glasses ...

We like , going kitch ... first try old method of painting on small squares of paper using water colour ....Nah its way too dull

So get them on one big sheet with marker pens , off the grid , draw outline only , try and keep pen on paper, then swap sides and go again...keeping it random

They're lovin it

One too many  ! FANTASTIC !

Now Joel chooses another classic shape ..the pepperpot  Its another winner !
Quite alot of smirks and giggling at the random shapes produced....Pepper-pot -porn 

Barbara gets Dubuffet out and has a notion to do some background colour

Using soft flowing black lines to use as fill in sections

Joel chooses a blue and Barbara mixes it ...off they go colouring in time

Mmmm  very exciting , definately out of the box and off the grid, time for just one more...

Joel goes for the Espresso pot ... Barbara not sure she's ready for it , but as ever rises to the challenge

Much more angular object so use angular lines for background colour areas

Entering another off the grid zone and lovin it ! Have an idea for an exhibition of this work next spring at Winter's Moon , discuss with Julia and taking Joel over to see the space next week ....http://www.wintersmoon.bigcartel.com/

Bring on the Aubergine !

Looking at marks and old sketches

Start to over paint in aubergine squares

 Once the canvas is covered in aubergine squares  out come the oil pastels

Getting pink pastel on

Joel chose a test pot from Barbara's  Mum's collection and put it on the stool and they took it in turns to scratch one in a random square

Barbara making a few adjustments to something she's working on, while Joel fills a square

Barbara's turn to scratch the pot image on the grid

preparing the larger grid canvas adding more layers

Da daaa !Got to say they look bit like selection of odd pants !

Recycling a canvas from last project

Really loving the aubergine colour

Barbara and Joel covered all the original gourd drawings till there was only a faint image coming through the purple ...almost Rothko...Made a really good start today, three canvases on the go !