ENGAGEMENT SPECIALS

What a busy week. I had three urgent pen and ink pointillism special commissions. I have never embarked on so many dots in one week. My neck was stiff, and I was practically seeing double, but I got them done.

There was my first horse for a 40th birthday... the birthday girl’s pride and joy (keeping it under wraps until it is delivered) and two engagement presents, with the pictures capturing the venue of each of the proposals.


I do not think it is possible to give a more unique gift than something like that. These also happened to be my first full pictures in this medium, including background scenery, so definitely some new challenges to overcome, for example making water and reflections entirely from dots.

Every piece of artwork takes me on a voyage of discovery, with new learning, which makes it so rewarding.


On a parallel path, I was busy posting and delivering other artwork, as far as Shetland, because of a very fruitful SALE on Facebook. Sadly, some of the venues where I have previously sold my work are either closing down or refocusing, because of Covid 19, and I had to pick up unsold stock.

I decided to sell off the excess framed giclee prints stock at SALE prices ... what a success! This week I have done the same with some of my Shabby Sheep pictures, with an equally good response. People do like a bargain!

Not content with my own painting and drawing endeavours, I engaged my friend George Mackenzie, painter, and decorator from my business group, to refresh my bedroom in bright green. I cannot wait to get my new, snazzy multi coloured curtains, lampshades, and cushions in place to set it all off. Quite a change from my sedate beige / cream decor before.

So, what do I have next on my list? Well, after a successful meeting with my candlemaker friend Caroline last week , we hope to pursue ceramic candle jars and mugs with my pointillism animals on them and I plan to put some items in to the SDX on line shop too ....probably a limited range of framed ceramic wall plaques. Online presence is becoming ever more necessary.

Tomorrow I am going to a virtual lecture about how to utilise LinkedIn to best effect. I still find it hard to acknowledge just how far this technophobe has come during lockdown!

DELIVERIES...DELIVERIES

This week has been all about deliveries. I have been encouraging people to use me as their personal shopper, delivering unique gifts for special people (or treats for themselves) during lockdown.

My friend Fiona from my BNI business group commissioned two paintings for her grandchildren Her grandson’s beloved guinea pig had died and he had got a new one to replace it. He had been so devoted to the first one that she thought a painting would help him to remember him.

With a bit of artistic licence, we united the one which had passed away with the little new one (with the funky hairstyle) for the painting. Obviously, she wanted one of her granddaughter’s guinea pig too. I delivered the paintings earlier in the week, just in time for their lockdown reunion. What a thoughtful gran. They were delighted.

It isn’t the first time that I have brought a beloved pet back to life, by painting them from their photographs. Pet portraits continue to be incredibly popular, although these were my first guinea pigs!

I always get a digital image made  of my paintings and drawings , so it is possible to create prints , coasters , mugs , greetings cards,  placemats etc at a later date for stocking fillers .

This week I also delivered an embellished, felted ,underwater seascape picture to one of my psychiatry colleagues , Diane, from during my training days at Dykebar hospital when I was just a baby psychiatrist ( late 1980’s). It is so nice to reconnect with friends after all these years as we all hit retirement and have more time on our hands.

Despite being a technophobe there is no denying that the internet and social media facilitate connections. I have to confess that, at last, I have decided to make an effort to address my technophobic status.

My business colleague Ryan suggested that I try free online training modules on Google Digital Garage about search engine optimisation etc and I completed a 3-hr module this week! I hope to gradually be able to talk the same language as Philip Patrick who is currently redesigning my website!!!

Rhona x

ANIMAL ZONE

This week has focussed mostly on animals as I completed a pen and ink pointillism drawing of a piglet and then worked on my next commission of a pet portrait.

It was nice to be contacted by an ex colleague about the commission... another reminder of the power of Facebook in keeping people connected. 

The weather this week has not been so good but sitting in my glass box of my studio has been warm and dry and conducive to creating. It is interesting to see what the next commission will be .

Tonight it was my pleasure to see one of my original pen and ink drawings bring joy to fellow Rotarian , David , who purchased the original crocus design for the ‘Message of Hope ‘campaign as a memento of his year as Rotary President and had the club name , date and campaign name printed on the mount.

His final meeting as president was unusual, as it was on zoom, but video tributes from all the members will give him a keepsake record of the event. No doubt, when lockdown eases, we will have a face to face knees up.

Tomorrow I take collection of some merchandise with my artwork on it, which was ordered pre lockdown. To date I have mostly had greetings cards and coasters made, but now I get a chance to see a clock, placemats, and a chopping board.

The shabby sheep range may be set to expand ... watch this space for updates.

I am also awaiting news of when the Scottish Design Exchange will reopen in Ocean Terminal. At this stage it is unclear just how much footfall there will be in shopping centres as we come out of lockdown wearing our, soon to be mandatory, face masks.

It does seem a good time to be updating my website though as on line sales are definitely set to expand in this ‘new normal ‘ world that we find ourselves in .

My own lockdown experience was captured by my financial consultant from Cruse Wealth Management for one of their ‘ Lockdown Moments ‘ interviews last week . What would your lockdown moments capture?

Rhona X

REFLECTIONS

It has been a week for reflection this week. Firstly , I completed my pen and ink drawing of Stirling University and the Wallace Monument reflecting in the lake in the grounds of the university and then I spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on my early life, family , school , university, relationships, medical training , psychiatry and my husband’s death...Why ?

It was time to start seriously trying to get a literary agent for my memoir. I naively assumed that it would be a covering letter and manuscript that would be required, but oh no, that would be far too easy!

Every agency has their own process for accepting submissions so I found myself re- reading and having to summarise each of the 43 chapters, producing covering letters , proposals, a synopsis and varying amounts of sample text in double spaced Times New Ronan font !

It was interesting to note that some of my memories captured immediately after I retired were no longer fresh in my mind . If I had not captured many of them just before and after I retired, I suspect they would have gone, hence the importance of capturing my experiences in my memoir.


Fortunately each of the agencies commits to read all submissions and respond within an agreed timescale , so even if there are lots of ‘no’ responses,  I won’t have to wait too long before trying alternative Agencies It is quite daunting releasing my first ever manuscript to strangers , seeking their approval, particularly as it is very personal content.


This week also saw the sharing of a Lockdown Moments video on the Facebook page of my financial advisors’ company, Cruse Wealth Management. They have selected a few of their clients to interview about how they have coped during lockdown and my friend had me in the frame for a zoom video call.

They kindly plugged my website too. However, this week I have been working with website designer Philip Patrick, from Belfast, as he is building me a new website, which should be much easier to navigate. I will announce the new site on Facebook when it is ready and invite you to check it out and add some reviews x

Rhona xx

GRRR.....BUZZZ...

Grrr... I love this little guy.  This week I got some of my pen and ink pointillism drawings back from the gallery, but this time they were printed on framed ceramic wall plaques.

The glossy sheen on the tile made them pop and the black frame really complimented the look. The little tiger cub is one of my personal favourites. The wall plaques come packed in their own protective boxes so they are ideal for wrapping as gifts or simply as a personal treat.

During lockdown you may have been doing some painting of your own ... freshening up your home with a bit of DIY . Some modern artworks might just finish off your fresh new look.

This week’s addition to the new range is this cute little bumble bee. buzzz.

It was a busy week though, due to completing three commission watercolour paintings too. Interestingly, when I showed one of my paintings to my old art class colleagues, during a zoom catch up, someone recognised Portobello beach front and wanted to buy a print of it ... another sale.

The idea of me being a personal shopper, producing unique gifts for special birthdays and anniversaries, definitely seems to have triggered quite a number of enquires. The increase in commissions has definitely kept me occupied during the enforced social distancing .

Now I have to turn my creative talents to baking cupcakes for our Rotary club fundraising afternoon tea and bingo on zoom and quickly learn some bingo lingo ,as I am the caller too !

“Two fat ladies ...88!” It is amazing just how much has changed in such a short space of time ... who would have guessed this technophobe would be organising on-line social events and managing to be a guest speaker ,operating a PowerPoint at Rotary clubs all over Scotland .

This has been a great way to raise awareness about my Message of Hope fundraising campaign for End Polio Now. Hopefully it will generate more sales of the greeting’s cards.

Feedback so far has been very positive.


Rhona x

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

This week I thought that I would show you a close up of a piece of pointillism up close and personal, just to demonstrate how many individual dots it takes to make up each image created.

I have been preparing my 10-minute feature presentation for my BNI business group and as it will be on zoom due to lockdown, I am unable to pass around props, do a demo etc. I thought I would deconstruct the artistic process by showing progress shots and close ups of images as they were being created.

From a distance most people would recognise a thistle by its characteristic shape, but a smaller number would be familiar with nature’s own intricate pattern unless they took on the task of recreating the image using pointillism. The trick is observation, recognition of shapes and patterns and creating an accurate pencil drawing.

Adding the dots in various concentrations per square centimetre gives the impression of light, dark, depth, shadow, softness, fluffiness etc, dependant on the type of image being created. Trial and error were required when I created my orangutan, to create the loose hairy outline ... eventually achieved with lots of floating dots.

I have utilised this to good effect since with other images. It has been a huge personal learning curve. I have not trawled the internet to find a ‘how to’ video, simply enjoying my own artistic voyage of discovery and sharing that.

It has meant not being constrained by a particular way of doing things, which is liberating , and ultimately it has lead me to an new art form to explore and enjoy.

With my BNI presentation looming I have had to learn more new skills... how to screen share at a zoom meeting and access and operate my own PowerPoint. This is a fairly simple process but for a technophobe it was daunting. I am proud to report that I managed it this week, as I was guest speaker at Leith Rotary club. (thanks to all family, friends and Rotary tutors involved in the days leading up to it !!!)


Rhona x

WET AND WINDY

This week has been a week for staying indoors, due to wind and rain. It has afforded me the opportunity to work on my ‘Stirling collection’ of pen and ink pointillism images of Stirling landmarks. I hope to complete a set of four, as that is useful for merchandise, such as ceramic coasters.

The debate centres around what to select for the fourth image .
In future I hope to showcase these at the Scottish Trade Fair, to demonstrate my ability to produce artwork specific to different locations eg National Trust properties etc , in the hope that this may generate specific commissions .

My focus has however been on my Message of Hope fundraising campaign for charity, packaging many more greetings cards in preparation for the wider launch of my video to Rotary clubs across our district and then further afield. In the first two weeks we sold £1180 worth of cards, which is very encouraging... onwards and upwards.


I have agreed to go on the list of potential guest speakers for the zoom Rotary circuit, so that should also help to raise awareness. In the process , I have had to reluctantly try to get to grips with zoom technology and learn how to screen share and control my own PowerPoint... for those who know me , you will understand what a big hurdle I have had to overcome !


Despite lock down, I had a week of selling a mixture of items on my website, which was great, as well as getting a Pet Portrait commission. I sold original felt pictures, candles, greetings cards, ceramic tiles and an original pointillism drawing. Perhaps people have had more time to be shopping online. I better get going with the pet portrait of Gizmo. 

Have a good week.x

MESSAGE OF HOPE

This is the official marketing video for the Rotary Club of Kilsyth fundraising initiative for Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign.


As we are currently in lock down due to the Covid 19 pandemic, I had to record the video section of me, on my own, on my mobile phone. To get it at just the right height I had an elaborate stand created from a pile of boxes, with a jar of curry sauce on the top, to prop my phone against. It felt weird talking earnestly to this contraption, but it was what I had available.

My son Fraser kindly took my amateur recording and produced this professional looking video from it. 

In view of lock down and social distancing, Rotary fundraising has been significantly curtailed worldwide. I wondered whether I could come up with a fundraising idea to utilise my artistic skills during this time. I came upon the idea of The Message of Hope campaign.

I designed a greetings card which could be sold to generate funds for End Polio Now and which could be sent with a ‘message of hope’ to those currently isolated or bereaved. Post pandemic the cards can be used for other purposes too, as they are blank inside for your own message.

The card design has a pointillism crocus plant and splotches of purple dye. It was inspired by the current awareness raising initiative, Purple4Polio, as they plant purple crocuses and sell purple crocus badges.

The purple is significant as all children immunised during the mass immunisation programme have their finger painted with purple dye to indicate that they have been immunised. All profits from card sales will go to the charity. Just as the dots have come together to produce an image to make people smile.

I hope people around the world will come together to send a message of hope , as this will benefit the charity which is trying to eradicate Polio and have a positive impact on mental health  at this difficult time. Cards are 5 for £10 and can be bought by contacting: KilsythSecretary@hotmail.com


Please support this initiative and be part of something big.

Rhona x

DOTS AND DYE NEW FOR 2020

The Dots and Dye images are a range of pen and ink pointillism drawings .

Essentially the images have been created from thousands and thousands of tiny dots .

I discovered this technique by accident , when experimenting with the production of black and white images for ceramic candle jars.

Different concentrations of dots allowed me to create shading in the images . Having just discovered this new style of art , I found myself in lock down for the Covid19 pandemic .

The social isolation gifted me the time to create a whole new range.

I found that this technique worked particularly well with animals .

I hope you like this collection just as much as I have enjoyed creating it.

If you wish to buy any of the drawings from my collection you can do so by clicking this link Dots & Dye

Giraffe Giraffe Giraffe


IT’S A DOGS LIFE

What will you say you achieved during lock down?

Well, I will definitely be saying that I developed my new pointillism art range and that I have committed to taking a launch business stall at the next two Scottish Trade Fairs in the SSEC, Glasgow. Exciting times.

However, much of this week has been taken up with reading my crime fiction novels in the garden ... a rare treat to have such lovely weather in Scotland.

I have a tan in April, and I have not left the country to get it! Zoom meetings with friends, business colleagues and Rotary clubs have become the new norm for this technophobe as has baking and online scrabble.

However, I am very aware that I am one of the lucky ones who has a nice home, garden and technology to help me ride this protracted pandemic.

Across the world people are coping with isolation and bereavement without their normal support mechanisms and this may be having a negative impact on their mental health.

Vital charities are curtailed by lock down and the detrimental impact on fundraising activities. As a doctor these issues are dear to my heart. Therefore, I have also been pondering upon how I might utilise my creative talent for the greater good, to add my support at this time.

I have come up with the idea to design a charity greetings card which can be sold to raise funds for End Polio Now , a campaign supported by Rotary International , and which can be sent with a message of hope to those affected by covid 19 .

There is the potential to raise a lot of money for charity. More details to follow with how to purchase a pack of cards and support this venture. I have battled with trying to produce a video which can be viewed by Rotary clubs around the country, to raise awareness of my Message of Hope campaign.

Trying to get my phone camera at the right height involved a table , jigsaw box and car cleaning kit in a tall pile and my phone propped up on top by a jar of curry sauce !!!

Amidst these arrangements I have still been drawing and painting . This week I completed a pet portrait for my friend in Canada and a drawing of the Wallace Monument in Stirling. Stay safe and well.