Julie’s Pictures

Flo acting at the Edinburgh fringe festival

2009-07-16T23:53:00.003+01:00

My daughter, Florence, is acting in this production of Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Round and round the garden’, so when the director was discussing publicity, guess who piped up with ‘My mother is a graphic designer…’ Anyway if you’re in Edinburgh between the 24th and the 29th of August I recommend you see it.
My posting is going to be a bit erratic over the school summer holidays, but I don’t want to assist potential burglars by making it crystal clear when I’m not in the house, so if I take a bit of time to respond to comments it may be because I’m not actually here, or it might not…

Oh and my header has disappeared – my hosting company are playing silly @%^&* ers and I’m just too busy to sort it out. But just in case you didn't know, this is Julie Oakley’s blog

After the bath

2009-07-13T23:27:00.002+01:00

A very quick and not terribly satisfactory sketch of Hugo wrapped in towels. There’ll probably be a few of these ‘only post if you’re desperate’ sketches while I clear the decks of paid work in anticipation of taking some time off over the summer hols.

Barbecue with Vance and Annie

2009-07-10T23:55:00.000+01:00

Covering the grey

2009-07-09T20:04:00.002+01:00

You might think that I’ve had a lovely time today pampering myself at the hairdresser. But I’m afraid for me it’s just one extra stressful chore. It’s only since I recently started going grey that going to the hairdresser has become part of my life. It seems horrifically expensive and then I’m not used to the etiquette surrounding who, and how much – if at all – I am supposed to tip. Aagh, quite honestly I’d happily go grey – but everyone whose opinion I care about seem to prefer me covering it up.

The swimming lesson

2009-07-08T12:51:00.000+01:00

Fenella

2009-07-07T12:19:00.003+01:00

I quickly grabbed a pen and sketched Fenella for my One Mile from Home compatriot Penny (also Fenella’s grandmother) as she and Flo watched a whale being dissected on TV. I know, I know a bad workman blames his tools but as I drew I was bemoaning the poor drawing and the dried-up pen, so I left the room to find a better drawing implement. I came back to find my models had gone to bed to get plenty of sleep ready for a day seeing the sights of London. So better implement in hand, but beautiful models gone I had to settle for drawing what was available.

For those of you who enjoyed Xavier’s comment last wednesday, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Fenella has impeccable manners and is a delightful guest.

Last year in Edinburgh

2009-07-03T22:43:00.002+01:00

A quickie that I did last year at the Edinburgh Festival. I hope I’m going to manage to go again this year as my daughter Flo is performing with some fellow University students in a production of Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘The Norman Conquests’.
When I was a student I would have thought I’d died and gone to heaven if I’d performed in a play at Edinburgh, so it’s wonderful that my daughter is living out my fantasy for me.
Oh and if any of you are going they’re on at The Space on The Mile at the Radisson Hotel from August the 24th.

Train station couple

2009-06-29T14:44:00.002+01:00

Summer Garden Party at Mansfield

2009-06-27T21:07:00.001+01:00

We went to my daughter Flo’s college for a garden party lunch and afternoon tea. Her friend Mia gave hours of her time freely to entertain the alumni and parents, and on her birthday, so thank you Mia for the lovely music.

Marcus Borg, who went to Mansfield College in the sixties gave a lecture in the afternoon in the chapel. He made some fascinating points about Christianity in the US. However the lecture was hard to follow and I think we were the embarrassing family in the audience, my husband Robin fell asleep, my hard-of-hearing father had had enough towards the end and was loudly tutting every time someone asked a question and was thus extending the length of time we spent in the chapel finally to crown it all my mobile phone went off – aaah nobody rings me on my mobile phone and the one time they do it I’m in a lecture. That’s the last time we get invited anywhere.

Tom sprawled

2009-06-26T09:46:00.001+01:00

Joint artwork

2009-06-25T21:16:00.001+01:00

Xavier did this drawing to show just how bored he was on Sunday June 21 (see below). And I added the colour later. I think I should have left him to create all the art that day because it’s a damn sight better than my efforts were.

This made me laugh today

2009-06-24T21:27:00.001+01:00

For those of you who keep looking for Jake's Bistro

2009-06-23T22:12:00.001+01:00

I thought this sketch was too bad to post on my blog last year. However people keep searching for Jake’s Bistro Caernarfon, and landing here. So I thought I’d post my other sketch of the place to eat if you have the appetite of a horse and not much money to spend. The sketch is rubbish because this was in fact a very happy day – the day that Flo received her exam results and knew she’d be going to her first choice university.

Robin on the laptop

2009-06-23T14:46:00.001+01:00

How many ways can I draw members of my family on that settee?

Painting under duress

2009-06-21T19:22:00.002+01:00

I stopped on the walk to paint this scene near where Robin was paddling in Peterborough. Despite being provided with paper and art materials Xavier became very bored and knocked over my water and threw dry grass over my art materials and painting. I did a lot of shrieking – my wet Winsor and Newton paints covered in seeds and grass, the sketch smeared. It can be so difficult to get the balance right between being someone who devotes themselves completely to their children and being a person with interests and and a life of one’s own. *sigh*

En-route to the slalom paddling event had Robin suggested that a drawing of him paddling would be a nice Father’s Day gift. I told him that there was a very good reason I didn’t generally draw paddlers pleine aire – they just won’t stay still as this poor effort demonstrates. Anyway I’ve done it so he can't complain again that in four years of blogging I've never drawn him paddling.

My first experiment with Issuu

2009-06-20T00:01:00.002+01:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More presentation

I don’t usually drag the day job into this blog, but I wanted to try out Issuu (which I discovered on Mattias Inks blog) and this old presentation on my computer was the nearest available pdf. It should be fun to try this out with completed sketchbooks.

Hugo on the settee

2009-06-18T23:56:00.001+01:00

Brushpen and digital colour

Hugo washing up

2009-06-17T22:09:00.002+01:00

I’ve been itching to sketch, but I must tidy the house first, so just five minutes of sketching indulgence will have to do.

Christ Church, Spitalfields

2009-06-15T12:11:00.002+01:00

On the spur of the moment I went into London to go to the Art Car Boot Fair, thinking I could sketch wacky looking artists and art buyers. I had no idea what a heaving mass of humanity the area around Brick Lane now is on a Sunday. It was very difficult to find the fair amongst everything else that was going on. When I eventually did, I have to say in the words of Sir Alan Sugar, most of it was a disappointing pile of tut. The crowds everywhere made it impossible to find a quiet corner to sketch, so I eventually retreated and had a cup of coffee near Liverpool Street Station, where I had a good view of Christ Church, Spitalfields.

St Albans museum

2009-06-14T06:17:00.000+01:00

We have two museums in this town. The other museum (the Verulamium museum) holds a collection of Roman artefacts from the time when this was an important Roman town. This museum has bits and pieces from all centuries after the Roman period and also has a collection of workmen’s tools. There’s enough to keep a small child entertained for half an hour and has free parking just outside, so we’ve visited numerous times.

Oxford Union debate

2009-06-13T13:34:00.001+01:00

I’m so lucky that with Flo being at Oxford I can attend a debate at the Oxford Union. It was fascinating to be in this famous debating chamber, so although it was difficult to position myself for sketching I felt I had to record the moment somehow. The motion was ‘This House Believes Thatcher Saved Britain’. Fortunately for me, the better speakers happened to be arguing for what I already believed, so I did not have to battle with my conscience when it came to voting for who I thought had won the debate.

Trestle Arts Base

2009-06-10T18:31:00.000+01:00

When Napsbury Hospital was knocked down to build a new housing development, the 100 year old hospital church was saved and converted into a base for the Trestle Theatre company. Xavier was having his weekly drama class here, so as Robin was not around for the pick up I stayed and drew.

Stormy skies

2009-06-09T08:32:00.000+01:00

We sat astride this log on our way home from school. Xavier read me his school reading book ‘Prince Albert’s birthday’ while I quickly sketched the view. It’s good to hear words like trifle, spiffing and parlour in a reading book – so many of the reading books can be irredeemably dull, but I liked this one.

The trick is to find your sport

2009-06-08T10:10:00.003+01:00

This was sketched by the canal as Robin participated in individual paddling time trials for selection for the dragon boat team. The Great Britain senior mixed dragon boat team is the second sport in which Robin will represent his country. The first was the Great Britain unicycling hockey team. Me? I’m waiting for ‘sketch as you walk’ to become a recognised sport, sort of along the lines of ice skating where you get marks for speed and artistry.

Robin having a cup of red bush tea

2009-06-07T16:33:00.001+01:00

Robin having tea the night before the trials to get into the GB dragon boat team.
Pen in green sketchbook