OPEN 23 & 24 NOVEMBER 10AM TO 5PM.

I think I must be mad! I shall be doing my third Open Studio this year, one at my house, one with my son in Birmingham and now one with three other artists at a friend's house.

One of the great things about sharing a studio is the company at those slow times when no-one is visiting - yes there are times when an open studio is packed full of visitors but other times when it can be quite slow. When the slow times happen at my own house I sit and paint, when they happen in someone else's house we chat.

It is a good way to keep up friendships and find out what your studio sharers are doing both art-wise and in their lives. It also gives me the chance to have a good look at the other artists' work on display.

This Winter Open Studio I will be at Diana Kazemi's studio in Church Street, Chesterton just along from the wonderful St Andrew's Church with it's beautiful grounds. Diana is a potter, think beautiful blue tableware, vases and even pottery earrings! Joining us will be artist Carmen Renwick and jeweller Indira. I have not shared a studio with Indira before but her jewellery is magnificent. I might have a problem buying too many of her pieces!

The Winter Studio at Diana's is very special. We put up lots of fairy lights and then more and serve mulled wine to all our visitors. Because the studio is during winter it can be rather cold so we have to keep the front door closed (there are lots of flags outside to show the way), so when you enter it is very magical with all the lights and the smell of the seasonal drink.

This year I shall be showing some new paintings and prints as well as my greeting cards and notebooks which are ideal as a small gift. As usual all my work is colourful and detailed and has the influence of medieval art and tapestries with carpets of flowers and lots of gold leaf.

Our studio is number 4 on the map attached and is part of a trail of 10 artists which can be easily visited walking or cycling as well as by car. We look forward to meeting you.

It's Christmas Cracker time!

I love the exhibition at Byard Art this time of the year. The gallery is choc-a-block full of beautiful paintings by a huge variety of artists from far and wide. I am very proud to say that they have invited me to have four of my small paintings in the exhibition this year.

As many of you may know I have been on a journey to change the materials that I work with. For years I have painted in oils but one of the problems I was facing was that I have been asked to make more paintings, which is absolutely great, but because of the many layers of detail that is the way I work my paintings are not dry enough to varnish and exhibit for up to eight months. Hmm, I felt I was letting people down.

So I began my journey to find some quicker drying paints. I didn't like the obvious choice of water-based oils as I couldn't get the glowing, vibrant colours. So I tried out all sorts of acrylics with slow drying mediums. Whatever I tried I never found a medium that had the kind of buttery consistency of oil that was workable for a day or so. I also didn't like the colours.

Just as I was thinking that I would never find what I was looking for I found myself in Jarrold's Art Shop in Norwich. On the shelf were some new kind of paints I had not seen before, 'Golden Open, Slow Drying Acrylics'. I had a chat with one of the very knowledgeable assistants who had tried them who told me that they did dry much more slowly, in fact they stayed workable for a long time. I bought a few primary colours and back in Cambridge set about testing them.

Although they do not react exactly like oils, in drying time they were what I was looking for and the colours are wonderfully bright and easy to mix and shade (I do a lot of shading). The two paintings shown are using my new set of 'Open' paints. I shall still make some paintings in oils but if I need to do some in a tighter timescale I shall use the acrylics. The only downside I have found so far is that because they are very transparent and perhaps less dense than oils I get through the paint much quicker.

https://byardart.co.uk/artists/maureen-mace/

https://byardart.co.uk/exhibitions/christmas-cracker-2019/

Seems I can't get enough of Open Studios.

I open my studio in Cambridge during July as part of the Cambridge group. I have got to know a lot of artists through this, I don't open for the whole four weeks but spend one weekend visiting other artists. Plus there is a local group of Artists in East Chesterton and we make a visitor's trail every year and get together once or twice a year socially.

I also join a few artists to do a Winter Open Studio, this year it will be at Diana Kazemi's house on 23 & 24 November. This is fun as it is just for one weekend and we hang endless Fairy lights and make mulled wine.

But this October I am doing an extra special Open Studio with my son, Owen de Visser, in Birmingham. Owen has watched me open my doors in July and found that there was no event like that at all in Birmingham so he started small in the Moseley area with 30 artists and this has now grown into a wider area and has 67 artists participating in 33 studios. And I am delighted to say I am joining Owen in his studio this year. Owen is a very talented photographer and I have taken paintings, prints, scarves and cards. Open 12 & 13 October in Gristhorpe Road, Selly Oak - look out for the signs.

Can't wait!

I have wanted to paint a cake tree for a long time, I just loved the images that those two words brought to me.

But what is a cake tree? During my childhood it referred to a cake stand with little savory or sweet delights. It also filled me with memories of my last 'big' birthday when my family treated me to afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason with small sandwiches, tiny cakes and a never-ending pot of Countess Grey tea - what bliss!

But what I really had in my mind was a tree where an assortment of cakes grew and could be picked at any time. And so I started to paint. First adding extra gesso over the linen canvas and then an undercoat of dark blue acrylics. This picture was destined for @ByardArt in Cambridge for their Summer Mixed Exhibition 2019. I prefer to paint in oil but deadlines are deadlines (had a lot of those when I was a graphic designer) so I decided to paint the whole thing in acrylics because it would be much quicker than waiting for my oil layers to dry.

My graduated skies normally take hours to perfect and I first came a bit unstuck as the acrylics dried too fast but I persevered and added lots of slow drying medium. The sky done I did my usual red tree trunk as a base for the copper leaf. My next problem was that I usually used an oil based size to adhere the leaf and I realised if I painted in acrylic over this the paint would be unstable so I dropped in to my local #Tindalls to have a chat and get advice. They certainly know their stuff and I happily walked out with a water based size which I painted over the red base and the copper leaf was now in place.

The next stage was painting the little cakes and then the smaller branches and leaves. So how did it work? I was disappointed. The picture didn't have that 'glow' of oil colours, the colours looked flat and I couldn't get the intricate detail and the covering ability of oil without repainting it about three times.

SO I REPAINTED IT ALL IN OIL!

What did I learn? I learned I prefer my oils but thought there must be a way of achieving a similar effect in acrylics to cut down the drying times. I have been asked to do four small paintings for the beginning of October, deadlines certainly focus the mind and I didn't want to be caught out again. I did more research and came across Golden Open acrylics that are described as "a professional, slow drying range, offering artists the ability to use and work into Acrylic over longer periods of time." I think I may have found the answer. I have bought a range of colours and am experimenting with them now. I will report back at a later date.

https://byardart.co.uk/artists/maureen-mace/art/

Like most people I love the moon. Sounds like an odd thing to say but it is reassuring to look into the sky and see it there even though it may not always be in a same place and of course we know it is there even when it is cloudy.

I think my love affair with the moon started during the moon landings and those amazing astronauts who made their steps on its dusty surface. But of course the most beautiful pictures were what the earth looked like from so far away.

My next big experience of the moon was on a visit to Germany, close to the then East German border where the air was crystal clear and I viewed the moon through a telescope. Breathtaking.

When I started painting seriously I found the moon crept into my pictures. When my children were small you could find my paintings on a stall at Chelsea Market. My paintings were for children and the moon made an entrance in most of them regardless of the subject and sometimes the moon itself was the subject.

Nowadays my paintings are influenced by medieval art, trees and Cambridge: but the moon is still there proudly part of my work.

Gosh I feel really grown up!

I've bought an iZettle, one of those little machines that allows people to pay by card. I haven't set it up yet because when I do, I know I will spend ages playing with it. My Open Studios start this weekend and I shan't have to send customers to the cash machine at the Co-op and hope they return and I won't have to take a cheque to the bank when people write me out a cheque.

I am sharing my studio this year with Dittany Rose. This will be her first Open Studio showing off her lovely jewellery. I am contemplating which of her earrings I shall buy as they come in so many wonderful colours.

I will have several new paintings, many with either copper or silver leaf plus prints, cards, notebooks and sketches and even a few silk scarves. I shall also put my sketchbooks out as people love to look through them.

I hope to see you at my studio at 309 Milton Road, CB4 1XQ. I have a painting on the go so you can see how I do my paintings and maybe you can check out that my iZettle works.

You can see some of Dittany's work here:

https://dittanyrose.co.uk/collections/all

I run three art groups, each with just four people. We do all sorts of things from experimenting with art techniques, painting with acrylics or watercolour, making mono-prints and making collages. All my groups love to draw and it is a big part of the sessions, drawing from observation, drawing the figure, drawing at a museum or drawing in my garden.

Last week when the weather was warm three of my Thursday group took their sketchbooks, drawings materials and watercolours into the garden. We had a lovely time enjoying the quiet, the elderflower juice and the sketching. Here they are in the shade engrossed in their work.

The rhubarb is a sketch I did earlier in the year.

As you probably know from various other blog posts, I love joining other sketchers from the Cambridge area and drawing some of the beautiful or unusual places we are lucky to have, in or close to Cambridge.

One of my favourite streets in Cambridge is Portugal Place. This a car free street off the beaten tourist track but used as a thoroughfare between Jesus Green and Bridge Street by many locals. The street is not long and around 40 sketchers turned up on the day, you can see some of us after the sketchcrawl - that's me on the left, front row, with the blue shoes.

Obviously people live in these houses so we needed to be a little discrete. But one thing about sketchers is that they get very engrossed in their drawings and do not make any noise.

I loved the house at number 26 and as the curtains were closed it looked as if I wouldn't be disturbing anyone inside when I drew it. I pondered wheteher to draw the 'Stop Brexit' sign but an Urban Sketch is about drawing the time and place - so in it went giving a lovely orange point of visual interest in the window.

The house I drew is opposite the Latin and Greek signs on a short railing. There has been some disagreement by various academics over the exact translation from the Greek but 'Classicist Prof Mary Beard, from Newnham College, said the Latin – DUAE ROTAE HIC RELICTAE PERIMENTUR - is correct, and translates literally as ‘two wheels left abandoned here will be removed.'

Wonderful Cambridge!

One of my favourite places to takes my students to draw is the Museum of Classical Archaeology, Sidgwick Street, Cambridge. It has wonderful plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture so it is a bit like life drawing only the models stay still.

Over time many of the casts have lost arms and legs and other parts of their bodies but they tend to be of ideal proportions in heroic poses. It makes the figures interesting to draw and there are not a great deal of visitors being one of the lesser known Cambridge Museums.

Our experience was made even better as local artist, Loukas Morley, was exhibiting among the casts. What he had done was magical, placing various items amongst the figures creating a series of installations which enriched the experience of contemplating the stillness of the time and place.

His exhibition is called 'The Stillness of Time' and runs until 6 September I thoroughly recommend visiting and if you are inclined, sketching the exhibits.

I am delighted to say that the wonderful independent gallery,Byard Art, has invited me to exhibit in this Cambridge exhibition.

I have five paintings there until 30 June along with some other local artists. If you love the city come and have a look at what is on offer.

The painting pictured is titled 'Cambridge Tree of Books'. It is the books that I think of when I imagine the University. They are housed in some of the most beautiful buildings in the colleges. Shown here, from left to right, are Pembroke Library, University library, Wren Library, St John's Library, Trinity Hall Library and Pepy's Library.

It is always lovely to deliver paintings for an exhibition. It is the excitement of having them seen by complete strangers for the first time and wondering if they will go to a new home.

These five are all destined for the exhibition 'Along your Street' at the lovely Byard Art. The bottom one I shall deliver in a few days as it is still drying! The exhibition runs from 31 May to 30 June.

https://byardart.co.uk/exhibitions/along-your-street-2019/

I was commissioned to paint a Medieval inspired scene by a visitor to Cambridge Open Studios in 2018. I knew it would take a long time and that I wouldn't be able to start it for a while due to other exhibition commitments.

The painting was for a couple who lived in the Basque area of Spain although one of them was currently living in Cambridge and working at Arm Holdings. We discussed the painting reducing it from the original concept of three parts to one fairly large design. I was really excited about the project and it occupied a lot of my thoughts before I even sent a rough design to the couple at this time both living in Spain.

I started painting at the beginning of November 2018. All correspondence was now done by email. As with any project it grows and I sent images to show my progress. Many things changed over the course of time but all made the painting better. With a real interest in Medieval Art and drawing from various books illustrating the Old Bestiaries at the Parker Library, Corpus Christi which is part of the University of Cambridge, I slowly added the main figures and the accompanying birds and animals based on both real and imaginary beasts.

In between the characters I added a carpet of millefleur.

I completed the painting earlier this month and it will be collected by a friend of the new owner and driven across to Spain before it is framed and hung.

I have really enjoyed making this artwork and I think it is my best painting ever. I hope that it will be enjoyed down the generations.

The new owner has titled the painting 'Basoko Dreams' which translates as 'the dreams in the forest'. I will have a print of the painting on show at Cambridge Open Studios on 20/21 and 27/28 July 2019.

The pressure mounts as an exhibition looms.

Byard Art have asked me to exhibit in their 'Along Your Street' exhibition and also their Summer Show. I am thrilled to be taking part and have been very busy preparing.

The details above are from a painting of Trinity College, Cambridge complete with a shining moon, a detail from a painting at the Fitzwilliam Museum I very much admire and some of our wonderful cows that can be seen on many of the commons in the city.

More details soon with some better images.

Besides painting and Urban sketching, I teach small classes in my home.

I have a vacancy in my Friday group for the Summer Term from 3 May to 5 July. The sessions begin at 10am and finish at 12.30pm. All you need to do is wear some old clothes as I provide everything else included coffee and occasionally something to nibble providing you draw it first.

I have a maximum of four people in a class so my students are able to learn what they want to learn in a safe environment. We do observational drawing in pen, pencil or pastel, paint in watercolour and acrylic, experiment with silk paints and make mono prints. We also use a theme as a starting point or look at various artists and try and base our work on a particular style. We also go drawing at the local museums and living in Cambridge we are spoilt for choice!

I call my art sessions Cambridge Art Classes.

I have three classes and each runs for a term of 10 weeks. I provide all the materials so we can chop and change and experiment with different materials. There are 3 terms a year and each one costs £220. Many of my students stay for quite a long time so it is not often I have a space.

If you would like to see some of the work produced please follow this link.

https://www.facebook.com/cambridgeartclass

or I have a website which I'm afraid is not updated regularly as it takes far too much time!

http://www.cambridgeartclasses.co.uk

The Cambridge Drawing Society Spring exhibition starts on Saturday. It is housed in the Pitt Building is opposite Fitzbillies on Trumpington Road.

The Cambridge Drawing Society has two exhibitions a year but this is the big one. To be a member of this society one has to pass a panel of committee members who choose artists who present a high standard and whose work has a distinctive style, by which I mean they won't accept someone who puts in a print, a painting and a sketch as the mediums are so different.

I applied and was accepted by the society when I first came to Cambridge but with two small children and full time work I found it difficult to find the time to paint to a high standard and let my membership lapse.

About 6 years ago I re-applied and was delighted to be accepted as now I have the time to paint far more and feel my work has a very distinctive style and is a far better standard.

This year the chairman told us the number of entries had been very high so I was delighted that all four of my paintings were accepted.

The exhibition starts on Saturday 23 March and finishes on Saturday 30 March. It is open from 10am to 5.30pm every day except 30 March when it closes at 4pm.

If you have a little time to spare please pop along and have a look. There are a range of media including paintings in watercolour, acrylic and oil; prints of all kinds, 3 dimensional work and plenty of greeting cards made by the artists.

On Saturday the Cambridge Urban Sketchers visited Eddington, the newest suburb of Cambridge and still in the process of being built.

To say it was windy was an understatement! Having biked there from North Cambridge with wind gusts of over 46 miles an hour straight into me, it was a slower journey than normal. The new open roads at Eddington seemed to swirl this wind round even more making it very difficult to hold on to my sketchbook as the pages flapped around and using paint would have been impossible.

I had two choices if I wanted to be out of the wind: to sit and draw in Sainsbury's or to sit at draw in the Storey's Field Centre. I found the later much more comfortable with its large comfy black chairs and several of us ended up there. But what to draw? I found the whole area rather dull and lacking in colour so I ended up drawing the view from both the windows.

I do prefer the old buildings in the centre of Cambridge but was pleased to be given a chance to draw there. I expect the whole place will look a bit better when the trees have grown but I shall just remember the awful greyness and that biting wind.

On a more positive note, it was a lovely cycle ride home with the wind behind me.

My students wanted to learn how to use watercolours today. Although I add watercolour to my sketches, I don't often set out to make an actual watercolour painting as I don't feel as comfortable using them, much preferring to paint in oil

So I taught them a load of techniques and encouraged them to experiment. I shall upload their images on my art classes Facebook page but thought I would share my daubings here.

Loads of colour and fun. Just to to give a sense of size, the snail is 7cms long!

It is always lovely to sell a painting , but even better when you receive a photo of where it hangs.

A couple of years ago I painted three small fantasy cow paintings. One was a purple cow with a golden crown and tapestry shawl, the second was a cow dressed up to go dancing in fish net stockings and a 1st Prize badge, the third was wearing moon and star pajamas with a bow in her hair and leggings. They were quite small and I painted the frames in tiny detail.

The first two sold quickly and I put the third one aside thinking I might do a few more. I showed it recently in an exhibition and sold it, I must admit I love it when people buy my crazy paintings.

What was really lovely was that I received a photo of the painting from the buyer. She had given it to one of her granddaughter who posed in front of it while standing on her bed.

Still makes me smile every time I see it.

The painting was now getting interesting as I started adding the the characters. I felt the original draft of a hairy Basajaun with leaves covering his modesty was a little too strong and gave him a tunic made of hide. I also covered Lamia with a white dress but put her webbed feet in a stream running from the far hills.

I loved doing all the birds and animals using my sketchbook and reference books to find some rather odd characters. I did make a few changes from my draft and my patron sent me more animals to be included.

I decided to complete the grassy area before tackling the water and started adding the millefleur which is how the painting is today.

I am really enjoying painting this rather quirky subject and wish I could spend every day on it but I am unable to as I still have three full days of teaching every week plus work for other exhibitions. On the plus side this does mean I can view the painting and think what happens next instead of rushing.

More posts to come as I progress.

During the last Cambridge Open Studios I met a couple from the Basque area of Spain. They were really interested in my drawings from the Parker Library at Corpus Christi College here in Cambridge. They were fascinated by my sketch books and the resulting paintings and revisited during the last day to ask if they could commission a painting in my medieval style with elements of Basque mythology including the figures of Lamia and Basajaun.

After a few days we arranged a meeting and discussed the project. Being extremely busy with my son's wedding and an exhibition, they agreed that I could take my time and as the painting is very complicated with many overlays I suggested a time of one year to which they accepted. A short while afterwards the young man gave up his job with Arm and moved back to Spain to be with his girlfriend. So now everything is done by email!

After a fairly detailed rough draft and preparing the canvas I painted the first layers and added the hybrid Basque castle with King's College, shown above. The next stage was adding the forest. It was now December 2018.

A beautiful Spring day for this month's Cambridge sketchcrawl and there was a big group at this fascinating venue.

The Museum of Cambridge is a hidden treasure trove of artifacts with collections including household objects, paintings and toys all with masses of interesting local history. It is set in an old coaching inn from the 17th century next to Kettle's Yard on Castle Hill complete with (unlit) open fire for the punters and a space where the drinks were held.

It was a very popular venue with so much to draw and afterwards we moved on to share our sketchbooks and chat at the Castle Inn.

Today I went with a couple of pre-prepared, double pages to give my drawings a bit of colour as paint is definitely not allowed in a museum. My first sketch was in the kitchen where loads of old paraphernalia was laid out including irons, items on a range, cupboards full of outdated equipment and the collection of sweet shop jars that I drew standing up with my book balanced on the palm of my hand.

My second drawing was right at the top of the building from the only window that was not covered by a white blind. The view was of the beautiful terraced houses on Northampton Street with a distant view of a St John's tower wrapped in scaffolding and, loud with buses and cars trying to get into the city.

As always going sketching with this group of fellow sketchers was an absolute delight and I am already looking forward to next month.

At the moment I have three paintings on the go.

My work is extremely detailed and full of many layers and because I paint in oil each layer takes a time to dry. Rather than just sit and wait I tend to have a few on the go. The three I am working on are all pretty large, well they are for me as all that detail takes forever.

The one shown will be exhibited at Byard Art in June. I don't know the title yet but it is about the books and libraries of Cambridge. You can just see two of the libraries at the bottom. I am doing all the intricate detail over the undercoat to show off the wonderful buildings. The following stage will be painting books flying all over the place, adding the millefleur and then the finishing touches. Probably take me another month.

I am also painting the glorious mulberry tree at Queen's and the third painting I am working on is a commission for a couple in Spain which is very influenced by my medieval drawings.

Here are the final 10 sketches that I made for the sketch a day challenge.

I loved some of the prompts though others were more difficult but overall I really enjoyed the regularity of making one sketch a day. I received the prompts in the morning but never had enough time to do the sketch until teatime which was good really as subconsciously my mind must have been working.

Twice I was urban sketching with others and managed to incorporate my sketch with the day's prompt.

I shall most likely take part in the Urban Sketchers drawing a day in May and maybe do the Inktober drawing a day later in the year. Thank you for following and liking my sketches on Instagram and Twitter.

https://www.facebook.com/maureenmaceart/posts/2038486296267306?

Here is the link to my sketches for day 11 to 20 for the sketchbook challenge.

I am really enjoying doing these although I find some of the prompts that arrive at 6.30 in the morning challenging. Shown here are two of may favourites.

this is link to my Facebook page where you can see numbers 11-20.

https://www.facebook.com/maureenmaceart

I started the year by joining a sketch-a-day group. Prompts arrive at 6.30am and I usually get round to doing a drawing about teatime. I haven't missed one yet so here are the first 10 drawings, they can also be found on my Twitter account and Instagram plus the FB page 30 day sketchbook 2019.

I have labelled each of the drawings with the day, prompt and my own explanation. I have had lots of fun, I hope you enjoy them.

Press here for the link to my Facebook page to see the first ten drawings

https://www.facebook.com/maureenmaceart

I dropped into #ByardArt to wish the staff a HNY when my mind got blown away by the recent rehang. The lovely ladies of the gallery had placed four of my paintings behind the counter and they look amazing - but then I would say that!

So it was camera out and a photo shoot.

If you find yourself in Cambridge looking for something to do, pop in and take a look. The gallery is on King's Parade, the most famous street in Cambridge right opposite King's College Chapel. They exhibit paintings, mixed media, ceramics and are absolutely brilliant. I have a soft spot for for the ceramics and the wonderful mixed media made from found objects.

I don't normally draw every day, but I do usually do some kind of artwork usually painting or planning for a painting. I think it is very good though to draw every day as it improves my drawing and focuses my mind.

In the past I had made a sketch every day in May with Urban Sketchers, some days I really ran out of ideas and ended up sketching my bins and my bike. I have also taken part in Inktober with some great prompts.

So when I saw there was a #30daysketchbook2019 I thought I'd take a look and duly signed up. First prompt was 'Something small'. Nice prompt. I drew one of my painted wooden elephant far away and called it 'The elephant in the room'. Next up was shells. I didn't really want to go for some straight observational drawing so thought of the tongue twister: 'She sells shells on the sea shore'.

Next up was 'bag'. Again I found a saying 'who let the cat out of the bag?'. Then there was cube. Around this time I was really pleased to be doing something with the word but could not think of a phrase or saying with cube in it. So a melting Rubik cube appeared.

When the drawings are finished i put them on the group Facebook page, 30 day sketchbook challenge, which is crammed full of drawings using the same prompts. Look it up, it has a red circle in the cover photo.

Today the challenge is '5'. Gosh, 5 what?

You can see all my images with prompts on my Instagram page. @MaureenMaceArt A quick link can be found at the bottom of everypage of my website. Enjoy.