juneable: Last weeks best job! Revamp of an old Grotto

This week, my son, (sporting his 'Prostrate November Tache), & I, repainted a grotto I did around 10 years ago. Made from MDF, it was never intended for long term usage, but every year, the wee house has been touched up and rebuilt. A couple of years ago, the centre decided it had had its day and it was put in storage with bags of cement, bricks and piles of other might-be-handy-one-of-these-days stuff.

The Grotto, in it's early years

The Grotto, as it evolved into part of a scene a few years ago

Every year lots of children have had their picture taken in front of it. There's a certain appeal about the little house that children are drawn to. When the centre invested in a lovely Cinderella carriage, the young people missed Santa's wee house and it was re-instated!

The Grotto, in the revamp process

I think its going to look good. I was unsure about it becoming an ice-house, (blue is such a cold colour), but it sparkles nicely having been sprayed with silver glitter; the proof will be in the reaction by Santa's customers...

....pictures to follow...

juneable: Last weeks best job! Out & About in Crieff

juneable: Last weeks best job! Out & About in Crieff: Crieff in Black & White I'm doing lots of sketches towards an illustrated map for the car parks of Crieff. Burrell Square Bank Street T...

Last weeks best job! Out & About in Crieff

Crieff in Black & White

I'm doing lots of sketches towards an illustrated map for the car parks of Crieff. 

Burrell Square

Bank Street

The Old Bank, High Street

St. Ninian's & The War Memorial

The Town Hall

Last weeks best job! The Grange's Hallow'een Party

It may not be the best face painting I've ever done, but it met with much appreciation and happiness!

Everyone was looking forward to their party later and getting all dressed up.

Quite a few of the staff got painted too, but I only managed a few 'phone photos.

Well done to all who got painted- especially the Grange staff member who had to catch the bus!

Last weeks best job! Big Spidey

Managed to squash Mimi into my Tardis-like Corsa, all legs akimbo and deliver it to The David Marshall Lodge in Aberfoyle for their Hallow'een event.

Mimi wanting into the house

Mimi at The Lodge

Don't think she wants to be left there

She'll be happy when she see's the glow-in- the- dark giant cobweb the Lodge have invested in to provide a home for her.....

Last weeks best job! Finishing Fountain Park Community Mural

I've completed Fountain Park Community Mural, after 3 weeks of variable weather, the worst being wind: (I've learned all about 'the Venturi Effect - the action of wind around large buildings),  gusts of which made my legs turn to jelly a couple of times, resulting in me losing my bottle on the scaffold and giving in! I had some wonderful help from pupils of Boroughmuir H.S. and some great drawings from clients of the Garvald Institute and Fountainbridge Library reading groups.

 Fountainbridge Library

Banner workshops at Boroughmuir H.S.

Dalry Rd.P.S. P2/3 pupils helped paint the lower images

Wall images

Boroughmuir winners

A passing character, Norman. Just had to include him!

My scaffold, showing the angle of the brae I was working on.

Edinburgh Evening News Article

juneable: Last weeks best job! Wasn't a job, it was a Face-P...

juneable: Last weeks best job! Wasn't a job, it was a Face-P...: A face painting jam is a get together of face painters who share their skills and technical know how. Last week a group of us went to 'Mary...

Last weeks best job! Wasn't a job, it was a Face-Paint Jam!

A face painting jam is a get together of face painters who share their skills and technical know how.
Last week a group of us went to 'Mary's Tribal Jam'.
Mary Fairgrieve's work is exceptional and she opened her home to what turned out to be a bunch of happy nutters...with their children... She tried her best to teach us something and we all tried our best to play with paint. Prizes and even a certificate were given. Yours truly won...nothing.

 I did get Triballed by another fantastic facepainter, Annie D and was morphed into a celtic warrior through the photoshop skills of the only male painter attending - Al Reid. 

It was altogether a fun happy sunny day and an excellent bonding session! Usually we face painters only know of each other through work, so it's a joy to get to know one another properly.

I face paint under the name 'Metamorface'. A name, we, (we are a team), achieved over a couple of G & T's!
The lovely Brenda Binnie won the coveted Metamorface certificate.

Last weeks best job! Wickerman Festival Face-painting

Wickerman Festival Faces

Metamorface Face Painting by Me at the 2011 Festival

juneable: This week's best job: Forteviot Village Hall Paint...

juneable: This week's best job: Forteviot Village Hall Paint...: "Forteviot Village Hall 5th bi-ennial art exhibition In aid of Hall upkeep Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st 10.00am - 6.00pm This is the selecti..."

This week's best job: Forteviot Village Hall Paintings

Forteviot Village Hall 5th bi-ennial art exhibition

In aid of Hall upkeep

Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st 10.00am - 6.00pm

This is the selection I've put in. All local landscapes done in oil.

This weeks best job: Mural sketch design for 'Fountain Park Mural'

Well, I finished all the community workshops, took photos of participants sketches, made contact sheets of them and started working out some way of showing what everyone wants!
You can follow the process through my photos at my
Fountain Park facebook page

Sketch design idea

Existing wall

Juneable: Messiest job this week

Working with  Dalry P.S P2's doing an ideas workshop using chalk & charcoal for a new mural in Edinburgh Fountainbridge area.

juneable: Withy Birds of Prey and Mammal Mosaics

juneable: Withy Birds of Prey and Mammal Mosaics: "Spent a couple of days with Bannockburn PS last week making mosaics and withy structures. The P5 kids did really well - full on energy. I h..."

Withy Birds of Prey and Mammal Mosaics

Spent a couple of days with Bannockburn PS last week making mosaics and withy structures. The P5 kids did really well - full on energy.
I had to take everything home and deliver them on Wed. Of course, the birds are life size; that means they are enormous! Wingspan of over 8 feet; my wee Corsa car has a wingspan of 4feet; birds will have to be in pieces and assembled on delivery!

They will be displayed in a month or so at the david Marshall Lodge in Aberfoyle.

Castle Menzies

Having been a guest at an engagement party on a cold Spring night where the highlight was a tour around the haunted rooms of Castle Menzies, complete with chilly gusts, I got to speaking with John Jack.
John turned out to be the castle administrator and he invited me to bring along a few paintings of the place to try and sell.
He bought the lot and asked me to paint another, larger one, which I'll get round to...eventually!
Here they are. They're all small, (around 12 - 18 inches square), oils on board, done quickly outdoors and finished off in the studio