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

This weeks Juneable Job: How to: Care for your Paintbrushes

When you've finished a painting session, you should always wash your brushes! However I find that I quite often think I'll be returning to my latest 'masterpiece'...soon.. then, of course, life gets in the way. By the time I've returned, the brushes, even if I've wrapped them in plastic, will need reviving.

My cleaning method using left over soap always works, whether for immediate cleaning or for hardened paint.

To read all about it, go to my Hub;  'How-to Care for your Paintbrushes' 

Break entitlements

I haven't had time this week to write up my usual how-to blog. Lots of the work both this week and last has been face-painting. Easter being a face-painting splurge! With most jobs starting around lunchtime.
This has thrown up questions regarding lunch breaks. This is a question which has been asked before of me so I thought I might clarify the position and hope that it's helpful / useful.
In law, a person is entitled to a 20 minute break per 6 hr continuous working time, this may include travel time to and from the workplace, but that is discretional. If the start time isn't 'normal' - perhaps the job starts at lunchtime - it is up to yourself to eat properly. In this day and age, working patterns are variable. We need to move with the times and adapt.
Timings of the breaks are set by whoever pays! It's usual for a break to be midway of a job, no matter the start time, however this is also at the bosses discretion.
For this information in 'legalise' have a look at the Working Time Regulations

Mandolin and Coffee, Marker pen sketch by June McEwan