First star at night

Southern Hemisphere  summer evenings mean it's light till past 9 pm. I wish I could paint at this time of night but the kids have finished me off as a useful human being by about 6pm, so anything that happens after that has a certain element of pre-determined disaster about it. Having the boys around 24/7 is doing my head in a bit. They eat non-stop, create havoc and are genuinely astonished when I ask them to tidy up.....they are oblivious to the chaos they create. Sigh. Chillax, Jennie.Go with the flow.

So, I make notes, do some online reading and have a restorative gin then paint from those memories, notes and such , the next day.

The wind has howled yesterday and today. It has blown in that way that makes me hysterical for the safety of fingers in doors etc. We lost an olive tree and a big branch of a twisted willow last night. I had to rescue the neighbours new patio chairs from the paddock next door and hammered a few more pegs into keeping the trampoline in place.Sadly, birds nests lie scattered. The cat is besides himself with glee.

So, this is the first star of the night across the farmlands.

First star of the night
32 x 18 cm
oil on canvas

I had to photograph this indoors due to the wind....I will rephotograph in a few days.

First Star

Still not a great photo......

Night sky at the beach.

We have changed the clocks to herald daylight savings.....darker in the morning but lighter till later. This, my darlings, is the herald of summer hope.I say this with a timbre of desperation in my voice because I am still lighting the fire at 4 pm and have gone as far as to stack more firewood....summer is a few months away in reality.My lightweight clothes have to stay packed away for a while yet.

Summer . The epitome of summer for me is when I am not cold at night.....you can tell I grew up in warmer climes....but to sit on a beach, watching the moon play on the water ,without having to leave because I can no longer feel my feet.....mmmmmm, summer. This painting was all about wishful thinking.

Oil on canvas board, 20 x 40 cm
NZ$ 100 excl p&P
click here to purchase