Dutch shoes used to be made in a factory machine, until it got clogged up.

Freda "Stewart" Hyre- by Betty Hyre

I swiped this off the Our Beloved Hills.
The luncheon set belong to Freda.

Freda "Stewart" Hyre was all of 4’10" tall. She was small in frame but large in spirit. Born in 1889, Freda lived to be 96 years of age. I was sure she would live to be 100. Her mind was as sharp as a tack, but her heart finally gave out. She swore that creamed tomatoes were the secret to her long levity, and she ate them almost everyday of her life, breakfast, lunch and supper.
Like most people her age, she never let anything go to waste. Freda canned vegetables, made her own soap and quilted into her upper eighties. She would complain about her back, and at the same time work circles around all of us. She was spirited and talkative, while Grandpa was serious and quiet. But, It was fun to watch her and Grand Pal Opie set and recite poems and verses. She would start in and he would join. They both had been teachers, and reciting these verses gave them great joy.

Portrait of Mrs. Stewart Hyre, Betty Hyre, 20 x 16 inches
( 50.8 cm x 40.64 cm ), oil on canvas. The background of the painting is a suggestion of the pattern and colours of one of her favourite quilts. I took it from a photograph my husband took of her quilts hanging on the clothes line. Grandma, made quilts for all her children and grand children.

Written by Betty Hyre

Freda's Luncheon Set - by Betty Hyre

My mother sent me this photo of a painting she had just finished last week. What you are seeing is pink dog wood depression glass, luncheon set that belong to Great Grandmother Freda.

As seen in an old advertisement it originally sold in the 1930's for under three dollars. Freda earned it a piece at a time from the general store.

Freda's Luncheon Set, Betty Hyre, 8 x 10 inches (20.32 x 25.4 cm), Oils on masonite

This has been the issue of friendly banter for weeks. While I have been busy at the grind mother has been painting glass.

Good Day For An Outing

This morning I left the house with a little extra spring in my step. The weather had turned for the better and the sky was clear. As usual, it was a walk into Pudsey to see if there was anything of interest to be found in the charity shops. It just so happen to turn out to be a good day to add to my small collection of things.

There was just one item on my list to purchase and this was glass. If it was coloured glass, then even better. This isn't any old spontaneous buying. I have been searching in the charity shops for months. It was the matter of timing it just right to find coloured glass.

Then with careful consideration, I purchased a tea set. I didn't need it but, there was an unsettled question of when would the opportunity come up again. Yes, I admit it was a whim purchase but as the price was under a tenner it would be silly to pass it up. Who knows, maybe one day it may make a nice study of metal or just maybe even, metal and glass.

Many Ways to Open a Pomegranate

Pomegranate, 8 x 10 inches ( 20.32 x 25.4 cm )
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
2009 Kim Bennett

Slicing open a pomegranate gives the fruit a clean break and all the texture and berries of the fruit become lost. This is something that I had come to realise on my own. And what a disappointment it was not to have the berries popping out in all different directions.

Many artists had been there before and during a critique day the painting sparked a discussion about what was the best way to open a pomegranate. The conclusion was this; there are many ways to open a pomegranate. Well, this also depends on what you are planning to do with it.

The second attempt was torn open with a satisfactory result.

Lipstick

Writing and thinking has been the focus this week. The past couple of days have been mind numbing and more has been coming in than going out. With a big sigh, I produced this little painting today.

Lipstick 1, 4.5 x 2.5 inches (11.43 x 6.35 cm), Acrylic, painted on offcuts of MDF from the workshop. There was only one long and narrow piece and it wasn't long before I thought of something to put on it.

If it is not a life size painting, then it's pretty close.

In Memory

A few months ago I received notice that one of my great teachers had moved on. This afternoon, I spent time reading all the post from his memorial site.

Thanks for the memories Stanley!


Stan Sporny playing Guitar in his studio from delano on Vimeo.

Studio Window Winter 2009

Finally, the first time in many years it feels like living in a snow globe!

It is a peaceful thing and a wonderful comfort to wake up to snow. Today I'll put my skates on, clean out the studio and watch it snow.

Several Sketches

Still Life With Melon, 6 x 12 inches (15.24 x 30.48 cm), Acrylic on MDF
2009 Kim Bennett

I have been so busy running errands. It has been a while since I have posted and I will try to make the effort to do better.

A few months a go a local art club gave an assignment to have a go at our own interpretation of a painting by another artist. They were to be submitted for an exhibition. Four artist were given and I decided to try painting a still life by Monet.

As the same painting had been evolved four times with different palettes, I realised some truth in the old saying that it is better to do several sketches than to work towards one large painting.
Photo on left was a work in progress.
These paintings were acrylics on MDF.