Black on Grey on White

Easter has (nearly) been and gone. A welcome Easter Bunny hopped all over the garden last night disposing of a serious quantity of his wax chocolate figures and turning a gardeners' not so perfect dream into a chocaholic's paradise. The weather has been UNBELIEVABLE (sunshine and summer temperatures) and the chocolate smiles UNMISSABLE. The studio has been left to its own devices and will be bathed in silence until further notice (all blame is being shouldered by the sun!) H appy (not-quite-over) Easter to you all!

Spring in Bonn is "bloomin'" cool! Many of you may remember, my studio suffered from a few " post move trauma" months at the end of last summer. (We moved lock, stock and barrel from Chimay-Belgium to Bonn-Germany) It is, really, only recently that a momentum has been re-established and stamina no longer some kind of stranger. Lazy- Sunday- afternoon- Trundles- along-the- Rhein season is now officially open (here are my photos to prove it). Just the right inspirational balm the studio doctor ordered - that is of course if there is such a person! Wishing you all an ace week, fill to the brim with creativity and inspired thoughts.

"Anton" Pencil on Paper Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved A few days ago the latest CAG online show went online. Mug Shots. Dog chops of all shapes and sizes can be seen and voted for. You love art and /or dogs, why don't you grab a cup of coffee and browse the 60 different works of art all on view on the Canine Art Guild website . I did and saw some real gems.

Why pencil? Pencil chose me. It has to be said: I never had a look in. Never sat down, pensively, too decide on which medium to use. Never had the time to be rational, logical or calculating. My heart and pencils collided when my brain was looking the other way. They have been as thick as thieves since. "Past to Present" pencil on paper, 2007 Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved The level of precision they achieve exciting. The detail coaxed out of their tips astounding. The world created beautiful. They succeed, in a world devoid of colour, to fill it to the brim with nuances, delicate contrasts, strong shapes, influential hues and strong feelings. Each smooth and flowing stroke crucial to the believable images. Witnessing hues of grey tame and shape conflicting elements such as warm, cold, light ,dark, hard and soft is addictive. An addiction which opens ones mind to a better understanding of form, shading, depth, light, transitional subtle...

Many reasons drew me to start this new piece, the "new in-between commission" piece (reference photo courtesy of the talented dog photographer Erin Vey ): magical textures, contrasting shapes, radiating lines, strong composition, new breed territory (never drawn a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) and of course big round irresistible puppy eyes. So far so good, yet have had to put the pencils down for a while as a new commission (sadly non-shareable) is now on the go. Below: steps one and two down the road. Many many more to come. Technical detail: up to this point, all has been rendered using a 2B clutch. p.s: these are the puppy eyes referred to in last week's pos t...never did get to pop the last "Happy Birthday balloon", it blew away from the balcony to a chorus of shrieks and woops of delight !

Emily Pencil on Paper Sold Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Chocolate stains, happy grins and sticky tape have featured heavily, as I emerge apron strings loosened and scissors lost, from our "birthday week". Every year, from the 5th of March through to the 10th, 6 important family birthdays are celebrated in style, wrapped in loud laughs and decorated with acrobatic happy dances. As all you fellow Mummies can well imagine, work in the studio has been festively slowed down. No worries tough, here is a portrait I "prepared" earlier and want to share. Meet Emily. A gorgeous 6 year old Poodle Pointer with piercing kind eyes. A gem of a dog, well mannered and high on life, Emily sat and stared me out while I triggered a few reference shots and discovered the depth of her eyes and softness of her nose. Next week, when I reconnect with my scribble friends and the last of the colourful tacky balloons has popped, focus will once again be on rendering big cani...

Good friend and accomplished rider Debby Winkler died this week, thrown from her horse. She was 51 years old. The disbelief and shock are overpowering. God speed Debbie. ~ Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them. ~ GEORGE ELIOT, Adam Bede