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I have just had the pleasure of seeing my work published in L'Art de L'Aquarelle  (issue 16) and The Art of Watercolour (issue 10) the English translation. The online digital edition is not out yet for this quarterly magazine, but I note that it was on sale in W H Smith in the UK last week.

The article is lovely, beautifully presented and the publication in general is always a joy to read.

This edition covered some of the outstanding Chinese artists who took part in the Shanghai Biennial and the Revelations section wrote about four chosen artists of whom I was one.

A fitted kitchen

 

I have always been taught that self praise is no honour, but I have just found out that there were about 10,000 entries to be considered for this International Watercolour Biennial and not a mere 2,000 as I had thought.

Around 250 were chosen so I am feeling amazed.

Neither wonder there was a delay in getting word out to everyone! 

Actually the selection process was somewhat nervewracking.

I had only come across details of the exhibition in a beautiful watercolour magazine that I picked up at home in Glasgow in May (maybe April) when I went home to see my mother.

I think there were only four days left before the final date for submission of a digital image of work to be sent, so I 'had a go' on the off chance that I might be considered and returned to Saudi Arabia for another month.

Then of course I was asked to send the original work to China.

The ensuing package was covered in labels in English and Chinese and caused much curiosity in the central post office.

Glasgow maybe a huge city but the folk are anything but blase'

The assistant who busied herself attending to me told me about the wonderful trip she had in Shanghai the year before.

"You should go" she said. "It was just wonderful and the people so friendly --it was well worth the money--for me it was either that or a fitted kitchen!"

A great deal of time passed before I heard that I had been finally accepted and I had reconciled myself to receiving a rejection slip.

So when I go home again in January I really must go and let the post office folk know I was successful, for their good wishes were ringing in my ears for a long time, and the story of the 'fitted kitchen' is so very Glasgow.

 

 

We had lots of fun and fabulous results last week on our Shabby Chic 2 day workshop. All the ladies brought in a range of items ranging from small chairs, tables, frames and small step ladders to a largish settle--probably Indian in origin and which started its life as a very dark wood.

There was much banging with hammers and blunt instruments to bring about an ageing transformation on new items made of wood and also of MDF (medium density fibreboard). What a great way to let off steam!

Then of course we got tucked in with paints and wax etc.

In our enthusiasm to get started we forgot to take pictures before the transformation!

Here are a couple of pictures of two of the finished products.

The distressed wood was waxed to give a soft sheen	Small cupboard

 

We shall be repeating these workshops if anyone is interested please call Kowther at Darat Binzagr.

 

 

Detail

 

 

2 Day Workshop  (no experience required)

 

Would you like to learn how to give your old fashioned frames or furniture a quick aged look?

 

Shabby Chic is the term given to the kind of antiquing that will fit in with any type of interior.

It can look Mediterranean, Italian, French, Swedish or English Country House.

 

You can make it look as old as you like, and have it in the colour you like.

The results will only be limited by your own imagination!

 

Call Kawther on 6571030 at the Darat Binzagr for details and to register.

 

Bring a SMALL item to work on, either a chair small table,frames etc.

We provide all the materials and sample boards.

 

 

Below are pictures of my victorian desk that was badly damaged in a flood three years ago.

I repainted and waxed it, fitting a new leather top.

I now use it as a dressing table. Kneehole desks were often used as dressing tables.

 

Before	After

 

 

Dorothy Boyer has 30 years experience of carrying out specialist faux finishes including, gilding, distressing, old plaster, stencil and trompe l´oeil effects.

She has taught in London and Jeddah.

 

 

I am very thrilled indeed that my painting 'Baroque Fountain' has been selected for the

Shanghai Zhajiajiao Watercolour Biennial

November 2012

 

This particular painting has won a few awards already in fact, but this will be the first time it has been shown in public.

Before I left Jeddah in June however, I did manage some sketching trips down to the old souq. Foolishly I underestimated how hot it was and was quite overcome after only 2 hours. Normally I reserve this activity for the winter months.

The fruitseller was wonderful  to paint, enjoying as he did, the attention he was getting from me. Unfortunately he suddenly gathered up his thobe and fled with his wares pursued by the police. Poor chap did not have a licence to sell in the street!	This old man was selling Miswak, used for cleaning the teeth. What was fascinating to me was the fact that his clothes were dazzling white and crisply laundered, all in such stark contrast  to the dusty surroundings.

 

My summer has been spent mainly in a very hot Spain, with a couple of trips back to Scotland to see my family. 
My Mother celebrated her 99th birthday!
 
A must trip was Granada again --twice this time, once to attend an open air evening concert at the Alhambra, and again to return to my painting sketches.
The crowds were amazing---I remember being able to wander into the Alhambra in the seventies without all the queuing!
I had the great good fortune to see a wonderful exhibition by Sorolla there and am now inspired to do more 'garden painting'


These ones below however are of subjects in Cordoba, so easy to get to by the fast train from Malaga now.

This arch leads into the inner courtyard at the Mesquita in Cordoba, where the faithful washed, prior to praying in Moorish times.	An amazing mixture of Baroque and Islamic architecture inside the Mesquita in Cordoba

 

I spent a great deal of my summer tending my plants in temperatures well over 100f, determined that I would reap the benefits with some detailed studies for my larger paintings.
My brother would have loved to see the profusion of flowers this year.
I popped some geranium (pelargonium) heads into this brightly coloured little pot one day and found that the clashing colours were fascinating.

This is a very quick sketch.

Verandah Moments

 

Now of course I am preparing to return to Saudi again.

And lastly..

A beautiful window in Cordoba. The doves were constantly cooing--such a restful sound!

 

 

I did say the other day that I was working on a large watercolour painting of tulips--and so I am.

I do of course busy myself with several smaller things at the same time, usually in oil.

Here is the result of the latest effort, not yet dry in fact.

 

Nasturtiums

 

This is a quick note to keep you up to speed , something I have barely managed myself over the past few weeks.

I 'popped' home from Saudi Arabia to Scotland for four days, took my mother out to lunch and 'popped' back.

 

 

My 99 year old mother getting tucked in!

 

Of course, aside from the ghastliness of air travel these days, for I go cattle class, I was rewarded with wonderful weather and spring flowers.

I managed to see the tulips in the garden that I planted a few years back and had never been home to see their flowering.

I have painted them many times, so watch this space for a big tulip!

 

I brought back my paintings from the London Parallax International Art Fair in Chelsea, having successfully sold one here in Jeddah. So three of them are now on my wall and am happy to have them for a while longer.

I also sold 'Hurrying Home' which won and award, so two large Jeddah paintings have found a new home.

My blessed 'Bougainvillea' has found a new home as well.

Funny how you become so attached to some work.

My comfort is, that always my work goes to appreciative people who become my friends. What a way to make friends!

 

Dania's Tea Cup

 

Here is another little 10x12 inches oil of a tea cup.

 

Those of you who are linked to my face book will have been bombarded with a stream of constant information about my new website.

No, I have not lost the plot, for I still have my very beautiful and elegant website www.dorothyboyer.com.

The other one however, I regard as a print and card selling site.

The prints that I sell and will continue to do so from Jeddah, are limited edition signed prints.

The downside is that I have to hold a huge stock, and so I cannot have prints of everything.

This new site takes care of that, they print on request, any image that I give them.

There is a choice of finishes and sizes.

You can gave a large poster, a framed print, stretched on canvas, the permutations are impressive.

They send you directly the finished product.

Every time I upload I new painting--or even an old one, facebook picks up the information.

So here are the sites, dorothy-boyer.artistwebsites.com and www.fineartamerica.com/shop/dorothy-boyer.html.

These two sites are linked.

I would just like to thank everyone who supported Sandy today, running the London Marathon in aid of PSPA.  He reached his target and at least £2000.00 will be going to help research. It was a wonderful effort and the organization behind controlling 38,000 or so, runners was just amazing. Apparently some were already discussing taking part next year. Not so my son I think!

 

Have been busy painting some oils again. Sometimes I miss oil and have to roll up my sleeves and get tucked in! Quite different from watercolour although the procedure for assessing what makes a good painting is the same. The same questions are asked. Have I made the darks dark enough, the lights light enough. Is there variety in the shapes etc?  My students will have heard me chant this so often! They keep me on my toes. Apart from continuing to learn through teaching them, I have also been priviledged to learn more about Saudi Arabia, than if I had just continued to paint murals as I used to do.

 

So here are two little ones hot off the easel!

 

Phoebe´s Tea Cup

Phoebe was my mother in law and she had a tea and coffee service of this amazing china which must be over 150 years old.

 

These will be for sale at the Quilt Show and Artisan´s Fair from 11am onwards. Debra Ann Dennis holds this lovely exhibition once a year, and a great deal of work goes into making this a hugely interesting event in Jeddah.

 

Susie Schuster always has a table in aid of her charity, The Ladies of the Rabat, and beautiful beaded scarves will be for sale.

 

Available also from her will be cards, prints, and a folder of six postcards wih envelopes shown below. All these are printed from watercolours on the Saudi Heritage that is now under threat.

 

They make great gifts we are told!

The Cover of the folder shows the Camel Saddle .

 

 

Look forward too seeing you there!

 

Exhibiting in the Parallax Art Fair, in Chelsea Town Hall, London was very exciting, if not thoroughly exhausting.

Susie Schuster was brilliant at organising the freighting, the hanging, and the calming of nerves!

I showed four large watercolours of Jeddah Old Town to highlight the sad demise of this heritage. Of special interest seemed to be this painting of the old balad or souq, reflected in the windows of the modern building and towards which the elderly gentleman is heading. I called this Tomorrow´s World.

When I returned a few weeks ago this house was no longer standing.

We are planning on hanging the work in The Saudi Embassy in London.

 

The private viewing was crammed to capacity, and it was wonderful to see so many friends and my family of course. My grandaughter, Amelia paid a special visit with my son on the Friday and was quite a star!

 

It was a lovely surprise to come back and  find that the painting below had won Outstanding Watercolour in the FASO competition for February 2012!

Hurrying Home

 

Makes a change from black!