Sneezy does it...
Get ready for your latest wholesome updates...
Welcome back to another edition of The Excitable Artist…
I have been reborn. That is to say: I had a cold last week and I’m finally recovered.
Boy, what a treat to be able to breathe through my nose again - a privilege that I am already taking for granted again now that I’m well.
Despite my husband Juan’s initial fevered cry of “I think I’m getting what you’re getting!” within 5 minutes of my first sneeze, he did initially manage to dodge catching my cold. This was mostly helped by our implementation of a ‘no kiss’ rule.
On Thursday, I announced that I was doing better and was probably not infectious anymore. I dove in for a celebratory kiss, but Juan successfully swerved me at the last second with the reaction of a formula one racing driver, strategically turning my kiss into a hug and pinning me against his shoulder well away from his face. “We’ve come this far!” he whispered into my ear. “What is one more day… Let us not fall at the last hurdle”.
Well, jokes on him because this week it’s his turn to be under the weather. “It can’t be the same cold!” I say quickly, hoping that by uttering these 6 words I can be devoid of all responsibility. My sole job for the foreseeable future is to ask Juan at frequent intervals what his symptoms are and then insist with total confidence that mine were completely different.
I’m just glad that our dog Ollie doesn’t know about colds. It would just become a new thing for him to be scared of and before you know it he’d be walking around the house wearing a crows mask stuffed with herbs and burning everything we own.
Anyway, I’m healed, that’s all that matters. If the rest of my household drop like flies, so be it.
And no, you can’t catch a cold through a newsletter.
Right, you hyperchondriacs, let’s get scrolling…!
Spring
March is just around the corner and with it comes the anniversary of us moving into our house. Has it really been 2 years of renovation? I would say we are about 75% of the way through finishing the house (a statistic that Juan would definitely challenge me on) but now its time for the exterior to really get some love so coming up in march we will be getting the driveway repaved and the entrance vestibule in our house is going to finally get some love…
Fortunate people who renovate houses lift old lino to discover beautifully preserved victoriam tiles. We lifted ours and found cracked clay tiles screwed into concrete - our tiler refused to remove them himself and our old builder said “I’ll be in touch” which I think you’ll agree is a fairly evasive timeline, so honestly, work has somewhat stalled.
But I have begun removing the textured wallpaper and yes, you guessed it, polystyrene ceiling tiles. The fluorescent light on the ceiling will be the next thing to go… stay tuned and I’m sure eventually I will have an update for you!
I did manage to paint my bathroom windowsill though and the pop of colour looks so good I just seriously need some artwork now! And we are booking our doors in to get stripped because I had a go myself and turns out it’s not a task for the fainthearted!
Pet Portraits
It truly is such a joy to paint people’s pets. You will be surprised how many artists offering pet portraits don’t actually like taking on commission work but for me it has always been the backbone of my business and remains my favourite part. Connecting with someone over their love of their pet - reading their stories about them, looking through their photos - I love when owners say “I’ve put some silly ones in so you can see their personality!”
I am hugely booked up and currently I have nearly 80 commissions on - it takes me up until about October! As a result there is a small price hike coming soon.
I’m so grateful for all of you who share my work on social media, I have had several incredible opportunities (none of which I can speak about…. yet!!) that have come as a result of all of you sharing my work and having it reach the right eyes so just a huge ginormous thank you to everyone of you that reshares my reels on facebook and instagram.
New Greeting Cards and Upcoming Shows
I have been busy! I painted a new greeting card design the other day and it has already been sent to my printers to be turned into cards. The original will be framed and taken to Pittenweem Arts Festival. Basically all originals I paint between now and August will be headed to Pittenweem which brings me nicely onto listing my upcoming shows:
Bowhouse Market (East Neuk of Fife) 14th & 15th March
Bowhouse Market (East Neuk of Fife) 11th & 12th April
(There will be more Bowhouses but it’s too early to confirm which months!)
Pittenweem Arts Festival 1st July - 8th August. I’ll be teaming up with the amazing Phoebe of Phoebe Jewellery again. She’s had her website redesigned and launched lots of new pieces so have a look here.
Online Workshops
Woweee, the kitten workshop went down fantastically! 100 of you signed up to do it and my inbox has been filled with delightful little kittens as you all send me what you painted.
The workshop is still available but this time as a download on my website - at present everything works - you receive the drawing guide and reference pic automatically - but the video link seems to not be sending so if you purchase the workshop then just forward me the email confirmation and I will reply with the video link!
Here are a selection of the wonderful kitten paintings I received!
Honestly the online workshops are filling me with SUCH JOY as this community grows, I get new regulars and such lovely emails with your feedback on how it went.
Up next we have our fundraising workshop where we are painting Punch the viral internet sensation and his orangutan teddy - we have already surpassed our target of £500 for Sumatran Orangutan Society! Thank you to the generous donors!
There are still tickets available:
Make sure you read the event instructions on how to donate!
Workshop Mailing List
There are more workshops coming this year and due to the success of the kitten we will be painting more pets amongst the usual wildlife - seems like you guys are super keen for this! I think I am maybe doing a stag next and then we might try a dog.
So, if you want to be added to my workshop mailing list just email me at hello@toriratcliffe-art.co.uk and I’ll pop you on!
The
“DO A WEE WEEEE!” I shout hopelessly into the dark night, watching both dogs make a beeline across the lawn and into the back flowerbed on their nightly quest for fox poo. I can’t tell you how many times they have played me for a FOOL, hovering at the back door with their faces desperate and their legs crossed, only to abandon their act once the door opens in favour of browsing nature’s banquet and whatever hors d’oeuvres the local cats have left them.
It is hard being a dog. Every day they beg me for a little taste of whatever it is I’m eating, and every day I decline, rolling my eyes at the audacity of them to even ask as I lay out their usual bowl of boring dried kibble. It feels like gaslighting.
They say if you don’t want your dog to beg they must never take food from your hand. We are way past that. I remember one Christmas day, Ollie managed to convince me to let him up on my lap when it was late in the evening and all the leftover food was still out on the table where we were sitting. I thought naively that perhaps he wanted a cuddle, but once on my lap his eyes honked out of his head like a cartoon character as he took in the spread before him. I could practically hear him muttering away as his eyes darted about the table, “Potatoes: second bowl from the left. Roast turkey: 12 oclock”. Realising I’d given him access to classified information, I pushed him quickly off my lap. He slunk off, no doubt to fill Spud in on what he’d seen, and to draw a chalk map on the underside of the table with big X’s to mark the location of important plates.
You can’t blame the boys really. As rescues, they both spent their formative months living on the streets with the responsibility of finding their own food - it’s built in them to forage. I guess I just didn’t expect fox poo to be so high up on the menu.
What I do love though, is every now and again when it’s been Juan’s day to walk the dogs, I come home and as I greet the dogs he cries through the house to me “don’t go near their mouths! They ate fox poo!” And I think to myself “Oh Juan, honey, if you only knew…”
Then I open the back door and let them into the garden for the second course.
Anyone elses dogs getting absolutely filthy at the moment on their walks with all the mud!
Well that’s another newsletter edition wrapped up! It’s been a while since I’ve released one on a Sunday morning - I know some of you like to enjoy it with a cup of tea so I hope I’ve managed to catch you at the right time!
A reminder if you want added to my workshop mailing list just send a request to hello@toriratcliffe-art.co.uk
For now, enjoy the rest of your Sunday and I look forward to writing the next edition for you… but of course, can’t leave you without a nap pawsition of the week so… enjoy! And I’ll catch you soon xxx
Okay THIS IS SPECIAL. Because these boys do not share a bed! I don’t know how they ended up in the same one, I can only imagine that with the way these beds have become deconstructed (Ollie with his “nesting”) they couldn’t work out where one started and the other began. Either way it was a MOMENT. And one that I made awkward by hovering over them and snapping 6748372 pics whilst they slept. Teehee.