For my students to draw. They are so incredibly beautiful. Whelk shells.

Leaf Lace- Lace art

 Tutorial on painting an Autumn/ Fall  tree with a sponge and Winsor and Newton Watercolours. 

by Veronica Aldous

 Creating the tree: The branches and trunk have been masked out and left to dry using frisket

 A dampened wrung out sponge is used to sponge onto damp paper- a sienna watercolour

Details with a brush picking out some branches and shadows . I'm using a Winsor and Newton Kolinsky brush.

 Leave to dry

A green is mixed with the sienna and soft patches are damply applied

The dry painting has had the frisket removed

 A wash of reddish pink and some dry brushed curves to the trunk to give dimension. Note that the wind is blowing it's branches and leaves.

Finished and deepened with browns and blues

 Taken with flash to show the wet paint.I like wet paint!

The Other Tree

Black syrup.The nuns were outraged
At the mess, the overt juiciness,
I stole some for her, letting them fall
Into my hands like sun-wild children's kisses-
Purple from fingertip to elbow
We grabbed at them, crushing them into our mouths
While they were full of heat and sticky solar life
I will steal any fruit for my mother
Gladly immoral.

The nuns cut down the mulberry
Dirty sacrament offended them-
The blood of Pan
Was too much
For their white thin mouths.

Copyright Veronica Aldous

published  September 2015

Madam Unicorn Dream Cinema- Wool felt, pure silk and remnant collage mounted on silk hand and machine stitch with digital print. 24 ins square approx

Little story for you: When I was 16 I used to know a girl called Avril. She was 4' feet 9 inches. I am 5 foot 5 and towered over her. She was blonde. She dated a man called Big Dave who was about 7 foot tall. They used to do the Lindy Hop and jitterbug. Avril wore drainpipes and never any shoes or socks even in Winter. She loved children. I didn't like Big Dave because he used to hit on me when her back was turned. She chucked him in the end. I was glad about that. I kind of love the memory of Avril no shoes dancing....

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