Good afternoon peeps,

I have finally managed to sucessfully block in the commission portrait that I am working on...I even managed to send a pic of the rough stage to the sitter too. I was totally relieved and pleased to get the thumbs up to it. Phew! I must admit that it's been a blast doing this painting....I had no idea of how it was going to turn out and was really streesing at one point. I had even decided to end my painting life as I was so crap at it all...mmmm...perhaps a tad dramatic. It was then that I decided to work at it differently and just "block".....hurah...result!
It is always a learning curve when painting a commission...I always manage to go through some form of creative crisis before I eventually settle down and stop being such a paronoid idiot. Hey ho. Is this normal behaviour I ask myself???
The Roman God series seems to be on a go slow at the moment...I can only manage one crisis at a time it seems. I'm blaming it on the fantastic weather and the need to be outside in the sunshine attempting to get my pasty complexion somewhere to a normal colour. I also have the added excuse of being rather head battered by work on the ward. Not by the clients as it happens....enough said!

I went to view one of the rarest plants in the British Isles over the weekend...the "Lady's-slipper Orchid. It was quite beautiful and is being watched over by a bloke in a tent. Apparently it was stolen in 2004 but, luckily, not all the plant was taken and it has managed to recover. These orchids are now so rare that they are highly prized by unscrupulous morons that think it is their God given right to own anything that is on the verge of dissappearance. It amazes me that these people have such enormous egos and display such stupidity....would they be clamouring for the last buttercup if there was a virtual wipe out of that species....mmmm...sadly, yes.
It was a very humbling experience and almost spiritual to see that beautiful flower sat unobtrusively in its limestone recess....I was very moved.

Thanks for taking the time,

Ivor x