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Hellebores
I’ve recently been gifted a beautiful hellebore by a friend (thanks Jan) and it got me thinking about whether these interesting flowers occur in the wild on the Isle of Man. I know they’re part of the buttercup family of…
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Down the Rabbit Hole
I love researching things as I put together these blog posts, but sometimes I get lost in a web of tangents. Everything I read seems to lead to some other fascinating thing and before I know it, I’ve lost sight…
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Michael Harding Christmas Set
It’s Boxing Day and, having had a lovely day with family yesterday, I’m having a quiet time exploring some of my lovely arty presents. A particularly festive gift was the Michael Harding Christmas set of 4 watercolour paints, which I…
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Stormbreaker Triad
In the week that brought Storm Bram to the Isle of Man, it seems fitting that I review my recently purchased Stormbreaker Triad set of Daniel Smith paints. The set is designed to help artists ‘command the drama of the…
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Caput Mortuum
Caput mortuum (Latin for ‘dead head’) is a rich, muted violet-brown pigment with a long and somewhat macabre history. Its name comes from medieval alchemy, where it referred to the useless residue left behind in a retort after a substance…
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Desert Horizons Triad
Daniel Smith released several triad watercolour sets during the summer and I thought I’d take advantage of the November discounts to try some out. Although tempted by many, I settled on the ‘Stormbreaker’ and ‘Desert Horizons’ sets as they contained…
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Pumpkins at Hop tu Naa?
Hop tu Naa is celebrated on the 31st of October in the Isle of Man. It marks the end of summer, the start of winter and the eve of the Celtic New Year. Carved turnips or ‘moots’ have been made…
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Choosing from the New Derwent Drawing Range
Derwent has recently released much-awaited additional colours for its Drawing Drawing pencil range. If you haven’t already tried these pencils, they’re beautifully soft and wide-core coloured pencils that are an absolute joy to use. Although the original 24 set of…
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The Colours of Port e Vullen
I’ve become kind of obsessed with Port e Vullen since I first stumbled upon it earlier in the summer. Each time I visit this small beach, just outside of Ramsey, I’m amazed at the interesting geology and the variety of…
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More Artwork for the Map
The start of the new school year is my busiest time of year as all of the businesses I run involve working with schools in one way or another. It’s been a frantic fortnight of reconnecting with teachers and school…