Hello lovely family and friends

Welly sunset

I popped in to K-Mart recently to buy (more) socks for the skateboarder of the family, only to be startled by a row of half-metre high plastic skulls; and one and a half times human size skeletons. I had to make my way past 30cm spiders and whole fishing nets of spider web to get to the sock aisle. Where I grew up, Halloween was not a thing, so I was somewhat stunned by all this.

I paid for the socks at the self-checkout, surrounded by frazzled parents and whining children clasping witch or Spider Man outfits, and bags of sweets/ lollies/ candy. I was glad to get out of there, I can tell you.

What do people do with all that stuff?

Once you have purchased a 50cm skull, where do you put it?

And once Halloween is over, then what?

Perhaps you get fond of it, give it a name, Albert, for instance, and keep it in the lounge. Use it as a footstool. Balance a plank on top of it and use it as a coffee table. Use it as a doorstop. Saw the top off and grow a plant in it. Saw the top off it and use it as a cookie jar. Or a dustbin. Or a jewellery box. Or a Lego storage box.

And you could take the two metre skeleton outside and use it as a trellis for your cucumbers.

So many possibilities.

Swedish friends of ours told us that for them, ‘All Hallows Eve’ (Halloween) is a time when you go to the cemetery where a beloved relative or friend is buried. You spread out a picnic blanket, and have a celebratory meal remembering them. Tell stories about them. Laugh. Cry. And after dark, light a candle in remembrance of them. No excess sugar required.

Sounds good to me.

And, instead of painting a skull, as so many artists past and present are wont to do, I will show you how to paint a cheery puffin.

Always daunting to know how to start.

Paint the lightest light

Then the blue and grey shadows, then black (actually indigo and burnt umber mixed together)

More white (actually, pale blue) and orange

Paint those orange feet and black toenails (no Halloween nail polish involved)

Voila! Puffin at your service.

I now have an apology to make, head bowed repentantly. I can’t offer free shipping on prints, owing to misunderstanding my printer (and apparently, I’m not the only one who got the wrong end of the stick about this – based on an online discussion group (although, as a dyslexic person, seeing the stick upside down is not uncommon for me)).

Sorry about that.

Instead, I am offering 25% off all prints (wildlife and bird ones too) until the end of November.  

Shop is open now!

https://barbarapodmore.com/shop/

Thank you very much to those who have given me a Google business profile review for Barbara Podmore Art! Y’all are legendary!

If you have bought a piece of art, a print, or if you enjoy my weekly blog, please could you give me a review? The more, the merrier.

https://g.page/r/Cd-tGJuFGzmbEAI/review

So this week, may you exercise self-restraint at K-Mart! May you have a picnic with those you love! And may you cuddle a pet!  

XX Barbie