Cherry blossom for wedding service

Cherry blossom illustration commission for wedding service programme cover I did earlier in the year.

Manchester Pride image, from rough sketch to final

I just wanted to share how my image evolved, from sketch idea through to final print.

3 limited edition prints are left (contact annaviolet@btinternet.com)
Postcards for sale at The Make It Shop, Chorlton.

first rough sketch idea

in detail, adding balloons, adjusting large flag and trucks

photo of final image, printed onto archival paper,
hand-painted with overlapping gouache,
colour order changed so red at top of rainbow flags

In Lord Mayor's Parlour

Chinese New Year prints

My hand-painted ltd edition prints and postcards of the dragon dance outside Manchester Town Hall are now for sale at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Arts shop in Manchester City Centre. Available in A3 and A4 sizes.

Don't miss the stunning animations by Sun Xun on show at cfcca if you're visiting!  http://www.creativetourist.com/articles/art/manchester/sun-xun-and-chris-paul-daniels-at-cfcca-video-still/

Mersey Valley painting

I've been back to pure painting in colour again. I love the transparency of watercolour and gouache.
Here's pretty section of the Mersey Valley near Chorlton, Manchester, a sea of overlapping colours and hidden undergrowth.

More on Streetview exhibition, Manchester

The skyliner's Streetview exhibition has been reviewed on bbc website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-21190762
A wonderful variety of different views of Manchester and Salford's buildings and places, set in a cavernous basement in Northern Quarter.
My Mamucium print was next to the bar on the launch night, held in place with bulldog clips.
Mamucium prints sold in aid of Wood Street Mission see http://manchesterandsalfordillustrated.mysupadupa.com

Manchester City Parade

Just finished these images to mark Manchester City's victory parade last month after winning the Premier League title for the first time since 1968. 100,000 Manchester City football club fans lined the streets to see the parade, which kicked off at Manchester Town Hall in a sea of blue.

These are for sale as greetings cards and postcards at my Folksy shop
http://folksy.com/items/3472473-Manchester-City-Football-Parade
http://folksy.com/items/3491497-Manchester-City-Football-Parade-10-postcards
and as limited edition prints at online shop noths (not on the high street),
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/fionareeves/product/limited-edition-manchester-city-parade-print
and at Everyman Gallery in Chorlton, Manchester.

Green Walk Open House Arts and Crafts weekend

I will be exhibiting at the Green Walk Open House Arts and Crafts weekend this sat/sun, noon to 6pm in no. 14 (front room). I'll have cards, limited edition prints plus some original paintings. There will be loads of houses open and lovely food to eat on the central green. Fingers crossed for some good weather, too. Hope you can make it.  See http://www.greenwalk.co.uk/home

Manchester & Salford Illustrated

I'm really chuffed that my work has been selected to be part of an exhibition in Manchester starting this week.
This is the first Manchester and Salford Illustrated exhibition (#MASI)  at 52 Princess Street, Manchester 27th October – 10th November 
 http://www.manchesterandsalfordillustrated.co.uk/
30 local illustrators will be showing their work under the banner of "What Manchester means to Me." Prints will be available for sale to raise money for the Manchester-based charity, the Wood Street Mission.
Here's a peek of my submission! 

This is the thinking behind it:-

What Does Manchester Mean to Me?

I am awestruck by Castlefield's viaducts and bridges. Castlefield was the heart of Manchester's industrial revolution and remains an iconic symbol of the making of Manchester to me. Here we have the terminus of the world's first industrial canal and also the world's first passenger railway. The Bridgewater and Rochdale canals join at this canal basin, which is crossed by four enormous Victorian viaducts and an elegant modern footbridge, Merchants Bridge. Two of the viaducts are still used by trains and metrolink uses another.

Castlefield is also the site of the Roman fort, Mamucium. This is the origin of the name of Manchester. The fort appears to have inspired some of the amazing castellations and towers on one of the viaducts, too. I often wonder what the soldiers based at Mamucium would make of this area today. 

My image illustrates this part of Castlefield with the viaducts, canal basin, leisure boats, trains and metrolink. The soldiers at the fort, Mamucium, look over the scene.

New paintings

Last month I got back into doing original paintings of local areas, but from a very different angle, and using collage too. Exhibited at green Walk arts and Crafts open weekend (1st and 2nd May) and got some good feedback. Here is one of them - the lychgate at Chorlton Green.