Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 29th April, 2016)

Venison, chips and curry sauce...now that may take off in Wigan! :O)
If our foreign guests get wind the poor thing will be brown bread!

Good catch Mick. It is good to see wild life close to progress.

A deer, such as this, jumped out from the lower entrance to Vauses farm in Shevington and ran across the road making towards John Pit. This happened only about 10 yards in front of my car when going towards the S bends at 09:40 on Sat. 23rd January 2016.
A lady on our 1996 New Zealand coach tour wanted to see a deer farm, so we went a short distance out of our way near Te Anau to see one.

I never knew deer wandered around fields in Wigan that's amazing! Johnny I have just done a deer painting with pastel in a painting workshop last weekend. It turned out really well....saying that I don't normally paint animals! The course was 'How To Paint Animals in the Landscape" this photo would have been very apt actually.

vb..could you put your painting on here.

You can see from this photo that Camelot is no longer on the motorway tourist direction sign, its been replace by Astley Hall and Park

Well done Vb! I dont usually paint animals unless I do caricatures. I did sketch our cat once years ago but never progressed to a painting. Maybe one day.
Friends of ours live in Chigwell, Essex and deer often wander near their house from nearby Epping Forest!

Oh deer what have we here!
Well done Mick.

Maureen I don't know how to scan photos or paintings!,,I don't think people would be interested anyway. We are having an exhibition in our local library in June I will be putting around 4or5 in. There are some really talented artists in our group. David Halliwell paints spectacular steam trains and he is a Wigan Lad who went to St Thomas More school. He has been accepted by the Academy for painters of steam trains.

Maureen, Johnny and Vb; have you looked at Stuff, Local Art in wiganworld?

Ernest..yes I've seen them,.theyre
very good aren't they..I paint myself
have always painted in oils..and Giovanni,aka Johnny mentioned acrylics which I'd never tried..I now paint in acrylics..and love it.

Thanks for the info Ernest I had forgotten about the art on there. We have had Joanne Boon Thomas and Alan Owen visit our art group. I have copied Alan Owen's pictures. They are professional artists though.....unlike me.....just an amateur who can produce sometimes something good. I am in it for the sheer enjoyment of painting!!! I dont know about Maureen and Johnny!

VB..yes I just love painting..seem to have been doing it all my life..it's one place where nothing else matters
you mentioned copying,some years ago I went through a phase of copying Jack Vetrianno..must admit though I do mainly portraits..but...my next one is a scene of Scottish mountains with highland cattle...don't you just love this pastime.

Maureen; on our tour of New Zealand we went across Lake Wakatipu on twin screw steamer `Earnslaw` from Queenstown to Walter Peak Homestead - a 40 min.trip. This Homestead had a sheep farm and also some Scottish highland cattle.
I sat on the back of a 9 year old highland bull on a blanket!

Go for it Maureen! I do portraits too. You might enjoy our exhibition it is on for 4weeks June 20th to July 11th. It's free you are welcome to come and have a gander. It's upstairs in the library.

Ernest..you lucky thing,I would love to do that..I really would..
Vb..I might just be there..thank you.

In answer to the Q...I like to paint for the pleasure and relaxation. I was never trained except for O Level. I really like to do caricatures of family and friends which are given as presents. Years ago I had an ambition of opening a Fine Art shop in Wigan but never materialised. Selling artists materials, prints and originals by local artists. Theres plenty of subject matter around Wigan! :O)

Johnny you were lucky to get an "o"level ....I left with nothing because that system came in just after I left school!!!! I got my own back though in my 30s/40s and ended up with a BA Hons Lit/Hist...!!!!Boy did I gloat at what I achieved from nothing for someone from St Pats Scholes!,,,,

Well done Vb...you're not too old to learn! My wife's teaching me new tricks each day!!