Well, here I am at the mercy of the NHS again and my god, are they amazing?! Every. Single. Person has been phenomenal. Thank you.

Oh dear…it’s that time when I should introduce myself to all the new folks 👋 I paint warmth, colour and the feeling of life being properly enjoyed - long lunches, crowded tables, flowers collapsing out of jugs, strong coffee, open shutters & where conversations stretch late into the night. 🧵

Ladybird book in the spotlight. The Stars and their Legends (1973) Artist: Robert Ayton

'Well sir, in that case I challenge you to a duel!' 'So be it. Name your weapon.' 'Compliments!' 'Oh! A capital choice, if I may say.' 'Why tha...oh, I see you've duelled before...'

Life of an artist! To be honest Parkinson's means I'm not really able to draw easily with traditional pencils...and yet I manage with the Apple Pencil, odd huh? Fortunately paint brushes are no bother 🌈🤪

😂

Still some way to go but I’m loving the hot weather feel! Currently it’s 3°C here so I’m dreaming 🤣🥶

Never enough coffee 😅

Germander speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys, bears the old names Bird’s-eye, Cat’s-eye, Eye of the Child Jesus, Farewell and Goodbye. A wayside flower, speedwell was said to speed travellers safely on their way; in Ireland it was sometimes sewn into clothing for luck and protection.

‘Hawthorn’ Trees, 1963. Artist: SR Badmin May Day Bank Holiday Monday

Tonight's goodnight image is ‘Monks Walk to the Mountain Monastery of Athos’, Hermann Corrodi, oil on canvas, 1905. Sleep tight.

This is a genuinely interesting thread for any creative trying to make a living. And for all the ‘suggestions’ but it’s free here or low cost …it’s not. Never free. ever. it takes time, negotiations, promotions then once you reach this many followers endless scrabbling to maintain.

You can't buy my books in bookshops. Why? I published 2 Sunday Times bestsellers the traditional way, and earned... drum roll... Zero. Literally zero. In fact because I had to shell out for lawyers and fact checkers, it left me £30k out of pocket. The publisher took the lot. 🧵

Tonight's goodnight image is 'Winter Moon at Toyamagahara', Hasui Kawase, colour wood block, 1931. Sleep tight.

This looks so fabulous!

Hi I’m Emma and hate getting my photo taken 🤪🤣

‘The fair maid who, the first of May, Goes to the fields at the break of day, And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree, Will ever after handsome be.’ — from The Old Nursery Rhymes, illustrated by Arthur Rackham (1867–1939). #MayDay #Folklore

99p on Kindle for the next 7 hours then back up to full price!

Cooking dinner does require fortification, right?

To bring a smile to your face, here’s a c. 4,500 year-old clay vase in the shape of a little hedgehog holding a bowl! 🦔 😍 From Chalandriani, Syros, Greece. Early Cycladic II period. National Archaeological Museum, Athens 📷 ArchaiOptix #Archaeology

Great pod with tha amazing Zelenskyy podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

Moka in the easel…

I was tidying away books in the library once when I saw a small child run crying to his mum because he'd picked up a Spanish book and thought he'd suddenly forgotten how to read

The Nature Table Artist: Harry Wingfield (Going to School, 1959)

It's a perfect day for reading in the garden So I made the entire series FREE on Kindle Unlimited (£3.99 to buy) I'm nice that way 5⭐ "Honestly up there with Gone Girl" 5⭐ "Wow. Just wow. So fucking good" 5⭐ "Twisty thrillers that will leave you breathless" www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G2CDCMV...

Do you have a Sister, Brother @inertyd.bsky.social 😆 🤣 😂 😹

Prepping for the morning…

Ok, I’m dirty. A dirty, naughty girl. I did Ai. Everything is so…so samey. So havering, so ‘no after, no after you…’ Also, even as a Scot, I haven’t swearified the air that much since I got arrested in an Egyptian port aboard a Danish cargo ship whilst eating bacon sandwich’s and vodka at 4am…

Enjoy the incredible detail of John Ruskin's Wild Rose this Wednesday evening 🌹🌿🔎 John Ruskin produced this study in 1871. As an artist, he celebrated the power of art as a mirror of nature and as a teacher, he advocated for the close study of its subjects.

& shy alder; shy beech, violets subtle in the ditch; a late kite, the moon waxing slowly

‘Cherish the natural world, because you’re part of it and you depend on it.’ - David Attenborough It’s #earthday 🌏 Reading ideas for today and every day 📖 💚🌱🌳🌏📗

In the new issue of @geographical.co.uk, I review #FutureRural, a thought-provoking anthology from @littletollerbooks.bsky.social on the future of the British countryside.

I have a stinky cold…so naturally testing the theory that a cheeky negroni will fix it.

hawking a line of branded Mountain Goats smart glasses. no matter where you look things look a little bleaker and also the wearer cannot remove the glasses once worn. I’m disrupting this sector

Medieval floor tile from Gloucester Cathedral. 📸 My own. #TilesOnTuesday #GloucesterCathedral

Having begun the week with a Dorset view, I thought that I might continue that theme: here's "Dorset Landscape" by Walter Steggles from 1938 & his joint show with his brother Harold at Lefevre that year: also shown at the Centennial exhibition in Wellington, New Zealand 1939-40. #WalterSteggles

Timeline cleanse: I just got on a bus. An elderly woman was trying to pay but her card didn’t work. She was standing flustered by the driver. A boy, maybe 12 or 13 years old, who was queuing to get on said to the bus driver, “sir can I pay for her?” and then went ahead and paid for her

Good morning. I just ended up swearing at Barclay’s AI assistant several times because I’m so sick of everything in life being made inaccessible and so much more shit due to AI. The enshittification of life is really getting me down. SO MUCH WASTED TIME AND ENERGY FOR SIMPLE TASKS. Fuck tech bros

Hi. My names Gary Kemp of Doric Studio and you might remember me from markers such as @deemouthartiststudios Christmas one.! Good news is I’m BACK for the Spring Sequel! Coming to a Deemouth Artists Studios near you May 9th/10th! Market. Open Studios to explore and ask all sorts of questions!

Let me note one special thing I saw at Nymans, on that rather bleak March day, a thing that can be planted by any of us during the coming autumn with an assurance of immediate effect next spring. You know how truly right daffodils look in grass?

I'm making one last push to let people know about this online talk -- sponsored by the British Library in conjunction with their current exhibition on fairy tales. The live stream starts at 7:30 tonight, but if you buy a ticket *before* the event you can watch it any time over the next 7 days.

Let’s bring back artist trades 🤝 I’d love to swap my work for yours 🥰 • handmade ceramics + glassware
• homemade jewellery
• photography / videography
• other art (surprise me) If you make any of these or have something else in mind I’m very open... Send me a DM and let’s figure something out 🎉

This is delightful!

There is a toxic and malicious approach to the portrayal of asylum seekers across the mainstream media. I’ve tried to counter this with my portraits of asylum seekers in the Rebellion! zine and exhibition. The portraits were originally from my Journeys project on asylum.

sunset wishes

Each year when the forget-me-nots open their blue flowers, I find myself searching for a heart-shaped cluster. I photographed this perfect little heart in my late mother’s garden, a lovely reminder of her. Perhaps you might spot one too this spring, a reminder of someone special?

Biggest congrats Russ, bought all you books to help fund.

Morning. 🖼️ Vanessa Cooper