It'll soon be bonfire night in this little village where I live and work. I've often thought about painting bonfire night, complete with fireworks, but it only occurs to me around this time - I'll need to get my act together earlier next year!  Meanwhile, here's a picture of this wonderful, primitive fire ceremony to brighten a sometimes depressing time of year. 

This year, though, the weather has been bright and calm and sunny so far. It can't last, but it helps to shorten the winter. 

My extraordinary and rather disturbing image of Christ on the Cross is for sale here on eBay at the moment. The image depicts Christ amid a sea of troubles - it's extremely large at some 44 inches by 54 inches - and it really ought to be in a church or similar religious building. The frame is hand made from Scottish driftwood. I'm prepared to let it go for a very low price, just to secure it a good home! The price more or less covers the cost of materials plus a little more, but it took many weeks to complete. I have done several 'religious' pieces although I don't think of myself as being a particularly religious artist. But this just seemed to want to be painted.  Whoever buys it will have to collect it from my studio, here in Ayrshire - it's extremely heavy, in acrylic on canvas with a very chunky frame - but we'll do our best to facilitate this and you're welcome to view the picture by appointment if you're genuinely interested. 

It's been one of those summers! First of all, I spent a week in hospital just when the weather was at its nicest. The medication I'm on for severe arthritis also lowers my immune system, so unfortunately, I'm prone to infections and have to watch out for any little symptoms. On this occasion the NHS came up trumps, my GP came out to the house, the ambulance arrived within half an hour and I was admitted to our local hospital with a raging fever and a lot of other symptoms too nasty to go into here! I had intravenous antibiotics for a week and - eventually - was on the mend. But it took me a while to get back to work after that.

I came back home to the realisation that our house needed some serious building work, focused on the bathroom - and that, almost completed now, took up many more weeks of disruption while people tore the place apart. So - it's quite surprising that I've managed to do some work in the shape of some new painting, but I have. I've also very slowly but surely restored an old Victorian rocking horse - an Ayres horse - and these were the best rocking horses around. Photos to follow very soon. 

If you love this picture, title End of Shift (and lots of people do!) then we now have excellent full size stretched canvas prints available - they look very much like the original, but at a fraction of the price. We can take orders now - do contact us for more details.  At present the original artwork is still for sale, although that might change in the next couple of weeks. (Customer still making up her mind!) 

If you're going to be in or near Ayrshire, during the next few weeks, do pop along to Many Thanks at the Cross in Mauchline. This is a really beautiful gallery, gift shop and coffee shop and Alan will be exhibiting there until the end of the month of June. You can find his pictures (like the one above) a good selection of prints at various prices, and greetings cards as well. 

Also, if you think you might like to commission a special picture - bearing in mind Alan's unique style (a cross between Lowry, Fred Yates and Grandma Moses, seemingly!) - then you can get contact details through Carol at the gallery.

While you're there, you can also visit the beautiful little Burns House Museum just around the corner, imagine yourself back in the time of the Bard and drive through the wonderful Ayrshire countryside round about. 

Many Thanks is also stocking copies of The Jewel by Alan's wife, Catherine Czerkawska, a bestselling novel about the life and times of Burns's wife and Mauchline Belle, Jean Armour. Pick up a copy while you're there! Have some of the best coffee in Ayrshire - and scrumptious cakes too. Well worth a visit. 

 Apologies for the rather wintry nature of this picture of our lovely village but I've just finished this - and it already has an interested buyer. Prints will be available though!

I'm preparing for a month long exhibition at the wonderful Many Thanks cafe, shop and gallery in Mauchline. I'll be showing a good cross section of my art, originals, prints and greetings cards from early June to the end of the month, so if you're in Ayrshire, do go along to the shop for an excellent cup of coffee, some cake - and some art! 

Open Studios Ayrshire will be upon us soon. Alan's studio will be open from 10 am till 5pm for four days, from 22nd - 25th April, Friday till Monday. You're very welcome to come along for a visit with absolutely no obligation to buy. (Although original artworks, prints and greetings cards will be on sale for anyone who can't resist a purchase!)

Visitors are welcome to chat for a while, to see where and how  Alan works, and perhaps to have a walk around this beautiful conservation village, and visit the local pub, or community shop and tearoom. 

​Alan's studio is part of the Carrick Trail although some 70+ artists will be displaying work across the whole county, chiefly in Ayr and Kilmarnock. Have a look at the OSA website here for more information. 

This year's Open Studios Ayrshire event will be launched at the Dick Institute, in Kilmarnock, on Thursday 24th March, 6.00 till 7.30. If you want to know more - or if you're planning to visit the artists and their studios, do put the date in your diaries and come along to find out more about the forthcoming event.

​Alan's studio, in Kirkmichael, will be open to visitors from Friday 22nd - Monday 25th April. There will be a bus to transport people around Carrick - and here in the village our beautiful pub will be open for lunches as snacks, as well as our community run village shop and tearoom. If the weather is good - and we hope it will be - you could also take in a walk around this beautiful conservation village, or go and see our historic kirkyard with its 'Covenanter's Grave'. 
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Last Saturday we attended the preview of this year's forthcoming Open Studios Ayrshire - Alan will be participating in a big way, so first of all, put the weekend of 22nd - 25th April in your diaries. (Springtime!) Alan's studio will be open for visitors, whether you want to browse or buy or both, during the whole weekend. You can visit lots of Ayrshire studios and mini exhibitions throughout the weekend and some transport will be available. The preview show is on at Rozelle for a whole month - in the beautiful main house. There's a cafe too, so you can have coffee and cakes when you've finished viewing. The exhibition takes up three big rooms, and is crammed with a variety of wonderful artworks by a wealth of Ayrshire based talent.