March 2018

Really sad to see the Llewellyn Alexander gallery close.  Lovely people. Sold many, many paintings there over the last 14 years including sixteen in the few weeks’ run-up to closure!  Have a great retirement Jillian and Earnest.

We decided to get away from the ‘Beast of the East’ and had a mini-break in Valletta, Malta.  Warmer, very laid back.  Lovely.  Many photos were taken; some of these scenes might appear in paintings in the months to come?

February 2018

Went to the private view of the Artists and Illustrators ‘Artist of the Year’ exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.  Some really good paintings there.  Heard my name called out – I had won 3rd prize for my painting “Common Pleasures” !!!

Fought through the Saturday morning traffic around South London and dropped off six new paintings at the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London for the forthcoming Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours annual exhibition.  This runs at the Mall from 6 April to 21 April see – www.mallgalleries.org.uk.

January 2018

Seven new designs published by Dry Red Press in Brighton – see www.dryredpress.com.   This is a company run by artists; they publish a varied range and different styles of works.

December 2017

My Christmas card design has been chosen by the charity Artists’ General Benevolent Fund which helps artists finding themselves in need of financial help.  The AGBI was founded by J.M.W Turner and John Constable among others in 1814.  It supports professional artists in need and their dependents living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland who cannot work or earn due to accident, illness or older age.

September 2017

Talking of Christmas cards (see below) I was surfing the net and came across the John Lewis site. They have selected four of my pictures – Snowy Peace, Postie’s Bike, Winter Woollies and Christmas Post  – as cards!  These are available as a 20 card pack (5 cards of each of the 4 images) or in a pack of 8 cards. I’ve have just got my own supply from our local Waitrose using John Lewis’s ‘click and collect’ service!

Visited the Red Rag Gallery in Stow-on-the-Wold to deliver eight new paintings for their winter exhibition . This is a lovely gallery which carries a wide range of contemporary work and I have been exhibiting there for 3 years.  Go to http://www.redraggallery.co.uk/artist-Lisa-GraaJensen.asp  Stow is a lovely old Cotswold town and is really worth a day trip – lovely old shops and buildings to see after visiting the gallery. There are also several gastro-pubs available in and around Stow. We went to the Maytime in Asthall which is a favourite haunt of mine – great welcome, great food and dog friendly.  Go to http://www.themaytime.com/

It is almost Christmas card season again and I’ve heard that my design “Snowy Land” will be used in 2018 as a Christmas card by the Great British Card Company.  Note that some people plan 15 months ahead it seems!

August 2017

Whilst browsing in Waterstones I noticed that Camden Graphics have used my ‘The Joy of Spring’ image as a card.  That’s the one with the three bounding hares which has been quite popular over the years.

‘First Sprinkling’ has been sold as a jigsaw in the USA by Liberty Puzzles.  It’s nice to be international!