{ window paintings, polka dots & more }

Sorry it has been so long since my last post - all of a sudden the month of May seems to have all but passed! There's been lots happening but finally it has calmed down so hopefully I will be a bit more on deck form here on. Amongst other things last week I was working on these window display paintings for Anna Spiro, as part of the launch of her wallpaper range for Porters Paints last Thursday night. The evening was heaps of fun and a huge success, and it was lovely to share the success of what is such a huge achievement for Anna (imagine designing a range of wallpapers, no less for a brand like Porters. what a dream!) One was just a big watercolour of her logo in pink, and the other a painted version of the story behind the range which I used her custom colours and a few motifs from the papers themselves on... nothing very tricky but I must say I just love doing stuff like this, so it was really fun to work it in with her papers and colours. 

As I 'm sure you can imagine there was so many beautiful things to look at and these pics hardly touch the surface - but you can check out more pics at her post on Absolutely Beautiful Things.

I also managed to finish one more painting in time for the night which is now hanging in the showroom and available for sale - it's these cute little polka-dot swimmers. Email me at pip_boydell@hotmail.com if you'd like any details or are interested in purchasing!

So after this flurry of activity last week I have also had a huge weekend with the wedding of one of my best friends for which I was a bridesmaid. It was such an amazing wonderful happy day - wish we could do it all again - but I have some gorgeous pics and pretty things to share later in the week. Pop by and see. 

In the meantime - happy Monday!

Pip xx

{ fresh }

My flowering camellias..

Mykonos. Photography by Julia Palencia

Another colourful vignette and not to mention my absolute favourite wallpaper ever...

of course by clever Anna from Absolutely Beautiful Things

 BEE @ Atlantic-Pacific

I love the freshness of green and blue and a pop of pink. These lovely pics (and my new friend the camellia bush!) proved the perfect inspiration for today's painting. Have a great week.

Pip xx

{ summer colour & an update }

Moroccan table setting via Decor 4 All

Hibiscus - via my Pinterest

Decorations! Via Plenty of Colour

Beehives in Greece - via my Pinterest

Warm weather automatically takes me to a place where I crave the brightest and boldest colours of summer.  My current colour combo obsession is (clearly) pink + orange.... don't these pics make you feel like you are in the middle of a great big celebration on a sultry summer afternoon, with lots of laughter and noise and the Mediterranean sun blistering down?! So this afternoon I have been channelling these fantastically electric colours and have decided I must find a way to incorporate these into a painting of some sort. Not sure what just yet, but they look great (particularly with a bit of gold leaf!):

I shall let you know what becomes of this!

In other news, I also thought I should let you know that everything has been very well following my the opening of my exhibition Thursday week ago..... in fact so much better than I could have possibly hoped for, as we sold out of all 29 pieces just a few days after the opening. So after a couple of weeks hanging in the store, this weekend they will all be coming down and heading home with their new owners. I'm very excited to be passing my first real collection of pieces over and that they'll now be part of people's  lives and homes. What this means, though, is that there will be a few bare walls in Black & Spiro so I'm now working on a small second release of the exhibition which will go up in store over the coming weeks. We don't have a final date just yet, but to anyone that might be interested stay tuned here and also to Absolutely Beautiful Things, as Anna and I will be sure to keep you updated on timings and details of when the next pieces will be available.

In the meantime I also just wanted to say big thank you to all the lovely comments and emails I have received over the last little while. It truly makes my day to receive these lovely words from people far and wide.... so thank you for this, and also for giving me the confidence (and business!) to keep busy like a bee painting lots of paintings for you all!

Anyway, enjoy the week and I will keep you posted as this next stage progresses. 

xx

{ one, two, three! }

Tonight I was looking for inspiration. Then they came to me, one, two three!

+

+

=

The colour, the brightness, the textures... I just had to paint something of it, so I concocted these fabulous feather, gold, lapis lazuli and crystal earrings. I think I might quite like a pair in real life.

Anyway just a sneak preview, you will have to come to my exhibition to see them for real! 

xx

Images from top: 

1: Via A Notable Pause

2: Crop of image created by Garance Dore

3: Via Absolutely Beautiful Things

4 & 5: Images painted by & copyright Pip Boydell

{ neonspiration }

I'm sure I'll be over by it tomorrow, however today (I'm a bit sheepish to admit) I'm obsessed - like everyone else - with neon. I don't think I will find myself actually buying/ wearing much of it but it does make for great photos! Case in point those satchels at the top.... they're a fluoro twist on the cult bags from the Cambridge Satchel Company and can be personalised with your initials embossed -very cool. Am sure I will start seeing these on the shoulders of many pretty young girls this summer as they'll go well with all those denim cut offs + high buns + stacks of overpriced friendship bands. 

Anyways I'm going to embrace it for this minute, too - so here are a few picks from my recent neon trawl! 

She's fabulous:

Image via The Glitter Guide

So's this:

Via apartmenttherapy.com

Obligatory arm party image:

Image via honestlywtf

Hard to choose which image of BEE to include as she is basically most stylish person ever.... but this pom-pom scarf is too good:

Image via  Atlantic-Pacific

Can't resist some colour-dipped coral:

Image via Pinterest

Last but not least... I stumbled across this image a while ago but I really love it, I think it's because it could be a man or woman under there (look again!):

Image via StreetFSN

So what's the verdict... yes or no to neon? And how long will the fluoro fad last? I'd love to hear what you think!

Pip xx