Alison: when you've written a post for your blog you will see that after you 'save changes' there is a little 'browse' button below where it says 'Upload Image Post'. Click on 'browse' and it should open documents on your computer. Then it's 'upload' and you are away! Hope that helps!

Thank you again Alison. I'll look at Dai's. I managed to put a peony to represent "me" but how do you manage to put a photo of something in each time you write a blog entry?

The blog is professional? It's all here! I have to give painter-online the credit for that :o) Thank you Alison of the greatest name :o) Tips for keeping a blog - hmm - actually, Dia Harding's blog is worth a read! (the name at the top of these comments).

I admire your determination and your work and I also like your blog. I started one myself but I haven't managed anything as professional as yours. Do you have any tips?

lol thanks Dai :o) I can see I am going to start using you as some sort of art-pick-me-up *grin*. I've had a look at some of the artists you have listed and there are some wonderfully talented people around. I think because a peice of art doesn't fit your particular bill, it doesn't make it any less worthy of the status of art. And as with most things in life, it has to be in the eye of the beholder! I suspect what I need to do is learn how to sort through 'advice' I am given and deal with it accordingly. I don't think the person who said this to me is better aritistically than I am, just that what they do and like is different. And I love the concept of learning what makes a piece work or fail! That is something I would have a lot of fun with ~ especially if I am learning through 'mistakes'. Thanks again Dai :o) (we all love your name by the way ;o)

Lol - As you probably know - There is no qualification and no club and no 'proper ' - that's what's infuriating about it for most people - it's not about specific technique either - but instead a certain 'facility' of intention. But also, some peoples work is entierly built on technique, like photo realism. You just do it : ie. Whatever you want to do, and then apply yourself - like learning classical drawing techniques, or etching, etc etc. Georgia O'Keefe found flowers did it for her, Frida Khalo found the surrealism of her womanhood, Cindy Sherman needs to photograph herself like an old or modern master, Louise Bourgeois has been doing it ALL since 1911and she's still doing it - likewise - Gillian Ayers, now 77 and painting huge abstract paintings. Just stick at it and learn what you can. If you love Poesy Simmonds and want to draw like that (and write like that) - set to it - if you want to do modern takes on Peter Breughel - set to it. Often there is a distinction between 'high' and 'low' art - it's all journalese, but it can effect your life if you take too much notice of its nonsense, just be who you are. The great Beryl Cook was once looked at as a quirky old lady postcard illustrator - now the art world embraces her. Many many artists produced designs for ties, and all sorts of nicknaks, Warhol drew shoes for advertising agencies - you just get by - and never stop. In Art Colleges one used to atune oneself to various levels of critical thinking - the most important being an understanding of why a piece of work 'fails' it's all about learning and bulding - being told your not an artsist would need an awful lot of serious qualification by the person who said it. ( Didn't know if it was best to add aaaaall this to yr blog or what - just delete it if you want) All the best Dai.H