Here we go with a new painting. This time I have decided to have a go at something I have put off for a long time - a self portrait. I am extremely self critical so I reckon it will do me good to try to paint myself. It's quite a rough sketch, the emphasis on the eyes is due to repeated working on them. I'm still not too happy with them but think they are satisfactory enough to allow the pastel to take over. I've also decided to have a go at a oil pastel portrait- never attempted before. I do feel that I spend too much time flitting from medium to medium that I don't get really good at one and I also don't build up my resources enough. I have drawn this in pencil on watercolour paper. I do have pastel paper but it is really designed for chalk pastel and tends to be quite thin. I was looking at some lovely oil pastel card in the art shop the other day and will treat myself to some if this one goes off ok. Trust me to work for the only school around that opened today. The snow is quite thick (about 5 cm) and more forecast. The headteacher lives in the small town I live in so he can always make it in. Needless to say my children were delighted to hear that their schools were shut but that excitement was short lived when they found out that they had to come to work with me instead. We got wrapped up and trudged through the snow to school - it was hard work all morning and extremely embarrassing when your child behaves worse than the children you are working with! By the time we trudged back at lunchtime I was glad to see the back of them as they wolfed down their lunch and flew outside. The peace was shortlived when I found myself in the midst of a snowball war which involved having 7 children charging around the gardens plastering the house front and back with snowballs. I trully feared for the delivery man from Sainsburys who brought my weekly shopping as he offloaded the bags slipping and sliding up and down the drive. I told him he had done well not to get hit by a snowball, he replied that he had the right gloves on to throw one back if he needed to......he was at least in his 60s, I guess snow brings out the kid in all of us. I now have a friendly fat snowman smiling at me through my patio doors and with more snow forecast tomorrow he may have a full family by the end of the week!