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28 Days of a Lobster’s Life

No 1 Canadian Lobster from Leicester aka Lester

Inspired by: ‘Two rare orange lobsters destined for a dinner plate that have been saved from a fish counter in Leicester and rehomed in a Birmingham aquarium. The creature’s which were being sold for £25.50 each, have been sent to the National Sea Life Centre, Birmingham, where they will live out their days.’

Acrylic on Canvas

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Exhibition open today

If you are local to Stone why not pop into the Flying Ducks Art Gallery sometime today to say hello and see the 101 Dalmatian Days exhibition…. 😃

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‘101 Dalmatian Days’ at Flying Ducks Art Gallery, Stone

I am over the moon to be exhibiting paintings from my recent ‘101 Dalmatian Days’ art project at the Flying Ducks Art Gallery, Stone. 

For four days from Friday 30th April to Monday 3rd May 2021 I will exhibit 40 paintings out of the 101 works of art created during lockdown, for both the local and wider community to both view and buy.

The 101 Dalmatian Days project explores the life of Dottie the Dalmatian through a catalogue of 101 adventures with a humorous twist. Pieces such as Dottie’s Day out at the races (No. 61) Dottie’s Daiquiri Cocktail (No 43) Cycling Dottie (No 51) Dottie in Paris (No 83) Dottie goes camping (No 82) Beach Dottie (No 74) all explore themes of adventure that Dottie pursues with joy. 

Inspiration behind Dottie 

The art project was inspired by a chance encounter I had with a dalmatian dog whilst out walking along the common plot, Stone, on a snowy January day. I was struck by the contrast of black dots of the Dalmatian against the bright white of the snow and captured the image on my phone.

The next day, I painted her first ‘Dottie’ and this followed with a couple more paintings. I was subsequently furloughed and with weeks of time to occupy myself, I embarked on painting 101 works of art along the theme ‘101 Dottie Days’inspired by David Hockney’s Dog Days book.

The art project has now completed, and the paintings are available to view from 30th April to 3rd May 2021 at the Flying Ducks Art Gallery, Stone. 

Creating 101 works of art in 90 days was an enormous challenge but one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I created the theme Dottie’s 101 Days as I wanted Dottie to have the freedom that I didn’t due to lockdown restrictions. I imagined all the things that Dottie could do with her time and this kept my spirits alive for better times to come. I am delighted that the art is now being exhibited at the Flying Duck Arts Gallery for all to see. The perfect way to celebrate life returning to some kind of normal.

Angie Ford-Burgess, Owner of Flying Duck Arts Gallery said: “At Flying Ducks Art Gallery, we cannot think of a better way to reopen after the recent lockdown than to host this exhibition of Ellie Heath’s wonderful collection of Dottie the Dalmatian paintings. We are looking forward to welcoming customers both old and new into the Gallery where they can browse the art, meet Ellie and have a chat.”

The Flying Duck Art Gallery is located at 44 Station Road, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 8ES and will be open from 10 to 4pm on these days. Visitors are asked to adhere to the Covid regulations of one person viewing at any one time.

Flying Duck Arts Gallery

The gallery offers art with attitude for the smart, modern art buyer, carefully chosen for the discerning art collector with an independent mind and great personal life. 

Website: https://www.flyingducksartgallery.com/

Email: art@flyingducksgallery.com

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No 101 The Last Dottie

Acrylic on Canvas

The Dalmatian Days are Over

As lockdown is lifted, the Dalmatian Days end and I reach my goal of creating 101 paintings.

In my last blog, I was at ‘The Bookcase (No 50)’ and ideas were plentiful. Since then, I have returned to work and my painting has slowed down. 

I have however reached the end with ‘The Last Dottie’ (No 101). 

This painting is inspired by Leonardo’s Last Supper, which happily coincides with Easter. This is a pointer to what is to come once lockdown is lifted, when we can all gather round a table for dinner and enjoy each other’s company once again.

Dottie’s Exhibition 

I am so happy to have sold some of the paintings already – a huge thank you to all who have supported me! The remainder will be exhibited in the Flying Ducks Art Gallery in Stone, Staffordshire for May bank holiday weekend. I am also working on some Dottie tea towels and cards which will be available to buy shortly.

Dot to Dot

I was asked by a friend where I get my inspiration from.

Some of my art is inspired by old and more recent artists, such as Dottie examining Damien Hirst’s Spot painting (No 24). Others are just interpretations of everyday life as seen through Dottie’s eyes such as Dottie’s Day out – at the races (No. 61) and Cycling Dottie (No 51). For this project, I wanted Dottie to explore the things we once took for granted, and which lockdown has made us appreciate even more. 

It’s hard to pick out a specific one in the collection but I would say that my favourite painting has to be, Dottie Reads the Evening News (No. 83). Thanks to Juno, a Dalmatian in Germany, for the inspiration. 

Life with Dottie

There have been times when I just couldn’t stop painting, moments when I thought I may not finish, and times when I wasn’t sure what to paint next.

I’ve always liked painting different styles such as pixel paintings, portraits or copying a modern artists work. Not having a constant style can sometimes hold you back, but put a Dalmatian at the centre, and the theme will always tie the styles together perfectly! 

What’s Next 

As to the immediate future, I am swapping my favourite number of ‘101’ to my new number of ‘28’ as I work on 28 days of a lobster’s life. More to come soon! 

Thank you for following!

Ellie

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View the full collection https://eleanorheath.co.uk/dalmatians/