Melanie Max and I are delighted to have our 'Of Day & Night' exhibition extended until 17 December. We are also over the moon about the wonderful response to the exhibition and have been told by the staff that our exhibition is the best they have seen there. Praise indeed.

We had hoped to be in the foyer of the beautifully converted church most days of the exhibition, we even did a rota! But we have been overwhelmed by the freezing temperatures as our table is very close to the automatic door in the entrance and blasts of freezing air mean we cannot stay for long. BUT...

If you would like to meet us, please get in touch and we will make sure we are there. I am selling greeting cards of my work in the foyer which are going really well and of course it is lovely to chat with all the visitors.

These two sumptuous paintings are on the 'Small Wall' at the gorgeous Byard Art gallery in Cambridge. Just three remaining in this series at Byard art. Painted in oil with a unique patterned gold leaf onto a small canvas and mounted onto more of the special gold leaf, finished of with a white frame. These are gorgeous little paintings which make an unusual special gift for birthdays or Christmas.

The unique, independent gallery sends their art all over the world. Framed size 27 x 27cms. There are 3 similar paintings at Byard and they would make a fantastic set for the kitchen living room or bedroom.

Michaelhouse cafe is one of the highlights of Cambridge Life. Good food, lovely building - a converted church - great history, centre of Cambridge, local produce, wonderful food and lovely art exhibitions.

When Melanie Max and I were looking for a venue to exhibit our work, everywhere seemed to be booked. But luckily for us, Michaelhouse had two weeks free and we started to plan.

Our exhibition is open from 28 November to 10 December (there is a possibility we will be there for another week). We have a table in the foyer where we can sell our cards and give out information about the exhibition.

Love old buildings, art, good food and beautiful surroundings?... then please come and visit.

Have I ever mentioned I teach art in my studio at home?

I love teaching art to small groups of adults in my own home because:

1. I don't have to go anywhere

2. We can change whatever we are doing at the drop of a hat because I do not have to cart art materials anywhere

3. Adults are lovely to teach and they want to learn - and I get paid for it

4. My students can choose what they learn

During the pandemic I had to stop teaching at home; although I moved the sessions online it was never the same as my students did not all have the same materials, colours and makes of watercolour paint etc. We struggled on for a year before finally stopping.

I have 2 new groups now and I am really enjoying the teaching again. So far this term we have experimented with paint, made a landscape painting and both groups are now tackling portraits - one of the most difficult subjects to teach in art. But they are all doing brilliantly and I am really looking forward to the rest of the term.

And if any of my students see this, a big thank you for all the hard work you put in and your enthusiasm.

I am 'SUPER EXCITED'!!!

My exhibition with Melanie Max will take place 28 November to 10 December at Michaelhouse Cafe, Trinity Street, Cambridge CB2 1SU. Open 9-5pm Monday to Saturday and 12 - 4pm Sundays.

This exhibition is a classic case of opposites attract.

Paintings by Melanie and me are the complete antithesis of each of other yet it serves to emphasis the distinctness of their own work as well as inviting visitors to be mindful of the huge range of ways that landscape is used as a vehicle for self expression and creativity.

Melanie Max paints quiet, reflective, seemingly almost empty cloudscapes/seascapes which invites the viewer to find a space to rest within the landscape. In complete contrast Maureen Mace paints busy, colourful, illustrative scenes using objects and illumination to build an other-worldly creation that asks you to make connections between familiar references in unusual contexts to encourage the viewer to engage in a land of stories.

The show is sure to provoke lively discussion between the visitors to the cafe in Trinity Street. Melanie or Maureen will be in the café most mornings to talk about their work with visitors. If you would like to meet Maureen or Melanie there please contact them. My details are on this websites contact page.

After a rather long break due to the Covid pandemic, I restarted my classes in October. It is lovely to have people come to my house again and experiment with different materials and learn new techniques. I have 2 classes, one on Wednesday morning and one on Friday morning. My students have a big say in what they want to do and learn and my Friday group choose to draw faces.

After an initial session on learning the proportions of a face, we all made a self-portrait. It is quite challenging to do this but I was very impressed by my students' attitude as well as their results. I will publish all their drawings on my Facebook page when they are complete, link below.

Drawing is one of the activities I can join in whereas painting I am busy offering advice, changing the water and drying the paintings ready for the next stage.

So here is my self-portrait. Drawing oneself takes a lot of concentration so there are no smiles and the resulting portraits can be rather harsh. I do look very intense but then that is what the challenge makes you do. Someone I know well said to me that she could see it is me but it doesn't look like me as I am always smiling. I thought that was lovely.

https://www.facebook.com/cambridgeartclass/

Art in the Corridor at Addenbrookes is to raise money for CUH Arts.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s arts-in-health programme is dedicated to transforming the hospital experience, promoting wellbeing and inspiring hope through live, visual and participatory arts.

50 works of art have been chosen for this exhibition and all are priced between £50 and £250 to make art more affordable to all. If you are in the area do drop in and take a look, all sales will help those in need from children to the elderly.

I am delighted that my urban sketch of my own bike leaning on the railing outside Great St Mary's has been chosen.

Click on the link to find out more:

https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/about-us/our-structure/other-departments/cuh-arts/

Byard Art put at an amazing exhibition for Christmas which is for all tastes where they showcase their regular artists. I am very proud to be one of their regular exhibitors.

This year I have 2 larger paintings and 4 small ones for their 'Small Wall'. These paintings are all under £550 and mine have some delicious multicoloured shine in them in the form of 'a metal leaf that has been heat-treated, chemically-treated or both to develop dazzling patinas and unique discolorations'. It is something special.

In Cambridge shopping? do pop in as there is also some very beautiful jewellery and lots of funky ceramics.

The Christmas Cracker exhibition runs from 12 November to 24 December.

I exhibited at the lovely Lux Gallery in Birmingham during Open Studios on 1 & 2 October. BOS (Birmingham Open Studios) has only been going for a few years but the number of artists and areas in Birmingham it reached has grown considerably each year, with over 100 artists taking part in 2022.

BOS is run by Owen de Visser who also runs the recently opened Lux Gallery at 13 Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston B15 3AU. He had 4 of his regular artists taking over a space on his walls and invited the artists to spend the weekend in the gallery with him. I must say it was very enjoyable and there were a lot of laughs and some fizz was drunk!

Owen is keeping several of my paintings for a week or two but there is usually something by me on his walls. You can buy direct from him.

If you live in or around Birmingham, Greenfield Crescent is a beautiful tree-lined street which is closed to traffic. There are other lovely shops and a well known eatery, Chapter, also on the crescent. Well worth a visit to mooch around and have brunch or a coffee.

Just so proud of my son. Why? Because he moved to Birmingham and got himself involved in the art and music scene in Birmingham and along the way he started Birmingham Open Studios and opened a gallery!

See more here:

https://www.facebook.com/maureen.mace.5/posts/pfbid0MWCykgYnSu5NEcrRxm2wxMsErixWgsPE2xXZEdRfxyFHeqw3JnHp1B98aDWFizPYl?notif_id=1663703532192779¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

Click on the link to listen to the interview:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0cw2lvl

I shall be back at Lux Gallery in Edgbaston on 1 & 2 October 2022 as part of Birmingham Open Studios. Four of the gallery's regular artists will be showing some of there work in the gallery from 11am to 5pm.

I have painted a brand new work for the occasion, titled 'Tree of Birmingham' and it includes the Raging Bull that got so much attention during the Commonwealth Games. I was mesmerised by it! I also have a painting of the 'Rest House in Bournville', the beautiful 'village' that Cadbury's build to house their workers at the nearby chocolate factory.

Plus I am taking along 4 very small square paintings based on trees- 15cms square and unframed, they look great individually or together.

I don't go out of my way to attend Life Drawing sessions but when they take place at somewhere as beautiful as the Tithe Barn in Landbeach just count me in!

This lady must be one of my favourite models. She doesn't just lie down, she really makes interesting poses that must strain her muscles. The pencil drawing poses last 5 or 10 minutes and the coloured one was for 20 minutes though I did add the colour at home. I haven't met anyone else there who adds the magnificent backgrounds but then perhaps none of them do Urban Sketching?

Doing Open Studios at my own home means so much to me. This is the place where you can see where I work, look at my paints and brushes and ask any questions you want. It is the ethos that started Cambridge Open Studios in the 1970s.

You will find a warm welcome with an offer of elderflower cordial (and maybe a biscuit). I have 2 rooms of paintings plus a table set up with small canvas panels ready painted with a deep blue and a red silhouetted shape of a tree. Here you can try your hand at gilding in gold or silver and can take your finished artwork home - maybe to embellish further.

We also have a lovely garden which unfortunately looks very dry at the moment after temperatures of 39 degrees last week. But we have managed to save most of the pot plants from heat burn and they are very colourful at present.

Looking forward to meeting and greeting art lover from Cambridge and beyond.

Cambridge Open Studios are back!

Following the pandemic, Cambridge Open Studios has returned. There are 370 artists in 230 venues this year, a bumper amount - and there is something for everyone.

I am open every weekend from 10am to 5pm:

2 & 3 July at the Pitt Building on Trumpington Road, Cambridge

9 & 10 July at the Pitt Building on Trumpington Road, Cambridge

16 & 17 July at my home studio, 309 Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1XQ

23 & 24 July at my home studio, 309 Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1XQ

If you can't make any of those dates, please contact me and I can arrange an alternative time.

I will be showing a selection of paintings, prints and cards at the Pitt Building and also doing demonstrations at my home studio. Have you ever wanted to try gilding? - just pop along to my studio on Milton Road.

I am delighted to have been asked to do a demonstration to Royston Arts Society on Friday 13 May from 8-10pm.

The organiser, Mike, has been really wonderful and the planning has taken a long time. My paintings are very detailed and I use a lot of brushes designed for miniature painting, a lot of these are made by ProArte and come in tiny sizes such as 5/0. I do use larger brushes for the initial stages, painting the sky and background but when it comes to painting the leaves and flowers and other details out come the really tiny ones.

When I am painting the tiny detail, I have a brush for each colour to keep the colours fresh which means I carry 6 or 7 brushes in my left hand while I paint with another in my right hand.

All this detail would not be seen by an audience especially as I work on a flat surface as I need to keep my hand steady. So the Royston Arts committee got together and bought a camera and projector. I think that is amazing. Really looking forward to my demonstration.

The photos show details of two paintings I will be working on.

I have donated a 2 hour art lesson for up to 3 people to raise funds to support a refugee family housed in Cambridge.

The silent auction takes place from 10am-1pm on Friday 29 April at St Andrew's Church Hall, Chesterton, Cambridge CB4 1DH. There will be a coffee morning with cakes, head and hand massages, and many items including a meal for 2 with wine, bird feeders, gardening equipment and a few paintings donated by local people and businesses to bid for.

More information at http://www.facebook.com/resettlechesterton

Due to the pandemic I had to temporarily close my art classes. Now that cases are less and more people are vaccinated, I have decided to open one class to see whether people are happy to come along and paint in a small group.

I have arranged for a set of classes over 5 weeks starting on 9 March and finishing on 6 April just before the Easter holidays. If you would like to join the class please email me at maureenmace@hotmail.com or phone me on 01223 500909.

The classes take place in my studio and we work together around my big table. There will be a maximum of four students so you will get lots of support and encouragement. We mainly do drawing and painting in acrylic, my students have a big input into what we learn; sometimes learning techniques, sometimes working on a theme and sometimes just experimenting.

The course will cost £125 for the 5 sessions and I provide ALL the materials so you only need to turn up in some old clothes and we can change track whenever we feel like it: e.g. if someone asks how to paint shadows, we may stop and do an exercise to show how to do this.

The sessions will initially be on a Wednesday morning from 10am to 12.30pm in my studio at 309 Milton Road CB4 1XQ. If you would like to visit before making up your mind and I would love to meet you and show you what we do.

I put all the work made by my students on: https://www.facebook.com/cambridgeartclass

Sometimes I am more than delighted, in fact I am really chuffed to have TWO paintings in the very first Newmarket Open in the very prestigious National Horse Racing Museum.

What is an 'Open' exhibition? It is when artists are invited to submit week and are chosen from a huge amount of work submitted from lots of other artists - which is why I am so pleased. This is the first time the museum has done this.

The paintings have been delivered, the organisers have hung them and on Friday 11 February there will be a Private View. Tickets are available here: https://www.nhrm.co.uk/event/newmarket-open

The exhibition opens to the public between 10am to 4pm on 12 February and closes on 24 April. Really looking forward to visiting, looking at the artworks and especially talking about my work during the Private View.