Bee Keeping Book Card

This unique Bee Keeping Book Card shows a shelf of honey-coloured titles all about the fascinating world of the wonderful bee 🙂

  • Image from an original Shelf Portrait oil painting by Roo Waterhouse
  • Square greeting card (145 x 145 mm)
  • Printed on sustainable card
  • with Kraft recycled paper envelope
  • Choice of Unwrapped or in a Cellophane bag
  • Shipped in 1-2 days

The Bee Book Art Card is also available as a full size Limited Edition Print and an A4 print.

Roo’s book art brings together a love of painting, typography and books with Bespoke Shelf Portrait paintings: where clients gather their favourite editions together to be painted. “As I paint, a picture of their lives and loves grows across the canvas, across the shelf. Which books would you choose for your Shelf Portrait?”

Find out more about Roo’s bespoke paintings here

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Bee Book Print

A lovely honey-coloured collection of books all about the wonderful life of the bee 🙂

  • Fine Art print on archival paper
  • signed by the artist
  • image size 6″x9″ plus border
  • with backing board
  • ready to pop in an A4 size frame (frame not included)
  • Shipped in 2-3 days

This print is also available as a Limited Edition print and a greeting card!

I feel privileged to be able to do what I love for a living, and to have others appreciate it. My book art work brings together my loves of painting, typography and books. I love to paint Bespoke Shelf Portrait paintings: clients gather their favourite editions together for me to paint. As I paint, a picture of their lives and loves grows across the canvas, across the shelf. Which books would you choose for your Shelf Portrait?

Find out more about my bespoke paintings here

Read More

ABC of Bees: Limited Edition

This image of my original Shelf Portrait oil painting ‘ABC of Bees’ is available as a special Limited edition Print.  Featuring a honey-coloured shelf-full of books about the wonderful bee! With meadow wallpaper for the background 🙂

Limited Edition archival print on 280g Fine Art paper

  • Numbered out of an edition of 100
  • Signed and numbered under the image by the artist
  • with a certificate of authentication on the back
  • Backed and Mounted
  • If in stock: shipped in 2 to 3 working days
  • On back order: printed and shipped in 10-14 working days

The printed image measures 12 x 16 inches.
Total size including window mount approx 17 x 21 inches
Frame not included

**Please note orders for the United States and Europe will be posted unmounted in a cardboard tube, and may incur local taxes on/before delivery** If you wish to ship to elsewhere in the world, please contact me directly.

I feel privileged to be able to do what I love for a living, and to have others appreciate it. My book art work brings together my loves of painting, typography and books. I love to paint Bespoke Shelf Portrait paintings: clients gather their favourite editions together for me to paint. As I paint, a picture of their lives and loves grows across the canvas, across the shelf. Which books would you choose for your Shelf Portrait?

Find out more about my bespoke paintings here

 

Read More

O is for Outdoors

‘Pathways’ A4 Fine Art Print now available

It was so wonderful to see the sunshine on the yellow, gold and copper leaves in my local beech woods last weekend. There is such a brief window into this colourful world of change before all the leaves have turned and fallen.

I believe that spending more time outdoors can help combat those clock-changing blues (I’ve been really discombobulatedthese last couple of days!), so let’s get out into the woods and enjoy the display!

‘Pathways’ A4 Fine Art Print
P is for Pathways

To inspire you and yours to get out into the fresh air and  immerse yourselves in the joys of nature, my Shelf Portrait image ‘Pathways’ is now available as an A4 Fine Art print 🙂

‘Pathways’ Shelf Portrait is full of tales of inspiring journeys, both on and off the path, from the likes of Robert MacFarlane; Raynor Wynn; Nick Hayes; Roger Deakin; Laurie Lee and Nan Shepherd.

Whether winding through the woods or striding across the moors; following a trail of breadcrumbs or a trail of thoughts, pathways can help us find our way through life. They can lead us to forge our own paths and teach us to tread lightly on the earth, one step at a time…

Pathways A4 Fine Art Print
Trying something different…

After gathering some leaves on my wanderings, I spent a happy couple of hours on my garden bench, experimenting with using a leaf stalk to draw the leaves and attempting to capture their autumn glow with watercolours. It was so absorbing and mindful to focus on a different experience. I’m going to do my best to try something different every weekend 🙂
Have you had a go at something different lately?

Watch out for the Roo Waterhouse Bookshelf Art Calendar 2025… Coming soon!!

Available at:

Derby Book Fair:
Sat 23rd Nov at The Museum of Making

#hebdenmakeschristmas  Open Studios Weekend:
Sat 30th Nov & Sun 1st Dec in my studio

Northlight Winter Fair:
Sat 7th & Sun 8th Dec downstairs at Northlight Art Space

Best Autumnal Wishes,
Roo

Currently Reading: ‘The Bay of Angels’ by Anita Brooker 

F is for Family Portrait

F is for Family Portrait

‘For Your Delight’ RWA2024

Last autumn I spent a lovely afternoon at the home of Russell and his family. They had each selected their favourite books, alongside books that had meaning and memories for them as a family.

It was such a pleasure to paint their Shelf Portrait, especially having got to know the stories behind the choices. The William Morris Thistle wallpaper in the background took the longest time, but was such fun!

One of the quotes I try and live by is Morris’s
“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

The finished painting was delivered last week:

“We’re loving it, thank you SO much – it is already hanging in our hall way at the bottom of the stairs.

It’s been a pleasure being part of the whole process, and the wait has been well worth it.

Rest assured our ‘family portrait’ will bring us many memories for the rest of our lives.”

Thank you Russell and family 🙂

Bespoke Shelf portraits
W is for Wanderlust

‘Pathways’ Limited edition Print

I’ve been busy wrapping more prints this week, as the ‘Pathways’ Limited Edition has been a popular one this month.
With the season turning and signs of autumn beginning to show, what better than to stride out across the moors or wander into the woods, map in hand, to explore the wonders of Autumn.

Find some outdoor inspiration in this Shelf Portrait print. Indulge your Wanderlust from Christopher Goddard’s The West Yorkshire Moors to Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, via The Old Ways and The Living Mountain….

Pathways Limited Edition

D is for Dates for your Diary

Over the next couple of months, on the rare occassions that I’m not busy painting in my studio, here’s where you’ll find me:

Derby Book Fair:
Saturday 16th November
at The Museum of Making

Hebden Bridge Open Studios Winter Weekend:
Saturday 30th November & Sunday 1st December
in my studio at Northlight

Northlight Winter Fair:
Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th December downstairs in the Artspace at Northlight Art Studios

First signs of Autumn

Best Autumnal Wishes,
Roo

Currently Reading: ’10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World’ by Elif Shafak

Roo’s Shop Here 🙂

A is for Agatha Christie

A is for Agatha Christie
‘Agatha Christie’ A4 fine art print and art card

Newly added to my Agatha Christie Bookshelf Art range,
this A4 Fine Art Print and square Art Card
now join the Limited Edition printNotebook and Mug.

Shop Agatha Christie Book Art
The York National Book Fair
Y is For York

I’m really looking forward to returning to the
YORK NATIONAL BOOK FAIR
this
Friday 13th September 12 noon to 7pm
and
Saturday 14th September 10 am to 5pm

There will be three floors  packed full of rare books to explore, along with a little bit of Bookshelf Art, of course 🙂

A great excuse for a day out in the wonderful city of York!

Get your Complimentary Ticket for York National Book Fair Here!
Sketching the Tuscan countryside (towards Dudda)

H is for Holiday Memories

As summer draws to a close, I hope you have all had some enjoyable times, and maybe even some inspiring travels?
I’m just back from Tuscany, where I was blown away by the depth of colour, the clarity and variety of design and the shapes of the internal architecture in the Palazzos and Duomos of  San Giminiano and Siena.
It’s been 40 years since I was last wondering in the Tuscan hills and it felt like going home…

Best Wishes for a mild September,
Roo

Currently Reading: ‘The Love Object’ by Edna O’Brien

Roo’s Shop Here 🙂

C is for Childhood Favourites….

‘When We Were Very Young’ Limited Edition print

The worlds of imagination that we find in books as children can expand our universe and expand our minds, helping us to see that there is a big wide world of opportunities and adventure out there…

One of my favourites to dip in and out of was A. A. Milnes When We Were Very Young’, which brought such delight and thrills to everyday life: there was a man that wasn’t there half way down the stairs! There were bears hiding around the corner! …and the simple happiness of John with his Great Big Waterproof Boots on…

I included this wonderful book in my painting of the same title, which is available to buy as a Limited Edition print in an edition of 100.

When We Were Very Young
‘Sarah’s Room’ the next Childhood themed Limited Edition print?

M is for Milly Molly Mandy

The copy of Milly Molly Mandy pictured in  ‘Sarah’s Room’ belonged to my mother as a child. The first of Joyce Lankester Brisley’s MIlly Molly Mandy stories were published in 1928, the year my mother was born, and they are still being republished today.

When she passed this copy on to my youngest, we were delighted to discover that Granjay had been a naughty child and scribbled on the illustrations with crayons! Very reassuring to discover that one’s parents are actually fallible human beings!

I was thinking of bringing this second childhood themed painting out as a new Limited Edition print – what do you reckon?
Which of these books takes you back to your childhood? I’d love to know!

‘Hug’ – a bespoke painting

H is for Hug

For one more glance back to childhood, this painting ‘Hug’ was a bespoke present for my youngest, Theo. He chose  his most treasured books on his 18th birthday, and I painted this Shelf Portrait ready for his 21st.

As you can see from the tape (barely) holding it together, Jez Alborough’s ‘Hug’ , was a favourite toddler book!

“I liked the idea that the smallest hug has the power to fill up even the largest animal” says Jez.

If you are looking for that illusive unique gift for a special someone in your life, what about a bespoke Shelf Portrait?

You can find out more on my website, or reply to this email with your enquiry 🙂

Bespoke paintings

Yes, it’s that fabulous time of year again!
Hebden Bridge artists and makers will be opening their doors and welcoming you into their studios over the weekend of

July 5th-7th from 10.30am to 5pm 🙂

More details to follow……

Best nostalgic childhood wishes,
Roo

Currently Reading: ‘Joan Eardley’ by Christopher Andreae

Roo’s Shop Here 🙂

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside :-)

Here’s a sneak peek at some details of  the new Shelf Portrait painting that I finished this week:
‘Beside The Seaside’

I especially enjoyed painting the shells and pebbles, as well as the detail of Hokusai’s ‘

The Great Wave off Kanagawa‘, possibly the world most famous woodblock print, on the cover of Iris Murdoch’s ‘

The Sea, The Sea

 

Once it’s dried and varnished it will be off down to London for the 

 on Hampstead Heath in May.
I’ll be going down with it, and I’m looking forward to venturing into the
Hamptead ponds for a swim 🙂

Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside!
I do like to be beside the sea!
Oh I do like to stroll along the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play, “Tiddely-om-pom-pom!”

I’m not sure there’s much of a chance of catching a brass band on the prom these days, but I don’t think that would stop me from heading to the seaside if I had half a chance!

Easter holidays is the classic time to head for the coast, I wonder where you might all be off to? I’m hoping for a day trip to Formby beach – a beautiful spot with pine forest, sand dunes, miles of sandy beach and even the chance of spotting a red squirrel 🙂

Above is a sketch I did there last Easter – I can’t believe it was so sunny!!

The lovely warm sunshine we had here on Sunday seems like such a distant memory! Pootling in my garden, I was happy to see a few fluffy bumble bees buzzing about 🙂
Why not spread some bee love this Spring with the warm, bumble-bee colours in my ‘
ABC of Bees‘ range of prints and cards!

I also had a lovely stroll up through the woods to gather wild garlic, and made this delicious 

for my lunch 🙂

Wishing you all a relaxing Spring Break 🙂

Best Wishes,
Roo

What The Dickens!

The leaves are turning here in the lovely Colden Valley. It is such a blessing to be able to start my day with a stroll through the beech, oak and Scots Pines 🙂
While browsing for a link to put with this photo, I came across a blog about the hidden gems of this lovely valley.                                                                                                                          Have a look here.                                                                                                            But don’t tell everyone how lovely it is!!

New Limited Edition Print:

What The Dickens!

Now available in an edition of 100 Fine Art Giclee Prints

I love the warm tones of the worn leather and the way the gilded text shines out of the spines on these Dickens books.
Prepare yourself for an atmospheric Dickensian Christmas this year!

(remember to use the code EARLYXMAS23 for 10% off!)

 

A date for your diaries:

Northlight Winter Fair

Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd December
10.30am – 5pm
with a dozen or more of your favourite Northlight Artists, along with refreshments, raffle and an art activity 🙂
Yes, there will be MULLED WINE!

The Winter Fair is just one of the arty things happening all around Hebden bridge as part of the
Hebden Bridge Open Studios Winter Weekend

Follow @northlight_studio @hbopenstudios and #hebdenmakeschristmas on instagram for more news from all those taking part…

Getting Christmas sorted early….

To encourage you to get Christmas sorted early, I am offering you an exclusive 10% off throughout my website shop from now until the 4th December 🙂

Simply add the code: EARLYXMAS23 to your basket…

With Best Wishes
Roo