I don’t like this summery version of spring… felt a bit woozy in the heat today. Lots of water/cordial was had.
Well, at least I finished my lino print!
Not perfect, but I quite like it. I plan to call it “Ya Reckon?” …which is sort of how I’ve felt today. Lots of thoughts rolling around in my brain! It’s been a bit difficult to process the news lately. I found comfort in my Bible reading this morning. Someone made an interestingchoice! Also enjoyed listening to songs I’ve loved in the past, and reflecting on the variety of music in this world.
But this morning I also realised that, no matter what happens in the world, I can still create beauty. I think that’s sort of my job 🙂 And I can continue to notice the little bits of good in each day, whatever the circumstances.
Life grows, even through the cracks in the concrete, the dirt, or the bitumen. Time to create – to burn bright in the dark skies.
Still haven’t finished my print. I have done quite a lot of it.
It’s me! 🙂 Only in one colour, though.
I finished the carving for this colour yesterday, and printed up proofs and the prints for the edition. There are always things you don’t quite expect – this time around, the pin holding the roller in the holder fell out, and there were a few ink-where-it-shouldn’t-be mishaps. Overall, it went well.
I was achy this morning, but had hoped to get the last bit done. My back argued with me, after hours of bending over the lino block. And my (cutting) hand wasn’t best pleased either. I decided that the best results would come from leaving the final printing until next week…
The (mostly) final block – it’s only while I’m looking at it now that I see that one area needs a bit of fine tuning. I’ll need to cut some paper to mask the bigger areas, as well.
Why am I thankful? Well, for one, right now I’m comfortable in bed with the fan on, and a cup of tea by my side. 😀 But also – even though I ache from using muscles harder than I’ve had to lately, I was still able to do it. And that’s just wonderful!
I don’t know why I still take longer to do things than I think I will. It’s not so much the time taken, but that I still underestimate the time I’ll need…
I’ve finally stopped procrastinating and done some more work towards my assessments. I quite like the results, although the results don’t often turn out exactly the same as what’s in my mind. I tend to just start and see where it goes 😀
I’ve got some more writing to do tonight, and then I can stop for tomorrow. Here are my latest creations!
I had to design two repeating patterns (this is the first one), and then present it on an item. No, I don’t actually have this book – the site has mock-ups that you can design and download, and one of the options is to have your design “in context”. I like this one – might even buy the book… The roses are from my photos (of roses from my garden, and a couple from elsewhere).
The second one turned out ok. Once again, from my photos – this one a series of photos of a glass flower dangly thing I’ve had for a while.
Again – not my wall, not my house.
This one was finished today. The instruction was to “use colour”.
…which I did. (but – is it the right colour??) 😆
Time to carry on with the rest of what I’ve got to finish today. And remind myself tomorrow to see the colour in my world! ❤
It’s been a busy day… Centrelink this morning, but at least I got things sorted! Walked down to the town, browsed the charity shops.
Saw some neon flowers along the way (no, I don’t know why they glow in photos…)
Sat in the library for a bit, read some magazines – I haven’t done that for a while 🙂 Then, a bit of shopping, and home on the bus. I didn’t do the drawing I had planned to do, but I have finished most of the ones for my first two subjects. Finalised the self portrait, and did a line portrait of my Babe.
It’s our 30th Anniversary in a couple of months. Maybe these could be official portraits? 😆
Well, another day over, and the sun goes down again behind glowing pink curtains.
Someone round here is growing some beautifully perfumed flowers. I don’t know who or where. I just know that I sat in my comfy chair yesterday, with the dark storm clouds keeping the world outside close, and the sweet aroma of invisible flowers billowing in to my sanctuary. The earth gives beauty in unexpected ways…
Today, I spent a good amount of time working on an assessment. I felt it was turning out well, and even inked some lines in.
Then I stood back to check it again.
I was supposed to be doing 3-point perspective.
This is 2-point perspective…
Oh, well. I can still get a bit of perspective on it. 😆 It turned out OK, and I can submit it as a bonus drawing.
Back to the clouds! 🙂 I like grey days – they’re cosy and somehow gentler. But, sometimes, the darkness of the clouds emphasises the other colours.
The greens were brighter yesterday. And my perspective shifted to peace. ❤
It’s hard to believe we’ve been in this house a couple of months short of a year. I know this because yesterday we got an offer for another 12 month lease. Yayest of yays! 😀 There’s still just over two months until this lease runs out, so they must really like us…
I am continuing to get cosy with my art space, and have spent a bit (or more) of time out there each day. I think I’m catching up with my assessments. Here’s one I did earlier –
A crumpled piece of paper! This is the second attempt at this one – the last one was rubbish…
The cold has started to grow teeth now. Yesterday, the evening was pretty in pink.
It even looks cold!
The roses are sleeping, remembering sunnier days, and casting petals to the memories.
And I am close to slumbering – dreaming of graphite and charcoal. …with a lovely relaxing playlist to sleep by. ❤
Feels like this week has gone fast 🙂 Morning has decided it’s committed to winter, but the rest of the day hasn’t quite made its mind up… Still keeping up (I think) with my lessons. One of the assignments was to “draw an animal skull”. Coles doesn’t stock those…
I was starting to worry that I might have to start hunting (or at least keep my eye out for roadkill!), but we found a friend who had a spare skull (sheep? goat?) I could borrow. You never know what you’ll find in an artist’s shed.
Only got around to it yesterday – the bigger assignments can take hours rather than minutes. I also decided to use charcoal, a medium I probably haven’t touched for years.
Probably not my best work, but it’s going in as the final image. It was more enjoyable than some of my other assignments (one was just…a very large rectangle. It was for practising measurement). And my art/sun room is slowly getting arranged into a more useful configuration.
It’s been a good week. Even my roses had a last hurrah for the summer.
Time for bed soon 🙂 But – just because I’m feeling rainbowy…
It was probably only a few days ago when the days decided to tip over into winter. It’s been SO COLD!! Comparatively. And really, only in the mornings. Late afternoons. Nights.
I like this time of year. It’s sort of crispy clear, and good for snuggling in to warm duvets, and unicorn slippers. I even did a bit of a “spring” makeover – washed the sheets, which dried quickly in the breezy cold.
A beautiful sight!
I chose the blue skies duvet cover for me, to remember the hot sunshine by.
I have also (finally) been using my art room – something I hadn’t been able to get together in the last couple of places we’ve lived in.
My desk. Where I’m actually doing some work!
And here’s my corner(ish) chair, snuggled in its little spot, and so far still warm during the day. It’s for reading, and writing (definitely no ‘rithmetic!) I hadn’t realised there was so much colour around it…
Rainbows, and hearts, and toes about to become toasty warm!
I am tired right now – it was a big day of cleaning and washing – but I feel like I’ve been able to do more lately. Even though I lose energy over the day, it feels like I’m starting from a higher point. It’s lovely to be able to actually do something! Having a bit more strength in the day is great, and there are times when I feel like a child again.
Not quite to this level of activity, though. Everything else in the song is possible 🙂
The sun has been lovely lately. Bright clear days to get the washing dry, and just enough warmth to thaw my toes in the morning! I got myself some sunflowers the other day, to bring the sunshine inside.
They’ve been lighting up the lounge room for a fair few days, but have been decorously wilting lately.
Still beautiful!
As the sunroom has been warm, but not baking, I’ve been using it a bit more. I sat amidst the bookcases yesterday afternoon, enjoying poetry and music. Thought I’d do it again today…
Well, it started out OK. I have some Lego sets the boys bought me, but I hadn’t put them together yet. How long could it take? The one today was part of a Doctor Who set. The (twelfth) doctor, and the TARDIS is done – just K9 to go. Those pieces are so tiny! …and my hands are getting older.
Yes, I dropped a tiny, tiny piece. A tiny, tiny piece that is also a specialist piece (it attaches the head somehow). I heard it bounce away, but I can’t tell which direction sound is coming from. A cursory look at the immediate surroundings didn’t help, so I pulled a few bits of furniture out. Nothing.
I had noticed yesterday that the sunroom needed a good dust. How long could that take?
I dusted the tops and shelves, including all the little bits and pieces on the shelves. The boxes and containers all had to be moved and vaccuumed behind, as well as dusting them. The (tiny, tiny) piece could have got caught up in the curtains? The heavy, rubber backed curtains that I’ve been meaning to… do something with. So, they came down, and were replaced with lovely translucent blue curtains. I still had to fold and store the old ones – the metres of heavy, huge fabric that sheds dust if you just look at it. I had remembered to put a mask on at some point, so the dust didn’t annoy me too much. It took a while, but everything in the sunroom is sparkling now. I already had the vaccuum out, so it made sense to do the rest of my cleaning (lounge, kitchen, bedroom, as well as dusting the surfaces in those places). All nice and clean now 🙂 I normally do the big clean on Saturday morning, but now I can sleep in a bit tomorrow.
Today was a lot more active than my normal days, so I had Panadol and a hot water bottle, after a lovely hot shower/hair wash. A bit sore, but feeling accomplished.
My “art room” is looking a lot less cluttered this week. I’ve finally unpacked some containers, moved some things around, hung some bits and pieces up…
Some of the packages haven’t seen the light of day for quite a while. There are canvases that I’ve had for decades, and some that are a fair bit newer. There are various reasons why I haven’t hung them up before, but one is that they aren’t really too great, in my eyes. But – they exist. And they’re not terrible 😆 I hope to get some more work done – get some of the images out of my head and onto a canvas, or piece of paper. I have a certain fondness for my older work, even if I can still see the flaws!
A bit of a mixture – the two on the right aren’t as old as the purple peopley one on the left. That’s from 1986 – my first year of art college. It’s been hung on many different walls and travelled round the world with me 🙂
This one is also from the last decade or so. It’s bigger than the others, and the hooks I have available are tiny, so it’ll stay here. I have framed prints from college, but they are too heavy for the hooks – lots of glass and framing.
I also found a lovely photo of our family from years ago. It’s sharing space with some paintings I bought while backpacking around Europe in 1994, and a beautiful textile print made by a friend.
❤
I haven’t found a place to safely put this mirror – the hooks wouldn’t hold it, and I wouldn’t want the glass to smash on our uncarpeted floors. At the moment it’s just reflecting a gauzy, curtain-y dreamscape.
There’s still work to do. I’ll just have to get over my hang ups, so I have more things to…hang up! 😀
a bit of creativity, a bit of eco consciousness, a bit of inspiration.... hopefully not a lot of pompousness and blathering :D
i'm not entirely sure what's going on here... let's travel along and see...
1000 Fields of Roses 