Bits and Pieces

Still working on my latest man .... rotfl. The eye is still causing problems but I think it is a bit better than when I first started. I know I can't fix it completely because of the amount of paint and the shape already committed on the paper, but I have to fiddled a bit more to get the right eye more elongated along the shape of the left.

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My new grandchild is so close to arriving. My DIL saw her gyno last Weds and the head is now engaged. The gyno thought she would go into labour in the few days after but here it is Monday afternoon and the little blighter still won't come out...rotfl.

DIL is due on the 10th but the gyno will not let her go past this week and if she hasn't gone into labour by Thursday she will admit her Thursday night and plan to have the baby on Friday.

So hopefully the next time I get around to posting it is to tell you all that the baby has finally arrived!!

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The last thing is a question - I have lots and lots of brushes (100s) and have folder/pockets that I keep them in except the ones I am using; those I stand in an old coffee cup. The folder/s is full to overflowing and it is annoying me. There has to be a better way to store the brushes. The picture is of one of the folders/rolls I use. I actually put rows of stitches on the front clear plastic bits so I could push more brushes in.

I have a couple for my watercolour brushes and another couple for my oil/acrylics brushes. Much to the annoyance of B11 I cannot pass an art shop without investigating and invariably I come out with a few more brushes ....lol.

I have tried using a little tool box container but then you have to rummage through it to get the brushes you need and it is hard on the bristles.

So if you have any ideas I would love to hear them.



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A UFO Very Close to Completion! SEE UPDATE AT END OF THIS ENTRY!!!

Just to show that I really am attempting to get some of my UFOs done while I spend most of my time painting here is an update on my log cabin quilt.

If you look closely in this picture you will see the fabric used in this pile of UFOs - and of more importance, most of the UFOs in this picture are now completed.


This log cabin has 'hidden' stars in it. By adding half square triangles and squares in a plain colour to some of the outer logs you end up with stars in the corners that is provided you put the right shapes in the right places...lol.

My quilt top has 16 x 12 1/2" squares so I needed to make 4 x 4 of each star block so that it would go together the correct way.

After a shaky star (I put the first one in on the wrong corner) I go into the swing and at long last have now finished all of the different blocks.


I have even now joined up two rows so things are really looking good. Hopefully tomorrow or early next week I will have all four rows joined and then joined together.


The hardest part (after making sure I did the starry bits in the right places) is making sure all the points of my stars join where they are supposed to, so far they haven't been too bad; fingers crossed the rest go okay as well.

I am thinking of doing the outer border in some of the aubergine coloured fabric - I have enough left but it will have to be different patterns on each side. I will do a trial run to see if it looks okay.

Hopefully it will and that will mean I won't have to go to the local patchwork shop to buy fabric. Lets face it we all know what happens as soon as we walk inside a fabric shop - there is just no way on earth you can walk out with just the fabric you went into the shop for ..... rotfl!



UPDATE: - Finished it!




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Eye Say ......

When I started this portrait kick I honestly thought I would do one and realise that portrait painting was something I just could not do; instead I find myself drawn to it and have been relatively pleased with the results of my first 3. I am now embarking on number 4.

While doing these I have learnt that if the eyes don't work then the painting won't. You can get the nose and the mouth off, even the wrinkles and hair but if you get the eyes wrong then the whole painting is off.

My fourth attempt is of a Sri Lankan chap in a turban; as usual I was drawn to him because of 1) his eyes and 2) his age and wrinkles ...lol...seems that is what attracts me in this portrait kick.

Here is a shot of where it is at the moment. I have only roughed in the beard and the mouth area; the nose is about 3/4 done and the eyes .... can't seem to get the shading I want, I would like the left area more shaded without losing definition - a difficult task for me. I am also trying to get the eye more lifelike.

The first painting I did was much easier - his eyes were closed and hidden .... rotfl. I am now stepping out of my comfort zone and painting eyes. The whole life a person seems to be reflected in them and so they really are the windows of the soul.

I have zoomed in on the eyes in the last 2 works and in this one so I could compare how I am interpreting them and if I am improving with each painting. It is probably too hard to tell because each one's expression (in their eyes) and the direction of the painting are different.

Still, it is giving me a better grasp on this 'eye' business. I will probably do some studies that just concentrate on the eyes so I can get a better of idea of the shape, 'movement', light points, etc and then hopefully (lol) the eyes in my painting will become a bit more life like.

Bear in mind too that I am still not sure if the paintings are finished yet .... I think the first one is because it is more of a study on the eye nose area; the second one - well, I just don't know yet. Don't want to touch it for a while, nothing worse that fiddling with a work and then ruining by over painting it.

Of course all this painting means that my UFO pile is untouched. I could be nasty as blame B11 for buying me my lovely easel ... rotfl.

Although I have been good and managed to finish three tasks (check them out on theGIDy girls website) so I haven't been completely neglectful in trying to get the UFO pile down.

Plus I have a quilt that I am working on (well several including a UFO) that is all machine embroidered and each block has four hoopings, each of which take at least 4 hours to stitch out; so I can have that burbling away in the background while I paint.


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Monkeys and Men continued ..............

Yeah!

I finished the monkey quilt. I am so happy with the result; I think it looks great. (Click on the picture for a bigger view)

I chose colours for the patchwork blocks that match the colour scheme my son and DIL have chosen for the nursery; it is soft green with a Noah's Ark theme so the monkeys will fit right in. I also embroidered a lot of baby clothes with animals using the same colours as the Noah's ark quilt she has bought, they look great.

I also think the label on the back on the back of the quilt looks good.

Now that the quilt is finished I can a) get back to painting and, yes you guessed it b) get stuck into the christening robe (lol).

I put aside my eye/nose study from the previous post so I can look at it with fresh eyes in a week or so. I have been working on another face and am happy with how it is progressing.

I have a lot of work to do on the eyes and the area around them but overall he is coming along nicely. I have been surprised by my limited success with portraits. I have only ever tried two before (in my youth) and they were total failures. Maybe age has given me a little more talent or maybe it is patience, I don't know but I do know I am very happy with the three attempts I have made in the last month or so.

This is all thanks to B11 who spurred me on to try a portrait again. I have to admit that when I started the first one I was convinced it would be a total flop and I think I was dumbfounded when he turned out so well. B11 is smirking because he thinks it has all happened because of him and ssshhh pleased don't tell him - he is right!


Anyway, back to the latest painting - I have don't this on 300gm watercolour paper and I don't know if it is the brand or what but it really soaks in as soon as the brush touches the paper. I have now used a retardant in the water to control this a bit. I have done three washes so far and am starting to see the structure of the face come through. I plan to work on the eye area next - the man's eyes were piercing. He was looking through his brows and his expressions was a cross between threatening and superiority - it will be hard to catch, especially from someone who is only just getting into portraits.....lol.



Just done a bit of work around the eye area; still not completely happy but will continue to work.









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Of Men and Monkeys ........

I have been busy the last week or so; my DIL is due to have her baby in around 6 weeks and we are all sure (including her doctor) that she will go early. With this in mind I have been working hard on a UFO that I began a while ago. I had seen this quilt for a baby and loved it, now I am working on it in earnest now that the countdown has begun.

It is based around the little poem "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed......" and is full of cute mischievous monkeys with pillows and feathers. I have made it in the same tonings as the baby room that DIL and son have decorated.

I also finished another supper cloth that I started at least a year and a half ago .... rotfl ...... still have one more supper cloth to complete and I still have the christening gown to make although I have made a start on it.

At the same time as doing the embroidery I have been having fun with my new easel. B11 spurred me on to try and portrait and you have all seen the results (check here if you need a reminder), I was quite happy with it and have decided to try a couple more.

I have been trying to focus on just part of the head, in this case the nose and eyes and let the rest of the head be more suggestion than detail. I think there is still a great deal of room for improvement but by and large and reasonably happy with how it is progressing.

What I am trying to capture was/is the depth in the eyes. I remember when I first saw this man I was struck by the sadness and depth of emotion his eyes held. It was as if he carried the sorry of his nation burrowed deep within and a hint of it was escaping through his eyes. I doubt I will be able to capture that essence but I am pleased that I have tried.

I will probably put this one aside for a week or so then have another look at it - I do not want to overwork it and it is so easy and tempting to do this. If you have ever painted you will know exactly what I mean - you think it might be finished then decided to add a little more and often you spoil what you had. I have no got into the habit of putting a work aside for at least a week when I am thinking it may be completed so I don't fall into that trap.

I have been searching the internet for interesting faces and found some amazing ones of Indian Sadhu's and homeless men. Now it is just a matter of shifting through the countless pile I have saved to decide which one I will work on next......lol.

Look What I Got!!!!

Over the years I have used many easels for my art work and all, without exception, have been massed produced 'el cheapo's', because I have never been able to afford (or justify) the cost of a good studio easel. And over the years I have drooled and been green with envy at all those lovely easels , and other expensive art gear, in catalogues that I pour over and dream of buying when I win the lotto.

But - guess what!!!

Yes, excitement runs so high in this little (hem hem) girlie's household because a new easel has made it's way into my workroom!!

B11 bought me the most wonderful studio easel. We went out on Sat morning and he is still laughing at the way I am almost reverently stroking the wood. Now it is firmly entrenched in my workroom and waiting for my first new art work to begin. Never in my wildest dreams did I really think I would own something like this. I have even gone into my workroom about a dozen times just to make sure I am not dreaming; I can't stop smiling.

So whats the big deal about an easel you ask?

This one is hand made and especially designed by an artist so it works so well. It is adjustable in height and I can tilt from vertical to horizontal and anywhere in between. It will open to 1.5m so I can fit a large work on it, I will have to work somewhere else in the house if I use a big canvas (have an enormous family/dining/kitchen room I can move to if I do)
I can adjust the whole thing so I can sit at it or stand whichever I like whenever I like and it is made from beautiful wood and feels so special under my fingers.

B11 says he is expecting some great new art works now and I just don't know where to start.....lol.

I also cannibalized my old easel - it worked out well. I now have all my watercolour paints in/on a stand alongside me. Has a drawer so I can put other bits and pieces in it and because it is basically an old easel I can adjust the height to suit if I am sitting or standing.


So here it is pushed into my workroom, it dwarfs my old easel ... lol... think I am going to move and rearrange the whole workroom. I have a 2.5 m work table in here, 4 large bookcases, a computer desk, plus a couple of cabinets - and yes I still have a big grin on my face!!

The Joker

It is easy to misunderstand something and to get the wrong message.

I decided to print out a couple of old family photos - bad move at the moment - spent half the time crying over the fact my Mum and Dad had passed; I miss them so much, even at 60! I was/am one of those lucky people who had great parents. They were my friends not just my parents. [Image]
Their wedding anniversary (74) is only a couple of weeks away the same day as Mum's birthday and I know I get sentimental and sad around now. Plus Christmas is coming and Mum passed away then.
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I learn to paint from my Dad, learn to weld, how to lay bricks, strip an engine, change a tyre. From Mum how to cook, from them both how to laugh and live. They raised three girls to be confident women, we were taught to reach for the sky and never accept that we weren't good enough. We were taught there is no such thing as sexual stereotypes and if we wanted to do something that boys do then just do it. When I grew older and my sisters had married Mum, Dad and I would take trips away together and when I eventually married (26) and moved away from home we would talk on the phone each day at least, once if not more, for hours.

I studied engineering for four years and Dad love it; he was an ex Trawler captain and a marine engineer/fitter. I worked in Bush Fire research and did voice over work on documentaries. They supported me each time I changed jobs and continued to support me through the troubles with No.1 son. When I started working again after having the my children and went into working with problem children in schools in Behavioural Integration they supported me again. [Image]

But even with them I was the comic, the clown - hiding things behind laughter my early wall building attempts - but I also had the knack of accepting things - if I could change something I would if I couldn't I wouldn't worry about it. To a point I still have that ability and live that way.

At times my Dad introduce me or referred to me as The Joker and it often made me upset to think he thought of me that way even though that was how I showed myself. He would refer to my elder sister as the Posh Loving One and my middle sister as The Quiet Caring One but me - I was The Joker.

When my Dad was in his final few months he lived at a nursing home - I would visit each day, sometimes reading to him, sometimes talking, sometimes sketching; one day a new nurse came into the ward and he called her over. She said she had met my elder sisters and Dad said this is my youngest daughter, S****** ,The Joker. As usual if felt a little upsetting.

We all talked for a little while and she went off to another room. Then Dad said to me "I wish I could have been like you, all your life you had pain and heartache and yet you laughed and smiled and never let anything get on top of you; you accepted what life threw at you and never let it get in the way. I am proud of you, I envied you that ability. I wish I had understood that sooner, learnt to do it; it is only now, at the end of my life, that I can finally do it."

So The Joker was not as I had thought, I wasn't the comic relief of the family - it was a term of respect and love; I was so glad that he told me before he passed - it meant so much to know his true feelings.

The moral of this tale is I should have asked sooner why he called me that and saved years of anguish. I do so miss them.

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