S.H.O.P.P.I.N.G - We're Shopping!

So today I bought this...

...which will be...

[for silly little drawings like...]

...this!

And it came in this...

Yes, a paper bag! I have made a pledge with myself that I will never collect another plastic carrier bag. Plastic is bad! So how silly did I look when I forgot my shopping bag this evening when I went to the supermarket, and had to carry a basket full of shopping in my arms out to the car, with a lettuce bulging out of my handbag?!

Anyway, back to my pretty little sketch pad... I shall use it to try out techniques that I've been wanting to try, like using white spirits with oil pastels (where did I read about that?), and for trying out groovy new things that I have bought like my new pastel pencils (yay!), and just general doodles and ideas and stuff like that. Maybe it will encourage me to draw more often because it's a nice size to slip into my handbag, next to the lettuce and cheese.

Found Art Tuesday

Rosa’s Found Art theme for us this week was “Face”. I struggled with this theme, only being able to think of either a clock face or a human face. I wanted to make something a little different as well, as so far all of my found art pieces have been drawings or paintings on A5 paper. I toyed with the idea of making a hand mirror out of papier-mâché, but after playing around with Adobe Photoshop for a while I came up with this instead.




I started with a photo of my nephew (looking very thoughtful) and applied the “Stamp” effect, then painted the image onto a CD covered in gesso. Thank you Jafabrit for the idea of recycling old CD’s and records in art! I think this is quite a nice image for an album!

Apart from this it has been a rather uneventful week for me as far as art goes. I’ve been making preparations for projects by buying materials and taking photographs, that sort of thing, and mentally making lots of plans, but last night when I tried to put those plans into action I discovered my confidence was missing and I’m not sure where I left it. If you see it anywhere please let me know. I want it back!

Found Art Tuesday

I really loved Rosa’s Found Art theme this week of “A Good Message”, so I got a little carried away and made three!





Now I just have to decide where to leave them!

They were very simple to make, but so enjoyable. I was singing Sheryl Crow’s “Love is a Good Thing” while I was making them and I noticed on more than one occasion that I was actually smiling to myself whilst painting! Is this normal?

I am enjoying art so much now. My only regret is that I have wasted 20 years.

Degas' Ballerinas

I was incredibly lazy with my last chalk pastel drawing, that of the Last Supper. After drawing the detail on Jesus I told myself it didn’t matter about the others, as he was the main focal point anyway. It would have been difficult to draw detail on the Apostles in the background as they were so small, but I really should have made more effort with the one sitting closest to Jesus. Oh well, we learn by our mistakes, and this time I did my drawing in stages to avoid getting bored or tired. Actually, I feel that every piece is now a learning experience and only a stepping stone to the next piece. I am continually learning, and gradually my confidence is growing, allowing me to try more difficult pieces.




Surprisingly (to me anyway) I’m finding that I enjoy using the chalk pastels more than the oil pastels. I found the chalks incredibly messy to start with, but the most frustrating thing was that the picture I was working on would become smudged so easily. I’m finding ways around that problem now – I start on the left (as I am right handed) and spray the piece with varnish at various stages. I used cotton buds on this piece to blend the smaller areas which worked much better than using my fingers, but I still struggle with detail as the corners of my pastels have been worn down. I’m thinking I need pencils!


Chalk Pastels on A5 heavy weight paper

Footprints in the Sand

"One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you.”"

Mary Stevenson, 1936

This is the prototype that I mentioned in my last post, painted onto A5 heavy weight paper with sand glued to the surface. My hope is to reproduce this piece onto a large piece of wood, including contours for the waves and the footprints, but with a little bit of a modern twist! I’m quite excited about this project, so I hope it comes out as planned. I probably won’t start it for another week though as I am waiting for materials. Watch this space!

Red

I have finally completed my abstract Red piece, and pieces of the old red canvas came in handy for that. I tried to create more texture by mixing glue with the paint, but the glue was too runny so it all settled flat! I ended up going over everything in just red paint, but in the light there is quite a nice shimmer created by the glue. The dots are quite spikey and sharp, and the smoother side is quite textured but I’m not sure if it shows in the photograph. I confess; I fiddled with the colour of the photo on my computer because the colour in the photo was nothing like the piece!




Acrylic on canvas, 50cm x 40cm


In other news, I have been working on an idea for a painting which I shall post the prototype of soon.

Also, I visited my old school today and was given a tour of the art department! My goodness, the standard of the students work is so much higher than it was when I was there 20 years ago! No wonder students work decorates many of the schools corridors. They even have their own gallery, in which hangs work of an artist who was once a student at the school. The art teachers each specialise in a particular area as well, which is fantastic – when I was there they were all very general, and I only remember one art teacher who was really any good. The funny thing is; I thought our facilities and our teachers were fantastic back then, because I had been to schools that had no art department at all!

I am now waiting for a call from the teacher who specialises in ceramics – 1. to see if I can use their kiln, and 2. to see if she is interested in giving classes.

The Last Supper

Chalk Pastels on A5 heavy weight paper