New Challenges! :-)

Well, been a while and spurred on by my "colleagues" as they are called on the Virtual Art Academy - but who have become more like friends, I have decided to try and spend more time painting since I have come to the end of a large chunk of the theoretical component of my Painting Course and now need to start producing some work.

One of the wonderful people there - her blog is listed on my blog ("Sketching Around" - have a look at her Zippo lighter painting - incredible!) - Janette - keeps encouraging and inspiring me to try to reach bigger and greater heights - and one of the ways in which she has inspired me is that she is a member of the sire "Daily Paint Works Challenge". This is a little of a misnomer in that one is not expected to post a painting a day, but instead, each week they present us with a challenge and then (for me anyway), I have the chance to try something new and different.

As a result of the Japanese disaster, the DPW Painting Challenge encouraged us all to submit a painting that we would donate to a cause to help with the relief in Japan. The theme for this was "Home" - which was rather appropriate - and so I decided what is more like me than books and roses - and so I tackled this subject.

It was a little tricky, as I was effectively forced to complete the exercise over a week - and as we all know roses don't last out of water all that long. So last weekend I completed the roses aspect, and then tackled the books and shadows and such like after that. It was a challenge, but an enjoyable one - and as with all my painting the challenge for me is always to do better in each painting - and by tackling the subject of the roses, I think I have done that! I would love feedback! Oh, and if you would like the original, it is on sale on the DPW Challege website (http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenge/) if you want to contribute to the Japanese Red Cross.

Below is what you would expect - basically an A4 - oil on canvas sheet.


There is still room for improvement - but I have not got to the point of chopping my ear off just yet ;-)
Much love
Wendy

A case of hacking coughing!

Ugh, there is one thing that irritates me - and that is when I am ill. I have really little patience with myself under these circumstances - but as someone has said, I am really being very mean to myself and my body by being so harsh on my poor body who serves me so well despite the fact that I generally do not look after it as I ought to. So, the long and short of it, is that I finally went to see my doc on Wednesday, after a sore throat starting last week and hoping that I would be able to fend it off myself without having to go onto a dose of antibiotics. Best laid plans and all that...

Now it had gone to my chest and trachea - so am wheezing and coughing much better. Been on the antibiotics and such-like for two days now, and have to confess that not feeling much different - except more of a headache thanks to all the coughing.

Okay, enough feeling sorry for myself!

Have to go to school tomorrow (have been off since Tuesday actually) as we have our annual "Saints Experience" and I offered to do a lesson that is creative writing based for the Grade 7s who are coming to the school tomorrow to get a feel for what the school is all about.

I did the self-same lesson when I was at Fourways, with all my classes, and it was a really fun exercise - well I thought so, and the majority of the kids gained from it - partly because they were able to spend a lesson not having to worry about time, what else they had to do and just relax and "be in the moment".

What I basically do is transform a classroom into an oasis of "other-worldness" by moving chairs and tables out of the way, arranging some in a particular way that allows them to be used as drapery points, and then I take into the classroom a whole load of things that will help stimulate the imagination.

Before the kids go into the classroom they are given an "invitation" that is more along the lines of an instruction sheet in terms of what to expect. All I ask from them is that at the end of the time in the classroom they produces a piece of writing. With this lot being Grade 7s, I reckoned that I would give them ideas for types of writing that they might like to do - and we will see how that goes.

I ought to be working on finishing that up so that tomorrow morning it is all ready for me to go to school, and all I need to do is get some boys to unpack my car and carry the paraphernalia to the classroom I will be using, and then I can set everything up and be ready and waiting for the groups to arrive.

I just wish I was feeling a little more full of beans, since, although this is a lesson that is quite relaxed and calming from my side, I do like to have a sense of being "present" for the kids. Oh well, maybe tomorrow morning things will look brighter!

I am being a misery aren't I? So I guess I had better end off here and leave things for the time being!

What a time!!!

Oh dear, been bad about adding posts again, but time - she marches on!!!

Went to fetch my darling kitty, Splodgie, who has now had to have the front of his nose lopped off to catch the cancer that has spread there. For those of you who know him, you will know him as my darling who introduced me to the concept of kitties-without-ears as a result of his ears having to be removed. Now he has no ears and a "Peke-faced Persian" look. So, I guess if mother will not allow me to gather any more animals - one of which would be a Persian and the other a canary (I KNOW - totally incompatible - but that's me!), I have to make do! :-)

He had the op on Wed last week, and I was finally able to fetch him this afternoon - and he is such a brave kitty! But, he has a rather kitty-urine smell about him, so I had to upset the two dogs by giving him his meds and then dousing him with good old Elizabeth Ann's baby powder - hopefully it will do the trick on the smell - but he also needs a good brush - and Splodge doesn't DO brushes! I also need to add a face mask of sorts (usually a tea towel or something of that nature) and then I can brush him. There is just too much hair that flies all over! Oh well!!! :-)



I plan to try painting this at some stage - but don't have the courage just yet. He loves sitting in the trees and watching the world go by! Something one specialist vet told me I would HAVE to make sure happened - i.e. keep him inside from 9am to 3pm. Lovely in theory, but my boy loves being out at that time of the day - and so it goes back to that age-old quandary - are our pets here for us, or we for them?

Okay, enough philosophising!

Hopefully - will speak soon!

Another day in artist's hell

This business of trying to become an artist is hard work and at times, very frustrating and soul-destroying!

Having said that, I did gather all my clobber together this morning and went outside on our pavement to go and capture the house across the road. It's all part of the assignment where we have to paint 100 smallish paintings with a focus on the colour. So we have to "block" similar colours (as the idea is to keep to 7 - 10 shapes per painting).

Yesterday worked out the back garden on a tree - and by force of things this meant that I was limiting myself to very few colours. Today was far better with the variety - but it was always a conscious decision that I needed to keep in the forefront of what I was doing and make sure that I limited the shapes to 7 to 10.

Tough, but I think I can see some progress - I hope so in any event.

It was quite funny because when I set myself up on the pavement, Mum looked at me askance and said that she did not think she could do it as there could be people who would come and have a look at what I was doing. I had a couple of drive-bys asking for directions; and then this guy stopped his car, came walking towards me and when I looked up at him rather quizzically, he said that he was just looking to see what I was doing, and on finding that it was painting, he wanted to know whether I sold any of my paintings. Had to tell him that I was just at the start of my course and I was really not all that good so I had nothing he could think of buying! Oh well, guess that is something by way of a compliment - may also have been that he was trying to make conversation and that was the next thing that came to his mind.

Oh well, all for the time being. Am going to go and have a snooze as am starting to fall asleep at computer - which is silly!

All my love

Wendy

What a way to spend a day!

Well, so much for all the good intentions - and so now I am feeling thoroughly miffed at not being able to achieve something that I really was happy with in the end. I am beginning to think that there is something to be said for making sure that I do my course when I am able to do it without any distractions and when I can just immerse myself in it as opposed to trying to dip in and out of what I am doing.

In addition, one of the reasons I joined the course was to improve what I was doing, and I feel as though I have been at a "useless plateau" for the last I do not know how long. I am just not sure what I am doing wrong, so am getting frustrated and irritated with myself!

Oh well, guess it will be a better bet to do something that I ought not to mess up and turn to doing a pork roast on the Weber.

All my love

Wendy

Saturday - time to face a fear - and paint!!!

Well, managed to rise bright and early for me at least (6am) for a weekend, and so now have spent the time finishing reading through my course notes and trying to work out my plan of attack. Once again, I am aware that I am procrastinating to a large extent as I am VERY aware that the starting of this next assignment - which is going to be running concurrently with a number of my other assignments - is something that will be taking me from my comfort-zone, and so, always easier to find ways of trying to delay the inevitable - which I will probably enjoy - and find frustrating!!! :-)

We have been tasked with doing 100 smallish paintings of ourdoors - flat images and of a similar value scale, although with different colours. Some of the people on my course have already made a start, and so I KNOW that I need to and get on with it - but it is tough. I have never been one to cope with failure easily, and when I cannot get something right the first time it is a battle for me to stay on track! But - I will persevere - and as with so many other aspects of this course I have learnt that it is only in the doing that I learn things - and the people of the Virtual Art Academy's Virtual Campus are all just such wonderful people who gently coax us - and coach us. We are mostly all on the same journey in any event, so we understand what it means to publish your work!

Well enough of the procrastination - the sun is coming up, and I really do not want to spend all my time in a VERY hot sun - all have to be done outdoors - and that is the jump from my comfort zone - I have been used to painting from pictures of photographs!

Wish me luck people!

All my love

Wendy

Been such a long time!

Okay sis, you have made me feel the need to add the trivial aspects, and some not so trivial, to this. I have to say that when I started I was all fired up and believed it was way that I would be able to share things with all the people who have been something like dandelions and scattered around - either physically or emotionally - hence one of the reasons for this. The other was, as I mentioned - a way of trying to capture some aspects of my travels.

Sadly, I have to say, neither really worked, so I am following your advice my dear little sister, and forging ahead regardless!

We will see what will become of things, but I have spruced things up a little and changed the page to reflect something a little more of who I am and what I am feeling at present - so I hope you all enjoy the tranquil background.

The next day will be spent rushing from one meeting to the next and one appointment to the next, but on Saturday and Sunday I am planning to spend some time on my art course and do some painting - which I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to!

I also have the excuse that with recovering from the mild concussion and whiplash I can take things a little easy - isn't it silly how we have to make excuses to spend time on ourselves?

Oh well, all for the time being.

Love to all!