New paintings and regular art updates.
There’s still leaves on the trees and we are almost half way through November! The air hasn’t been very cold so the leaves are only gradually turning autumnal. And we have not had too much strong wind here so they haven’t blown off yet. This was the view from the car park at the garden centre today. A lovely blue sky, bright sunlight from a dazzlingly low sun, trees still in leaf. Feels like summer except it was quite cold.
Singing reindeer bringing some cheer…
We went off to a garden centre today to get some pyracantha and roses to add to our hedge, we are bulking it up because it looks like there was another attempt last night to get in. I feel like we are under seige.
Hubby nailed some fence boards back in place and we also bought a lot of chicken wire to go above the bamboo screening we have put in. Spiky Pyracantha will go next to all this. Making it more robust.
We heard Christmas music as we were searching for plants, and these animatronic reindeer made me laugh and cheered me up!
What podcasts are you listening to?
I’ve never got into podcasts, I’m not even sure what they are? Are they radio shows that include video, or TV shows, on the Internet? I guess like anything else they can have their own style and substance.
I don’t have an iPhone, do you need one of those to listen to podcasts? Are they short programmes or long ones. If you call something a podcast does that mean it really is? I watch lots of videos, because I’m a visual person, and although I can pick up a tune or understand an argument, I’m not necessarily an aural person. I’m not into music, not in a big way, I tolerate it, and unless it’s a particular classical style I can pretty much leave it.
Please give some examples of good podcasts, and I will try and catch them?
There is a moss appreciation society on Facebook. I’ve joined, and I’m determined to find interesting examples and surfaces to display.
I’d like to know more about the types of moss that grow (basically I like learning about all sorts of things). This rolling stone wants to gather moss.
When it comes to relaxed
Cats do it best
They can flop in a heap
Sleep in a ball.
Find a new box
And make it home!
Twisted and turned
Twizzled and whorled and whirled,
See how they sleep
Not always neat
But really deep!
I took a lot of photos at the British Ceramic biennial, the ceramics were remarkable. This object is made up of several pieces. Coloured in what I would call ice cream colours, pastels that I would associate with the seaside. The rope makes me think of bouys or the floats on lobster pots. I didn’t get a catalogue so I’m afraid I don’t have the details of the artist involved.
Reflected in the car window bue sky and grey cloud. The air is chilled and breezy, a little plastic windmill with curled coloured sails spins in the wind. I don’t want to go out, I’m staying in and keeping warm.
Cold air is circulating near my feet, warm air rises, so it can take a while for it to descend and fill the room. Having cats popping in and out, that can’t close the door behind themselves doesn’t help.
It’s fearful to wonder what the bills will be like this winter. Fuel costs have apparently come down, but not for customers. I guess it’s good in one way because it reduces how much power we are using. But that means extra layers of clothes, in my case a tee shirt jumper and a cardigan. But it’s no hardship compared with being homeless in winter. A “Lifestyle choice” according to our Home Secretary, what an uncaring attitude.
Leaves falling sets the camera off, cats walking past, our reflections in the window. But I don’t care. We can check if someone’s out there. I’m fed up of feeling like a security guard. If I had a camera when our sheds were broken into we might have put them off, or they might have been caught. Now I can check my phone when I get an alert. Just got to figure it out!
What was your favorite subject in school?
Forever and ever, Art.
Art at school. I studied many other subjects but Art had my soul from four or five. I used to hang my drawings on strings across my bedroom because I didn’t have enough wall space. My mom would show off my Art to visitors to the house. School sent one of my paintings to our twin town in Germany where it was exhibited. I was asked to do a portrait of a group of school children when a headmistress was leaving.
Art wasn’t the thing to do in many ways. I needed to support my family as we went though some bad times, but my mother supported my wish to go to college. I felt so lucky to be allowed to leave home and learn more about art.
I found out that my ability helped in other aspects of life and jobs. I notice things others miss. I can look at the world and imagine it as a painting. I am good at colour matching, composition, I love to experiment and being an artist makes me more involved in lots of ideas and thoughts.
Would I recommend studying Art to someone? Definitely, cover other bases too, but it has made me a well rounded person. Career choices could be architect, designer, print maker, painter, technical design, surface pattern, ceramicist, sculptor, editor, illustrator, graphic designer, digital media, computer game design, and many more subjects. Go for it if you can. X
I realised I’d taken a photo of the top of the tree too. It’s quite tall. A nice canopy, not spreading too far out, so beautiful and delicate.
As I say, I feel like ordering one. The neighbours might not appreciate it! It can go with the small Eucalyptus tree we have in the centre of the garden? I’ll see.
Mallaband-Brown