New paintings and regular art updates.
Not satellite images. These are photos of my washing up bowl with the cold water tap running and a little bit of washing up liquid added. The bright patch and the dark curves are the sky and plant leaves reflected in the surface of the water and the running tap gave swirls and vortices that made the slight foam look like swirling clouds.
Not knit one pearl one. Only one crochet needle and a finger and thumb required. Twisting and turning, wrapping the wool round and knotting it.
If you want to learn it have a go. You can make squares to create a blanket, or crochet round and round to make a throw. It’s a craft in the same way as knitting or macrame. There are plenty of patterns out there and you can make clothes too. If you look on line you can find some very strange crocheted trouser suits for men! I realise that it was more popular in the 1970’s…..
It’s been raining a lot today, but I noticed it was slightly lighter this afternoon and the sun seems to be setting a little bit later. Soon the sun will be setting after five pm, that’s when I know we are getting through the winter. Sitting in the house with the curtains closed to help keep the warmth in makes me feel sad. But I realise how close to being a recluse I can be. I was thinking that I have only been out of the house for a few hours in the last month. Last week I took myself to the shop on my own for the first time in about three weeks (hubby has come out with me to keep me safe while I’ve been ill). Am I being lazy, or sick? I don’t know, I think I’m probably protecting myself, I don’t want to catch anything else and I don’t want to pass this bug on. It’s strange how your mind muddles and loses time when you are in the same place for a long time. It makes you think.
Alien plants?
Symmetry makes interesting patterns. I took a few photos of my kitchen window ledge a few days ago and then tried using a vertical mirroring to create something different and unusual. Something you wouldn’t see unless it was in a reflection. I always think it’s worth doing this because it can look really alien. This photo has a large cat doorstop in it at the back, a Spanish pot with a tile design pattern and a large, dark pink cactus. But I can see a face, with pink hair and a moustache at the front with dark eyes and nose? The cats could be like conjoined twins, like a Greek mythological monster. And the cactus leaves in the middle seem to show a green face with an open mouth. Why not try this yourself?
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was musical instruments, I drew a recorder. I have a plastic one, but when I was a kid I had a lovely wooden one. The wood was golden and had an amazing grain to it. I’ve tried to remember how it looked. I didn’t do much music as a child and it was one of my sisters that tried to learn more complicated instruments such as the violin.
Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt was close-up. I decided to try and draw a close-up of some plaid cloth. I used a digital filter from photodirector to add some texture. I think it makes it look more interesting.
Sometimes my pen drifts
Across the paper
Black pen and colour
Shading over the lines
Faces and a donkey?
Why not play
Create a design
Learn and develop
Experience and experiment.
Please stop raining? It’s wet and windy, again. Gone are days of snow, I know we still have them, but instead whirling clouds come across the Atlantic and dump rain on mostly the north west of Britain. In fact in the last twenty four days it’s apparently rained on twenty two of them.
And amidst all of this stormy weather something unusual and historical is happening in the South West. At the moment (22.45pm on 9.1.23) a Boeing 747 owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin company is flying into the bad weather off the coast of Cornwall. It has a rocket tucked underneath one wing which is due to be launched from it. The rocket contains some satellites and these will hopefully reach space in the next few hours.
It’s amazing that Britain will have launch capability for the investigation and use of space. And in such a different way, not a huge rocket from the land but a more interesting method. I hope it works.
I was upstairs in bed after a totally sleepless night when my mobile rang. I couldn’t get downstairs in time to answer it, so I checked the number, which was local, so I rang it, but there was an automated answer saying the phone line didn’t take incoming calls. It was from a firm I know, but didn’t say anything except I should contact them (no phone number to ring back on, no message left) annoying but these things happen. But as I went back upstairs the land-line rang. I couldn’t get back down in time. It was the same number. Missed it again. So I’ve stayed up for two hours incase they ring back, but I have no idea who to contact (it’s a very big firm), no information because they didn’t have the courtesy to leave a message and if they have my numbers then they must have my email address too, but no one has tried to contact me on that. I could literally swear! This is not good customer service.
Late at night
Cats sleep and I can’t
I almost slept
Then a cat crept
Onto the bed
Laid down on my leg
My leg went to sleep
But I didn’t
Shook off the cat
And came and sat
On my armchair
With a cup of decaff
And a cracker with cheese
I’m really not pleased
Cheesed off in fact
I might try and nap
With a cat on my lap
Or go back to bed
As the dawn breaks red
Another night of cat naps fled…
Mallaband-Brown