New paintings and regular art updates.
I decided to draw a Fire Horse design in my Artrage app. It’s the symbol of the Chinese New Year. It’s basically a finger painting using various tools in the app. It also allows you to add metallic tone. It’s simple and fun to use.
Just painted a volcano, possibly Fuji, I did this today, at a painting on copper workshop. The copper sheet is glued to a foam board backing. I used metallic acrylics. But the paint broke up into cells on the surface This allowed the copper to show through. It was hard to get it to spread but it made for an interesting textured effect. I used paintbrushes, rollers and palette knives. When you try and take a photo you can see lots of reflections. I’m quite pleased with the outcome.
Look into the crystal ball
See what you can see?
Is it a reflection
or is it really me?
Trapped in time and hidden
Never to grow old
A portrait is an instant
In time, no longer told.
Memory of power
Ability to do
But time just gets slower
A reminder of you.
I went to art group for the first time in weeks and picked up a small, 6×4 in canvas.
I haven’t done a painting for ages, my Parkinsons is bad and looking close up is difficult because although I’m cataract free, they also cured my short sightedness and I find it hard to focus on close objects, basically closer than about a foot things get blurred. I need to get some ordinary reading glasses because the ones I’ve got are too strong.
Then I saw a tiny, gold painted, plastic Buddha. Of all the things that I could choose to paint, this seemed like the right karma. The brushes were a bit rough and not easily pointed. It was hard to see the details, but in about an hour I managed to paint him. The best thing? Someone in the group said they really liked it. So I gave it them.
In other news, I know I haven’t been here much lately. I miss my cat so much. It’s another loss I’m struggling to come to terms with. Love to you all.
Let me draw again
Give me inspiration
Let me take charge of my dreams
Create new images
Restore my life
Secure my vision.
Help me to be free
And end fear.
Dazzle myself as well as others.
Imagine anew what I drew before
(this digital drawing is eight years old and was drawn in Artrage, I wish I could remember how I did it,)
I don’t notice this everyday, but this is a ginger cat window that I designed soon after we moved into our house. My friend, who was actually a carpenter, made this leaded glass window for us. It’s a really unique piece of art and I love it on a sunny day when it really sparkles. It’s about 30 years old now.
If I could I would design another window to sit in the window at the top of the stairs. I like the idea of a really gothic idea with vine leaves and a black and white cat stari6out of the window. Perhaps I will draw or paint the idea.
Last summer I was helping produce a play called the Six Towns. It was for the Penkhull Mystery Play on a Saturday in July.
Not that many people saw it because it was outside on the church green. As it was on a windy day the voices of the performers were lost to the audience. Our retelling of the story will be slightly longer and will also be inside with microphones. It was successful in July so I hope it does equally well in February and helps raise funding for the Mystery Play coming up in July.
He didn’t paint much, but this painting was one of our first cats, he also did a tornado shaped painting in many colours, and a sunflower painting (all acrylics on board). These were his efforts at creating some exuberant pieces of art.
He also made drawings which he did in an A4 sized hardback blue book. It’s crammed with notes and thoughts. Often quite disjointed, he was by training a chemist/physicist. That didn’t stop him enjoying the artistic side of life. I will always miss his thoughtfulness and quirky creativity.
Just a little finger painting on my phone to wish you all a Happy New Year for 2026.
I hope things go well for us all, that you are safe and happy, cared for and loved.
Best wishes to you all. X
Not the best card I’ve ever drawn but I’m limited in what I can do because my computer needs setting up so I did a finger painting in Artrage and they edited it in something called Sketcher app.
I’ve donated to Parkinsons UK this year so I’ve not sent any cards.
I hope you all have a lovely time wherever you are and no matter what you celebrate or don’t.
Let’s hope for more peace and less war and conflict in the coming year. Try and do at least one kind or generous thing for someone in 2026. You don’t have to be boastful about it. Just try and care.
Kindest regards X
Mallaband-Brown