New paintings and regular art updates.
Ivy is growing right over our roof and into the yard. I’m worried that the roof of the extention will be damaged. The problem is neither of us are up to the heavy work required to sort it out. So the yard is starting to look like a picturesque ruin. I took a photo because the sun was setting and the sky was a nice, contrastong pink, but I think my camera over exposes photos, so you can only see a hint of the salmon pink it was glowing.
I put months of work into the murals at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. I did around twelve, but then it closed down a few years ago and eventually burnt down. The shell of the building is still there.
I used to paint in the evenings after work and most of the time on my own, and the Arnold Bennett suite that I painted in was right at the back of the hotel. The room was sometimes quite spooky! You heard odd creaks and noises, but I never felt scared although the Leopard Hotel appeared in Britain’s Most Haunted. It was semi derelict upstairs and there had been plans to restore it. Painting there was a great experience.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was handmade. I tried to do an abstract, an imagined explanation of the prompt. I drew a hand holding a hand made of ice that is starting to melt. I used Artrage app and photodirector.
After a month of big, long, thick bandages and dressings my wound is 90% healed. I now have just a small dressing as the nurse says the wound is mostly scabbed over and feels tacky. I might be discharged soon. I can’t explain how it feels to be close to being free of the problem, I’m fed up but elated. I want to get back to normal, but the word patient is correct, you have to have patience to be a patient!
Almost a year
Time has moved on
From when I heard
That you were gone
The Earth around the Sun
That shone
Has turned full circle
And flown on
Around the galaxy
So that now
We cannot ever
Return anon.
Still raw my thoughts
Reach back in time.
I miss you so
Hence this Bad rhyme
I hope that if you were to glance
At this mad poem
You’d laugh and prance
And tell me ‘chill!’
Take no heed
We must survive
Old life’s sad dance!
What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?
Some people are selfish. I think its a bad trait. I don’t understand it. Why do they think it’s OK? I trying to get into their mindset. They might not have much themselves, so they have to scrimp and save. But others in the same situation might be more generous, partly because they have been bought up to share. I think children can struggle if there is not enough to go round, so they try and keep what they can to themselves…
Selfishness blankets a feeling of empathy. Stifles understanding other peoples needs. Gives an excuse not to be considerate. Selfishness, taken to extremes stops any thought of less well off people, making excuses when it’s obvious that help is needed. On today’s parlance scrolling past charities and blaming the poor for their situation, calling them undeserving.
Selfishness is unfair and can be cruel, uncaring and without merit.
I made myself a footstool out of a strong cardboard box, a pillow and a cat banket for softness. I’ve had my feet up on it for weeks, so the cats haven’t had the opportunity to use it. But I just went to get a drink and came back to find my little cat kneading it, (making biscuits/poddling). She’s now settled down to sleep! Cheeky!
Tea, what’s in the fridge? Vegetable quiche, tomatoes, gherkin, silver skin pickled onion, yellow pepper, light mayonnaise and….. Left over black cherries. Finger painting using the Sketchbook app on my phone.
Describe your ideal week.
I would spend time at my studio at Spode, painting, or drawing. My plan is to try and go back to it. I spent a few years there, then covid happened and I lost my nerve a bit. I started to go back, but health issues cropped up. If I don’t return soon I never will, but I’ve built a wall round things in my mind. If I can’t do things properly I seem to freeze up.
My ideal week will be less stressful, full of real art, not just quick digital drawings. I would then build on it, even if I was only in my studio a couple of days a week. I would try and produce more small paintings for craft fairs, but it’s about time I started doing some ‘proper’ paintings real fine art, not craft based. I just need to get my confidence back. I have good intentions but I keep prevaricating. Maybe I can have that ideal week. It needs to be soon….
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was one I chose, equator. Why? I don’t know. Digital drawing of an Earth like planet with a red equatorial line drawn on it. In my imagination this is a planet encircling city. The only place warm enough for the alien life is the hottest part of the planet on its equator. Used Artrage app to draw this.
Mallaband-Brown