New paintings and regular art updates.
A triffids in a glass jar, up on the windowledge, a bit damp and mucky, but it still grows and twirls. Red stems. Dark green leaves, bought from a supermarket and still surviving after eighteen months. OK not a triffids, but a strange ugly plant that needs me to love it? Feed me Seymour?
Got a nice surprise this morning, I’ve sold another small painting (long and thin). It had been for sale at the Arts and Minds Gallery at Harper Street in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent. As usual it’s lovely to feel that someone has taken it into their heart.
This was a playful piece. I started by painting some weeds and rushes, and only decided to add a bird, this Heron, because it fitted in with the shape of the canvas.
Next? I might paint some gentle landscapes or flowers, but play with the style again, not forgetting the industrial heritage of the area.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Flight. This is a digital finger painting. I used artrage oils a free app I downloaded onto my phone. There is a bigger version but you have too pay for it. Finger painting is hard but I like the oily texture this app creates. Got to try other things than felt pens. X
A quick curry using vegetables and a small amount of Quorn pieces and prawns.
Ingredients.
One jar of curry sauce, chose your favourite. I got tikka massala. One onion, one sweet pepper, a handful of button mushrooms, a big handful of washed baby spinach, about a quarter of a bag of Quorn pieces and a small packet of kingprawns (or small prawns). A packet of microwaveable rice.
Method.
Defrost the Quorn in the microwave if you have one. Peel and chop the onion. Put in a frying pan in oil and start to fry. Roughly chop the pepper and add to the pan. Chop the mushrooms and add. Put the Quorn and prawns in. Finally stir in the baby spinach, add the packet of rice and pour the curry sauce over the mix. Cook on a low heat with a lid on for about twenty minutes. Make sure the curry is thoroughly cooked before serving.
Serves two or three as a main meal.
Tuesdays #bandofsketchers prompt was Overlooking. This is an imagined landscape in felt pens. Being in Stoke with a shaking arm means I don’t get to travel much. I want to go to the sea again, and being in an apartment overlooking an ocean view would be a good thing to do.
Warmth is essential to life, not excessive heat, but enough so you are able to be comfortable without shivering or having to wear outside clothes indoors. When I see the state that people in Turkey and Syria and also Ukraine are having to live in, it makes me so thankful for my circumstances. Earthquakes and Wars don’t spare anyone. Freezing winter temperatures are lethal if you don’t have shelter and warmth.
If you are aware of any charities that are collecting for these tragedies please consider donating to them. Compassion is so important.
I went to another choir practice last night and we sang some old songs from our repetoir including ‘La Para Deiu’ (I think that’s how it’s spelt). We haven’t sung it for at least five or six years, and if you had asked me what the tune was I would not have been able to sing it. But as we started to sing it flooded back. Soon we were singing in three part harmony and I was getting goosebumps down my spine. We sounded very good, better than we used to I think, and this was with new choir members joining in. I can’t explain how it lifted my mood. People were grinning and laughing. We sang a couple of other older songs, one we hadn’t done for maybe twelve or more years, from when we moved from our old venue. I hope the choir keeps going, it truly is good for mental health, raising our spirits and exercising our memories.
A mackerel sky over Stoke today. A plane had flown through it leaving a slice of blue sky through the blue and white. These clouds usually happen when a weather front passes over the land I think I remember. To me it looked like a huge swans wing was covering the city. The low sun sparkled off sections of it, but as the sun started to set the cloud got darker and moved further over us, the feathery sections moving Eastward away from the sunset.The forecast is for possible rain showers and strong winds tomorrow
He can’t hear
I repeat
Sorry, what?
I repeat..
Cars on fire?!
No dress for hire
I repeat.
I repeat
Come for a walk?
We need to talk
I repeat
Understand me
I seek
But all the time
It’s like I’m a mime
On repeat
Hearing loss
Is loss for both
Speaker and listner
I repeat
‘I love you’.
And repeat….
Sequins, shiny and bright
Sparkle and twinkle
In the light
Plastic circles
Dragon scales?
Are they magic
No, just pale
Imitations of fish skin
Gleaming and glittering in
The bright
Light
Tonight.
Mallaband-Brown