New paintings and regular art updates.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was window. I decided to do a quick sketch of the hanging baskets and plants in the back yard with the lampshade and plant inside in silhouette. My black felt pens are running out so I had to layer them up with brown, blue and purple .
View out of a side window, heavy with pears the branches are bending down on our pear tree. The trunk is propped up because its gone over to about a forty five degree angle partly caused by strong winds and partly just from the weight of pears on the branches. This from a tree bought from Woolworths twenty five years ago as a small sapling. Every year I marvel at the productivity of the plant. And looking out the window at them? Makes me proud of what you can do if you let nature take over.
Where I curl
You can’t control
This is my space
If I want it.
Cats have rights.
The right to sleep
Eat and purr
Chase leaves and mice
But most of all
Be fed and watered.
We choose comfort
We give friendship
If you are lucky
Claws if you are not.
Don’t criticise
Our choice of bed!
Basically windfalls, five rough pears, two apples, three green walnuts and a single green tomato. The wind must have been blowing.
For the first time we have a good crop of apples on the main tree, the pear tree is bent over with pears that are growing slowly larger. The walnuts are being stolen by squirrels who bury them and the tomatoes are growing in a hanging basket and in a grow bag surrounded by other plants. They are all having to take their chances while there is less rain, but they are well established plants and I think the fruit trees have deep roots. We plan to do some pruning of the garden. The blueberries are gradually ripening, the gooseberries have all been eaten as have the raspberries. I saw no strawberries this year, but I think they have been shaded out by other plants. We even have redcurrants although I misidentified them as woody nightshade (not a good idea). Earlier in the year we had a small crop of cherries and we might get a few elderberries. So all in all not a bad year of fruit and veg.
I’m trying to be more positive and to retrain my brain at the moment. The idea is that every evening for at least twenty eight days you try and write three gratitudes to get on a more positive train if thought. They shouldn’t be massive things that are overwhelming, but small things, little things you recognise as something to cherish. I’m on day eight and I think it’s helping a bit. I’m trying to encourage my hubby to do it too. Of course I have included sketches, it makes things more real.
I wanted to get a photo of my cat in this pose but he moved. The way he was sleeping reminded me of Superman in flight. The photo of him is transposed because he wouldn’t turn round for me. Now he’s asleep again on the arms of our chairs, he lies on a cushion that straddles the two armchair arms. I would like to do a cartoon strip about a cat. I had done one online a few years ago called the adventures of Tig, but that site is now defunct. When I think about it I have done a lot of art over the years!
I didn’t know what to draw for Tuesdays #bandofsketchers prompt but I’m watching climbing on TV so I drew the TV and its surroundings. Very quick sketch, five minutes in felt pens. Just used a bit of colour on the screen.
I’ve been asked to paint some of my small paintings, bees, birds, cats, maybe dogs, flowers. But I might add a few small mechanical paintings too.
How can I know my audience? Mainly by what has sold before, but also what is liked on social media. I cannot paint exactly what someone wants without getting a description of a commission from them, but I can try to get an inkling of what is interesting. For instance I have been painting more abstract images, but I feel they are more fine art subjects. If someone buys a tiny painting is that more of a craft piece. I need to know because if I carry on I need to earn a crust or two, even if it’s only a crumb sized one! We will see.
.
In love with a photo filter
Not my face!
Not altering my shape!
Just adding texture
Making entanglements
Shifting my perspective
Seeing into ideas
Let me play,
Have fun
Change up a gear.
Good to see a woman driver on the minature train at Trentham Gardens. We went there today because our neighbours are having some work done and had mini diggers rumbling all morning so I couldn’t open my windows because of the noise.
We decided to walk round the lake which was lovely because there was a cool breeze, but then we caught the minature train down half the length of the lake to make life easier. I still had a twinge in my back so had to get my hubby to help me get back off the train!
We walked round the rest of the lake and I took some photos of flowers around the lake which are still looking lovely. I might try and look at doing some small paintings of them.
Mallaband-Brown