New paintings and regular art updates.
Go to bed
Lie down
Stay awake
Close your eyes
Calm your thoughts
Calm them again
Think of something else
Reinvent the wheel
Remember another problem
Count sheep….
Count goats
Daylight
Dawn…
Sleep….
Wake up after three hours
Repeat…..
One of my old digital drawings on a now defunct website called Sketchfu. I drew it when the Lord of the Rings came out. I have forgotten the actor who played him although I know Orlando Bloom played Legolas. I know the actor also played a long distance horse rider in a film about a horse that races over the Sahara. The horse wasn’t pure blood but one of Americas wild mustang horses. I can’t remember the film name! My memory is getting full of holes….
A sudden flash of lightening (imagined) lit up the night sky. Sudden was Sundays prompt for our #bandofsketchers challenge. I couldn’t think of what to paint until I had a sudden ‘flash’ of inspiration! Acrylic black and blue paint and a bit of glitter glue to try and add a few sparks of light.
Just a little light digital editing gave me this network of patterns. The colours of a sunset sky held in a web of twigs. I think I could use it as a design for cushions or duvet or bed covers, even bags and tee shirts. Not anything I’ve actually done, but maybe I should find out. I’m finding out about file sizes, types and colours. I know if I don’t get the resolution right the images cannot be scaled up successfully. I mostly save my images as .jpeg’s but I recently found out I should save them as .tiff files. Also the resolution should be 300dpi where my computer saves to 72dpi normally. I’m learning as I go on.
Off cuts of paper fly across a desk. The curl of paper behind is meant to show the wind swirling. The pieces were cut from a large paper snowflake I made to show a friends child how to cut shapes out. But to be honest I prefer these birdy shapes. Once I had curved their ‘wings’ out they took on even more of a resemblance of birds.
For the first time in about 18 months I put a few paintings up for sale on my craft stall. These included the paintings I did yesterday and some from the last few years. There are a lot of varied images and ideas. I used to be able to paint almost anything but since I’ve developed a shake in my arm I’ve found it more and more difficult to paint accurately. I’m frustrated but I won’t give up yet. Maybe I will get some treatment? Hope so.
My paintings from yesterday. The small ones have ribbons attached so they can hang from a Christmas tree.
Close up of one of the larger ones. Two bottle kilns side by side, at night, a frosty gleam on them and a patchy, cloudy sky with stars peeping through. The shape of the wisp of smoke mimics the curve of the moon. I used acrylics and glitter glue to give the frosty effect. The smallest canvases are about 1 x 1.5 inches. The bigger ones are around 6x 4.5 and 4.5 inches. They are on display at the Waiting room gallery, I’m pleased to say they are there with other works that I have done for the next week.
Eight tiny and four small canvases waiting to be painted. Despite my shaking arm getting worse, and my right hand starting to shake too. Life has to go on.
I’ve been asked if I want a small table at a craft fair, and I said yes (foolishly). Now I’m faced with these blank canvases. I have an idea for some images, I just hope they turn out OK. The trouble is I’ve put this off for weeks and the fair is tomorrow. Luckily I have some old paintings waiting at my studio so I should be OK. I just need a bit of courage. X
Pattern made from tree branches manipulated digitally. I could list all the steps but that might be boring. I like adding different steps to see what the outcome is. I have saved a lot of these on Instagram @mallabandbrown
I add a lot of art there and here, it’s always there. I may not be painting a great deal but I do like playing with patterns. What I want to do is print out some of them but they didn’t look good on ordinary paper, the ink sunk in and was not very glossy. Perhaps I should use photographic paper?
A thicket, overgrown, a hedge tall and wide hiding the house behind it. Who lives there? No sign of movement. The gate locked shut. Curtains and boards up at the windows. Abandoned? Hidden, a haven for birds and wildlife. The smell and calls of foxes. But a house in need of care.
He looked through the hedge and wondered. Where had his family gone? Inheritance had finally happened and he was the only person found. He would start by cutting back the trees and hedges, but gently. He wanted to keep the wildness, but with some flowers and vegetables. It would take time.
He looked for a long time. Yes he could do it. Nature and garden would be in harmony. Life would be preserved and given its chance.
Mallaband-Brown