Cadmium colours

Back in the eighties hubby brought a whole load of cadmium colours back from the company where he was doing chemical analysis. I had about eight coffee jars full of cadmium ranging from pale yellow to red to deep maroon. But I didn’t know how to mix them, it was before Google and I had them on a shelf for a year. I also knew Cadmium is a heavy metal although these colours were pigments so hopefully they were safe.

Then a fellow art student asked about them. I agreed to give them to her. I know she used them in many paintings! I often wonder if she used them all, I haven’t seen her for forty years.

An artist!

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Not when I was five!

Give me crayons, give me colouring books. Books with paper covered in dots that you wet with a paintbrush and colours emerge.. Dot to dot books, pages with squares on that I could turn into patterns. I might have been a bit older than five for some of these, but I always wanted art things for my birthday or Christmas. I must have heard of artists because I always wanted to be one. I got an etch-a-sketch machine to draw with, I loved that.

My sister wanted to be a musician, she eventually borrowed a violin from school. I got jealous because my parents said I was doing art and they couldn’t let me have a musical instrument, so I overtightened the strings on the violin and they snapped ( bad/very guilty memory!)…

Now? I’ve been an artist all my life. I started drawing when I was a child such as historical people in tudor dress, Asterix the Gaul, horses, clouds, all sorts of things. I still do that, anything is interesting to me.

Digitally

How has technology changed your job?

My ‘job’ isn’t really one, I don’t make sufficient money to make it worthwhile so I guess it’s more like a hobby. But as digital technology has improved I have been able to include it more into my art and mark making.

This image started as a digital drawing in Artrage. I then ran it through filters on the photodirector app several times which came up with this image of a tree. I like being free to experiment with art and seeing what results.

Packaging

How do I send a canvas in the post? I have wrapped it in bubble wrap but when I got to the post office they didn’t have any boxes big enough. They suggested I put it in a bin liner and tape it well but I didn’t think that would be secure enough. I asked them if they had any old cardboard boxes and they gave me two small boxes with low sides. I will try and unfold them and use them to strengthen the front and back. I was then going to use a black bin bag, but I went in the petrol station to fill up. They were chucking out a large cardboard box so I asked for it. I will use that as outer packaging with lots of tape. I’m glad I called in. Wish me luck, and the canvas a safe journey X.

Koish

Koi carp I pay a few years ago, it was part of my recent exhibition. I thought it was worth showing on its own here. I love painting reflections and the way some parts of the painting can be seen through so you can see the fish. Other things include the distortion of the window bars in the water. Acrylic on canvas.

Air

A painting from a few years ago, a bit burry with camera shake. It’s one of four I did to represent Earth, Air, Fire and Water. It was a series I really enjoyed. Working with the flow of paint, allowing my imagination free rein. It’s acrylic on canvas. Two of the set had already been sold and I was thinking of painting replacement images. I wish I had, I’m not sure I ever will. X

What is Threads?

It seems like a lot of people are on Threads. But I really don’t want to join. I don’t want to know what it is. I spend too much time on various sites and I don’t have the time to throw at another one. Plus I heard if you leave Threads they close your Instagram account. Is that true?

Can anyone out there persuade me to join?  Is there an advantage to it? It is apparently a writing based site, it sounds like tou can’t post images to it. But I love art and wouldn’t want to leave it behind. Let me know if I’m wrong.

Happy Pi Day

Have a happy Pi day. 22 over 7. Or 3.141592…. ? I’m not sure. An important mathematical concept that most people represent with a slice of Pie. Pi is the 16th letter of the Greek Alphabet. Pi is an infinite and irrational number I think? One episode of Star Trek had an out of control computer set to calculate the figure and was defeated because it was an impossible task. I just did a doodle based on the letter. Not exactly exciting sorry x

Art

What activities do you lose yourself in?

Painting makes my mind flow…

Koi carp painted a few years ago. I love all sorts of art. It engages my mind as I create. The world and time just seems to disappear.

I might start painting or drawing in the afternoon, then suddenly realise I’m hungry or thirsty and find it’s 3am and I’ve lost half a day….

It’s just hand eye coordination, and often putting liquids onto a surface, or shading with pencils or pastels, but something grips me and I am embedded into art.

I love visual art, taking photos, and sometimes I even attempt 3d art in ceramics. I have only ever tried to carve stone a couple of times but didn’t have the strength.

Art encourages creative thoughts. I’d recommend it to anyone. Try it, you might enjoy it. X