New paintings and regular art updates.
Zing, is it a thing?
Bling of shades,
Ping of pink,
Springing out,
Bright sight.
Giving joy,
No not coy,
But a fight,
Of colours
In flight.
Here are three portrait paintings I did a few years ago. They are all Acrylics on canvas.
I think I’m reasonably good at capturing a likeness, but there are other things like the proportions of a figure to get right. I painted my mother and sister in one painting. My sister was taller than my mum but their heads are level in the painting I did. That’s because my mom was standing on a step so their heads were at the same level. To be honest it looks odd, not because it’s wrong but because you don’t expect one set of legs to be so much longer!
When I was learning to draw and paint figures I would often draw the heads bigger and the legs shorter. That’s because I was not looking properly and not taking account of foreshortening, especially when the model was sitting on the ground.
I enjoy painting people but not many ask for portraits these days. I am also good at painting pets, and I don’t need photoshop to put two figures together from two separate photos.
Anyway feel free to contact me if you ever want a portrait or a painting of an ancestor for instance
In 2013 there was a call for postcards to sell for charity at a blind auction. No signature was included so that there would not be a preference for one artist over another
I don’t even know if they sold but I enjoyed painting them.
Tree decorations or baubles can come in all shapes and sizes. I have a lot of very old glass ones wrapped up in tissue in the cupboard but given the fact that we have cats I decided to use plastic, knitted, wooden and painted ones this year. Plus a low energy set of led lights so if they bite the cable they won’t get much if a shock.
It’s the day after boxing day today which means TV has reverted to mostly the same cheap programmes plus a few second World War films. Thus seems to happen every year. . It is after all the season of peace?!
Life goes on, leftovers abound….. Next comes new year…..
X
Something about red cheers me up, going bright red, seeing a red sky, the glowing coals on a fire. The cherry red of a poker?
Red seems to signify heat and health, richness and cheerfulness. Go further along the spectrum and you get to infrared and far infrared. These colours outside of the visible spectrum can still be seen with infrared cameras, where you can then see the heat signature of objects like the heat radiating from windows and hot mugs.
Red is also the colour of life and blood. Of holding your hands up to bright light and seeing the red colour as it shines through your flesh. Red is love and hearts 💕
Cat hidden in dusty shadow. Lost to the World.
You were smart and neat once, now slightly chipped and nicked.
No longer on display, but hidden in a corner .
Spotted paint is scuffed, dots are faded,
But you can’t leave, you are an old friend .
Will you ever see the light of day, no sign of your return to favour.
Fold yourself into the corner, stay stray until you are called back. Home.
Disaster has struck! I have no blancmange for the trifle. As you can see I have the box in the kitchen cupboard, but when I got a step to reach up and take it down, the box was full of sugar free jelly powder!
I had been shopping yesterday and had looked for some, but there was none to be found. When did blancmange become such a rarety?
I must have thrown the old sachets out when I went through the stuff in the cupboard. I think I noticed they had use by dates of 2016.
My plan now is to mix custard powder with a bit of cocoa. But it won’t be the same and I detest custard in trifles……
But I’m waiting for a call back from my sister. She may be able to save the day.
..
Meanwhile in other kitchen related news, my husband must have been a bit peckish last night and the peice of Stilton and a whole stollen loaf appear to have been eaten.. Only crumbs remaining…. Stollen and Stilton Stolen Shock horror!
Christmas day has arrived, our artificial Christmas tree is finally up and decorated and has only been attacked a few times by one of my cats.
I’ve spread her toys around in the hope she will find them more interesting. we could open our presents but I still have a few to wrap. Its almost 2am but I have to wait for my partner to go to bed. Currently he’s watching a compilation programme with old pop songs, from pet shop boys to 10cc and boy George.
I’ve just started making a sherry trifle…blackcurrany jelly with sponge fingers, half a pint of sherry and fresh rasberries. To be topped with strawberry blancmange (some people use custard ..yuk). Then topped with whipped cream……
Waiting for the jelly to set in the fridge. Then I’ll make the blancmange so hopefully its set by the morning.
The drawing was one of my first digital drawings, done around the end of the 80’s?
You can tell how old it is, you can see the pixels!
I know that not everyone is religious or follows a particular faith. I just wanted to wish everyone, whatever your beliefs a better future and a measure of peace.
X
A blue bar of cerulean sky contrasts with sodium lighting as the sun creeps back up the sky. Of course it is the Earth turning on its axis that makes the sun appear to rise when it is actually us turning towards it.
The cloudy skies have prevented me seeing a fuzzy green comet which is in the sky somewhere above Orion, possibly near the constellation Gemini. I’ve tried looking out each night but the weather is too murky. I probably need to take the car out into the countryside to see it.
More cloud has blown across the sky so it’s actually got slightly darker. I heard a brief song from a bird about half an hour ago but the dawn chorus tends to be muted at this time of year. It improves in spring and early summer when the birds that inhabit the garden start to look for mates.
Listening to radio 4on the bbc and hearing news from around the world.
Life continues, partner is snoring. I might be soon. I think I will catch another 40 winks…
X
I have only ever ridden a horse on two occasions. Once on holiday in the lake district and the first time at a nearby village where we were visiting a friend.
I used to cycle a lot, so the first ride (well sitting on a small horse being led on a halter round a feild) didn’t feel too scary, except when the horse lowered its head to crop the grass. I felt like I would slide down its neck. I still felt safe because it was under supervision.
The second time was a few years ago, before I got creaky and was still able to climb up onto a mounting block. First we had a little amble around a fenced in square of concrete. Then after being showed how to hold the reigns, we went for a short walk on some flat land between the rolling green hills of the south lake district (near Barrow I think).
I tried kicking and clicking my heels to get the horse to walk on, but it would only go when the other horses were moving. We gradually wended our way up an overgrown lane. High on either side with tall grasses and nettles. I regretted wearing ordinary shoes as some of the nettles were tall enough to sting my ankles!
Luckily the horse had thicker skin so as it was in the middle of the bunch it continued its stately waddling walk up the lane.
We finally got to a gate that led onto the main road, but thankfully we turned round and started off again. I realised we were heading slightly down hill and had the familiar vertiginous feeling as the horse dropped its head to nibble at some juicy flowers.
I was glad to dismount, which was a bit of a struggle! I was not used to riding horses and found it quite uncomfortable.
I’ve never been out on a horse again. I doubt I could climb aboard now. I still have much respect for horses, they are beautiful animals, and all the ones I have seen have been friendly. I really respect anyone who can horseride. That must be a wonderful skill. How they can stay on while the horse gallops along underneath them is beyond me.
X
Mallaband-Brown