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

Star Trek the original series

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

I couldn’t find a photo of Mr Spock from the original Star Trek series. He was my favourite character when I first saw the series as a child. I liked his logical brain and was always shocked if he smiled or laughed.

There were not many series of the show but I watch them as often as I can. I love the tribble episode and the way they reacted when faced with a klingon spy. There were surreal moments with the crew transported to the OK Corral. Or to a modern day version of Rome, or Greek mythology.

I just keep going back to its strong feelings about equality of women and different races and the feeling of humanity and empathy that was embedded deep within the stories. I went on to watch the movies, then the Next Generation series, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Star Trek Enterprise. To be honest I’ve watched all of them repeatedly. They cheer me up! And I’ve watched the newer films too. I can’t see some of the newer series because I don’t have pay per view, but if they come into freeview I will definitely watch them!

Trying to answer!

Are you superstitious?

I’m superstitious about some things, not walking under ladders for instance, or saluting when I see a single Magpie (only after my friend told me about doing it). In the UK black cats are lucky so I don’t worry if I see one.

I wanted to answer this prompt, but for some reason the prompt says I’ve already answered it. I’ve had to go through a couple of extra pages to get here. Should I be superstitious? I think the human brain looks for patterns. If something goes wrong after you walk under that ladder perhaps you have tempted fate? Maybe something bad will happen if you do it again? But the person up the ladder that dropped paint on you might have laughed or been really sorry. Consequently he’s not going to be superstitious about it. The lesson is learned by the victim…

Driving test

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

,

When I failed my driving test I learnt from that experience, I learned that an unmarked crossroads should be approached with caution and you should stop to check if anyone else is coming and give way if necessary. Also if the driver next to you drives over a pedestrian crossing on a one way street, don’t assume it’s clear of pedestrians. If someone is about to cross- Stop!

When I did the follow up test my car would not start… It turned out it was an electrical fault. I sat in the drivers seat while people from the test centre had to give me a bump (push) start. The instructor told me to turn right, I indicated left! I apologised, explained the electric problem had flustered me. We started again, me convinced I had failed again.

We did the test, I passed! I was amazed, but I had learnt from the previous test.

Paints, brushes, canvas?

What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

I tell a lie,

I could live

But would life be worth it?

Colours swirl and fade,

Brushstrokes create

Patterned surfaces

Canvas grabs paint

Textures grow

Light seems to flow.

No, without my creative things

A life of sadness it brings.

Give me my paints,

I will build mountains

Canvas for landscape

Or face?

Who knows.

Brushes manipulate

Joy it creates.

I’m starting to

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

Which way do the dice fall for you? Can you control your fate or is it out of your hands? I’ve always thought I have some control, some freedom of thought. I don’t know any more.

Am I fated to end my life cast away on a desert island, or skydiving on a Sunday afternoon? No chance, they are just random thoughts. But I can sometimes see a pathway I don’t like. I will fight against that.

Destiny? A destination that is foretold or preordained? Like a Princess who is destined to become a Queen. Maybe that is what my destiny will be… To be a rich and famous artist? Nah!

I don’t have one

Do you enjoy your job?

I gave up work to look after my hubby and try and set up as an artist. Sadly circumstances mean that he is no longer here and I don’t have the possibility of keeping my artists studio.

I won’t stop painting though, creativity is my reason for living. Despite health issues I cannot give it up. So I suppose really I do have a job, but it’s very much part time. I will still accept commissions and do my best to produce quality art work. I hope I continue long into the future, drawing on these recent events to produce new art.

Leaving school

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

When I left school all those years ago I remember feeling like I was falling off a cliff. Hard to change my life.

Everything had been about learning, getting up every day, going to classes, coming home, doing homework. Trying to make the switch to ‘real life’ was a shock. I knew the times I worked would be different, but I got a couple of part time jobs cleaning and waitressing so I was not free to enjoy weekends or evenings anymore. This got worse as I went to college in the following autumn so I was trying to fit in my college work and my jobs and trying to get some work life balance.

I managed the change in my life OK after a few months but strangely it was hard to say goodbye to. I was still with my family and friends. The next year I left home. That was the real shock to my system.

Putting a bookcase together!

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

I remember fighting to put a bookcase together. We had picture instructions. Various dowels and screws and covers to go over the screw heads, shelves, and a few bits that made a sort of plinth base thing. It was white coated MDF which had white hardboard that slotted together at the back. It came with pva glue that helped hold it together.

Once we got it out of the box we got confused with how to put it together. Place part A next to part C, use dowel B to join together etc etc…  But it gets boring after a bit. You spill the glue on the destructions (as I call them), which stick together and then, disaster(ish). It sort of looks like the picture on the box, but a bit like the leaning tower of Pisa! No matter, we will try putting books on when the glue dries…

I don’t know an answer

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

What possible word could be banned? What language would it be in? Would it be an old word or new? Could it be a profanity or a religious word?

The question what word would you ban from general usage is impossible if I were to make the choice. Thinking about so many words that I hate or dispise gets me nowhere. Words that are political, or hate filled may have a use in describing a group or a situation. Remove the word and you remove the significance of it. Like editing out a person from a photo, you don’t remove the existence of them. You just try and hide a secret that should be left visible.

And again, what language is it in? I only speak and write English, but is the word German, or Swahili, Moroccan, Portuguese? What right do I have to chose? I say again, this is impossible.

I’m sure certain words do spring to mind. Perhaps we should consider using different words instead, not putting a blanket ban on it but considering a substitute.

What do you think?