We were introduced to more exotic food at quite an early age. My mother and father would take us out for meals to local restaurants. Mostly Chinese, but sometimes Indian eateries. It was there we learnt to use chopsticks. We ate tandoori or baltis. We never really ate anything too hot or spicy though. My favourite Indian meal had orange flavours in it, very mild, a house speciality of a local restaurant.
Then a few years ago I discovered a Japanese Restaurant near us. I had not really understood the difference between Chinese and Japanese food so it was a revelation. I soon got other family and friends to try the cuisine there. We sometimes have birthday meals there. I don’t think I have really explored world foods, but at least we have tried some.
I saw this canal boat and just wanted to take a photo of the colours and the perspective lines. You don’t always have to take a photo that shows the entire object. Close ups and distant shots can be good. Macro photos can be very interesting. There are bad photos, but then you can crop them to show a different aspect. Be open to different ideas. Be creative, be comfortable with trying something new.
When you use filters it can create some quirky effects. It’s hard to tell which shape is a chair back or my coat (it was my coat on the back of a chair). Also it’s difficult to know how much shading to use. Will the result be delineated so you can tell where the models arm is? Should I have done less hatching? I think I used the negative space quite well. It’s always worth exploring ideas.
When you’ve got a painting partly done it’s interesting to use a photograph app to play with it and see if there are things you can do to change it. Having done this I don’t think I will take it in this direction, but I may change things a bit. I need to have calm areas as well as jazzy patterns, otherwise I think it will be too much just an all over pattern.
Hold four felt pens together and scribble curves and circles. Fill in the gaps you create with other colours. Another abstract experiment. Mark making is such fun. Like a swirling rainbow, shards of colour spread across the page.
I’ve finished a couple of paintings today. Pretty much as soon as I finished my MA work I picked up a paintbrush again. I’m part of a group exhibition on Saturday and I wanted to finish some new work. Dragons have crept into a couple of the paintings. The one on the left is ‘dragon saucer’ and the right is ‘ulysses’. Illustration has seeped into my veins!
Like all great speleologists my cat likes exploring tight and small spaces. For instance she found a pack of felt pens in this bag.
Her caving experience also includes behind the bathroom sink pedestal, under the washing on the laundry airer, and underneath my hubby’s overcoat where it touches the floor. She will lie in wait, or extend a paw quietly to catch her brother as he is passing. A miniature lion in her den.
I went on a walk today with a group called closer to home. I couldn’t keep up all the way round their five mile walk but I did my best. You know a city is linked by main roads, but we went up old pathways, along the old track bed of a railway, the potteries loop line, and back along the canal.
Towards the end I found I was struggling, it was like I’d hit the wall, but I ket going and finished only a few hundred yards to the rear of the group. A friend walked along with me so it wasn’t too bad.
Today I had a workshop on brainstorming. Coming up with ideas based on the word heuristic (first we had to read the definition) turns out it’s to do with finding out about things, collaboration, experimentation, investigation. Do we thought if sherlock Holmes, detecting things, doing research, being nosy. Bugging things, bookworms, learning, library, eyes, investigating the universe….
The doodle? That was drawn last night while I was trying to come up with ideas for an editorial brief… Its not anything to do with today, just something abstract.
She had let herself in the front door with a key she had found in the street. It had just been there, in the gutter. Perhaps fallen from a pocket? The address was stuck to it with a bit of sellotape. She wondered why and pondered if the person it belonged to was forgetful….
She decided to try and find the house or flat it was from, so she looked it up on her phone. Success, only two streets away. She would go round and drop it off.
A few minutes later she was outside a large, smart house. Set back in a large corner plot. Bushes and trees and a neatly trimmed lawn. She walked up the gravel drive, her feet crunching so loudly she was certain any occupent would hear her coming.
She knocked on the big blue door. And gazed through the frosted glass to see if she could see movement. But nothing but silence greeted her.
She knocked again, should she post the key through the brass letterbox, or wrap it in some paper from her bag and leave a message?
There was no reply so she pulled the key out of her bag. But she looked at the door lock. Why not? She knew she was being nosey but…. She lifted the key and unlocked the door. ‘Hello’ she called loudly. ‘Anyone home?’ No reply again…. She walked further in, looking around. A marble floor, beautiful paintings on the wall. Swag curtains on the windows, made of blue and green velvet. That was just the hall! Gradually she explored the downstairs area, reception rooms, beautifully decorated and furnished. A dining table set in a plush dining room. Each more luxurious than the last. She passed admiring glances over the fully fitted kitchen. An island! How did people afford such luxury?
Suddenly she heard the front door slam… She hadn’t locked it, whoever was there would have noticed that. ‘Who’s here?’ came a loud male voice. She stood still and silent, the shout came again, louder now, exploring. Heavy footsteps running upstairs. Now was her chance. She ran into the utility room where she had seen the back door. Keys hung on a board together with a Swiss army knife. Scrambling she tried to find the key to the back door. Keys fell, crashing loudly to the floor. ‘Who is there? ‘ Louder, closer, feet rushing. I’ve got to get out, anywhere, maybe I can hide in the back garden or find a side gate? She thought in a panic…..
Outside, running. Towards the gate. Feet running after her, he grabbed her wrist. Thrust the knife blade towards her throat. ‘Who the hell are you?’ he screamed in her face…..
Mallaband-Brown 