Ulysses?

I decided to paint something a bit different. I was calling it Medusa but a friend suggested Ulysses. I know the Medusa story but I’m not familiar with Ulysses so I think I had better look it up. This is another acrylic on canvas that I started late last night. I wanted to get a feel of paint on plaster, like a mural.

Draco in a Storm

Mid way through this painting, the background blue is actually (and strangely) a mixture of deep green and dark violet. Who knew that would happen? I will calm the pink down and add more gold to make it more regal. I painted Draco in a storm, its tail and wings are being blown by the storm winds. I hope to add more detail as I work on it.

Draco

My mind is racing, I cannot sleep. My hand has held a paintbrush and suddenly the impetus is there to paint again despite the shaking and wobbling. I started three more small paintings tonight, a kingfisher, then this dragon, and finally a face I’ve called medusa. All works in progress. I think the illustration side of me is leaking into my paintings!

Lake painting

Finished Lake painting I started a week ago. It’s of a lake, I think I’m the Lake District, the reference photo was from a friend in the Orme Group of artists. I may have somewhere to show it for a few weeks. It will be for sale. And suddenly I’m painting again. My arm is still shaking and it cramps up when I paint, and the lines wobble a bit but I have to paint. I just have to.

A new chance to show my art

They say when one door closes another one opens. I’ve now got some of my work at Etruria Industrial Museum. I’m so pleased. It’s for three months and then it will be changed. I do hope I can sell some work. I have done so many paintings over the years. I will have to donate them to charity at this rate!

Report finished.

Feeling a bit less stressed. I’ve got my report in with a day to spare! Gives me time to try and solve another problem tomorrow! If only life was easy. I think I’m going to have another sleepless night while I worry about that. Then next I’ve got to finish putting my Illustration portfolio together. I have almost a month so time to do some more experiments and trials. I want to write some limericks for it too!

Work in progress

I went to our Art Group today. It was good to kick-start myself back into painting again. Struggled a bit because of my shaking arm. I’m like a wobbly jelly.

It was going to be a different painting, but when I got to the venue there was no WiFi available so I couldn’t find the reference photo I wanted to work from. This painting took about three hours so far. I’ve got to work out the reflections and the sky.

Tired again

St Michael slaying a dragon type demon. I’m looking at the history of dragon images and illustrations as part of my college course. I was writing about the symbology and semiotics of dragons at three am. My mind is a little boggled, but I think I’m getting on top of it. Only a few thousand words to go. I definitely think blogging has helped my writing skills. Plus as I suffer insomnia it helps keep me occupied when I can’t sleep.

slow internet

seaside image, blurred with different images

You know the feeling, an egg timer or a circle twirling. The second hand of a clock ticks..too..slowly…

Life nowadays is frenetic. Be There Now! See this Ad! Watch this Vid! Even our phrases are shortened to cram more information in. Life begins to make your head spin. And if you don’t keep up? You get left behind. There is a current advert on the TV (television) with someone attacking and smashing their router because their broadband is too slow. Do you remember Dial Up Modems? Whir whir diddle diddle, a strange tune to listen to as the modem selected the digits of the Internet service provider?At least thats what I imagined it was doing. When if you got ten emails in a day you were overwhelmed. Now? thats nothing. We are superglued to our screens.. (not really).

Before that. Dial up phones with a circular dial that you had to turn to get the numbers dialled. 0 took ages as your finger was placed in the 0 hole and then you pushed the dial round till it reached the bit that actuated the number…hard to explain to you youngsters out there.

Seriously.

LET GO OF YOUR MOUSE OR EQUIVALENT.

GO OUTSIDE

LOOK AT THE SKY, OR A TREE…

SEE?

You can survive without it!

Mural in Fenton Cafe

Mural at Fenton Town Hall by an unknown artist. It is painted in tiny squares (like pixels) and based on a plate design of an oak tree, cottages and a tumble down fence. I’ve seen it before about two years ago. Now it’s much more complete. It’s a huge picture. Very interesting and beautiful.

I had been told by staff there that it had been painted by a particular artist. I’m afraid that was not true and I’m happy to set the matter straight and confirm it was not painted by her.