Spend more time with my cats

What do you wish you could do more every day?

Get up in the morning with my cats

They are running around like bats

I mean silly rushing

Each one pushing

The boundaries of reason

But it’s the spring season

Jumping about then resting

And they’re always questing

To find a nook and cranny

To hide in like a canny

Cat, ready to pounce

Or at least flounce

Off in a huff

Which can be rough

To their friendly mate

Who’s left in a state

Of shock

After a sock

In the face with a paw

When they were calm before

Getting all het up

When they meet up

On the bed

They sort of see red

And chase

Yes that’s the case!

Hi jinks

When a claw sinks

In your nose

But it’s fun I suppose!

Treat

Ice-cream Sundae at the Quarter restaurant at the Spode Site, Stoke on Trent today. I have to say this was a huge amount of ice cream. I felt really naughty, but I’d had some good news so I treated myself to it.

I’d called in at my studio to collect paintings that sold during my Retrospective exhibition. I’d met up with a friend and we decided to go for tea. It was lovely to see her and to chat for a couple of hours. It had been a few months since we last got together and it was good just to have a laugh for a change. Things have been difficult but I  just had a glimmer of hope today.

Eccentric?

What is one word that describes you?

I decided to use the form of a limerick poem to describe the one word ‘eccentric’ that I have chosen for myself. The painting is of me as a green woman…

I’m rather eccentric, that’s me

I prefer that to ‘mad’ you see

I love paint and mess

With nothing to stress

And my mind is a buzz, like a bee!

Pinned down

A year ago my cat had pinned me down on the bed! I didn’t usually have my phone with me but on this occasion the stars aligned and as I woke up, stuck, I decided to take her photo. Nowadays she sneaks under the covers next to me. She will maybe stay still for ten minutes, sticking her claws in me as she kneads away at my leg or side. Then, I think she must overheat, she will rush out and escape. One of the other cats sleeps above the cover and gently snores. If they see each other they sometimes hiss at each other, but generally they are chilled about things.

Blue bird

A strange little doodle of a blue coloured bird, just experimental play with the Artrage app. It not exactly exciting, I just wanted to try an get an idea down of what a bird would look like. I’ve got several criticisms, the neck is probably too short, the tail too long and basically the colour is far too bright. It’s like the bird has had a can of paint poured over it! But I’ll call it done.

Exhibition was lovely

Lots of friends came to my exhibition and it was lovely to see them. I’d taken a box of wine and some orange juice and I really was scared that no one would come. It’s strange how anxiety can affect you, but I shouldn’t have worried. I think its like a performance anxiety, stage fright, having to talk about your work, explain the thought behind it. I luckily knew most of the people there so I didn’t need to panic!

The exhibition is on for another week so I should be able to show more people round during the week. X

Losing my marbles

I collect all sorts of things, and today I remembered I have a bowl made of buttons glued together, inside it is my marble collection. I need to clear the bowl out, it’s very dusty and some of the leaves from the plant above it have fallen in over the winter. I can’t wash it because it’s held together with PVA glue. I’m going to remove the marbles, (hopefully without losing them), wash them and dry them then put them back in the bowl.

So why am I writing about this? I guess it’s just that I collect all sorts of things, perhaps I should get rid of things? Maybe it’s a trait about being an artist, gathering shiny objects. I guess I’m a bit of a Magpie.

Catty

I realised I haven’t doodled much lately. I guess I’ve been too busy and distracted. So today I drew this cat in the Artrage app on my phone. It’s meant to be a tabby cat with grey black and white fur. I didn’t use the metallic option at all so the paler colours show up better than they would if I had. It’s like everything else, you learn what works for you.

Esther’s challenge: New beginnings

A new world?

Esther Chiltons blog has writing challenges every week, I’ve started trying to do some. New beginnings was an interesting one.

This is what I wrote :

New beginning?
I hope so.
My life has changed in so many ways. I’m having to reassess what I can do, can afford, can maintain.
New beginnings means the garden is starting to flower, I hope to get outside and maybe paint if I feel up to it. I need help to keep the garden tidy.
My main wish is that my health improves and I can have some real new beginnings….

Esther does other challenges, like on Mondays we try and write a limerick with a certain word in it, or on Thursdays a set of words and a limited number of words to use. It’s fun. Why not look her blog up?