New paintings and regular art updates.
When I drew this image in ArtRage oils, the free app, and then Layout to duplicate it, I didn’t really know how they worked. And yet I’m pleased with the results. I guess sometimes simpler things look better. My hubby reckons I overwork things, but I just think I want them to look finished, I am not exactly a perfectionist, but I know when somethings done…anyway I hope you like these….
Goodnight x
All hallows eve. The night before all saints day, Halloween. October 31st. Tomorrow…
It was almost midnight. The moon was about half full, gliding in and out from behind the clouds. Smoke from an early November 5th bonfire drifted across the woodland. A mist was forming and swirling around the trees.
Why am I doing this? She thought for the thousandth time. Why do I want to be a Witch? It was all very strange. The recruitment, in a cafe! What did they think they were, spies?
Next to her stood her best friend, Gerry, she was slightly older and into Wiccan ideas, she had persuaded her to come along. Come on, whispered Gerry. It’s almost midnight.
They followed a short path through the trees. Their bare legs scratched and nettled. Not far now. They came out into a wide open space, a gap in the trees. One Oak sapling grew at the centre of the clearing. A crude rock alter lay in front of it. The clearing was full of women in black dresses and capes, holding broomsticks and with the traditional conical hats on their heads. She started to laugh. This was ridicuous. She shivered, all she and Gerry were wearing were dark cloaks like those of the women in front of her. What am I bloody well doing…..
Come forward, a tall woman ordered them. Kneel. Put your heads on the altar.
What? She struggled so two women grabbed her and pushed her down. She felt the slab of rock cold against her cheek.
People danced and a fire flickered, out of the corner of her eye she saw the leaves falling like snow from the trees although there was no wind or breeze.
She heard cackling laughter and the tall woman sat astride her broomstick. It lifted! Slowly the woman rose, all the while maniacal laughter flying from her mouth. Twice round the clearing. The witches gradually stepped forward and surrounded the two women at the altar.
The tall woman landed next to them.
You have both passed the test, she said. You are now witches. I salute you.
Would you like a Sloe Gin with tonic and ice ?
Well more autumn woman really. This popped up on my Facebook memories from three years ago. I’d forgotten about her. I did something similar last year, but I like this one more. I like the splurge of bright colours. I like her eyes. It went to a friend who appreciated it but to be honest there were a few people who enjoyed it.
As with all my art I like painting themes but I don’t stick to the same idea all the time. Currently my ainting include industrial archeology and history, portraits of people and animals. Space images, green men, women and animals. I do not like painting the same images constantly, my brain is fizzing too much to do that. X
Filters. How many? I think about five in my vacuum cleaner. All of them get blocked up. So when you come to clean them out you have to clear each one. Having long hair and cats doesn’t help. Our old cleaner was a lot more efficient and needed less maintenance. I guess the twists and turns dust has to follow through the machine, causes the blockages, like blood clots in a branching venous system. Not to mention… Hubby’s socks that get left in odd places and cause more problems! Argh!
Glass pieces we just collected from Angela Ashtons glass workshop. The square pin trays are by my hubby and the smaller pieces are mine. They have been drilled so they can have chains or laces to turn them into necklaces.
I’ve enjoyed doing these and I hope I can do more in the future.
X
Part of the set up for the play we went to see were the cars. Old and new. My favourites were the Austin Maxi in mustard yellow, and the bright red Audi Quattro. Both were just inside the door as you came in, together with an old caravan. It set the scene so well. Fascinating.
The D Road is a play we went to see today about a woman affected by the D Road.
The D Road is a dual carriage way that runs through Stoke-on-Trent and joins with the M6 motorway North and south of the city making a D shape.
The play is written by Debbie McAndrew. The story unfolds as an elderly lady is frightened by a man hanging around her house. Her grandson catches him and demands to know what he is up to…. The answers change all their lives…
Very enjoyable. Put on inside the Meadows suite at Spode. It was quite cold as its an empty factory, so we were given blankets to keep warm. Very enjoyable.
I was given a Helium balloon by a friend for our anniversary and its gradually losing Helium as the days go by. Helium can escape because it has the second smallest atom in the periodic table, and can diffuse through the skin of the balloon. Helium is also inert so unlike Hydrogen that has the smallest atoms, it won’t burn. (Hydrogen on the other hand is very reactive and burns with Oxygen in the atmosphere to make water).
The balloon has gradually sunk in the air as its buoyancy has reduced. We gradually cut off the ribbon on it and as that reduced its weight it flew higher. Its also following air currents and drifted around the house. Rather like a drop of water floating in the international space station the balloon has drifted up and down the stairs. When it gets above a radiator it ascends, and when it drifts out of the warm air it descends again. At the moment it’s bobbing around the living room, like one of the giant bubbles in the 1960s series ‘the prisoner’….
A not very interesting anecdote…..
It’s been a few months since I used my old tablet, so when I installed the picsart app in my new one I wasn’t sure how it would work. I think I’m getting the hang of it although there seem to be lots more options than before. I’m still finding my way round it but I liked being able to put this photo in a frame. To write text and place and resize it easily, added a heart sticker. I also drew the whiskers in a bit more although it was hard to know which pen icon to use and how to change the pen thickness and opacity. But as I already partly knew the app I was soon using it again. I would advise playing with the app, using different tools and filters until you are more confident with it. Remember – you don’t have to save your work if you don’t like it.
X
For years I’ve used an app called ArtRage oils which is free, but when I got this new tablet I decided to go mad and get the full ArtRage app. I’m having a lot of fun with it, new tools to use, a colour picker, and various other things to do. Now I just need to learn it a bit more so I can try and do realistic art, and I have a stylus….that’s really much better than finger painting.
X
Mallaband-Brown