Falmouth

I received my certificate from Falmouth University today. I’m not saying what it was or showing the full thing as I know the Internet can be used to steal information and copy your details. But I love their crest. A bird holding paintbrushes, a sailing ship. The words Creative, Connected, Courageous. Doesn’t that say it all? I’m proud to be associated with it. Does it matter that I got it? Yes it does to me. I am proud of my achievement.

Yin-yang

Made a coffee, but as often happens I saw a pattern as the cream swirled over the top. I took a photo, which isn’t very good, because I thought it looks like the yin-yang symbol.

I have always, for as long as I remember, found shapes in patterns, from imagined fairies in rose wallpaper, to dragons on tablecloth fabric. I have a mind that has a creative bent. Pareidolia is sometimes fun, sometimes irritating. But I use it for my art.

Home grown

Basically windfalls, five rough pears, two apples, three green walnuts and a single green tomato. The wind must have been blowing.

For the first time we have a good crop of apples on the main tree, the pear tree is bent over with pears that are growing slowly larger. The walnuts are being stolen by squirrels who bury them and the tomatoes are growing in a hanging basket and in a grow bag surrounded by other plants. They are all having to take their chances while there is less rain, but they are well established plants and I think the fruit trees have deep roots. We plan to do some pruning of the garden. The blueberries are gradually ripening, the gooseberries have all been eaten as have the raspberries. I saw no strawberries this year, but I think they have been shaded out by other plants. We even have redcurrants although I misidentified them as woody nightshade (not a good idea). Earlier in the year we had a small crop of cherries and we might get a few elderberries. So all in all not a bad year of fruit and veg.

Retraining my brain

I’m trying to be more positive and to retrain my brain at the moment. The idea is that every evening for at least twenty eight days you try and write three gratitudes to get on a more positive train if thought. They shouldn’t be massive things that are overwhelming, but small things, little things you recognise as something to cherish. I’m on day eight and I think it’s helping a bit. I’m trying to encourage my hubby to do it too. Of course I have included sketches, it makes things more real.

Sundays were always boring…

Sitting around being bored. Shops shut, nowhere to go. Listening to the radio, parents doing the washing in a boiler and a spin drier in the kitchen. Steam coming up and then patterns in the water as the spindryer vibrated the bowl that caught the water. No fridge, just a cold pantry, food was usually bacon and eggs for breakfast and tinned peaches and evaporated milk with sliced bread and butter at teatime. It was always the same. Things did change, life got more interesting, but only when my parents got transport, which was two small motorbikes. Memories are strange, they suddenly appear, then what do you do.

Skyline

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was skyline.  I’ve been trying to see the perseid meteor shower that is currently happening but the moon has been too bright and has drowned things out with its light. I was hoping to see something because it’s been warm enough to stand outside late at night.. Felt pen drawing filtered in Photodirector.

Lion

I’m in another group of artists who come u with challenges to post to every week. The pictures don’t have to be recent (thankfully). This was for #safari, I painted it about four years ago and it went to the local ‘Lions’ club which is a local charity. What else can I say? It’s acrylic on canvas, about A4 size. I don’t paint every single hair or piece of fur, but I try and get an impression of how the animal looks. I generally do cat and dog portraits but am not too bad at most animals x