Leopardess

Here is a better photo of my mural that was destroyed in a fire at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem earlier in the year. The landlady was said to have come over from the Caribbean and married an English man. She then ran the hotel. The trouble is I painted this in 2006? I honestly can’t remember the story I was told and now the hotel is gone.

Lamp

Batteries replaced in this garden light. We have a few random lights dotted round the garden. Its too shady for solar powered ones so we use battery ones. The trouble is, the garden is big and I can’t get enough lights to make it bright. We just place random ones on the paths. Just enough to wander round at night. But then you have to go out and turn them off again!

What is it?

I was trying to draw Virga clouds yesterday for a post here, but to be honest it wasn’t working. I gave up leaving a scribbled shape with conical bits hanging down. Today I doodled blue lines and blue shadows onto it, added segments and an eye and a head. The red is from the previous page but it could be antennae? The resulting creature seems to be floating. It could be in a sea or floating in the air. I’ve decided it’s a Neptunian…. A creature from the gas giant planet Neptune. I imagine it has a prehensile snout and it eats hydrocarbons from carbonbergs floating in the Neptunian skies. The long prong like legs are to grab the bergs as they sail by….

Put the phone down.

Interactive, haptic

Hectic, internetted

Encapsulated, held

Bells and whistles

Too connected!

Now my projects done

I’m having fun

But it’s to seductive

All those screens

You and him and me

Chatting and liking

Dose of dopamine

Eyes go funny

Arm aches

Fingers droop

But still I type.

Put the phone down

Disconnect…..

Freedom!

At the exhibition

Sketch of the exhibition yesterday. The artworks were exhibited on large white boards. The are peg boards with rows of horizontal and vertical holes. To hang a painting you push two metal hooks into lots of two holes to make a place to hang your pictures up with string. It’s hard to describe but it worked. There were about eight or nine artists exhibiting. I did this in a five minute break between groups of people coming in.

Growing

I need to start gardening again. I haven’t emptied out the old pots and put in new compost yet. It’s May and I’ve hardly been round the garden. We are trying to save money and so we have delayed making a start. But the perennials in the main garden are growing. The Russian vine is growing like mad after the rain. We have lots of lesser celandine and bluebells coming up, plus wild garlic. Geraniums are getting big enough to flower and the bushes keep growing. Oh so much to do and not enough energy or strength!

.

Today’s exhibition

Two boards I had paintings on today. I also had a table with small paintings, jewellery and prints. I sold a few pieces which was good and I think I got a good reception from people. Overall most people in the group seemed to have a good day. It was quite busy all day from when we opened to the last few minutes. It was also good chatting with artists and finding out bit more about their work. I’m tired but happy.

Wet Cat

Our cat doesn’t seem bothered by rain. He comes in, soaking wet, and just plonks himself down on a cushion. He purrs while I stroke his back. He’s like a baby otter. Now he will sit and wash till he’s dry. Then he will probably have something to eat and then curl up to sleep.

There was a very wet cat

Who was also incredibly fat

He was like a sponge

When he took a plunge

Into custard stored in a vat.

OK that’s a really bad limerick. It doesn’t make much sense xx

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope or Mandala using a sketch app on my phone, I think as I draw I try and create an interesting and satisfying pattern. You don’t know what you will end up with when you start, but I think it does help relax you. The app allows you to draw symmetrical patterns by repeating one line over and over again round a circle. I love playing with apps.