Medical help

Ukraine πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ needs help, they need medical support because of all the death and destruction that Russia is causing in the country. One charity in Shropshire, England is sending ambulances over to them. They are slightly outdated and have been replaced by new ones but are perfectly suitable. The Disasters Emergency committee is collecting for Ukraine. This is group of charities supporting the people who need help. I hope Putin sees sense and stops this stupid war. Two million people have left as refugees now. God knows what will happen next.

Patterns again

My brain likes pattern and complexity. I cannot abide plain white walls with no embellishments. Even my writing can be flowery? Is it because I’m interested in all sorts of things? I’m very visual, and yet I can walk past a friend without noticing them! I don’t have that face blindness thing that some people have. I think my glasses frames sometimes blocks the view.

Life is so difficult in the world at the moment. I am feeling a bit low with everything happening. But I pick up a felt pen and draw and time FLIES so fast.

Sweet cat

He’s getting older, I watch him daily. He’s getting older, but he can still be kittenish. A quick mrpurr and then a dash across the room. But he likes to sleep. His heart is old, beats slowly. I hope he will stay a few years longer. Happy and contented.

Yesterday I watched a YouTube video of a man saying farewell to his much loved cat. He lay on the floor, strolling the cats nose and cheeks gently. You could see his tears. I remember the times I have had to say goodbye too.

So much sadness in the world today. Farewells are mounting up. Let there be love and peace for a change. X

Connection

We saw an airbase within 15 miles of the Polish border hit by cruise missiles today. Eighty one people were killed. Putin Russian madness continues.

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was connection so I drew our connection with family. I’ve created an imagined bracelet. The family at the bottom is connected too. Like a paper chain. I’ve used Ukraine flag colours. It’s meant to show a connection of countries supporting them.

St George and the Dragon

Detail of a dragon wounded by St George. Held on a line by a Princess it had captured. In this oil on canvas by Paolo Uccello, painted around 1460, the dragon, a mythical beast has been challenged after capturing a towns people including the Kings daughter.

As I’m doing my report I am noticing different things. In this case, the dragon only has two legs, and its leathery wings have white circles on them like a butterfly or moth. The long curling tail seems to balance its head and body. This dragon is more birdlike than serpentine. It could also resemble a dinosaur, perhaps a pterodactyl even though Uccello would probably not have seen fossilised bones. But in one of those strange coincidences this could be a type of evolution. An artist expressing a current idea that will eventually change to more modern forms of dragon.

Dragon illustrations

Image from a book of beasts and monsters

For my final college report I’m looking at the history of the depictions of dragons (OK very niche). I’m trying to understand how they were illustrated and how they change across the world. I’ve found out Korean dragons have five toes, Chinese four or five and Japanese three toes. They have different shapes. They go from serpentine to with two or four legs. No wings or wings. Some are fire-breathing. They may be mythical but they seem to evolve.

Blue goldfish

Doodle from 2018. I think I’m sharing this again because of Ukraine. Ever more sad news. More death and destruction. More madness. I needed to see something calming and this fit the bill. I could probably filter it and change it to a gold fish in a blue or green pool, but where would the fun be in that? Digital doodle in a sketching app.

Poppy with blue and yellow shoe

Today Russia bombed towns and cities in Ukraine again. Even Russian speaking cities that were supposed to be safe. The Russians even bombed a shoe factory. My drawing is a poppy for remembering the dead and a shoe in Ukrainian colours. A single shoe, lost by its owner. What stupidity. How long will this violence, which is denied by the Russians, be allowed to go on. Give Peace a chance. Stop the war.