A green sea spirit

Painting that just popped up on my Facebook memories today from 9 years ago. It’s a picture of a green man sea spirit. The image was based on a terracotta face I had outside my back door. There is a crack through it which was caused by frost I think. I changed the colours to reflect its maritime appearance. It has a similar feeling to the Air painting I just published, a spiritual or mythical feeling. Acrylic on canvas.

Island views

#bandofsketchers prompt was island views.  I tried to do a drawing of St Michaels Mount. I couldn’t work directly off a photo as its on a website and I couldn’t take a screen shot of it. Then I had to draw sideways to fit in my screen on the Artrage app I drew it in. Finally rotated it, it’s a bit of an impressionist image x

Brick wall time

Hitting my head against a brick wall. My world feels like a ton of bricks has landed on my head or I’ve run slap bang into a brick wall. Lots of things have been going wrong and I know I must break through the wall but it’s hard. Health, family, finances, I have been feeling down but I know I must continue to fight if I’m going to succeed and survive. I think I’m probably being  bit too open here but I’m going to share these thoughts elsewhere too.

Finishing work

Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.

I gave up work to mainly look after my hubby whose mental health was deteriorating. I could have carried on, but circumstances were also changing in my job. The way we worked was reverting back to old fashioned ways which I felt was detrimental to our clients. I’d fought hard to help them more and it felt like their needs were being forgotten while money was saved. Services were being slashed. I had to go, and I never regretted it, I just felt sorry for my fellow workers who I left behind. Covid and other problems meant that I didn’t make a go of my small business, but at least I tried.

Confused

Is anyone else having problems working out which posts they have viewed? It used to be that once you had looked at them they would disappear off your list of viewed posts, but now I’ve got a load of posts where people have commented and they keep staying. It’s getting so I can’t tell which I’ve viewed and the page is filling up. If any “happiness advisors” read this please explain what I need to do?

Old cat sketch

One of our cats from thirty years ago. Drawing in biro. He lived until he was about 17. He was a lovely quiet cat and I remember him and his sister were sweet. His mum came to us, as a pregnant stray. She was very intelligent and liked riding on my shoulders but her son didn’t do that. But he was still clever and would always come when I called or whistled him. He used to sneak into my neighbours house through their cat flap and he came home once with a huge steak in his mouth, growling when I took it off him. I never dared tell my friends what he had done!

Driving

What makes you nervous?

As you get older you become more aware of your infirmities. If you are sensible you will take that into account when you drive. It’s not just for your benefit, it’s for the people who are driving or who are travelling around you.

Things like sight, strength, hand eye coordination, reaction times are all important. You must notify the relevant authorities if there is something wrong with you.

There are many places I would have happily visited until recently, but I’m nervous of travelling any distance without someone alongside me. I will continue to take care and drive carefully and not put anyone else at risk.

Old drawings

Years ago I could draw well and u think I had good skills but now? The real thing I regret about having Parkinsons disease is that my manual dexterity and hand eye coordination are getting worse. I don’t know what the prognosis is but the Parkinsons nurse I spoke to at my last appointment told me that the tablets I am taking do not necessarily calm down the, shaking and tremors I’m experiencing. I thank the Internet for spellchecker because I don’t know if my writing would be OK without it. I can still draw but it takes time and at least I can digitally erase my mistakes. If I draw normally the shakes on my left side mean the sketchbook I’m using jerks around all over the place. So it’s easier to use an easle. My right hand is a bit more controlled if I concentrate hard. But Art is my whole life, if I can’t do it what  will I do? I must learn to adapt, take the treatment I am given and hope. But there are other health problems I’m facing. I just have to have more tests…

Posting stuff

How do you use social media?

I post inanities, some profanities.

I post comments and responses, photos and art, I share posts and repost. Much of it isn’t important. I’ll ask people to answer questions, like can you name an A to Z of fruit? Or do you remember TV programmes in the 60’s or 70’s? And of course I post pictures of my cats.

I post here and at other sites such as Facebook. I sometimes write poems or short stories. I try and come up with interesting digital sketches and art. Exploring fine art ideas and creating new paintings. I sometimes even create pottery or sculpture.

I occasionally play games online but I’m not keen on video games or whatever it’s called now. I sometimes look up facts but I tend to rely on my own knowledge and understanding. I’m no influencer, that’s not what I’m interested in. But it makes for a more varied life and keeps me occupied (too much)! Plus you get to meet interesting and unusual people xxxx