New paintings and regular art updates.
Artrage digital drawing. I saw some poppies against a grey sky and I decided to quickly draw a representation of the colours. Drawn using a stylus rather than a finger painting. I like the ways the stems aren’t always straight.
What personal belongings do you hold most dear?
When I was about 12 my mom and dad bought me a gold coloured bangle as a present while we were on holiday. It clipped together on one side and had a little chain that stopped it from falling off. Of all the things I have this was the most precious. I still have it, it is a bit worn, the gold colour has rubbed off a bit, the swirly engraving of flowers is still visible but it’s slightly too small so I rarely wear it.
Books. I have so many, I counted them once and when I got to 1000 I gave up.
Many were my hubbys, trains, planes and bicycles, autobiographies, war and history. Stories about Rommel or Rome. My books are science fiction or fact, mysteries, art and illustration. We shared a love of JRR Tolkien and Ursula K Le’Guin and other writers such as Terry Pratchett. All our books are intermingled, it’s hard to see where ones obsession ends and the other starts.
Books are a library, some I’ve read over and over again, sometimes overnight, finishing the last page as the sun rises. Others I’ve savoured over months. Some bored me, but I still wanted to finish them.
But now? Can I let some go, like puppies to a new home? I might never read them. If anyone knows of a book charity for schools let me know?
I’m glad Esther posted this prompt, it’s made me think about things.
A drawing I did when I was in hospital 6 years ago with pneumonia. Even when I’m not well I still want to do art. I was in for a few days. When the antibiotics kicked in I started to feel better and got very bored, so I asked my hubby (bless him) to bring me a sketch pad and some pencils. It helped that I was in a side room and I had a view out across the valley with hospital buildings, houses and trees. I was a bit annoyed with the thick window frames that blocked a lot of the view but I guess they need to be sturdy. I hope I don’t have to go through that again, but if I do I will be asking for art materials!
I’ve been to two choir sessions today, both are slighty different groups. So we learn different songs although the warm up is usually the same. I love singing different songs and it lifts me when I am feeling down.
I go to choir because I’ve been going for between 15 and 20 years. It’s my rock I can cling onto in a raging river of life. If I didn’t go I would be seriously lost. It helps my mental health and I believe it’s also good for my physical health but it’s getting harder and harder to keep going. I need to rest between songs and I get tired quicker. Also I have to drive to get to the groups and I have to be careful that I am safe to drive. I can think about all the journeys I used to make but I can no longer do them. That diminished possibility hurts me.
Drawn on the old sketchfu website. I used a circular tool and layered up the colours, then I used a smaller circle set at a lower opacity to add the shade and highlights. It was a really simple site to use, I wish it was still open for use.
By the sea
Sand soft beneath my feet,
Tide rising, toes tickled by waves.
Starfish paddle with their little feet
Whelks and cockles burrow
Warm splash of water
Buckets and spades
Time to build a sandcastle for me and you.
So tired,
A day full of painting ad singing, I was helping with the Molly Leigh project at BArts. I offered to paint a picture for a wall in the witches cottage, I ended up painting a fireplace too. I only did the morning as I wanted to join the choir and to be honest I was so stiff and tired after I’d been painting I almost fell asleep in my chair!
This is hard work, I don’t shake as much when I’m concentrating but the tremors of Parkinsons make small details difficult. I try and hold my breath and clamp my arm against my body. In fact I’m having to redo sections because I’m not happy with the results, but I will persevere, memory of Molly, work in progress. Acrylic on canvas. Copy of a mural I did at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Difficult to reproduce the same feeling.
I saw a prompt on Esther Chilton’s page “dreams” and decided to write a poem about loss to respond to it. Here it is.
In my dreams you are still here
I grasp your hand to pull you near
To say “goodnight” to you my sweet,
As my heart trips and skips a beat,
To have you here, to hear you speak,
That is the dream I really seek.
I know that you have gone away,
Will never see another day.
I’m in a dream now, holding on
To memories of you though you’ve gone.
Mallaband-Brown