New paintings and regular art updates.
The challenge today was ‘first thing in the morning’.
Difficult for me as I have been going to bed very late and getting up late. So at 2am this morning I decided to draw this. It’s a view of my TV. There is no channel 7 here, but I just wanted a generic image on the screen. I coloured it in this far and decided to go to bed. I was going to continue with it, but when I got up I decided I liked it as it is. Its nice I think. Anyway I’m having a cup of coffee and thinking what to draw next.
X
Jarring and jazzing,
my eyes ache and spark,
my neck aches and creaks.
Sore eyes,
tight band round my head,
travelling down to my shoulders.
Sleep won’t come easy,
the stress holds me tight,
I need to rest, I need sleep.
Early to bed, early to rise,
in the middle of the night,
then unable to rest,
Headache.
Cats are good at sneaking into places when you are not looking. Here’s our Tom cat. Now my hubby can’t sit down because the cat has picked his armchair to lie down on. My hubby has gone to bed.. (I sometimes think in the game of cats v humans, our cats have won!).
Add to this getting shares of food we are eating, and you can see they are onto a good thing!
The weight of the world,
making me creak,
making me break,
making me crumble and quake.
Pushing me down,
pushing me under,
finding a crack,
break me asunder.
Restricted and tight,
no room for movement,
shoulders so stiff,
I want to surrender.
Sleep is my safety,
sleep is my friend,
but like a lost child,
I cannot find peace.
Dreams do not come,
only a blackness,
to tired to think,
curled on my mattress.
One day I’ll wake,
free from this tension,
or I’ll be gone,
broken,
departed.
As you can see I love cats! This is my Tom cat who fell asleep on my chest. Its good that he can be relaxed enough to sleep on me but I couldn’t move until he decided to get off! I snuck a photo of him. He is such a sweet and friendly cat. The painting is one I did several years ago (more than 30). It has been up on the wall for years.
X
I wish I could direct my dreams, if I could, I would travel to the seaside, or to a hilltop above a wood. I would look over at the setting sun. Red auburn hair of clouds wrapped round the bright orb. Wind blows streamers of air across the waves, or treetops, glistening light flickers over the boughs and branches. Gulls rise, then fall to roost. Night ascends, stars glint as shimmer. Sleep deepens. I doze.
#uskstoke challenge. Today’s was to draw something furry or feathered. My cats were my subject. I used a 5b pencil on cartridge paper in a Daler Rowney, soft white, A4 sketchbook. One cat was on the cat tree which has several trays to sleep on. The other moggie was on the pile of washing that needs folding up. I’m going to do it when he gets off! He’s been asleep there most of the day.
So yeah, I could have done the birds outside. But apart from the odd wood pigeon, they don’t stay still long enough to draw.
X
She likes climbing up on the airer to have a love, she rubs her cheek against my hand, pushing her nose into my palm. The tower of trays in the background is where she sleeps, curled up above the warm radiator.
Paws on the towel, staring at me. Looking for a cuddle, or sometimes her cat biscuits. She’s a lively cat. She chases toys like a professional footballer. Rolling a tennis ball along with one small front paw. Goal! She pushes it under the sideboard. I act as goalie and fish it back out again.
A graceful gracious cat…
X
Watching too much TV about covid 19, or too much social media. Even when the TV is off I can hear my neighbours TV through the wall. I think he is very deaf. Currently there is sad music, piano, with a heavy beat. With a loud voice over that is too muffled to understand. But in that punchy way that journalists speak.
I stayed up far too late last night, till about four thirty, then got up just after nine in the morning. I’ve tried to stay awake all day but dozed off a few times. To keep occupied I’m gradually getting rid of things and clearing out old papers.
The worst thing is the tension in my neck and shoulders and I think I’m grinding my teeth in my sleep. I go to bed with a stiff neck and it takes ages to get comfortable.
I lost my train of thought, the sound from next door got louder…
I know how to do relaxation, but usually forget. I’m also hunched over my phone or staring at the TV, so that doesn’t help. I could go out and exercise, but I’m worried about doing that as I live in a city and there are a lot of people walking about.
Self isolation is not too bad, I am with my hubby, although our sleep patterns are definitely out.
I just remembered, our cats wouldn’t go to the vets to be inoculated, so they have been indoors for Three YEARS, so a couple of MONTHS more won’t harm me. At least I have access to a garden.
As they say ‘stay safe’ X
I am so tired, I have had a bad cold, and I keep falling asleep now. Dozing, sleeping, nodding. Too tired to keep my eyes open. I wish I was fit and well. OK its not serious, but I’m not doing things I want to do. I want my spring back in my step. My mojo back, my twinkle back in my eye! So I will try and sleep earlier, get some shut eye, keep warm and comfortable. Sorry to moan. I’m fed up, I’m sorry. Might write a bit more later. X
Mallaband-Brown