Sunday, May 31, 2009

May 31 2009

I have been caught up doing alterations on clothing for people, so have not done any art. I didn't really have anything interesting to write about either, hence, no posts.

I have just visited Rowena at warriorgirl.blogspot.com. She has suggested doing a painting a day for 100 days. I think this is a great idea and am going to commit to doing this beginning tomorrow, June 1st. Last year I committed to making a purse/book a day for a year and did so for six months then got bored with it. I intended switching to something else but didn't find anything that I was inspired to do everyday. Rowena's idea will work for me, I think. I need practice painting and I need to loosen up and be less perfectionistic, so whether I do an art journal painting, a small canvas painting or a mixed media, whatever, it will be something I can do in an hour or two. I am lucking enough to be retired and have lots of time on my hands so that is not an issue. Motivation and inspiration are the issues and I think this challenge will work for me.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

May 26 2009

I said my interview was with Mel - it's with HybridJ - sorry about that!
May 26 2009

Spent a good part of the day painting my 8x8 canvasses. Haven't finished on yet but will post them when I do. I find painting a real challenge, trying to get different textures and effects. I find I dabble a lot and overwork the paint so I need to learn to be more confident with my brushstrokes.

I have received my five interview questions from Mel, so will post them within the next couple of days. There are a couple of very thought-provoking questions.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

May 24th 2009

I posted a lot of pictures, I know, but there are so many beautiful flowers around right now, it's hard to resist showing them all.
May 24th 2009

I went for a walk to the pond today to take pictures of the irises and was rewarded with finding about 35 baby geese, at different stages of maturity sitting groups with parents. It was hard to tell which parents belonged to which babies. It was like a Canada Goose daycare.

Yesterday I walked home and passed Choklit Park. Don't you just love that name?

I haven't done any more on my canvasses, it seems like I get to this stage and then get stuck. What do I do next? Am I going to ruin the base-coats? Is this going to work? Aaahh, just relax and play!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

May 23rd 2009

I just want to share the happy, smiling face of my great granddaughter, Chloe Elizabeth, to brighten your day. Have a happy day!!
May 23rd 2009

I have signed up for Wreck This Journal and have found one a Chapters, so look forward to starting it. I picked it up at HMV the other day and thought it looked like fun. I have dug out some sewing that I started a long time ago and have done a little on that, I have being doing more creating since I started my blog than I have done for a long time. Love it. Love it.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

May 21st 2009

I can't believe it's Thursday already. The days just fly by. I spent the day playing with the canvasses I started on Monday and really enjoyed myself, I am trying to think of it as playing rather than being so serious and perfectionistic about it all. I also planted my New Guinea Impatience on my patio, so it feels like Spring now. We are supposed to get lovely weather over the weekend so my flowers will be happy, as well as me. I want to turn two plant pots into water features but I am having some difficulty finding the right stuff to paint on the inside to make them water tight. The search goes on.

Monday, May 18, 2009

May 18th 2009

I am still looking for three people to make gifts for to honour my Pay It Forward commitment. If you know anyone who would like to paticipate, please send them my way.
May 18th 2009

I spent the afternoon painting the first coat on eight 8X8 canvasses and two 4X6 canvas boards. I really enjoyed it and look forward to taking the next steps. While I was going through my canvasses, I came across two that I had done before and put away because I decided they were no good. Now they look like they can be turned into something. They are a good base to work from. I have a really neat book called Poesie that looks like an autograph book that belonged to my Aunty Ann. It is dated 1918 and is written in dutch, there is a neighbour living in this building that is dutch and she said she would translate it for me. It also has little pictures in it. I am going to try to incorprate some of it into my pictures.

It felt really great to be doing art today instead of reading about it and day-dreaming about it. My blog has really made a change in my life, THANK YOU TO MY VISITORS FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

May 17 2009

I have been tagged by Rose and Bev so here are the six things that make me happy.

1. My 2 daughter's, granddaughter's, and great granddaughter's happy smiling faces.

2. Reading English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh novels while eating sushi or drinking a latte'.

3. My lovely, soft, like-a-big pillow bed. It feels like being hugged.

4. Watching beautiful sunsets and the many different moods of weather from my patio. (Pictures on the right.)

5. Taking photographs especially of nature.

6. Decorative paper, pens, ink, journal book, sketch books - oh, I may as well be honest, any kind of art supplies give me that rush.

Yesterday and friend invited me to go to the studio she has the use of as a member of an organization. She wanted to show me the paintings she has done and how much she has progressed since I last saw her work. She has done really well and I loved being in that atmosphere, it kind of kick started me. I was looking through Collage Journeys by Jane Davies last night and this morning and tomorrow I am going to start painting. My friend and I have made a pact to do as many a paintings as we can by next April when we can go to a Community Center in her neighbourhood and sell them. It is so exciting to have a goal to work towards. That is one of the difficult things about being retired - not having a goal and not really having any purpose. Also, there is a photo contest at another Community Center so I am going to enter that. Motivation, motivation, motivation.

Friday, May 15, 2009

May 15 2009

Yesterday I went downtown to purchase Wuthering Heights (1939 version) and African Queen for my daughter who has not seen either movie. I was amazed to find that neither was in stock and the only ones available come from China and Korea and cost $32.99 as a result. I found some on-line much cheaper but I am still a reluctant on-line purchaser. I will keep searching and will hopefully find them a bit more reasonably priced.

While I was downtown there was a young woman busking and I was so fascinated with what she was doing, I had to take photographs. Her crystal ball flowed like water from hand to hand and around each hand. She looked as if she was truly enjoying herself and posed smiling for pictures. It was a real highlight of my day. I love to see talented, creative people.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

May 14th 2009

My creativity has left me the past few days so I haven't written anything but I decided this morning that if I keep writing and connecting that it will encourge me to be creative again. I have enjoyed visiting everyone elses blogs and notice that some others haven't posted anything for a couple of days so I am not alone. It is very inspiring to see what others have been doing.

Monday, May 11, 2009

May 11th 2009

I was not creative at all today, just a bit down. So I will share a couple of pictures of the view from my patio, this never fails to cheer me up. The sunsets are so beautiful some days. There is also quite a bit of wildlife here, in the middle of the city. Otters, raccoons, skunks, blue herons, eagles, seals and the usual seagulls, crows, sparrow and chicadees. It's amazing that we still have wildlife amidst the concrete and glass.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

May 10th 2009

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's in blog land. My two daughters are coming to visit me today and my grandaughter and great grandaughter phoned me this morning so I am very blessed.

My Mom left us on August 11th 1993 and I still miss her so I am posting three pictures of her today to remember her. Two of when she was young and the colour one was taken when she came to visit us in England when we lived there for 14 years. When the picture was taken we were in a very old, empty house and we were joking around about it being haunted. My Mom had a great sense of humour and we laughed a lot.

Love you Mom.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

May 9th 2009

After reading Mel's (Creative Clutter) blog about dark art, I photographed some of my dark art. It is such an important part of the journey. There is vulnerability in showing our pain and the darkest parts of ourselves. We live in a society that scorns emotion and it can be very difficult to swallow all the pain and keep it to ourselves.

Friday, May 8, 2009

May 8th 2009

I am going to participate in Pay It Forward.

I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 interested people who comment on this post. I have 365 days to do it in......what it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well: you must have a blog and before you leave your comment here write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going.

I am really enjoying being connected to Creative Every Day and have checked out most of the blogs on the site but when you go to each blog there are many more. What hug community and it will keep me busy for many hours checking them all out (well a portion of them anyway).

Thursday, May 7, 2009

May 7th 2009

I have finally finished the page in my art journal that I started many days ago. I had intended doing more collage but I ended up painting the picture with a collaged background. It's funny how the ideas you have and the way you start a project is often not the way you progress with it and finish it - GOING WITH THE FLOW. I used to get upset because my art didn't turn out the way I pictured it in my mind but I have been able to let that go and am much happier with the results. I've also learned not to judge my work too harshly and throw it away but, instead, put it away for awhile and look at it with fresh eyes. Amazing how much better it looks with some distance.

I want to take pictures of dogwood tree on the other side of the square but the weather has been dull and rainy, so I think I will go over and take a couple and see how they turn out. I've found that flower pictures turn out better on bright sunny daysbut who knows.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

May 6th 2009

I just noticed my calendar has a quote: THERE IS NOTHING TO CLING TO BUT IT IS HARD TO LET GO. This is so true. I have found it so hard to let go of the life I used to have and move into the life I must create for myself now.

I was looking for pictures of Koi Fish on line and and came across an iteresting item. The Japanese word for Koi is NISHIKIGOI which means LIVING JEWELS. This creates such a lovely visual picture and aptly describes the flashing golden, orange, black and white jewels glinting in the rippling pond. Koi Fish are also a symbol of strength and power. In the Buddhist religion they represent courage. Humans 'swim' through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear, just like a fish swims through the water. (Quote from neverneutral.wordpress.com)

I have just made the connection between Koi Fish and letting go - letting go takes strength and courage and learning to get into your own flow just like the Koi swims effortlessly through the water.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Yaahh, I Did It

Maay 4th 2009

I figured out how to download one of my nature pictures. I am so thrilled - I'm on my way!!!

Letting Go

May 4th 2009

I have just read a book by Melissa Nathan (who, tragically, died of cancer at the age of 37) and one of the lines in it has stuck with me: "Why are you so scared of letting go?". I have been turning this over in my mind for a few days and find myself thinking about the two sides of myself that are very different and conflicted. There is the conservative, controling, responsible side who is in control of things most of the time and then there is the side who is an irresponsible, fun-loving. free-spirited gypsy and rarely gets a look-in. Letting go would mean the gypsy being in control most of the time - what fun that would be!!!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Ronaye's half marathon

May 3rd 2009
Was up at 4am to go and cheer my daughter on when she ran the half marathon. She did really well, shaving another 17 minutes off her time and 47 minutes off her first half marathon time. This was her third one.

My creativity for the day was limited to taking a few pictures of the marathon and some flower pictures. I hope to be more creative tomorrow. Not a good start to my new committment but I know it will get better.

I can't still can't figure out how to download pictures will keep working on it.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

May 2nd 2009

Today I went to Chinatown and visited the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens. There was a man feeding shrimp to the turtles and koi fish. The trees were beautiful shades of fresh spring green, it was a oasis within the noisy city. I took a few pictures but I haven't figured out how to download pictures yet.

Friday, May 1, 2009

My New Blog

May 1st 2009

I have just been reading my second issue of Artful Blogging and decided to start my own blog. I have thought about it before but haven't worked up the courage to do it,so...................... here goes!

I have been creating for most of my life. Drawing when I was a child and sewing, doing crafts, decorating my homes, etc., as an adult. I am pretty much self-taught except for sewing classes it high school and the odd art class and craft class. I love most Somerset Studio magazines, Cloth, Paper, Scissors and Quilting Arts and watch demos on Youtube.

The problem is, I haven't done a great deal of my own creating. I have tons of art and sewing supplies but don't do as much as I would like to. So I am hoping by creating a blog, it will encourage me to be more creative and hopefully connect with Leak Piken Kolidas's Creative Every Day blog to help me feel more motivated. It's difficult to create in a vaccum. I don't have any creative friends to share with, so I hope blogging will help with this.