Up, up and away

The last couple of weeks have been tough.  I had a really heavy counselling session which knocked me back for a week or so.   And the heat of the last few days has been too much for me,  wanted to get into an ice bath and stay there!

I wanted to get away from seascapes,  and after looking at some photos of hot air balloons decided to have a go.  The first attempt was dire!   Made a complete mess of the balloons,  so painted them out and started again.  Much happier with these,  just working on the greenery at the moment, and will put in some more mountains, but very, very pale.

Art course is going well, my painting is nearly finished, Andy took a look at it and suggested a few things so I'm working on those at the moment.


Back to my mood, of course things never stay the same, and I began to get back on track, met a friend and we spent the day at the Walker Art Gallery,  saw the Perry Grayson exhibition, had lunch and enjoyed the glorious weather (pre heatwave).    Next my cousin came for a visit and we went for lunch, always good to talk to her, she has been really supported me.   Finally a friend came to stay for a few days,   bad timing on my part as the golf was on TV (The Open), and I love golf!   The weather played a part in me being able to watch it as we were too bushed to do much else than stay indoors out of the heat.  We did enjoy a delicious meal last night,  two fabulous steaks,  they melted in your mouth and we got 25% off as I checked the pub's website and they had a voucher!   That's why we had the steaks.   It also cooled down last night,  so we were both able to sleep.  Harvey's not enjoyed the humid weather,  it upset his tummy,  and left him miserable.   Then horror of horrors, Tesco didn't have his favourite food!   He's fussy in that he likes five types of fish, cod, tuna, salmon, plaice and sardine,  Felix do a box with the cod, salmon, plaice and Tuna, but they had none left, meaning it is obvioulsy popular - so why don't they stock more of it!    I got some today from Sainsburys, bought two boxes,  can't run out again.

My time on the art therapy programme also came to an end :-(    Fortunately it wasn't just me leaving, two others were as well,  and the programme also breaks up for the summer (to accommodate holidays) so that made it more bearable, knowing that there wouldn't be a session this coming week and I wouldn't be there.  Got lots to occupy me, signed up to take part in a art sculpture project,  and some outings with the group, now I need to find a painting course so I can continue to improve.

Harvey's much happier today, it has cooled down,  he has his favourite food, so his tum is full, he's just done a happy cat dance down the hall.    And I've got two lunch dates this week, and have to arrange a coffee with a friend, big difference from last year.

All for now,  thanks for stopping by.

Brush strokes...

Well I've been at the paints.   Almost finished my art course piece, which is this one.  Yes the Iron man is looking a bit odd, but I've started to correct him,   and I've also added a boat,  there will be two more added.   I'm happy with some stuff, and not with other bits,  but I do feel that I am making progress.   Probably need to get away from seascapes!     Just the finishing touches, as in paint in the boats, sails,  and add a bit more 'rust' to the iron man. 

Second Iron man,  worked hard on the 'puddling',  it may need a little bit more.   But I am happy with this.  The sky wasn't easy,  need to be less impatient.   I put this to one side for a few days and then came back to it,  then I thought about how the sand looks when the tide has gone out, when you get that rippling effect?    I used the finest brush I had,  and kept it loose,  and made sure the paint was a nice creamy texture. 

I'm also reworking the first seascape,  wasn't happy with the shore line, it was a bit messy.   I watched a few more videos on YouTube, plus I downloaded an art book onto my kindle,   it's been a great help, and useful being on the kindle as I can just go straight to the page.   Back to the painting, it is almost finished,  just need to do a bit more work on the boat and it will be done.  Oddly enough I think the first is the best.     I do want to paint more scenes,  got a few photos that I can use,  if I can remember which CD they're on! 

A good/bad week mood wise,  this new counselling is tough,  but I like the counsellor, she makes a lot of sense.    The new cat, Harvey is now part of the furniture,  he's finally stopped following me around the flat,  and is settling nicely into a routine,  still got a few issues.  His former owners obviously didn't mind him jumping on the work surfaces or the table, well I do,   so I've been firm with him,  and he's starting to get the message.    I bought him a fleecy blanket to lie on,  spoilt, perhaps but also it saves my sofa from being covered in fur!  

Discovered my car had a flat tyre today!    Must have a slow puncture, but because it was on the passenger side I'd not noticed it.  Luckily I was at the supermarket, so drove to the garage bit and put some air in it.  I'll get it fixed tomorrow.   And believe it or not I left my crutch behind at the supermarket,  I always put it in the trolley,  when I came back to the car and saw the flat tyre I got distracted and forgot all about the crutch!    How did I manage when I got home, simples,  I have a spare crutch.  So that's my morning tomorrow,  get puncture fixed and go back for crutch...   It's also Harvey's birthday,  he'll be 6!  Well in human years,  a little bit older in cat terms.    Last night he got brave and ventured beyond the garden gate,  he and a neighbour's cat had a stand off,   I rescued Harvey in the end. 

Will try to blog before the of the week. 

Thinking positive

I guess determination will help you succeed.  I've been a bit down about my painting,  I'm wanting quick results and of course that isn't how it works.    I've made up my mind to look for another art course after this one finishes.  There is just so much to learn.   Yesterday we were shown how to paint a sky,  I guessed that you'd use blue and magenta,  but who would have thought that there would be yellow in this sort of sky?    

I'm learning more and more,  my mixing is much better,  as is the blending.  I feel more confident as well, usually I wouldn't tackle any figures,  but this silhouette I thought would be easier, and it was.   Still got lots of detail to put onto the beach,  so it looks like there are lots of puddles. 

Not yet finished my piece for the art course.  I had to go home early yesterday as it was just too cold in the art room.  My back and knees were terribly sore,  I knew I wouldn't get much done if I stayed there, so I came home.  I left the art course piece alone,   I felt like I was getting bogged down with it.  That's why I did this piece.  Its from a photo someone had brought into art therapy last Thursday,  I couldn't resist it,  so the chap kindly allowed me to take the photo.   I did wonder if it was beyond my level of skill,  so I just took my time with it.  I did a test piece on some paper,  it's far cheaper than ruining a canvas.  Although if I go wrong I just wash it off and start again.   

I've just had a lazy couple of days,  I realised on Friday that I'd been out nearly every day, so it was time to recharge the batteries.   It was just what I needed. Same today I managed a lie in,  amazing really since Harvey usually demands to be up early.  I'd thrown my micro fleece dressing gown over the bed (it was a bit chilly last night),  Harvey tested it out and decided it was the bees knees!   So we both had a lovey snooze.

I think Harvey has now well and truly settled in,  he's sitting on my lap now,  not following me around as much and is eating well.   We still have a few teething issues,  such as his liking to wake up in the wee small  hours,  I wake up but I have no desire to be active!    The other night he slipped out without me noticing, so he got locked out for a few hours.    But last night I invited him to go out, he stuck his nose out of the door, realised it was raining and bolted back up the stairs - what a wimp.

Enjoy the new week, lets hope the sun keeps shining.

Driftwood

This is the piece of driftwood I picked up from the beach last week.   It is charred from a fire,  but has such a lovely pattern on it.  I've begun to put some frantage on it,  and I've got some shells that I'm going to break up.   And here's the poem that goes with it:

In amongst the river’s detrius

You lie:

            Unwanted

            Unloved

Carelessly cast aside.

Scarred by fire,

Tossed by the sea

A survivor

Refusing death’s invitation

Yet I see the beauty

            Of your hidden soul

Warmed by the sun

Cooled by a dancing sea breeze

Now you lie undisturbed

Waiting to be discovered

By a casual eye

A curious mind

Will the see reclaim you

Before that hand

            Reaches out to you

Perhaps

But you will survive.

A close up of the frantage.   I resorted to using glue to hold it in place.    This is all for art therapy,  we're doing a mixed media piece,  and creative writing, hence the poem.   It was a nice way to spend the afternoon, even if it did mean missing Wimbledon,  though it might have been a different matter had Murray been playing.   Tomorrow it is back to painting,  I've now sorted out my picture, I use Craft Artist to have a play with various elements,  just to see where to place them.   Now I just have t execute it... easier said than done! 

Best get back to some other writing.

It's been a while

Apologies for not keeping the blog up to date.  I've been a bit busy with Harvey and my art project.  Somewhere along the line I also managed a counselling session and a new round of art therapy.

At art class last week we had to decide what we were going to paint.  I'd taken a few pictures at the beach,  and thought I'd use one of those. I was surprised to see that I was the only one who was being original, the rest were basing their pictures on other pieces of work.  That is allowed provided it is not a copy, or done in the style of. 

This is a dry run,  just wanted to have a practise and try a few ideas,and is nowhere near finished.   I'm much happier with my technique,  I'm learning all the time.  When I began I couldn't get the mix of acrylic to water right,  or even knew how to mix colours.  I'm getting better with both, and feel more confident.   I know on this that I've got the perspective on the small pier wrong,   but I can change it.  I found a way to introduce some texture,  I paint the water and then used my pokey tool to score into the paint, then I added some dark and light blue paint.   I'll be picking Andy's brain on Saturday,  everyone else on the course has been painting for a while, so I am the only newbie.  I've used acrylics for my craft projects, but never just for painting, or at least not properly.   A finer brush would help with the grass, and for more finer details. 

I want to do this as a study as well.  I took this last week during our the first of our art therapy sessions.  We were at the beach,  it is a semi creative writing/art project.   Me being dozy had misunderstood where we were meeting,  so there I was all alone, sent a text and yep, I was in the wrong place, or wrong end of the beach!   It was lovely,  not sunny, but even so it was good to be in the fresh air.   Some of us wandered along the beach, I collected a lovely piece of driftwood which I'll be using as part of my project.  After the class we went to the coffe shop at the baths and had a coffee,  think we kind of took the place over!   But it was so relaxed, a nice start to for our two newbies. 

And to end, the Harvey 'selfie',   I held my kindle in front of him and took the picture.    He's now happy to sit on my lap,  he goes out but won't leave the garden.  Last night he saw off an intruder, a neighbour's cat came in and Harvey was most put out!   I had to rescue the other cat, who was confused with the layout of the flat.   I just need to train him to stop waking up in the early hours of the morning.  He's getting better,  I now ignore him,  which is the best way.  I'm putting his fussiness over his food down to his settling in period.  He's a very clever cat,  he's already worked out how to open the cupboards,  he will also catch his 'treat' in his paw.   My last cat, Ms Mufti had been taken away from her mother too early, she was barely cat socialised,  she regarded me as her 'mum'.   But Harvey has had a better start in life and is fully socialised. 

And of course Wimbledon has begun!   I was determined to watch Andy Murray walk onto Centre Court as champion,   even made an early start to get some vital shopping,  milk/bread etc, so I wouldn't have to go after my other therapy class.    I did see the start of his match and then the chap came to service the gas boiler!  

Hopefully the next post won't be so long. 

My new flat mate

Meet my new flat mate, Harvey.  I picked him up today,  he was a bit shy at first, taking refuge under a bed,  but he soon settled in.  Not sure if he had actually stopped purring yet, he was in a very good home,  and has been well loved.  He's eager to go out and he can't, not just yet.  So he's padding round the flat!  In a week or so I will let him go out, when I feel sure has accepted his new home, and hasn't got any plans to head home.  Though if he does then he will have to swim! 

I've been looking for a cat for quite some time, but was determined to wait until the right one came along. I used Preloved,  what amazed me was how many owners hadn't bothered to get their cats neutered,  I find that irresponsible.   It was also the thing that put me off a few cats that were being advertised.    Anyway I spotted Harvey last night and sent a message to the owner,  we had a 'lovely' chat, and she invited me to come see him today.  Well I fell in love with him, he came over to me and let me fuss him, and allowed me to hold him.   So that was that,  and Harvey came home with me.   

I'm still painting, but now I am focusing on small studies so I can improve my technique.  I'm starting to get the hang of how much water to use with the acrylics,   these small studies are just perfect for this sort of thing.  I picked up a cheap acrylic pad,  and have cut the pages into quarters.  I will also do some colour mixing as well.  This 'rock' painting was inspired by the wall of rocks at the marina.  I indulged in a beach walk on Thursday, it was just too nice to stay indoors,  I drove down even though it isn't very far,  but the knee and back aren't up to a really long walk.  I took lots of pictures,  hoping to use one or two for paintings, and as studies. 

Harvey is at last having a snooze, on my bed, spoke too soon, he's up again.   He is very relaxed with me,  so I don't think it will take too long for him to really settle in. 

Well all for now, it is too hot to sit at a computer. 

All finished.

My painting is finished,  the boat has some oars and is tied up to stop it floating off.  I'm pleased with it, mainly because I finished it. 

It was week two of the art class,  it was a bit scary as we had to do some sketching, copying pictures to scale, or in my case 'sort of' to scale.  I chose what I thought would be an easy picture, a straight street scene...  a little later the art tutor told me that such a scene was the hardest to do!  But I had a bash, and hadn't gone that far wrong. I got better,  not by much.  Then we did something called blocking,  I'm sure that with practise I'll get better.   Which is what I intend to do, picked up a few supplies on the way home,  and a small acrylic pad, which I can use for practise.  We had a few more people turn up for the course this week,  so now we have a full quota.   We  have a husband and wife who are a bit of a comedy duo, they had us in stitches at times.  It was a nice relaxed atmosphere, and we had some music at our request, well with us all concentrating it was rather quiet!

   I am in for a busy time, we got warned today that we will have homework.  Next week is also busy,  I have a photo walk round Liverpool, and a tour round the Albert Dock,  then counselling and Art Therapy,  and back to art class - phew. 

All the craft stuff has been stored for the art duration.  Unless I need a distraction.  I've lined up my next painting, I was going to do another beach scene,  and did start it but kept going wrong, I was demanding too much of myself.  I've chosen a landscape instead,  that involves some blocking, so it will be good practice.   

I hope this stormy weather has blown through, at least it saved me watering garden.