Absolutely Fabulous

I am excited that I have the opportunity to take an art course.

What I am doing now is a painting course, and we have begun by researching colour (my favourite topic). I have never had any art training before, so I am pleased to be able to go over the basics, because those basics are such an important foundation of any skill.

These still life's I did a couple of years ago. They are of the same "proverbial" bowl of fruit, spun around in a different direction, but in different mediums. The first is water colour pencil, the second, lead pencil only.

Poetry Thursday

Serendipity

Serendipity, gently nudging.

Did you notice, did you see?

A message out, a message in.

Hear the Universe breathing,

in that moment when you ask, is it real?

Did you notice, did you see?

And the Universe responds with a nod

and a gift wrapped in loving vibrations.
Serendipity.

Synchronicity. Magic. Truth.
Did you notice, did you see?

Jug, Spotted Glass and Mandarins

I have been scrounging around in my cupboards looking for interesting things to make up a still life. I chose this jug and spotted glass, and I always have fruit in bowls in the kitchen, and this is the result. I really like painting or sketching a still life and would love to be able to paint like magical Australian artist (and National Treasure) Margaret Olley, whose arrangements always look so beautiful. The colour is amazing, jumping right out at you from the canvas.

I have been painting very quickly (read 'enthusiastic!') (which incidentally means "filled with God") and my challenge is, to slow myself down and concentrate on the technical side of things, so that I produce a better result. This sounds all very serious, but I'm actually still having fun!

A Beautiful World

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952

Colour

I'm really enjoying these acrylic paints. Colour, colour and more colour! Bowls of fruit are a joy to paint. I love the colours and shapes and the way the light bounces off them. These apples and mandarins were painted on a 12" x 12" canvas, which didn't all fit on my scanner, so you have an abbreviated version posted here.

Some flower power kind of fun with acrylics on 8" x 10" canvas.

Home Sweet Home

When Autumn comes along I find myself being happily homely, appreciating the simple things, like Phoebe sitting in the morning sunshine, lighting candles as evening falls and home cooking. I have a thing for wooden spoons. They have a gentle quality about them that always makes me feel wholesome, no matter what it is I'm cooking.

This meal is a chunky vegetarian pasta sauce and is an easy chop and stir kind of recipe - chop a few cloves of garlic, medium onion, zucchini (courgette), red capsicum (bell pepper), mushrooms, and green string beans. In a little extra virgin olive oil, gently cook the onion and garlic first, then add the remaining ingredients stirring until all is sweated down. Add a jar of passata (fresh tomato cooking sauce), a dash of red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar) and a handful of pitted kalamata olives and some chopped basil and oregano, if you have it. (add salt flakes and cracked pepper to taste).

Simmer for 20mins until it thickens a little, stirring occasionally (with your wooden spoon). Serve with your favourite pasta, grated parmesan cheese and handfuls of chopped continental parsley. Any leftovers are delicious as a filling in a toasted sandwich.

Learning All The Time

This citrus fruit platter is painted using acrylics on canvas paper. I am fairly new to painting with acrylics and have begun experimenting with different styles of painting, learning how best to apply the paint, what works, what doesn't. So far it's a lot of fun! I am enjoying the freedom of application, the palette, the quick drying and best of all, the absence of smell. More painting with acrylics to come ..........

Poetry Thursday – “the evening held its breath, and then …”

This weeks prompt for Poetry Thursday was to create a poem using the line from the poem of another particpant. This line was donated by Pauline;

The Evening Held It's Breath, and then.......

The evening held its breath, and then waited for inky midnight to exhale and melt into dawn. An early, rosy sky bloomed behind clouds plump and white. The morning trekked till midday when shadows cower and hunger turns your head toward home. The afternoon slept, resting on arms weary from toil. Dusk melted daylight and the evening crept in once more.

Just Do It!

“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos. The trees, the clouds, everything”
Thich Nhat Hanh

I'm pretty good at looking after my fitness as a rule, but recently I've been slacking off, only going for walks every now and then, instead of daily and I stopped my Yoga practice a couple of months ago to allow a sore hip to recover. Over the past few weeks I've been eating a hot cross bun a day (with honey) (yum) and this equates to a middle that resembles a six pack of hot cross buns! So now I'm kicking myself into gear and getting back into it all.

The Yoga sequence above is one my teacher gave me years ago. He would provide one of these sheets for each course that we did and I kept them all right through from beginners to advanced postures. I have a tendency to work myself too hard, so I decided I would make myself follow these sequences instead of doing my own, to keep me at a steadier pace.

The benefits of Yoga are many - strength, flexibility, deep sleep - waking refreshed, elongated muscles, improved digestion, lymphatic drainage, weight loss, to name just a few. And of course there's the peace that comes with health and wellbeing. So I always wonder why I ever stop when it makes me feel so good.

Advice to self. Just do it!

Fish

A journal page where I rejoiced in the use of colour and line.

Pleasure and Pain

You may have noticed that I have added some "music for the soul" to the top right hand corner of the page. I will change the song every time I post, so you can listen to something new each time you browse. Musically, I tend to exist in a sixties/seventies timewarp, so I hope you enjoy it too.

The irrepressible Eileen has tagged me to reveal my pleasure/pain, happiness/sadness. This actually required some thought, so here it is, in no particular order;

What are five things that give you physical pleasure?
1. sensual moments with my man of 27years (not a toyboy, married for 27yrs!)
2. massage
3. driving through a deep dip in the road and your belly flips
4. soft, cool grass under my bare feet
5. sunshine on my back

What are five things that make you immediately angry
1. intolerance
2. abuse/bullying
3. injustice
4. intolerance (yes, I'm repeating myself but it makes me really angry!)
5. abuse/bullying (ditto)

What are five things that make you automatically happy?
1. lighting candles
2. having my family all under the one roof
3. learning something new
4. being creative
5. music

What are five things that make you automatically sad?
1. poverty
2. war
3. illness/dying
4. the evening news on tv
5. unhappy familes

Tagging Jenn and bohemian mom

Poetry Thursday - A Poet

The Poet

Carving with words trawled from an ocean of emotion, painting with colors stolen from a delicate rainbow. Revealing unknown places and those recognised. Taking a snapshot in time and a view unseen. Speaking the words we search for but cannot always find. A translator of the heart.

Led Zeppelin

The other day I was talking music with my son and was reminiscing about my much younger days, (I was around ten years old) when my brother and sister and I used to listen to our bigger sisters records. One of the coolest bands ever, was Led Zeppelin and we used to dance standing on the lounge chairs while singing into a microphone that belonged to our stereo system.

Funnily enough, later on that day as I was driving along in the car "Ramble On" came on the radio. When I was younger, I never realised that this song was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit. Lord of the Rings has been big in our household and when we were first married my husband and I used to read through the books over and over. I don't think I have the patience to read through them again now, but I suppose there are always the movies to watch. Personally I think Led Zeppelin are timeless, but if you are of my generation or older you may enjoy looking back too. Oh, and don't forget to turn the volume up!