From a lesson by Jodie Ohl on "Life Book"

I really enjoyed this lesson on the "Life Book" course on Willowing (www.willowing.ning.com). The challenge was to word (mixed media) in mainly black and white. Although I am not entirely happy with the end result, I am not sure why....but a great learning experience and one I would love to try again with restricted colours.

Final painting

Found this hard to know when to stop but although there are lots of things not right, I am learning so much from this great course. (Sharon Tomlinson - Diary of Faces)

First layers of paint....several to go....

Week 2 "Diary of Faces"

This week's artist on the course is Nicolai Grigorescu and this is the beautiful painting Sharon has chosen for us to work on.

Here is my early preliminary charcoal sketch. I want to record a lot more stages as I work this time so I can really learn from what I am doing.

I can see her head is not tilted enough and it is bugging me but I might just try not to stress about it, after all it is only one of loads of things that aren't right!

Final double page spread....

...of my Georgette Chen page for the "Diary of Faces" course on All Norah's Art.

Diary of Faces - Week 1 - Finished painting

Well here she is. Not easy especially trying to get asian eyes which I did not manage and the shading was scarey but I know I have come on light years from my last attempts at painting a face in acrylics. So...this is my version of Georgette Chen, the Chinese post-impressionist painter. Thank you Sharon (Tomlinson) for your wonderful course.

My "Diary of Faces" Week one project....(2)

I am loving this course. Sharon has come up with such an enchanting idea for creating a real magic and story behind each face. Her teaching is great too. I am pretty much terrified of acrylics but I did what she said and just took it slowly. Here is my painting about half way through.

My first ever charcoal sketch!!

I am so excited as I have just started a new course called "A Diary of Faces" which is an acrylics course so is going to be a huge huge huge challenge for me as I find them much harder than water colours. Anyway this course is run by Sharon Tomlinson of All Norah's Art. The course has just started and we are using an old stitched book which we are altering by adding paintings of just faces but faces from all over the world and the opposite page to each face will be the story of the face.

Anyway like I said, this is my first sketch of the Chinese artist, Georgette Chen which we are copying from a photo but it is also my first time with a stick of charcoal in my hand and I was really scared but am pretty happy with how she turned out really.

Sharon's website is http://allnorahsart.ning.com/

Painting in progress (2) ..finished

I think she is finished. I should have started the "in progress" sooner but I will again another time. It is good for me to see how each stage develops. Anyway I am quite pleased with her and I am glad I added the butterflies.

I can see I am still quite nervous about adding heavier shading to the skin. I need to get over this "obstacle"!

Animal Totem - A "Life Book" project

The latest "Life Book" project I have done came from Guadalupe Brizuela Cabal. "Life Book" can be found at www.willowing.ning.com
This painting is based on finding a totem animal through meditation with which we try to embody our deepest hope for the future. I wrote my hope on the page as the first layer....several times, using it as an affirmation as I wrote. I beleieve my life long animal spirit guide is a brown bear but have had others come to support me from time to time. Guadalupe used an eagle but I found the eagle came to me anyway during my meditation so I went with it. As I painted it though, it seemed to me to be very young, an egret I think it would be called.

Painting in progress (2) ....

I've just defined the features and hair a little more, deepened the lower part of the background and drawn in the butterflies I want to paint around her....

Painting in progress ... again

I quite enjoyed keeping a record of the last face I recorded in stages as I worked through it so thought I would do it again. Have gone a bit far for the first photo but there is still lots to do so here is stage 1.....

My same little faerie girl seems to have popped out onto the paper again doesn't she? I honestly didn't plan to paint her again but here she is.....

Ubuntu!

Isn't this wonderful....once you get over looking at this incredible photograph, read the story that goes with it....just perfect.

"An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who ever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: ''UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?''
'UBUNTU' in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are"
Happy Earth Day!"
*This photo is the property of Susan Fassberg. More information behind the original story of this photograph can be found on her blog: www.connectingdotz.com

A short poem about peace

Calm after storm


Stillness after rain


Quiet after noise


Peace comes again.


Love after fear


Comfort after pain


Joy after sorrow


Peace comes again.

Arthur

"Arthur" is a mixed media whimsy totem animal painting done as part of my "Life Book" course with Tam on www.willowing.ning.com Silly but sweet, I rather like him. He is painted over the top of a couple of layers with some of the original layers showing through. He is for my darling little grandkids, Stanley, Rose and Joseph....or my "popsies" as I like to call them! :-)