crunchy

entangled 2nd take for 2009

As I said I would in the first post, here is entangled number 2. I have explored some more, my entangled image. I think I prefer this one. What do you think? I had fun doing this. I think its a bit more entangled with lots of growth. Quite a positive image for me

entangled

I came up with this image when studying ''Art Therapy" in 2008. Exploration through art, core issues. My entangled threads in and out of my heart I felt were apt for this weeks IF theme. The entanglement of relationships, love, children, family, hopes and dreams. I loved this image and thought I'd post. However, I am going to explore it some more and if I get chance will post an updated version.

Music

Sunrise Band We meet up together and play our music - for fun and socialising - We began many years ago and played for local charities to help raise money - or just for fun to give a smile. A smaller group now as younger members grown and moved on to new ventures. Music, listening to, or playing an instrument, is both relaxing and invigorating. I love playing my saxophone and meeting with friends.

UNBALANCED

At last I am getting a little more balance in my schedule. I have been feeling unbalanced, as unbalanced as my picture. Title "Which Way" . Life's choices and making decisions. I have ventured forth with my own private practice in the Arts and counselling. At the same time I have now balanced this out with paid employed work out in the field of working with Families, leaving my old job behind. Balancing this out with my pleasure of doodling my art with my blog spots. I have missed being a part of IF this last few weeks. Here's hoping I can manage to add a few more before Christmas. Apologies to all if I don't get to visit you.

Frozen

I drew this in my journal last night, considering the word frozen. It was suggested to me that the our computer keeps getting frozen. It does. Pretty annoying when the arrow freezes and nothing works and all has to be turned off. Mostly freezes when using the internet. The modem not working properly or the server has dropped out. Weather here in Australia is moving away from being frozen, however, with Christmas coming we always have snow on the cards, snowflakes, Robins, etc. I also have been designing some cards with snowflakes. I have come up with a doodle of some icicles all together for this post, hope you like them. I was in my "Mandala"journal, hence the circle. This reminds me, I will eventually get a blog up for mandala's only, just been getting a little bit too busy this end. My website is up and running too, all exciting and busy. Thanks everyone for popping by and visiting and all the lovely comments.

Flying

I was looking through my journal and came across a rough sketch I did inspired by a dream of my husbands. He had woken and told me about how two owls had picked up a koala out of a tree and flown away with him. We had a laugh and I had this image pop in my head, drew it rough and forgot all about it. When I saw the theme of IF "Flying", I recalled this fun sketch and decided to draw it out in illustrator and colour in photoshop. I'd written in my journal and share. The inspiration from the dream was "flying forward". I really enjoyed playing with this today, and all those other chores I had to do, ooops, they got left.

GERMS

I know this isn't very glamorous but it is amazing how many germs we sneeze and cough out everyday. Especially over our computer keyboards and desks. In fact 20,000 germs per square inch. 400 times more germs than found in the toilet. Not nice eh!
Go to www.ivos.co.uk/germ.htm and find some more facts.
I reckon a nice pattern of germs would have been a nice take. mmm maybe if I get chance I will splash some paint around and make germs into something artistically interesting

Today the clocks went forward 1 hour and the day is going fast. The sun is shining, a beautiful day, marks Spring and the coming Summer for us Australians. I love this time of year, it inspires to be being busy, planting the vegies, cleaning up and preparing and planning ahead for christmas holidays. In the process of designing some christmas cards to send across the miles, I always leave it to the last minute so trying to get organised now.

Pattern 2

I couldn't resist I had to add another posting for "Pattern". You see my other doodling passion is creating Mandala's. I aim to put a Mandala blog together so watch out for this. I hope I am not being too ambitious, I don't have that much time for my blogs, I wish I did, cos its such fun. I usually draw at least one Mandala a week, so I do have a few. Thought I might share one with you. I didn't post the one or two that I did last night. You might see them at a later date. The patterns that grow with my imagination are such a delightful relaxation.

Pattern

I so love the theme for this weeks IF. I reckon I could doodle away every night with this one. My nightly drawing doodles in my journal are usually of people, faces, eyes. Therefore, great to be able to draw a figure to represent the theme.
My burst of creativity took me on a new venture at the weekend with a revisit to pottery and throwing a pot on the potters wheel. What fun I had!!

INFINITE

INFINITE

No explanation - purely my expression.
After an exhausting 3 days back at work.

WELCOME

We all like to make people feel appreciated and thought about. Often it is said with flowers. The flowers may be given to you in person or sent interflora. What ever the occasion, a small posy or large bouquet, the receiving of is a delightful surprise. The giving is equally fulfilling. Flowers are always a welcome gesture. Having recently been in hospital with 8 weeks recovering (back to work next week), I must say that flowers have been most welcome and cheery sight.

STRONG

Well as you can see I got carried away this time around. Inspiration thanks to all you fellow bloggers. I looked through my work and realised I hadn't done any watercolour for IF for a little while. I couldn't stop drawing and then ended up with two pictures. I drew these in pencil first and then drew around with my black artliner. I then printed off onto watercolour paper my sketch and had fun colouring in with the paint. Watercolour is not my speciality, I find it a hard medium to put onto the paper. I was going to use inks but changed my mind, maybe next time.

Presently I am off work, returning in two weeks time. I am reflecting that I hope not to lose the space to enjoy my own free expression with my art.

MAGNIFY

Eye spy with my little eye

something beginning with M

Illustration Friday, "Magnify"

I create, my expressionism.
With many dots and lines
the Pen and ink inspire,
an image, shape combines.
An eye that I admire.
To magnify, the greatness.
Enlarge, more than is real,
look into its deepness,
break through the corneal.

caution

This is pen and ink drawing that I had done a little while ago, and felt would fit the word "Caution

mummy wrapped

I don't know where I came up with this image. But hey I had some fun, I just kept thinking of all the objects that could be wrapped up for presents and how we try to disguise what something is. Then I thought about wrapping something so that you could see the outline and who should appear but the "mummy".

modify

Modify - Modified. Self Portrait.

Having just undergone major surgery for hysterectomy, I feel a major 'modify' has been performed. A modify for medical health reasons, and now on the road to recovery. I didn't really think about what I was drawing but have been interested in my results from an arts therapy perspective. I hope now to get more into my drawing while recuperating and waiting to be able to be more mobile. I have my other blog spot "pause4art" and I think I will begin to get more art work out on this site too. Hope I have some visitors and I look forward to your comments and I will endeavour to view as many other great illos on IF too.

SHAKY

Netty likes to try anything.

She's always ready for adventure.

Just a little shaky as she wobbles across the long brick wall.

I think she will make it.

More Netty Adventures coming.

Netty is my one of my new characters and I hope to add more to her family, neighbours, friends etc. as I explore her world. Appreciate any comments. Missed not getting onto IF for a while, hope I manage to get on here more often again now.

The Evil Eye

I doodled eyes, many eyes over the last few nights. I drew without much thought about what I wanted to draw, but I was doodling happily. Today I thought maybe I could look at the IF illustration theme for Talisman. Whooah all those eyes, I thought of how I needed a talisman to ward them all away. How the superstition and belief that to be looked at with the evil eye (to be looked at with envy, a stare) had the power to injure others. Many different cultures have differing understanding of the "evil eye" or the "lucky eye" . Below is an amulet of the Hasma Hand (taken from wikipedia) The hand contains the eye motif that wards off the evil eye. Many objects can be seen to have an image of an eye on them to ward off this believed phenomenon.

The Hamsa Hand

tree

The Tree of life
The fabric of life.

LEGENDARY - King Arthur and the knights of the round table

I love the Legendary tales of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Above is a pen and ink presented in my favourite format of a mandala. The round table being a mandala of symbolism. Here all 24 knights were equal in rank and esteem. King Arthur presented the round table so that every knight had an equal place. In the legend of King Arthur, the love of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere passed beyond the limits of this ideal and brought to an end the noble fellowship of the round table.
The 24 knights were all Sirs, Galahad, Lancelot, Gawain, Percival, Lisnell, Tristan, Gareth, Bedevere, Bleoberis, Cotemal, Lucan, Palomides, Lamorak, Bors, Safer, Pelleas, Kay, Ector, Dagonet, Degore, Brumear, Le bel Desconneus, Alymere, Mordred. Plus I have been so busy of late that
I have posted this before a couple of years ago but felt it apt to show again. Plus I have been so busy with work lately that I hadn't managed to fit in the time to Illustration Friday. So I take this opportunity to say sorry to all fellow illustrators that I have not had chance to visit the last month or so, and hope to visit you shortly.

A photo of a replica of the round table.



The ruins of Tintagel castle at Cornwall.
A Legendary tale unfolds around the ruins of Tintagel of King Arthur and Merlin.

CELEBRATE - THE WORK OF RANGERS

For St Valentines day also our wedding anniversary we had a day full of celebrations. The main event however for celebration was where we went for that day ST Valentines. Day The Thin green line music event held locally. You can follow the link at the side of my page, you will see it there in green. This day was celebrating the work done around the world by rangers. The picture above a collage postcard done by myself and husband as an initiative to send to rangers around the world, the green band with a message. When they receive these postcards it will be posted onto their website. The picture below shows the many other people at the festival celebrating the great work being done and sharing their thoughts across the world.

Extra celebration as 50% of the profits of this event were being sent to aid the victims of the bush fires in Victoria that have claimed so many lives and left so many homeless. Also the opportunity to celebrate the courage of fellow Australians in some horrendous situations. The weather and conditions here in Victoria have been extreme, and it is a true celebration of all people the work done to care for others, humans, animals and the planet.

FLAWED

I loved doodling the theme of flawed and trying to come up with an idea. I like to keep myself from looking at any IF illustrations posted until I have done mine, that way I don't feel influenced. I am always amazed at how quickly everyone is able to get an image together and posted.
My image is a simpe ink drawing of the "flawed world" How there is no such thing as being perfect and flawless. The current global economic situation leaves us all hanging on. All trying to do our bit to keep the world intact, sustainable. To keep the world there for our children. I would have loved to spend more time on making this into an acrylic painting, maybe one day in the future. Not the time at present, hence a quick simple sketch. Thanks to everyone stopping by catch you all next time or hopefully I have managed to visit your blog this week.

I have just done this very quick doodle. I had already done an image for climbing "the koala" but the last few days the temperature has been climbing and climbing. It is getting and is so "HOT"
This is the third day down under in Melbourne the temps have climbed to 40++. I am melting. My lemon tree is dropping cooked lemons, so I have just been out in the heat trying to pick and save as many as possible. The vegie patch alas cannot survive, burnt to a crisp in the searing heat. Hence my doodle for doodle a day. I have also added the photo of a koala that visited our garden one day.

CLIMBING

Graphite pencil sketch as done into my journal


watercolour on watercolour paper

copic marker pens on bleed proof paper,


pastel pencils on cream coloured pastel paper.

Today is the last day of a weeks holiday and tomorrow I return to work. This means even less time to spend with my passion of drawing and creating, so today I think I was carried away with wanting to try out some experiments in case I don't get a chance in the next few weeks.

I began by sketching a koala climbing a gum tree, then another koala and more gum trees. I wanted to try out some colour but not mess up my original drawing so I photocopied my pencilled drawing onto 3 different papers. watercolour paper, bleed proof paper 70gsm, and pastel paper. Then decided to just let rip with the colour and not get too precious, just create.

I have put all the pictures up for blog visitors to look at. I am not sure which I prefer, I had fun with the pastel this time, enjoyed the water colour, and always interesting with the texta marker pens. They are all only small sketches on A4 size paper. I prefer working with acrylic on canvas when I do use colour but those pictures take me a lot longer.

Thought I would share with you a Koala in the gum trees. I am fortunate that my family and I live in a house surrounded by many gum trees and from time to time a Koala will visit, they are hard to spot. If I get chance I will look through my photos and post a photo of a koala in our garden. Our recent family visitor hoped to see a Koala in our garden and all he got to see was the photo and a video we took. I hope he sees this blog as I am thinking of him.

PALE

PALE - I took a little while, and some trial,
to decide on an image, that I could envisage
a picture of pale, my mind stale.
I penciled away, come what may
a pale cup of tea, a pale sea,
what can I draw, some pale straw?
lines and scribble, as I quibble
what shall it be, what do I see.
something white, an idea ignite.
A pale faced clown, with a slight frown,
pales behind a mask, begins his task.
A clown and a story?

contained

Thought I'd have a play with some pastels, they are not my favourite medium and I am still experimenting. I find them a bit messy and don't do what I want them to do. So much for the word contained, the pastels were very hard to contain, I am thinking about some tuition in this as I see some wondrous work done with pastels and am at a loss of how to control this medium. As for the depiction. It is of course a heart, many hearts. I copied it ready to post and then couldn't help myself and decided to copy many together and place in a pattern. The meaning for the word contained in this image, all the emotions that are always described as being in the heart, contained not shown, and with valentines day coming up its time to let those feelings out.....

RESOLVE

I drew this toward the end of last year into my journal and felt it apt for this word "resolve". As part of my study in the diploma of Art Therapy a journal is an important part of the journey, it still remains an important part of my creative journey and I continue to add to it every evening and spare moment, especially when an image just pops into my head. The drawing above was a depiction of my resolve not to go down the gurgler!! There was a lot of pressure to get all assignments, projects, journals, practicums etc all finished completed and qualify for the diploma. That's not to mention working full time, managing a family, a home and still have some fun to keep creative. I didnt go down the gurgler, but was amused when flicking through my many pages to find this one above and reflect on how I felt at the time. For 2009 I have many aspirations but not nearly enough time to get them all going. Just enjoying the remainder of christmas holidays before returning to work. The last few days I actually finished some paintings that I have had on a go slow all during 2008, that has given me some satisfaction and I hope I can find time to do more of this before I recommence with more studies. No I am not going to go down the gurgler........