I've been painting!

After a long while not doing any painting I have suddenly done two! One of the excuses I make to myself when buying dolls and other exciting second hand purchases, is that I am going to draw/paint/use in an artistic way-them (excuse the lack of grammar but you know what I mean!) How little I actually do this, compared to how much I think about it is very unequally shared, but this weekend I decided to paint a lovely doll I bought a while ago on Ebay. Andy says I have made her look old-whereas she has a young face in reality. Her hair is made of some kind of cottton and she is slightly damaged on her face-chipped bits. She is a very pretty doll with a red bow and red boots. Her dress is quite grubby really-years of being loved.

 The second painting is a girl called Ocean. She has this air of serenity and a little sadness about her.

Next Doll

Isn't he lovely? As soon as I saw this picture on the front of the Guardian magazine, I wanted to make a doll like him. I have not really wanted to make a doll for ages so I was pleased to feel like this. He has such beautiful eyes and looks so kind. The colour of his turban is gorgeous. I have had a go at painting him and have tried again since this painting. The photo is by Steve McCurry.

Have a look at his portraits. So many wonderful faces-and many more I would like to paint.
I have made his eyes staring by leaving a white gap at the top-which I only noticed when he was finished and staring at me! Also his turban is nowhere near wide enough. I loved trying to show his wrinkles!

Thanks!

Thanks for the good luck wishes and sympathy yesterday! I thought of you all this morning and it helped me along. I got a tick (ha ha-my teaching was judged as good-an official term don't you know from ofsted. I don't know why I worry really) I am looking forward to a normal day tomorrow. I did a few more faces on tags tonight. They were inspired by the book I am reading at the moment. I am back with the Tudors again-I can't stay away for long!

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

Above are Lady Jane Grey and Queen Mary I

Lady Jane was Queen for nine days-from the 10th to the 19th July 1553. The poor thing seemed to have been used by all around her-her father in law the Duke of Northumberland being the main culprit. She spent her reign in the Tower of London. She was very scholarly. I remember one of my friends at secondary school wrote a lovely short story about her and I was really jealous and wished I had written it!

Above are Princess Elizabeth and Hannah Green-the fool of the story.

Below are the faces with water added-I used inktense pencils-they are lovely soluble ink pencils. Last night I used watercolour pencils. The inktense colours are deeper I think.

Face Tags

When I got in I needed a distraction from work stress. I am being observed tomorrow (by my headteacher and coordinator-who I feel does not know anything I don't know-younger, and has been teaching less time-but enjoys leadership roles which I do not-this is negative I know, but as I get older I resent these things!)-a regular occurence which I am used to but still don't like. Though who does? I go from what I see as a competent and fairly entertaining teacher to a grinning nervous wreck who does not behave in a normal way at all-at least in my mind. I think I have developed techniques over the years to hide this but it is how I feel. So roll on 10.30 tomorrow-the end of the observation! Anyway, my hometime stress relief was drawing/painting little blurry faces on parcel tags. (With prepared gesso ovals) I love these kind of old fashioned tags-their great brown paper colour and little strings.

All slightly mishapen and a bit lumpen-and-apart from one, quite miserable-my kind of girls!

Off to knit and watch "Silent Witness"-a programme only for the strong stomached!

No Pressure Painting

When I paint with the children at school, I enjoy it, and play with the paint in a different way than I do when painting at home. When I do something at home, even though I don't mean to, I seem to put pressure on myself for it to turn out in a certain way-and often feel a bit defeated that it doesn't. I don't tend to feel like that at school as my focus is different-working alongside the children and inspiring them-so not thinking about myself I suppose! Yesterday I decided to try to forget that feeling, and just play with the paint. I used gouache paints which I love-they are more intense than water colours, but have that watercolour quality of being able to be merged and sloshed around, providing unknown results. I have a book of 19th century illustrations of women-a Dover book, and used this as inspiration. I really enjoyed myself! I wrote a word to go with each picture.

This was my first doodly painting, before I used the book, and when I decided that I would try to avoid pressuring myself over the results.

Sorting, Treasure Hunting in the Rain and Painting

I had a weekend that was busy but in a relaxing way. My brother visited which was nice. We had lovely food. He and Andy played scrabble. I tried to make caramel-went ok but has not set-I don't have a sugar thermometer and so I stopped too soon. What can I do with it? Any ideas gratefully received! We watched a film called 'Just Friends' which is silly but quite funny.

I did some sorting-existing treasures. I love seeing them all

arranged in their little compartments. Two new paintings. The one on the right had the pieces of china stuck on-as mentioned yesterday but all the pieces came off with only a little push. I tried again with superglue and it seems to have worked. I have put the clay round the pieces and will leave overnight.

The one on the left has a stamp of a little falling man that my friend Clare sent me.

Sorting the treasure made me want more. Not need but want!

So I dragged Andy down to the river this morning. It was freezing and raining

and so windy I couldn't see to pick up anything at first!

You can see in this photo that the barrier is up.

A perfectly lovely chair which I didn't attempt to take it home,

as I thought someone could happily use it at the beach on a more sunny day.

I found lots of interesting things. There were hundreds of iron nails-all deformed and rusty. (click to enlarge to see how many there were!) I wonder what they are from? I picked up some of them. I found something that I thought was an enormous bone but I am not sure. I will put a picture another time to see if anyone can enlighten me! I found an instrument dial from a boat I think-too dirty and full of water to pick up. I found lots of china to add to the collection. The best find though was Andy's. He has an eagle eye!

It is great to find something with so much information on it, so we looked it up. There are a few examples online though I didn't find out much information about Ellen. This is a genealogy website for people with the name Hale, and if you scroll down you can see the whole lid. I like the idea of a heal-all ointment. Most useful.

The shed door blew open and when I went up to shut it I saw these on the way back. I have been seeing other people's snowdrops online for a few weeks now so I am glad to see ours! There is only one little clump but it gets slightly bigger each year.

This painting is turning slightly nightmarish I think. The hat is based on a dressing up hat we have at school. The layered patterns on the dress are from the stamp and a plastic doily.

This one makes me think of Miss Havisham.

The pieces of china are from her unused tea service.

Her dress is also plastic doily stencilled.

Femme Becomes Homme

I have a couple of books of works of art owned by the Tate Gallery. I love looking through them from time to time, and came across this Picasso painting the other day. I think it is so beautiful and wanted to have a go at a copy using techniques from the portrait class. This is how it turned out! As I said in the title, femme became homme!

She looks slightly elfin with that large ear and pointy features.

The transformation begins!

Though I think he/she is wavering here a little.

Completed!

Black Cats

There are two black cats in this post. One is my old cat Connie (named after the main character in 'Woman on the Edge of Time) She was my first cat after I left home. We found her and her kitten, Meep, in a box in our back yard in Leicester. We did try to find owners but they had obviously been left there. One big, scary man came round, just wanting the kitten (Meep was a beautiful grey colour) but we refused. Connie was a beautiful and gentle cat. She had such a lovely nature. She was pure black but used to go a bit rusty in the summer! This painting is of her in our back garden in another house. She had two friends who visited-black and white boy cats who are always friendly. One was called 'One Eye' (for obvious reasons) and the other 'two eye' We also had Meep, Boris and later Halo (after Halo Jones!) It was a very catty house!

The other cat is in this Thomas Hardy poem. I heard on the news this morning that it was international poetry day so I started thinking about this poem. I can find no reference to today in that way on the internet though so I may have it wrong! Andy loves poetry and has shown me many of his favourites over the years. This is one of my favourites.

Snow In The Suburbs

Every branch big with it,

Bent every twig with it;

Every fork like a white web-foot;

Every street and pavement mute:

Some flakes have lost their way, and grope back upward, when

Meeting those meandering down they turn and descend again.

The palings are glued together like a wall,

And there is no waft of wind with the fleecy fall.

A sparrow enters the tree,

Whereon immediately

A snow-lump thrice his own slight size

Descends on him and showers his head and eyes,

And overturns him,

And near inurns him,

And lights on a nether twig, when its brush

Starts off a volley of other lodging lumps with a rush.

The steps are a blanched slope,

Up which, with feeble hope,

A black cat comes, wide-eyed and thin;

And we take him in.

I have had to use colours as blogger will not leave my spaces alone!

A Mad Tea-Party!

Alice remembered something strange that had happened to her one day... It all started with the white rabbit and a fall.......

There were keys and cups and teapots and watches involved, if she remembered correctly. And a strange tea party with a Mad Hatter and his animal friends...

If Alice had the choice, I think she would have liked a strawberry or two and a fondant fancy to accompany her tea. Please help yourself!

Today though, she is enjoying a tea party in the company of her new acquaintances. It all seems so familiar...It may be a little strange, but at least the sun is shining.

We could join Alice for a little while, have a tiny cup of tea and then meander over to see Miss Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist, who is organising this Mad Tea Party! I am going to rush off there now to see what surprises will unfold and to eat a delicious morsel or two!Before we go, look who has gatecrashed the party! Perhaps she will sing us a song and then we can be off...Please take some flowers with you, they smell so lovely! Before you go-have you seen this? I had no idea that this was being made so thank you Renee! It looks great.

I will leave the washing up for later!