#naphopomo day 4 What's Cooking

First proofs drying, dough rising, sun shining. Finally
worked out why the first 2 photos for #naphopomo
failed to send and reset my security settings, I now
find all is getting a bit 'precious' and am second
guessing everything! Not going to be deterred though,
I really want to see this through.

Immersion

http://www.quintessentia.com/pair-french-antique-silk-damask-curtains-fabric-1.html

In my mind I am diving down as deep as I can into the darkest depths of crimson damask, weighted with multitudinous froths of lace edged petticoats, breathing heady, smuggled, 18th Century Fragonard inspired scents of rose, jasmine and vetiver combined with the heat, sweat and dust of the Caribbean. I am still searching for the music that I know she danced to. I sink into the myth and magic of whispered tales from long ago.

Just a little taster!

Last night
we took the bus
down to town
and spent a lovely
evening here at
the opening of the
Grenada Arts Council
Annual Open Exhibition.

There were wonderful
pieces on show and it
was inspiring to see
the diverse creativity 
that exists here on
this little island.

Observations
from nature
sit happily
besides
vibrant
geometric
designs.

Deep emotional
responses
to love and
affairs of the heart

rub shoulders
with evocative
sensuality.

Beautiful
photographic
images
gel

with
unbelievable
painting

The superb
works of
mother and son
hang side by side.

 Music

 lifestyle








Anansi

beautiful blooms

exquisite batik

sculpture,
jewellery....
heart work



.........and so much more.
All can be seen at the Grenada Arts Council's Gallery,
in Young Street,St. George's. from now until the 28th February.

Shadow

and Cathy
are
thrilled
to be there.

P.S. If you have
a link to any of the
images that
you would like
to include  here, please
let me know.

Craft in America

Rarely do we get to watch art or craft programs on television.
T subscribes to the sports channels, being an avid cricket and
football fan and we have a basic package that brings us various
'reality' TV shows, CNN, God, cartoons, local 'news' and 
advertisements that exhort us to purchase products unavailable
here. However, currently showing on Channel 44, PBS, is
Craft in America. Wonderful. Catch it while you can!
One never knows when our cable provider will decide we
have seen enough and take it off without warning, as recently
experienced with the final episode of Survivor Philippines!

El Diablito and the Book of Possibilities

I started working on some ideas for a still life painting this morning.  I like planning things out in a sketchbook. Using watercolour and with no particular discipline or end result in mind at this stage, I usually stick on some music, (it was The Incredible String Band today) and dive in to see what happens. It's a lovely feeling, there is no pressure or expectation as the water and paint mingle freely. I am besotted with the combination of Paynes Grey and Burnt Sienna, oranges with crimson, deep blues and emerald green. El Diablito, who believes that my work table is his, came to see what was going on and lend a paw. I imagine he'll work his way into the painting too.

Weekword!

This week found me feeling a little lazy, but then I read Peggy's post and her delightful choice of word and illustration for Weekword, 'Sloth'! I remember thinking how nice it would be to join in,  and then she tapped me for this week! Thank you Peggy.

So, energised, enthused and honoured,  my choice for this week's 'Weekword' is:

'Glimpse'

I do hope you will join in the fun and share what you can glimpse.

Oh and by the way:

How to Weekword

Each week (hopefully on a Monday) the week’s host will choose a word to be the Weekword.
All you have to do for Weekword is to respond to the word in any creative outlet you would like – painting, writing, poetry, lyrics, music, photos, collage, mixed media, drawing, verse, dialogue, videos, anything really, and post the results on your blog.
Let the host know you’d like to play in their comments, and the host will post links to the blogs of all the participants on Friday.

 

Decisions Decisions

Painting

drawing

sketching

research

experimentation

illustration

construction

cooking

looking

erasing

finding

losing

thinking

doing

taking

 

 

all of the above, flicking through old magazines and making a scrap book to remind me of where to put the energy.

 

Pet Projects

I give you Buffy and Max, the source of my resolution for 2011, .....to have fun!

Acrylic on canvass 11" x 14".

BP Portrait Awards and the Ripple effect.

While BP is busy painting its' very own 'portrait in oils', and as worthy as the winners of the BP Portrait Awards no doubt are, please spare a thought for those artists who are doing their best to create a Ripple.
( with thanks to Surfrider for the wave photo)

Step by step

This was going to be kept secret until everything was ready, but I need HELP.
Please come and visit over here if you can.

Creativity and making ends meet, or not

Like most people,
it is always such a
thrill when others
tell me that they
like what I do,
but for some
inexplicable
reason, if the
compliment is
followed by the
remark,

" You should sell them"

all my joy, enthusiasm
and inspiration, turns to
a muddy mess, and
goes straight out the
window.

This is not to say
that I do not want
to sell anything,
I do, I really do,
I really need to.


I really, really need to.

Likewise, when
trying to make
something with
the intention of
also making a living,
all muses promptly
exit stage left.
Equally, you will not
find any Adsence
on this blog, oh no,


commercialism being anathema to my soul.

So this week I am
tricking myself into
believing that I am
just having fun
making these paintings,
which are in acrylic, painted
on little wooden blocks
and measure 9x9x2 cms.
When I have completed
the series, I may even take
them for a walk to meet the visitors
at Annandale Falls , just for fun you understand , although I
might be persuaded to part with one for say, $10 U.S.?

Preparation of stretchers

Before I go any further, I would just like to say,
to any misdirected web surfer, that this is not
a 'how to' site, but you can find all the very
useful and correct information if you visit
Sue Vesely , which I did this morning,
after embarking on my own, personal,
canvass stretching adventure.

Having bought 2, 12' lengths of, finished, 1"x2"
wild pine, from the local builders yard, and then
setting T to work with his power saw, cutting
the 45' exactly measured angles. (I know this
because I bought a protractor specially,
once I remembered what it was called, and then
spent an interminable amount of time
marking them out. I did suggest he may
want to use a table and a vice but he seemed quite
happy and confident working bent over the old
breadfruit tree root in the yard)
My initial mistake became apparent,
having sanded down the now cut up lengths,
nothing what so ever to do with the precision
cutting of the power saw operator, or the fact
that one of the lengths of wood was thicker than
the other, oh no, the problem apparently lay
with the angles.
Undeterred, and spurred on by brute force
and determination, the industrial stapler and I
joined forces until, give or take a gap or two,
the wild pine was tamed into something vaguely
rectangular.
I now turned my attention to the fact that I did
not have any edging, not having studied
Sue Vesely's excellent site until my return
from the builder's yard.



















Cutting off the pelmet of one of the bamboo blinds
seemed to me to be the best, free and immediate
course of action and, I have to say, the little strips
seemed to work admirably, all things considered,
although wood glue would, most probably, have
been more efficient than the PVA School glue that
I found in my tool box.



















Spurred on by this success, and having finally
located the canvass, (yes, safely put away in a
black plastic bag, which is where we put things
if we don't want them to get damp or eaten, and
I only had to open four bags before I got to the
canvass and I did find that lovely fabric that I
bought last year, anyway, I digress,) and having
searched endlessly for my scissors before recalling
that my father-in-law had borrowed them to
trim the clumpy fur from his poodle, I was
delighted to discover that the kitchen scissors,
performed wonderfully well, and the end result?




















All primed and ready for action.

Grenada Arts Council

The Grenada Arts Council, following the success of their Annual Open
Exhibition, decided to hold a juried show. News of this welcome
event arrived at short notice. I was trying to force a three painting
series, as stipulated in the rules,which resulted in a lot frustration,
an errant muse and a headache. Then I remembered these small
illustrations that I have been working on, with a view to submitting
them for use in the tourist, hospitality and agricultural sectors.
Nothing ventured etc.



















Cocoa pods and beans drying on the galvanise
Acrylic on canvass 8"x8" Sold




















Nutmeg tree Acrylic on Canvass 8"x8 Sold




















'Saffron' (turmeric) Flower, stem and tubers
Acrylic on canvass 8"x8" Sold

The show runs until the end of the month in the old Bain's sports shop in Young Street in St George's, where you will be able to see, and have the opportunity to purchase, an eclectic delight of work by local artists.

Grenada Arts Council Annual Exhibition

"Coconuts with trunk detail" Acrylic on canvass 20" x 16" Sold .

I almost decided against entering the Grenada Arts Council Annual Exhibition but .....

With thanks to all those who encouraged me, especially, T, E & Z, Dad, Francis, YingYang , the people who bought it and all at GAC. The Exhibition is on until the end of February, situated in Young Street, St George's, in the old Bain's Sports World shop, opposite Courts, and is well worth a visit. There is some amazing and wonderfully diverse work on show and the venue is perfect.

Ball box with stones

Pencil on watercolour paper 9" x 12"

I find observation drawing to be a taxing discipline but
I only just discovered that it forms an imprint on my mind,
for a short while, so that the drawing can be recalled from
memory, to serve as an accessible, inner reference, for
more expressive images.

World Beach Project

ee's World Beach Project, submitted from Spain

Thanks to Minerva, for directing me to the V & A website, and

The World Beach Project

My daughter created this one, somehow making stones look as the sweetest tasty snacks.

We have yet to make ours, but we will and hope that you can join us. x

Kelly Moore

If,
you feel to
travel
to distant
lands
and,
if,
inspirational
art,
adventure,
surprises
and
stories
are what
you seek,
then join
me
on a
never ending
magical
journey,


where you may lose yourself, find yourself, discover new selves,
then here is where you begin.

River Art

The river has been busy these past few weeks, flowing forcefully, flushing out debris, bouncing boulders, flooding deep pools, emptying basins, cleaning and clearing, sand sifting, dredging and transforming .

Lost and found

you lay on the sand ,
taking a rest from a rough ocean crossing
by the looks of things,
you spoke
of stories, of secrets, of deep travels
and slow returns,
we smile and plan.

Postcard 1

"Nutmeg" watercolour.