Back into it...finally!

After last weeks enforced rest, 

I'm finally feeling better!

During that time I've been doing lots 

of thinking and reading

and trying to work out how to 

execute the ideas forming

 in my head as a result.

 From this photo I took several copies of my silhouette

 Traced the shaped onto foam

and adhere it to cardboard

and stamped the shape using acrylic paint

Of course nothing quite goes to plan

and I got paint all over the paint

so I'm going to cut around this 

and use it like a collage piece.

These are my cats eyes

 I enlarged it, pixel it and the drew it 

onto an A4 sheet of black paper

I had great plans in my head of using pastels 

but ended up, again disappointed with the mess 

the dust left on the black paper.

 So I thought I'd go back to trying paints

and hope I would make a mess of it

I realise that I'm not being very fair to myself

but can't seem to help it today...

so I'll just go with how it is and hope that 

some where, some way, some how

I'll actually be less fearful

 and more tolerant of my work.

Time: 4 hours 

Resource 1 (24/25 July)

Drawing into paint..almost!

After spending a couple of days groaning on the couch, hugging a hottie Thankfully, I'm starting to feel a bit better. I still don't want to try coughing or sneezing but good enough to attempt a little art. It was a lovely day yesterday. Sunny and surprisingly mild for July.

I friend gave a canvas a couple of months ago.I'd put it aside until I worked out what to do with it. Well, I decided. I've been having more counselling with a Psychologist and it wasn't until the last of my free sessions that I noticed a set of three blank green canvases hanging on her wall. Bizzare, was my first thought..but on reflection I realised those blank canvases actually said a LOT! I decided that's what I needed to do with my blank canvas. Paint it green and hang it on my wall and BE OK with that!

Last week, while spending time with my neighbour,she had given me a little water-colour paper scraps to play around with (using my water colour pencils) and liked it so much I picked up a pad while purchasing another stationary item for my daughter.

Yesterday I had a try at drawing the draped denim using the water-colour pencils with a sheet of water-colour paper ....and I'm really happy with it. Liking what I do is important for me!

I'm not brave enough to add water to my drawing for fear of ruining it but going to do another to experiment with. I actually really like the "texture"...

 I'm planning on using these pieces of driftwood 

(all the way from Paraparaumu) as my "Life Models"

 I'd love to be able to paint like this...

 While surfing the net for inspiration I came across these images..

I just looooove this bathroom!! *drools*

 ..and these cool fences. I'd love to be able to do this sort of thing too!

Drawing: 1 hour

Resource 6: Face Cast mold...more paper-making preparation....Project X

Just doing a bit of online "surfing"

And came across this You Tube video

Art Journal page

I want to be like this when I grow up!

Monday, Tues and Wednesday 

were spent cooking up more batches

of ginger pulp, saving the laundry water

to rinse the fibres, watching resource DVD's

and taking a mold from the face cast.

I also have been working on the canvas

project as well as the fabric printing

and thinking about what I'm 

going to do for my Alter Ego Mask.

Yesterday (Thursday) was my Mum's 75th Birthday. I made her a cake and decorated it. My theme was loosely fitted around her gift, a bird bath which incidentally, took way more time finding one I liked, than I bargained for! I am really happy how the cake turned out and as a family, we had a lovely evening together celebrating her life. (PICS to follow)

 Repainting the leaf printed "botch-up"

I cut in in half and painted the other side a sky blue

I have an "idea"  for this...

 I bought a second 30X30cm canvas 

and painted it with the mauve-coloured paint. 

This is for my Project X: Part 2

While that was drying I rewatched the DVD

so I could remember what to do for the cast mold

 Inside Vaselined and ready to go

 sitting on my paper "doughnut"

The Plaster of Paris
I made up half the suggested amount
as I didn't want to make up too much

 Weighing out the powder

 and measuring out the water

 The water in container the plaster will be mixed in

 I had this idea I would use a chop stick to mix the plaster...

 ..it didn't work..

 ..so it was IN with the hands, like Roger said to do!

 While the PoP was setting I rinsed out another 

batch of ginger pulp fibres for paper making..

 After an hour or so I tried releasing the mold

...it came out really easy...

 ...but, oh..it's was pretty rough-looking!

 Next time i know to spend a bit more time smoothing 

 the wet bandage to get all the creases out

 It looks terrible LOL!

 The mold and cast

..and a pretty leaf on a tree I walked past 

when I was out with Kaeli, the puppy.

I love the shape!

Time: 6 hours (1-3 April)

Resource 6: Face Cast Mold,

Paper-making pulp prep, 

Project X, Canvas,

Drawing into Paint,

Painting on Hessian

Working on another canvas, paper-making and painting on hessian

I'm not going to be defeated 

by my errors, mistakes or failures. 

Thursday morning I had an appointment in 

the morning with a Psychologist and in the afternoon

I worked at The BACH from 1.00-4.30 pm

 so it wasn't until Friday I had time to rinse out the cooked fibre

 I was amazed at how black the ginger went. 

Must be the sodium hydroxide.

I used vinegar to neutralise the caustic soda when rinsing.

I took a lot of water to rinse the fibre clean

so I used my homemade water recycling system

 which involves a couple of rubbish bins

an piece of hosing and the discharged 

water from washing laundry 

(of which I always have)

The pulp is now ready for pulverising

Where is that insinkerator when I need it!

Guess I just have to do it in batches

using my other "leaky" food processor bowl..

...and of course, my trusty supervisor, Kaeli 

....she goes everywhere I go!

My niece asked me if I'd like to go for a walk 

up Mt. Parahaki. in the afternoon with her.

 I didn't really feel up to it (blood tests show my iron's low)

but I knew it would be good for me to get out

and I didn't want to let Kristen down

so decided to use it to my advantage, take my camera

and take photos along the way.

You can see them HERE.

It was lovely, so beautiful among all the

 native bush...the ferns and palm trees

I'm so glad I went and I found some 

art inspiration along the way!

Time: 4 hours (29 March) 

paper-making and photography

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Saturday 30th

 I brushed on some gesso on a piece of

 scrap-booking paper and mixed up this 

pale yellow paint for stamping some words

This is for the blotched-up canvas

I want/need something to remind me to

keep my mind on GOOD things.

More to come...

I didn't want to waste the paint so I used the

 rest of it on an A4 sized piece of hessian.

I've got a plan for this..so watch this space!

I also did a bit of repair work on the mask

just waiting for it to dry so I can took a mold

Sunday 31..got more ginger cooking

 It smells terrible but without the caustic soda

 it would take ages to soften

I found I lost a certain amount of the pulp through my colander so decided with the next batch to used some fine fabric. I couldn't find any muslin in my stash but thought this fine weave mesh type of fabric would work just as well. And it does! I'm off to celebrate Miss R's 20th birthday shortly. She's up from Hamilton for the Long Weekend (Easter)...so best go ice her cake. I look forward to working more on the canvas and hessian... maybe when we get back after dinner?? We will see....

Time: 3 hours (30/31 March)