A mixed bag

Just a quick one tonight as it has taken ages just to upload a day's photos!
I was unsuccessfully trying to download most of the day, and backing up my computer, which also takes ages, so now it is quite late.

My daily drawing sketch is the nectarine branch finished from a few days ago.

My warm up pages.

My journal page, with one of my favourite quotes, by Emily dickinson.
I also spent a little time today sorting foundation squares of fabric, batting and felt as well as scraps and bits and pieces for my AEDM challenge, which starts tomorrow (For me).

Happy Creating!

The kingfisher

Yesterday was very busy, and thanks to a very slow internet it was way past my bed time when I finally got my pictures uploaded, so here are yesterday's pictures.

Today's sketch is a kingfisher.  This one is known as a sacred kingfisher.  Google it and you will see how gorgeous it is.  It is mostly turquoise and has some green and cream feathers.  Although I live close to a large creek and knew these birds were known in my area, I had never seen one.  I have now and it was a very sad experience as I found this one on the ground, saturated after a heavy storm.  Sacred is apt as they are so beautiful.

My warm ups - both collages

And my Journal page.  This one I am linking to Art Journal Journey, the theme for this month is 'in the forest'.  I have really found this theme useful on  those days that I didn't have an idea in my head!

Next month is a few days away, now and last year I joined in Art every day month at Creative every day. This year I have been thinking of a small project to do each day.
I have finally decided on small fabric and stitch embellishments/collages.  This was inspired from three different places.  The first is liz kettle who has been doing stitch meditations on an off through this year (Search for liz kettle on instagram) and Lynn Krawczyk's  petite stacked collages in her book ' intentional printing, and of course, the third is my own work and need to include stitching every day.

For my personal challenge, I will make one 4"  square stitched collage each day.  These will later be mounted in a 5x6 grid on  either a plain quilt, or felt.  Wish me luck - and join us on AEDM with my challenge or your own!

Happy creating!

One of those years

I think 2014 is going on record as one of those years!  As you probably already know, I was extremely ill in the winter, my sister died recently, rubin our dog recently died and this morning I received the news that another of our quilt group members has died.  This is the third this year!  I am beginning to feel as if this year is fated to be the worst in history.  It is so difficult to deal with all this death and destruction.
But of course as we get older, I suppose  these sorts of years are more likely. I am hoping to put together an exhibition of my work next year and to donate a large part of the proceeds to cancer research, as all of my friends and my sister  had cancer.
I was thinking of april, but it will have to be may, as I am going to the Australasian Quilt Convention in April.  Today was the first day for bookings - and guess what!  some of the classes are already booked out!  My husband couldn't believe it and had to come and look for himself.  Luckily, there was no trouble with the classes I booked.  I am certainly not a quilter in the traditional sense!

I forgot the girls over at T for tuesday last week, but this week I have done a digital drawing just for them!

And here are my bits and pieces for today.

A sketch of my nectarine tree, in process

My warm ups

My journal page, which I am also sharing over at AJ Journey
I am hard at work, trying to finally catch up on CQJP2014 which I have gotten very behind at.  Hope to shoow you all some work soon.

Sad days

The last few days I have not been very good about blogging or any of my online courses, but I suppose there is a good reason.  Our family dog, Rubin, died on saturday and we have felt a bit lost.  Rubin was nearly     17, quite old for a large dog.  He was spoilt rotten and loved lots of hugs and we will miss him terribly.  Ruby the puppy keeps wanting to go outside and look for him, which is hard.

I have been doing a bit of textile work, in the last few days.

I finished the quilting on this piece and now I want to add some hand work and beads, but I happened to lay my ipad on top of it on the table and realised that it was a perfect size for an ipad case!
I didn't use theone above because I had plans for it, but chose a pair of other grass prints

These have been quilted and I will put them together to make an ipad case!

I started a small free motion embroidery piece based on the sea dragon sketch from here.

Here is where I am with that.  You can click to make it zoom.
I have a sketch in process, but it can wait for a post  'till it is finished.  I have also begun making a few things for christmas presents and I will show you those soon.

Happy Creating!

A busy Day

I  had art class yesterday and got absolutely nothing done in my studio.  And when I got home, I just said to my self. "Don't stress"  And I didn't.
today, however was a different story.  I got a ton done, perhaps because I had a little break and wasn't stressed!

Here is the sea dragon sketch finished.

and I did another, sketch, a quick watercolour sketch of the ivy outside my studio.

My five minute warm ups.

And my journal page.  These are both Gelli prints from a few days ago. which I layered over a background I wasn't really happy with. I had painted the spread with red and orange paint and scraped it with a catalyst tool.  The amazing thing was when I layered the prints, which were on deli/greaseproof paper, the texture showed through on the unprinted parts.  I am linking this to Art Journal Journey

And miracle of miracle, I did some gelli printing today.  Most of it I did on fabric.

Here is one using a piece of grass as a mask
And, another miracle - I have even started free motion stitching on it!

And here are a pair done with another type of grass

I made a lot more prints, but I will show them to you tomorrow.

Happy Creating!

The sea monster

Here are my bits and pieces for today.

And the reference to a sea monster.  This is the beginning of a sketch of a Leafy Sea Dragon, which is native to the southern coasts of Australia, in other words, the beaches I grew up on.  They are quite small, like a seahorse, but are also quite different.

My warm ups

The beginnings of my Journal page.  Tuesday and Wednesday are my busy days, so I don't always get things finished.  Hopefully I will work on this one again tomorrow, but I have a new student in the art group, so we will have to see.
Tuesday is my Quilt/Craft group and I was crocheting a cowl.

Unfortunately I was crocheting in the round and got it twisted somehow, so I had to unravel two rows of 300 stitches and start again. This time I decided not to start with a chain, but started with a dc foundation so I could be sure not to twist it!

Happy creating!

Thanks to those who took the time to read my epistle yesterday.  I think the struggle to be the artist inside is one that, although sometimes difficult, is probably a necessary one to actually produce something meaningful.

In the forest

Here are a few steps in my art journal page, which I am sharing at Art Journal Journey for the October theme of Deep in the forest.

I use old books for my journal, and usually start with some paint or gesso

Today I added some leafy texture with this little stencil.  The paint looks black, but is actually deep purple.

Of course after that I got carried away.  I painted some branches and leaves in and added some text.  It says "Like Art, forests just have to grow."

A few close - ups

Here are the rest of today's bits and pieces!

I finished the shell drawing.  I am quite happy with it.

My 5 minute warm ups

And I finished the free motion stitched feather!

Happy creating!

I ummed and ahhed about whether or not to delete the following epistle, but ultimately decided to leave it in.  I have put it down here so that you don't have to read it if you just want to look.


I have been thinking lately that my posts are becoming repetitive and that I should make them a little more exciting, but as I was taking my daily walk I really thought about my priorities with blogging.
As it happens, I had been wondering recently whether I wanted to continue blogging, for just this reason, the pressure to produce something of interest to other people.
And then of course I came back to the reason I started blogging - not to get lots of followers or to BE someone, but to just keep a record of what I do, and to see what other people are doing.
I don't know how many of you out there are aware of my situation, or where my life is at right now.
I live a long way out in the bush in a tiny town of about 300 people.  Not only am I isolated in this way, I am also isolated because  I cannot drive due to panic attacks, so I really only exhibit work at two nearby shows each year and cannot attend any larger art groups for the same reason.
My blog therefore is my life line to the art world.  Without it I would never have met a wide range of artists and crafters from all over the world and my work would not be anything like it is.
Basically I have decided that I need to blog, but, rather than blogging being  the aim of my work, it is best to simply make the work the aim and the blog a simple record.
It is like the dilemma when you choose between making the art that is inside you and making the art that buyers (or readers) want.  I already know that when art making becomes a job, for example with commissions, It is harder for me to be creative.  For me it is best not to go down that road.  Perhaps if I was still young and just setting out, then I could develop that discipline, but not this late in life.  I am set in my ways.

A feather from a crow

Continuing on with trying to keep with a routine....
Most of my morning is taken up with tidying up, journaling and email, but once it becomes a habit, I am hoping it will be quicker??
Here is my unfinished Daily drawing

Sometimes I choose a very detailed drawing, and in these cases, I allow myself to complete it over a few days.  This is a very intricate shell, which I have only just started.

My warm ups for today, both collages and not much paint today, which is unusual, and even more unusual, my journal page for today

A landscape collage from magazine pages.  It took quite a while to make, so I have just left it simple like this, but I expect I will work back into it with pastels and paint at a later date.

 And here is some stitching.  This is a feather using free motion on water soluble stabilizer.  It will probably go into my challenge piece for Tangled Textiles, which is due on 16th November, so you will probably see a bit of this work in the next few weeks.

Happy Creating!