The Colourguru

Pollard/Williams Lineage

With all of the family history I have discovered in the last week, I have been feeling rather nostalgic & reflective..........despite having created an arch with my Celtic background, I wanted to work some more with the Celtic them, so I created a page in my altered dictionary.  So far I have traced back 5 generations & in the process made HUGE discoveries about my paternal grandparents...... this page reflects this & includes a copy of my family tree as I know it at the moment.

Altered Dictionary Revisited

 

With the painting that we have been doing recently I have painted up a little wooden shelf I found in an 'Op-Shop' (thrift shop) to put all my decos & altered books on.  So of course I wanted them all looking as wonderful as possible!  It is a little while since I touched my altered dictionary & I hadn't done anything to decorate the cover or add any 'frills or furbelows'......so this is what I have been up to, as well as some new pages...but no time for a long post tonight........... I have paint drying and another arch to finish (I am HOSTING the Gothic Arch Challenge this week)

Mountaineering

OH MY GOODNESS.....I climbed a mountain to create this page in my altered dictionary...... and yes ironically....... MOUNTAIN IS the word on the page.....so I started out with my lonely looking mountain goat with the intention of using some topographical maps, acrylics & the image to create a kind of isolated 'lonely' looking page denoting the isolated areas that one might find a 'moutain goat'  I did it in warm soft grey hues & was happy with how it was evolving, then clever me comes across a poem a dear friend of mine wrote a while ago & gave me to 'do something with'. The poem was all about feeling isolated & alone through hardships & how God was there to walk through them with you. So then (as I hadn't found any topographical maps in my stash) I thought it could be a metaphorical mountain, equating life challenges to mountains........not that big a stretch........ So I did a bit of work on some 'hand' studies wanting to perhaps integrate an inked drawing of hands under the poem to signify the hand of God.  I had trouble writing clearly over my 'cocktail' of mixed media that lay underneath, it started out fine, but then deteriorated to a very poor impression that was bearly legible.  Then I had the 'clever' idea to type it out, glaze it & stick it on.  I did all that & it looked terrible.  by the time I decided that I didn't like it.....the pieces I added had become stuck fast!!!!  WHAT A MESS.............nothing for it.........more paper.......more paint.........this is how I reworked it, I needed colour to cover my 'sins' & the poor goat was becoming more obscure by the minute.  In drying of the new paper & paint layers with the hair drying the image all bubbled off........YEAH.......... definitely not in the Mona Lisa stakes this one!

Strong JUNK

I know I am being a bit overwhelmingly prolific at the moment...........I have SOOOOO much art in me right now..........I can't sleep............YES, it's true...........I have a problem.........These are more dictionary pages, from my altered dictionary......I guess it is hard to see a piece like this and not take it politically, but it is not meant to be provocative in a negative way, it is just meant to acknowledge that we as woman have things to say. As a REAL WOMAN........I have lots of things to say........LOL!! (& they are not always good!.....TELL ME WHY, they can't have a 'speeding' lane & a 'slow' lane???????????)

My next page is a bit of fun........playing on the word JUNK......The background text reads....'There is not a rational answer that explains my intrinsic love for all things that are old.  There is some OLD that is not of any value to me.  However it is the old that I grew up with, that are the things that really don't seem all that old to me.  Things from the 1970's are in vogue now & every one thinks they are fabulous.  To me they just look dowdy.  I want old that reminds me of my grandparents & in particular of my Nan.  She was the part of my choldhoold that made me feel safe, loved & warm.  Things that remind me of her, give me that sensation, even as an adult.  Things that have survived from the 1930's in partcular............it was her time........'

Help Needed Please

I am beginning a very special project that I need some help with.  I have an explanation in the side bar where the 'star spangled banner' is sparkling.  ANYONE who has anything at all they would like to contribute please email me using the link on the left.

Speaking of Altered Books

In one of my online groups there has been alot of chatter about Altered books lately, & I haven't added ANYTHING to my 'altered dictionary' & I thought it was time to dust it off & work in it...... so I have added the so new word pages in the last couple of days....I think I am going to title my dictionary 'Life in Meanings'.........I'm still thinking on that one..........I have kinda abandoned the 'word' idea for my next journal because I have my altered dictionary on the go, which is a visual representation of words & the thoughts & feelings they evoke........... & I also have an 'atc album' in transit which is all about quotes........and although (in the 'words' of Kelsey) I am a wordy person, I think that 2 things on the go at one time about words & quotes is probably enough.  I will run out of words!!!! (Lynne - it is 1 am & I haven't used all my word count up for the day so I am using them up on my sweet blog readers)..........a piece of useless infomation..........on average men speak 12,000 words a day.......women speak 28,000!!!!!!
The scanner saga eventually ended amicably with a different model....(sadly though, with no discount).....so here are some scans of new work. (I will probably go back sometime in the next week and re-scan the stuff from a couple of weeks back, but this is all for tonight)........'VESSEL' - YES, I (me, myself, I.....) did the drawings....... and I am VERY PROUD of that.......bit of a botch trying to add white 'light' bits, however that was more about not being able to find something to happily go over the dense graphic shading on the fragile music paper which they are drawn on.  I have used pencil & ink over old music (which presented it's own challenges).......the text (table) is old pages from a children's encyclopedia explaining pottery, & the background is from one of my fav.paper paper brands - Basic Grey - from the Dasher range called Tree Skirt.  It is a Christmas range, however I love the colour of it so I don't care. 
The next word is ORANGE.....I snaffled this picture from Abby.......it was love at first sight & I HAD to include it somewhere....I was about to cut out a photo I took in a client's garden last week when....FRESH from the success of my 'vessel' drawing I thought I would give some drawing some oranges a go..........now bad, not bad at all!  The next word was contemplate.  This image has been sitting at the top of a pile of images I have been tearing out of old magazines for filing at the door of my studio for the last couple of days........ she was speaking to me but I couldn't hear what she was saying!!  A friend was over tonight & commented on the image & I said yes, she is beautful........ so ....... (looking for a word) contemplative........ & then I knew where she was to go!   As a matter of interest...... the 'to adorn her' was born the same way, the 'elephant' image was on the top of the same pile!

Sugar 'n' Spice

A precious little angel called Tahlia visited earth for a brief moment tonight.  She is in God's arms now.  Love & Prayers to Clare, Rachel & Rodney & family.

Domestically Disabled, no longer! (aka - I have run out of excuses for a messy house!)

  Time to revisit my altered dictionary again this week.  I am working on several bits 'n' pieces in the background however this is the work I have to show off.  It has been a mixed week of nursing sickies & busyness filling my new cupboards.......... YES......... it's TRUE, TRUE, TRUE......... no more excuses.......... no longer DOMESTICALLY DISABLED......... I have DRAWERS.......... I have CABINETS.......... I HAVE SHELVES!!!!!    I have moved from a small 1 metre wide desktop 'studio' to having a whole bedroom as a studio.  This was sometime ago, but I have had boxes & containers everywhere that I have not been able to put away, there were cabinets, but they were just big holes.......(ie no shelving in them), now I am equiped with banks of drawers & cabinets.  NO EXCUSES I told me!!!  CLEAR, clutter free work surfaces........... HA!  I haven't even achieved it yet, let alone it lasting past more than the first project!   There is still more work to do in my studio,  & I have to share my studio cabinets with my wardrobe (yes, that's right, you guessed it - because our robes in our bedroom are not finished!!!) however new cabinets in the family room as well mean that the linen & other 'non-art related matter' that has resided in these cabinets can come out & they are free for my art things.  I AM a messy person at heart - the pendulum swings the other way though, because I like order.........my creative mind & my organized mind usually can't live in the same room.........Where ever I create, I have mess!!!!  My sewing stash can come OUT of the attic so that I can actually use it - oh what delight.......... really...... I haven't had alot of time for arting, I have been sorting & labelling.......my other wicked delight. I wonder if they make pills for  that????

Mythical Rust

I have been 'beavering' away at my little rabbits this week & they are coming along beautifully.  My new sewing machine & I are becoming best friends & I am loving the ease & speed of the new machine. We have been babysitting Princess 'L' each evening this week as our daugther is in the Easter drama at our church.  WHAT  A JOY.........we saw her clap hands for the first time this week and we have discovered that the little cutie LOVES to dance!!!  As soon as there is a piece of music on, (we first discovered it when the trailer of a movie came on) she rocks her little bottom back & forward & smiles & sways a little.  HOW CUTE........a still pic wouldn't do it justice, but it is SOOOOO funny to watch.  L has been missing her mum though & now asks for her in the sweet baby mumblings of 'mmummm, mmmummm, mum' which prompted this ATC made from an old newspaper clipping, titled 'Unconditional'.

My hands needed a rest from the rigours of 'bear' making & so I worked on a couple of pages in my altered dictionary to give them a break.  (I also made some ugly ATC's, but I'll save you from the trauma, & myself from the embarrasment of those!.....................as I have said before..............NOT EVERYTHING turns out to be the Mona Lisa!  I have living examples on my studio table!)  The page with the golden horse on it is an image that was donated by Abby for my book, & I have used Jo Sonya's Rich Gold with Raw Umber & Gold Oxide mixed in wet in wet for the background.  The stamp is one of my favs. from the stunning collection from Above the Mark.  You can order from Beth online at: http://www.abovethemark.com/ I have created a glaze from Golden Matt Medium & Rich Gold paint to finish off the page.  The handwriting is names of mythical horses from history & is written with a marker as the page is a little smooth & shiny from the gold.

The Rust page is very simple.......this pic is from Jenene........a kind donation to my love of all things rusticated!  I have used Gold Oxide paint with a 'smidg' of Norwegian Orange.  I have used a beeswax pencil to do the writing on this page because it is smooth in contrast to the 'chalkiness' (all these scientific words!#!!!.......LOL!!) of the paint.

And so, we move into Easter time......... Apart from our reflective celebrations on Good Friday & Easter Sunday, we are FINALLY going to have our bath & shower installed nearly 18 months after the new bathroom was built) & I am doing some major interior house painting.  I am not sure how much time I will have to be online, or whether my computer will even be accessible as the house becomes a jumble as things are moved around to accommodate the work that is taking place. 

I pray that you all have a safe, happy and blessed time with your loved ones.   I hope you have the opportunity for some reflection on the true meaning of Easter & have the chance to visit your local church. If you would like to think about this some more, there are some thoughts below for you to ponder in your quiet time.

A little PASSION

Chris Noonan, director of Miss Potter said in a recent interview 'An artist expresses their psyche through their art'....... I have had that written on a slip of paper in front of my keyboard to ponder, ever since I heard it a couple of months ago.  I think that everyone expresses passion in their life.......but sometimes we just don't recognize it for what it is.  There are  some 'larger than life' people who embrace the whole of life by who they are, however most people have the 'thing'...........the 'thing' that makes them special & unique.......the 'thing' that is them........the thing that is their 'fingerprint on life'............do you know what yours is?????  I am a in a bit of a 'slump' with my garden deco at the moment, & I have had this new 'Scarlet's Letter' paper from Basic Grey nagging me ever since I bought it.  My art pal Nadine from The Scrapbook Scene http://www.thescrapbookscene.com.au/  recommended it (knowing I am a TOTAL Basic Grey Nutter) & this is what I came up with in my 'altered dictionary'  My need for perfection tells me that my chalked hand writing looks dreadful.......& I should have used rub ons, & that the edges of my image are SOOOO white (they look worse in the scan than in real life) however, I am MAKING myself be casual with this book.........it is my play book, where I have given myself permission to make mistakes & 'not so perfect work.  This is hard for me..........because my art is who I am & how I feel