MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"...Because of God's tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."

John 1: 78, 79

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALISON!

A wonderful tea party happened today in East London, South Africa. How I wish I could have been there. Best wishes to you Alison. My hurried water colour of flame lilies is proving how out of practice I am. But I LOVED doing this - so thank you, Joy, for prompting me to get out my paints and paper. Ali - I hope the Zimbabwean flame lilies help you know and remember how loved you are. I was reading up about the nature of this resilient plant, how they thrive in the tough climate of Africa, prefering heat and dry seasons - only to burst prolifically into flower in spring!

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22 - 23

I Voted!

I went shopping this afternoon for some dinner items and saw this delightful elderly lady all dolled up in red, white and blue, in honour of our Election Day here in the U.S. Much care had been taken, right down to her perfectly pedicured feet, bright red toenails in sparkly gold flip-flop style sandals. I felt the urge to draw her when I got home - a good thing... I haven't had the urge to draw for quite some time. As for our vote - I've learned we are a house divided... Some of us voted for McCain, some of us for Obama... heavy sigh. I think we epitomize many families this election. Whatever the outcome, I'm grateful to live in a country where the reins of leadership transition peacefully, even when the race to get there has been hard fought. I'm grateful my right to vote is strongly encouraged, respected and COUNTED! My heart goes out to the land of my birth, Zimbabwe, where power is gripped by a cruel dictator whose self-interest and ego pulse through his octogenarian veins extending a political life that should have ended many years ago.

Martha & Mary

I almost forgot how to post something - it's been so long... This is a doodle I did a couple of years ago. I had no idea what I was aiming for; I was simply enjoying the soft facial shapes in brush + ink. I look at it now and feel it tells a little story. Martha on the left looking into to the face of her family and duty to feed, nourish, clean and clothe... And Mary looking wistfully off into another direction! She looks a bit sad. This time of year brings on huge anxiety for me for some reason, I can't quite fathom. The holidays just around the corner - a time to spend with family and friends is something I look forward to. Along with it -the frantic busyness, all the - this and that - endless lists of must do items and happenings... Maybe this financial rocking of the boat will help us all focus on a simpler, quieter time with our loved ones.

Nostalgia and nasturtiums...

My sister Vivienne has done some beautiful nasturtium watercolours, posted on her blog.
Since I've been neglecting mine - I thought I'd post this photo of my bowl I painted ten years ago, during my "painting pottery" phase. We were limited in the colours we could use. The little blue star flowers should be cornflower blue - not royal. They grew on a weedy looking plant, but are edible and folk who had them growing in their gardens would often toss them into salads for a splash of colour and intrigue! I saw them growing in my mother-in-law's backyard in Oregon and brought a plant back to Texas with me, but the heat here killed it! Back to the pottery studio - it was in the private home of a friend, built onto the back of her garage. There was also a kiln, so she could fire our works of art right there. At 11 0'clock sharp she'd carry in a tray of mugs steaming with tea. It was winter and that little room was cold - and the hot tea so appreciated! Not to mention good times and good company and creative fun. Joy - if you're reading this - my bowl still reminds me of happy hours shared together! More nostalgia for East London, South Africa!

Dogs, dogs, dogs...

It's been a month since I've posted anything (sounds like a confession!) My life has been hijacked by the needs of our dogs. About six weeks ago, we found a puppy in our neighbourhood. She was so obviously dumped here and we had every intention of leaving her at the shelter. We found her on a Saturday morning and the shelter was closed till Monday. In that time she successfully hijacked our HEARTS; long story short - we now own THREE dogs! She is some sort of terrier mix with short legs and a long body. Calvin and Pippa have cautiously accepted her into the pack, with a lot of filthy looks in the direction of us two legged verticals, as if to say "What were you thinking...??!! We've named her Olive. Shortly after that Calvin, our 12 year old, started ailing. We got him through a collapse of kidneys last week, but we're not sure how long this little period of reasonable stability will last. But here are a few sketches of OLIVE. She reminds us of a seal when she sleeps, her short legs often disappearing from view. I was going to add more shading in brush + ink - but thought I'd better just go ahead and post this before another month rolls away from me! My sister Hilary would have LOVED Olive!

Home for the summer 4

Stefan allowed me five minutes for this little sketch. He gave a quick look at my effort and said indignantly "What's with my MOUTH...?!?" He has beautiful Mick Jagger'ish lips (which I think I've mentioned in a past post) and he does purse them when he's playing his guitar, like he's about to kiss someone. I as his mother, of course think its adorable. Clearly he's not amused by my rendering of the above. He has had his hair cut in a mohawk for the summer, and then requested the comb part to be dyed blond, which his sister willingly and happily did for him. In this sketch his mohawk has not been glued (and I do mean GLUED) into the upright position. Ah summer time - we spend a lot of time couped up in the house as here in Texas it is SO HOT outside. And we get on each others' nerves. But I know I'll look back on these years and ache for them, at some point!

Home for the summer 3

Our daughter turns 21 tomorrow. I've been meaning to draw her for ages and finally made the time to do it. It's wonderful to have her home for a bit, even though at times she still seems "far away" as these sketches suggest. This age of amazing technology insulate our children in their own private worlds. (Great for when you want to sketch them!) I found the downward look of her eyes, as she focused on her "Apple" and "Blackberry" quite difficult to draw. None of my 3 sketches really look like her, but there are glimpses of familiarity in each.

Home for the summer 2

This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16

On a spiritual note, I read this scripture about a month ago and loved it. It struck a chord deep in my heart. Refreshing, like cold water splashed in the face. I have written it in a few recent graduation cards and made it a prayer for my own children. Then last Sunday we visited a church we are considering joining and the pastor spoke his sermon on this scripture! He explained that he'd put a planned sermon (they were working their way through one of the N.T. books) on the back burner, because he felt led by the Lord to speak on Jeremiah 6:16. I was touched and delighted and hung on every spoken word. I love it when God does this for us!

Home for the summer 1

You are the Apple of my Eye!

Maggie in a jar

Here is my exhausting magnolia project... Learned lots of good lessons. And still more to learn about all that delicate shading of white petals... However, I don't think it looks as awful as I first thought it would. (My mood progressed from frustration and desperation to "...okay, this isn't so bad..." The upper photo was taken inside under a yellow spot light. The below photo was taken outside in natural sunlight. Interesting how the colours change. Below is the more accurate colouring. I'm most encouraged by the 3 inner (smaller) petals, and I like how the loose leaves lying on the table turned out. I also enjoyed how the purply-greenish background took on a life of its own. Watching the watercolour bleed, merge and mingle on the paper was a pleasurable experience!

Magnolia

Another favourite thing about living in the South are the magnolias that bloom in profusion every May - and still a few left in high up shady places - in the middle of our HOT June. I love seeing them lit up in sunlight - all luminous and glowing, casting delicate shadows within the rosy grouping of petals. I feel quite intimidated about painting a white flower... But hope to learn more about the use of soft colours to show the depth, design and richness of this fragrant blossom. Still more challenging are the very dark green shiny leaves...

Quick sketch of Stefan

We spent the week-end in Savannah, Georgia for our son's graduation from Savannah College of Art and Design. A very happy occasion - but so rushed and exhausting. After our arrival, we dumped our week-end bags in the hotel and went for a walk along the old harbour, waterfront area. It was warm and muggy, so while we stopped at a little pub for something to drink, I tried a quick sketch of my son. As far as sketching goes, this little effort was it! The rest of our time was spent at the graduation ceremonies - happy but LONG! Then cleaning up and moving Chris out of his apartment. That was hard work! Then the L-O-N-G drive home again. There are so many lovely places in Savannah that beg to be drawn or painted. Perhaps another time... I'm grateful my son had four wonderful years there.

Painting Château Lanquais

Hmmm - the scanned picture via photocopier and below, the digital with no flash. The colour contrast is quite interesting! I think I prefer the brighter - though it still isn't very accurate of the actual watercolour...

June 15, 2008 ~ So I finally "finished" this little watercolour! Broke all the rules in the process, overworked it, had a ball with my new toy - the masking fluid. But had a LOT of fun in the process and I believe I learned a thing or two - which is the whole point. Using watercolour is going to be a slow learning curve - but I'm willing!

Memorial Day yesterday - and a few hours to try my inexperienced hand at watercolour again. I worked from a photo of my sister, Vivienne, painting the refectory at Château Lanquais (the Dordogne) during a painting holiday we (the three of us) took two years ago. I haven't finished this yet - sort of half-way... Not quite sure how to tackle the detail of that round grassy bush in the background. I was just about to ask Cathy for advice when I looked on her blog this morning and found the same subject on her most recent post!! If you are thinking of a painting holiday, read her blog... A Holiday to remember She painted this to contribute to Adam Cope's latest project, which I mentioned in my post Art Class at East London Tech (May 21.) Anyway - back to the painting holiday idea - we highly recommend the experience!

Sketching in Bergerac

This started as a doodle really, testing a new dipping pen I bought, designed for calligraphy, with various changeable nibs. (I think my son told me it was his favourite for his graphic novel work.) I really battled to get the ink to flow consistently through the nib and ended up being very frustrated. I used a photograph from a glorious hot day in Bergerac, France - almost two years ago. My sisters and I sat on this bench along the Dordogne River and had a go at a little sketching. I started with the face on the left, when my pen was performing at its worst. (I do blame the tool... Apologies to the model, CPG! You don't look anything like that!) My NEW pen should arrive in the mail soon, along with some other supplies.

Art Class at East London Tech

It's hard to believe I drew this 12 years ago. A simple rather immature ink drawing - but for me loaded with memories and nostalgia. We had recently moved to East London (South Africa) from Portland, Oregon and my sister Hilary encouraged me to sign up for this art class - very low key and non-threatening, taught by her friend Pam. It was a happy happy time of being HOME and having a few precious hours a week to focus completely on paper, pen and subject without the interruptions of my busy family life. The old lady in the middle (background) looked just like that, if I say so myself! In fact, a chap wanted to buy my drawing when he saw it at the Students' Exhibition because he recognized the people in it. (He also taught art there.) But he never showed up wiff da maanee, and I'm glad he didn't because I had no idea how much I would enjoy looking at this so many years later! I think I'll send it on to Adam for his "Artists Drawing/Painting Artists" project... It's not often that I happen to have the appropriate picture ready to go for such an event!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

To my sisters, and any other mothers who may visit here. This is the last watercolour I have of my Mom's. It is a coral tree that stood at the entrance of the driveway of our Uncle Gordon and Auntie Guenda's house in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Guenda gave it to me the last time we visited them. My husband asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. I really couldn't think of anything... and then I remembered this painting. I'm going to get it framed! I'm so grateful for this internet invention that allows us to share such precious treasures.

Mockingbirds #2

Have observed a few more photos and the real birds as they flash and dash in and out the tree tops. Still lots of room for improvement... The head on the right looks more like a dove. I framed this one not because I think its that great, but my friend asked me to contribute a framed picture for the house concert she and her husband hosted last week-end. A wonderful time was had by all as we listened to Nils on violin and Jenny on piano, play a beautiful selection of music, spring and love being the major themes. Araceli kindly brought a CD of the music over to me a couple of weeks ago, so I could listen to it and be inspired to paint something! Mockingbirds #2 was my contribution, along with some other artists who brought samples of their work to hang on the walls too.

Mockingbirds

When I first knew for sure that we were moving to Houston, I wept uncontrollably. It seemed such a strange place to me. Miles and miles of freeway snaking off in every direction carrying heavy traffic morning, noon and night. Black and grey glass buildings dotted along the freeways and never-ending construction of buildings, subdivisions and strip malls. It was such a contrast to sleepy little East London, South Africa where we'd lived for 3 years, and before that - the emerald green beauty of Portland, Oregon pleasantly interrupted by majestic Mt. Hood. My friend Jenny told me "Look for the "pockets" of beauty here, Gillian. You have to look for them!" And so I have - and have found a few. Mockingbirds are one of my favourite things about living in the South-West. I love how they dip and dive and dance in circles especially this time of year, as they joyously seek a mate. I painted this picture from memory - and afterwards looked up some photos online... I see where I can make some improvements on their shape and distinctive feather features. I used Chinese calligraphy paper that I got at a garage sale - and a beautiful brush my sister gave me TWO YEARS ago. Thank you, Cath. I can see why you said its one of your favourites. I finally broke it in!

Back garden azaleas

I painted this last month - and did not finish it. I like the areas of remaining light in the picture - but realise I need to finish the left side in a minimalist sort of way. The shape of the pool is all wrong on the left, part of my frustration in not finishing it. The azaleas and bridal spirea do not bloom simultaneously - I took a bit of artistic license there!! Sisters - help! Your advice is needed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALI!

It's still your birthday over here... Perhaps some day your Mom will do you real justice with an oil painting... But in the meantime, me and my colouring pencils got busy. Better not show Gucci this post - poor dog! I think I've got everything - pipe, goblet, velvet vest - and - oh yes, just had to throw in a little Texas here - those are COWBOY BOOTS! Hope you had a great day!!

Wisteria and freesias

Our back garden has been looking so pretty but I had to scramble to finish this as the wisteria started to fall apart. (There are little scraps of lilac petals on the ground now.) My purple is far too PURPLE - didn't quite get the lovely delicate colour and they look rather grape'ish! But I think I've made progress in a little more looseness with the use of my brush... The past few days have been warm, muggy and overcast with no shadows. My picture looked rather flat, so I had to fudge in a few shadows to add depth. Now and then the sun would break through enough for me to see real shadows for a few fleeting moments. The scent of both (wisteria and freesias) have been heavenly - very nostalgic of sunny childhood days in Newlands, Cape Town.

Staircase and Old Singer

I love our staircase. My industrious husband worked hard to change it from an eyesore of 'peach' pink carpeting stained with the footprints of a family of five. He put in treads of beautiful pecan wood. Then with the help of a welding friend cut out every second baluster and replaced it with a twirly whirly one, adding a little more visual interest. For my birthday this year we got the old Singer sewing machine. I've wanted one for yonks as my Mom had one and many childhood memories seem to be attached to it. Mine is a little more ornate than my Mom's one - but I'm very happy with it. About the sketching of all this... I've drawn this little slice of home several times - and battle with the gentle curve of the staircase, which throws all the lines off slightly. I will probably draw it over and over again, till the cows come home - and in doing so - will hopefully observe more and more carefully- the subtle changes of lines, curves, angles and shadows.

Pippa squirrel watching

When she watches squirrels, she sits or stands as still as a statue for at least 2 or 3 minutes, so intense is her concentration! Great model for a quick sketch! Her ears should be bigger though. I wanted to add softer shadows with ink brush - but - - - did not get round to it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIVIENNE - Can't believe you've reached that big number - whew!

New Neighbours

The house across the street has been for sale for quite a long time. The owner, who has moved out, stopped by the to check on things the other day. He walked over to me as I was collecting mail, to tell me he has a serious buyer - and is hoping the sale will close next month. This causes much curiosity about our new neighbours... Shall I go over and ask to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg a few days after they've moved in? (Ha ha ha - I promise I won't!) Mr. R. - the seller, told me the buyers are South African folk - yay!

If you sit on our couch and watch telly (as I've been doing these past few days, nursing this dreadful cold...) this is the view from the window, except more cropped of course, because of the window frame. I love the live oak trees on our front lawn - there's a "twin" to the left of this one. The little puff ball - spidery things you see in the tree is Spanish moss starting to grow. I thought it was a parasite, but on consulting the fount of all knowledge - Wikipedia - it's apparently an "air plant." It's not harmful to the trees but when it grows in abundance, it slows the trees growth, blocking light to the leaves. When these self-sustaining little bundles fall to the ground, I love picking them up and studying them - they are amazing plants. But I've since learnt that once they fall, they become home to chiggers! Not good! Quaint folklore also surround Spanish moss - I copied and pasted this from Wikepedia...

In Charleston,South Carolina; the following tale is told: A Cuban came to the area with his Spanish fiancée in the 1700s to start a plantation near the city. The most striking feature of the bride-to-be was her beautiful, flowing raven hair. As the couple was walking through the forest to reach the location of their future plantation, they were attacked and killed by an army of the Cherokee tribe, who were not happy to have these strangers on their land. As a final warning to stay away from the Cherokee nation, they cut off the long, dark hair of the bride-to-be and threw it up into an oak tree. As they came back day after day, week after week, they noticed that the hair had shriveled and turned grey and had also spread throughout the tree. Wherever the Cherokees went, the moss followed them and would eventually chase them out of their homeland of South Carolina. To this day, if one will stand under a live oak tree, one will hear the moaning of the woman and will see the moss jump from tree to tree, defending itself with a large army of beetles.

In Hawaii,the introduction of Spanish Moss has made it so common that it has acquired the common name "Pele’s hair" after Pele the Hawaiian goddess.

Sunrise cactus - ink

I should have posted this one first, but forgot about it. I painted the w/c (below) afterwards. Back on the couch last night watching American Idol, feeling like my head was made of cotton wool - I added to what I considered was a finished drawing, more intense fine lines. I think it has improved the drawing - given it more contrast between light and dark. And when one can't think straight, drawing parallel fine lines is very therapeutic!

Sunrise cactus

I started this last month and got discouraged and bored with it. Yesterday, while nursing a sore throat on the couch, I decided to have another go at it and... yay, managed to finish it. The actual plant has lost all its flowers and the leaf stems are growing UP, not hanging down as in my watercolour. I had to fudge it a bit - its lacking shadows and dark / light areas. I'm just glad its finished!

The Boy in the Red Vest

I saw this and thought of my little "long arm" sketch of my son... and that large ear too...!

Pippa and Calvin

Half way through February already and no posts! So I found this little doodle sketch, drawn on my daughter's birthday, which will have to do for a while! Thank goodness for dogs and their availability to be convenient "model material."

Russ

I want my sisters to know I tried 10 minutes of sketching on Saturday afternoon - on a constantly moving model. Russ was busy fixing a table that fell apart when Stef and I were moving it. He was very gracious about his rather space alien appearance in the upper left!
I've started on a water colour of a sunrise cactus... But simply HAD to clean up 4 months of pile up on my desk first. Hopefully this will help me feel like I can spend time painting with a clear conscience!

Hyacinth watercolour

My first watercolour in a very L-O-N-G time... I thoroughly enjoyed doing it, once the beginner nerves and pangs of anxiety were overcome. My b/w sketch below - the balance of the picture is more accurate. Here I made the blossoms huge and didn't leave enough room for the tall green leaves. Four days after the b/w sketch, the flowers lowered themselves to touching the table. I wasn't able to come up with the delicate shade of lavender... Since its January and quite grey and rainy outside, I worked under a very bright spot light.

Hyacinth in the house

So I finally got down to some 2008 drawing. I struggle to know what to do with the background of a little sketch like this. I'm getting used to my assortment of beautiful brushes!
The scent of these flowers has been quite overpowering, but in a pleasant way!

Astromeria

I was trying out my new paint pen... I got the background way too dark. Mix with more water!!
And the vase doesn't look very SEATED on the table - more like its floating...
But I'm amazed at the way the posting improves my artwork!! This one looks much better here than in my little book!

Backyard

A favourite view of our backyard through the French doors. The umbrella bathed in afternoon sunlight. The green of the lawn, leaves and foliage lit up like a Tiffany masterpiece. I'm going to have to be brave and try it in watercolour some day.

A Cold Day

It is nippy in Sugar Land today. This post reminds me of hot Texas days - our umbrella, sun faded and friendly, offering much needed shade - if one is to sit in our backyard.

The Floating Bench

This was a doodle sort of drawing. Whenever I feel the urge to doodle, I usually draw flowers or some sort of mother/child picture. I hope to use this little sketch as a reference one day... the early sketches - - - and the later, hopefully much improved sketches!

Bishop Hall

I drew this from memory in a rather child-like fashion. We drove Vonnie, our daughter, to her new college campus - new to her, that is. The time was spent moving her into her dorm and exploring the place. I don't think she would have been pleased with me if I'd sat on the lawn to draw her dorm building! Hence this one from memory...

On the road to Ohio

I'm quite pleased with this little farm sketch I did as we were driving...
I was VERY relaxed and in my own little "bubble." I can get really tense when I draw, frustrated that its not turning out quite right. Oh to come to appreciate that the learning is in the doing, no matter what it looks like - to leave behind the pressure of my drawing having to be brilliant and successful! It certainly helps to be relaxed.

Lily Cat

This was a doodle in the car driving our daughter up to Miami University in Ohio. Sadly we had to have Lily put down last November ('07) But she was a really beautiful cat - a ginger tabby with Siamese body type - long and lean. My sister, Vivienne, told me she was very unusual because most ginger cats are MALE! I dreamed last night, that she came to our door - I opened the door to let her in, and realized it wasn't her - but a male ginger tabby with a very short tail like a manx. He was sweet - and in my dream we decided to keep him!

Mick Jagger

Left... Stef looks a bit Mick Jagger'ish here, but I like his body pose.

The Long Arm...

My son, Stefan, watching telly with our mutt puppy, Pippa. They held this pose for - oh... 2 seconds. But I love it because it does remind me of the boy and his dog relationship.
And if I had an arm like that, I'd never need my little step ladder!

Hmmmm...

Well - it's day two of me and my blog. The scanner on the printer isn't working - so... no posting of old sketches just yet. The pantry is coming on nicely though! It is starting to smell "lemony fresh" in there. I discovered THREE containers of caraway seed. And a pound of cumin powder... What am I going to do with that?

My blog...

Started today - January 10, 2008. Inspired by my sister, Catherine. Her blog has been so much fun to follow, and has clearly brought her and ME such joy - that I thought I should give it a go too.
But ha ha ha - I'm not going to tell anyone about my blog just yet. It's a secret. Just to know that I've got it is GOOD at this point! I have to go and clean my pantry, put some more Christmas stuff away... then I might go and find some of my "old" drawings to put on here. You have to start somewhere, right? So long - for now...