The first step

I should really be somewhere else now, doing something complete different today and the next 10 days, instead of being where I am and doing what I am now. But sometimes life doesn't go according to plan, some rescheduling is required. But at least it means that I can go the party today, and that brightens this otherwise rather depressing day at least a little bit.

autumn day, mixed media on canvas, 40x40cm

I've been very busy these past few weeks and months, both with work and with my paints and brushes - and some additional materials. Last weekend we hosted our annual technological-historical conference at the library, and this year's topic was "material flows / material cycles".

paradies, mixed media on canvas, 40x40cm

This year, I had the chance to make a little contribution too, by showing some of my paintings. The idea was to show how one's work can be a source inspiration in different ways. (I've already talked about this a little bit in another PPF post, a few weeks ago). Book covers and pages of old journals that needed to be disposed can be re-used as collage elements or to paint on. Old library tickes and catalogue cards, decades-old calendar sheets, little notes and letters can be found between the covers of those old books, and they make perfect elements to use in a painting. The surroundings of the library, the river and the nearby forest with their bird and nature reserve, are a well of inspiration too, and can find their way into a painting, be that the light and autumn colours in the park, or some photographs that turn into collage elements.

paradies, mixed media on canvas, 40x40cm

It was a bit scary, but also exciting, to show some of my work to a group of more or less complete strangers. Would they like it? Or would they think it was just silly? It was a bit of a test for me, and I was quite glad to have the change to do it in this small, protected environment. The reactions were very positive and encouraging (although some of the remarks made me laugh a little bit - yes, even librarians have a life outside the library, and other interests than just books!).

My little display of my my work - my first ever!

So this was the first step outside. Now we'll see what comes next, and how this journey continues. But now it's time for the party!

Happy Paint Party Friday

AEDM days 5 to 12 (minus day 10)

Last week has been a very busy week at work, including having to stay at a hotel for two nights, a very very long Friday, and working on Saturday as well. I did manage to do some sketching on most days though, but I didn't have any time at all for keeping up my blog, or visit any other blogs. But now the busy time's finally over, and things should get back to normal again.

5/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 5: Dalahästen

These carved wooden horses have a long history and they are very pretty too. They're usually painted in bright colours, the most common one being red, but my favourite one is this plain wooden one with white pattern.

6/11/2012 ~ ADEM Day 6: My Cup of Tea

When inspiration's just gone on a little tea break and you just really don't know what to draw, simply draw what's next to you. Like your favourite tea mug.

7/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 7: Doorstopper

And if you still don't know what to draw the day after, just take the next closest thing that's lying around. Like this turquoise paint tube-shaped doorstopper. Not that I've ever really used it as a doorstopper.

8/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 8: Fighting that Cough

Trying to get rid of that annoying cough with cough syrup and sage pastilles. They seem to be working.

9/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 9: The Conference

The best thing to do to pass the time at the conference was to just sketch it.

10/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 10:

Sorry, no sketch. After an intense and exhausting two conference days, I just didn't have the energy to do even a simple little sketch.

11/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 11: Leaves

Spent all day on the sofa, reading or watching films, and recovering from the conference and all the preparations it required. It was raining cats and dogs all day, so that was just a perfect excuse too. And I even remembered to do a little sketch. Just some simple leaves.

12/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 12: Clementines

I always love the first clementines, they're always the best.

AEDM days 2 to 4, and day 1 with a splash of colour

My intended "quick sketches" are turning out to take much longer to do, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the process, whether it's a quick lunch time sketch with some colour added in the evening, a relaxing evening sketch, a sneaky sketch during art class or an early Sunday morning warm up sketch before spending the rest of the day painting.

2/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 2: Basic Tools

 Some of my very basic brushes (some of them are simple pastry brushes from the supermarket) and my favourite green water jar.

3/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 3: The Artist

M painting teacher at work. Unfortunately, it doesn't look anything like him. I'm still far away from getting a real likeness when trying to sketch people. But the first step is to practise sketching people at all - and getting quicker at it. Why can't people just stand still?

4/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 4: A Pocket Full of Pink

I received a pocketful of Pink the other day, including these lovely buttons. Just perfect for sketching on a Sunday morning.

And the Ginkgo sketch from Day 1 got a bit of colour too:

Have a wonderful, creative Sunday!

It's Art Every Day Month again

November is Art Every Day Month, the challenge hosted by Leah Piken Kolidas from Creative Every Day blog. I took part last year and really enjoyed it, both to force myself to do something every day and the community. I thought I had to give it a miss this years, as November was already filled with plans, which did not really include blogging, or even sketching. But thanks to life being bitchy, it's going to be a lot less eventful month, I'm afraid. And so, with some more time on my hands, I'm joining after all. After all, it's a good way to keep oneself busy.

I know I won't be able to post every day, but I definitely intend to be creative every day. I've dug out my abanondend little Moleskine sketchbook this morning, and my intention is to fill a page each day. I am so impressed by Serena Lewis' terrific sketches for Blogtoberfest and the 75 penk/ink sketch challenge, and they have inspired me try and do a sketch each day for this year's AEDM. Although not necessarily only pen or ink. I do like my pencils (and eraser) and a splash of colour.

1/11/2012 ~ AEDM Day 1: Ginkgo

There's a wonderful big old Ginkgo tree (just getting the spelling right is a little challenge in itself!) outside my window at work. Now, in autumn, it's beautifully shaped leaves are bright yellow, and the ground's already covered with them. As well as with its, or rather her, seeds, as there are actually both male and female trees with only the females producing seeds that look like little fruits. I picked up some of the leaves and seeds for this lunch-time sketch this mornin, but I think I'll add a little bit of colour later this evening.

Painting Therapy

Painting is just a perfect way to keep yourself busy and get your minds off things at those times when life decides to present itself from its bitchiest side. So I pretty much spent most of last Monday, when I had a day off, filling one page after the other in my art journal. Painting in your art journal has the added advantage that you can not only take your mind off things for a while, but to also get some things out of your system and turn them into something pleasing and colourful.

"Pieces of Me" - well, not really colourful. I had to go to one of those awful photo boothes, as the train company asked me to send them a new photo to renew my annual train pass. Gosh, I just hate those. But then the photo on my train pass was from my mid twenties, so maybe they did have a point...

"Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained" -  Sometimes you have to be a bit adventurous, and be prepared for some changes to take place in your life.

"Listen To Your Heart" - Of course there have to be two pages, linked together. I think they speak for themselves.

"How Long Until We Meet At Last?"  - Yes, that is indeed the question right now. Thanks to life being bitchy.

"Anticipating Winter" - Well, I just love winter, and snow, and those lovely, amazing snowflakes, so I just had to make a page for winter. According to the weather forecast, we might even get some snow already tomorrow! Fine with me :)

I'm sorry for having been so terrible with keeping up with Paint Party Friday last week, but, well, life and all that... I promise to do better this weekend. Although I also have the complete second series of Downton Abbey to get through, and some more journal pages to fill...

Happy Paint Party Friday

Not all change is bad change

I've added a new page to my Change Journal, which I have quite neglected a bit these past few weeks and months. It was one of those pages where I had no idea what would come out of it when I started. I realised that I hadn't used much blue for a while, and that I even had some new blue paints that were still unopend, so I just started with painting a blue background.

I've been wanting to create a page using a vintage image for ages, and still not knowing what to do, really, this dreamy, happy girl just seemed perfect.

And lots and and lots of butterflies all around.

I started this journal only a few months ago, to help me work on my attitude towards change. And although there's still a lot of change I'm not happy with, I'm beginning to see that not all change is necessarily for the worse. Some changes are pretty good, really. And they come when you least expect it, and are brought about by the smallest things, like finally writing a long overdue e-mail. And suddenly, your world is turned upside down, and you'll find yourself smiling and dreaming and hoping that there'll be even more changes following that will change your life forever, and for the better.

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Overdue

I have missed so many Paint Party Fridays I can't even remember how many of them exactly! So this post really is long overdue, and I'm glad to be back :)

I'm working on a little "recycling" project, although I don't really like the label. Firstly, the term "recycling" makes most people think of plastic bottles and and recycling containers, and things like that. Secondly, collecting things that inspire us and re-use them in some way or other in a painting, is not really something so very special for a mixed media painter. It's just what we do. But then, we're not all painters, mixed media or others, and some people seem to need some kind of labelling to make sense of it all.

We received a whole bunch of old bound journals at the library, and most of them had those old lending cards in them, with the names and dates of the people who borrowed the books between the 1950s and 1970s. I took them all out and used some of them as a background, adding layers of colour, and some image transfer (book paper, of course) on top of it, before adding the word. "Overdue" just seemed the most appropriate, and it just fitted the size of the canvas perfectly :). And there's even more, less obvious, library related "recycling" here too - I used some cardboard insides of a roll of shelfmark label stickers for the circles. The library is an endless well of inspiration :).

"Overdue" - 30x30cm mixed media on canvas

Happy Paint Party Friday!