Freedom and setting myself free!

As you may know from my last blog post, I've been taking part in a 7 day miniseries challenge. I'd posted the first four days so here's what happened next!

This is day 5. I wrote free spirit then covered it with swirls, which is a technique I have used before. I see it when faced with a lovely large canvas that I was given and I felt intimidated by, so I wrote on it, then painted over it. I knew the messages where there but you couldn't see them, so the painting, or in this case the drawing, has to speak its own message!

Day 6 and I'd had some useful feedback via the Facebook group that was set up for the challenge that perhaps my free spirit was getting a bit trapped! It certainly feels rather squashed and the swirls have become rather heavy. 

Day 6 part 2! This is a collaboration between my and my mini artist! At 16 months old he is just beginning to make marks, so I held his hand and we did some scribbles together. This was an 'ah ha' moment! He picked the colours that grabbed his attention, and just placed the marks where he wanted, even if they were on top of each other, without worrying about balance or composition. I wanted to be this free!

Day 7 all my own work this time! I used pencils, just picked the colours I liked and tried to copy Simon's mark making technique. It was very freeing, although I did not that I wanted to try and make it balanced!

Here's the whole mini series starting top left and heading down to bottom right.

I learnt that I need to really chuck out the 'rules' that I have in my head, and it definitely takes me to another place creatively. Don't do what you think you ought to, try and go with feelings or intuition! Exciting to see where I go next!

Free spirit, swirls and a seven day challenge

As I have mentioned in a previous post I had signed up to a mini 7 day challenge on this website http://taraleaver.com/  It's been great to see what others have been doing via her members only Facebook page, and I have been encouraged by others comments. It's also nice to encourage others. 

The challenge is to create a series of art works, which is not something I did very often until I did my art foundation course, and learnt to repeat and refine my work, and to explore other possibilities. I am not the best at sticking with things, preferring to move on rather than revisit, so it was a useful and frustrating skill to learn! 

So what have I been doing? Well we are now on Day 4 and here's what I've been up to! I used the free spirit drawing I'd previously done as a starting point. It's on this blog post http://joscreativeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/days-away-time-to-play-and-making-gifts.html

Day 1 using thin pens and exploring text. I like how it flows, but it is a bit wispy and doesn't have the strength or boldness I want. Interesting to explore my ideas in words though.

Day 2 I got out the sharpie markers and mixed text, swirls and stars. Flowed much better, colours much bolder. Not sure about the dots.

Day 3 I used coloured pencils. Not as flowy due to the texture in the paper, and not as bold. A worthy experiment, but not the ideal medium for this image. Like the 'flow across the page'.

Day 4 back to the sharpies and I joined all the swirls up so the flow was even better. Interesting to do as I had a certain small person demanding bits of banana I between swirls! Working while he eats his dinner is good in that I can sit with him (we eat later) but it isn't exactly uninterrupted!

It'll be interesting to see what happens next! We have been continuing with our Harry Potter filmathon, and I so want to capture some of that magic. I also want an immediacy and a sketchy look. I am wondering how the swirls would work as a monoprinting technique.

Day 5 here we come! 

Inspiring and nurturing creativity...and pasta

I've got a bit distracted...I decided on Wednesday night that I wanted to watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I loved watching it again but it meant no evening to do much creative. Then we decided to keep going and watched most of the Chamber of Secrets last night. 

When time is limited, sometimes you have to make a choice. I had to choose sit and immerse myself in a great film that's a real favourite or spend some time doing some drawing or sewing. Tough choice, but both have their benefits. Although I didn't get to do much creative, watching the film topped up my sense of creativity and magic and possibility. Creativity needs to be fed and natured, not just by doing it yourself, but also by enjoying the work of others. After my last blog post with the free spirit drawing, a friend recommended a song of that title by her favourite band. I had a listen and downloaded it because it captured some of what I am trying to capture. Inspiration comes from many places. 

So have I done anything creative over the last couple of days?

I did some more work on the gift I am making, but no photos!

I also made pasta bolognese in the slow cooker. Simon enjoyed it, but me and Adrian decided the sauce was good but slow cooked pasta is not so great!

Here's the leftovers for Simon's dinner tonight!

Days away, time to play and making gifts

We've been away for a few days so I haven't been able to post, or indeed had much to post! But now I'm back home here are a few creative things I've been doing.

I started this doodle drawing before we went away. No plan, just drawing what comes to mind. I've been musing on the idea of free spirit, of being less weighed down, or making life lighter and more fun.

I added a bit more here. I'm not keen on the lower right hand corner, but I may do more, or just leave it as it is. I also let Simon help and you can see his contributions on the left hand side.

I am also working on a gift for someone, so I can't post anything here other than this little teaser!

It's been ages since I did any cross stitch, and I have compiled a design from a book with some text for this gift. Pictures when it has been given to its recipient!

Oh, and I did create one more thing...

When I took the weekends catch up laundry off the airer, Simon crawled under it to get a toy. Cue to make a tent with a tablecloth! He sat and had a 'cup of tea' in there and posed for a photo before being off and about in his usual busy way!

Future plans include 

- a mini course doing a series of drawings, signed up for via this website http://taraleaver.com/2016/08/mini-painting-series-7-day-challenge/

Should be fun!

- doing some monoprinting, perhaps when my gift is finished

- this list of toys

I love to think about what I could do, getting it done is harder! I have very detailed plans somewhere for a Doctor Who themed quiet book, which may never get made...but planning it was half the fun! 

Starting a new thing, and finishing an old thing

The last two days have been full of preparation for a new thing. Strictly speaking I'm not starting a new thing, as it's a journey that started in about November last year, when I decided to become a childminder rather than go back to teaching!

Today was the day of the Ofsted pre-registration visit, where they come and spend a couple of hours checking you have child locks, know which end to put a nappy on a bay, and are aware of how to spot a toddler terrorist. I may be kidding about some of that...but only a little!

Anyway, the lady who visited us was very friendly, and encouraging. She waded through all my paper work (3 folders of paper!) and did the tour of the house, and said...she would be recommending me to go on the register! Ofsted now check her report and make the final decision, but I feel like it's done now! My new career as a childminder will be starting very soon! 

So all this creating a good environment and 3 files of paper has left not much time for other creativity, until tonight when I finished something I started over the weekend.

Here it is...

It's a Bible journalling page which I've had a mind for a couple of weeks. We're working our way through Luke's gospel at church and hearing about the stories of the rich ruler and of Zaccheus helped me make some links and comparisons. 

The rich ruler thought he was perfect. He had obeyed the law entirely since he was a boy (our vicar pointed out that the rich ruler was lying about this, and for some reason that had never occurred to me!) and he wasn't prepared to change his lifestyle and give away his wealth to follow Jesus. Zaccheus knew he needed Jesus, he knew he had done things wrong, but he was prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to see Jesus. He was a man of wealth and power but he shinned up a tree! He gave away his wealth by his own volition, Jesus didn't have to ask him. 

What a contrast! I know I sometimes forget I'm a sinner, just like the rich ruler, I know I can be unwilling to give away the things that hold me back, just like the rich ruler, but I hope I would also be willing to shin up the nearest tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus, just like Zaccheus, and that an encounter with him would inspire me to change my life, just like Zaccheus.

The image shows Zaccheus up the tree, which is all my own, and the rich ruler in the front, looking sad because he was very rich and did not want to give away his wealth. This image is copied from this website http://ministry-to-children.com/skit-the-rich-young-ruler/ 

I'm pleased with the shading, with the composition and with making a link between two bible stories that I have known since I was a child, and had become probably over familiar with. A new insight always feels good, like a precious nugget of something wonderful that has come your way.

Quilting and cooking

Here's what I cooked yesterday, to welcome back the wanderer! 

Moroccan chicken from the Good Food pressure cooker cook book. (You can just see it in the background)  I did it in my electric pressure cooker, which I love and is one of the most used kitchen gadgets. 

I also made this in my food processor, another much used kitchen gadget!

A blackberry and clotted cream shortcake! I spotted the recipe on Facebook and shared it with Adrian who said 'yes please!' It's a BBC Good Food recipe and you can find it here. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2857/blackberry-and-clotted-cream-shortcake-

Both were delicious! 

And here's some better photos of Simon's I spy quilt. The idea is to have lots of fun print and then play I spy with all the pictures. I made mine a snap and I spy quilt so I had two squares of every fabric, so we can play matching and spotting! I used a disappearing 9 patch pattern. I backed it with fleece.

Here's the finished quilt draped over the sofa.

Here's some close ups.

I quilted either side of the seams.

Here's the back.

I even put one of my labels on it!

I'm really thrilled with how it turned out. And of course I have two more quilts in the planning stage!

Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes!

This weekend has been a little odd - I'm writing this on Sunday morning - as Adrian has been away, leaving just me and the little guy to amuse ourselves! So what did we do, and did it involve creativity?

No smoothies for a start! I joined the boy and had cereal and toast breakfasts, but I think I was less messy than him! (I hope so anyway!)

No dinners either! Fish and chips on Friday - Simon loves both! And leftovers on Saturday.

Trip to the park Saturday morning with Aunty. Good conversation and fun, which always energises me. Somehow, for me, things seem better, funnier etc if you can share them with some one, either at the time, or afterwards! Perhaps that's why I like to make art? I like to share my feelings and experiences!

And my evenings?

Friday was creative in that I worked in paperwork for my childminding business. I don't really call writing policies creative, but it is working towards the life I want to create I suppose. I'd still rather not be doing it though!

Saturday was fun! I'd set that aside for creativity and did the following...

I finished the I spy quilt! Yay! I'll try and get some better photos, but this shows that I gave it a test run and snuggled up in the sofa to do...

These are blind contour drawings, where you look at the object, not at the drawing! I've recently started following this blog http://taraleaver.com/ and she offers a free drawing course! Free! Drawing! Got to be worth a try, right?

So this was the first lesson, and it was fun. It reminds you to look and frees up your hand to move. Drawing definitely needs practice to get better.

Tomorrow's post will include food...I'm welcoming my big fella home with a nice meal!