Bank Holiday

It's a bank holiday so we are recovering from staying out at the BBQ last night. It was fun and we stayed till about 2 which isn't so bad.

I have just been reading my book today. It's called "A Suitable Boy" by Vikram Seth and it is fantastic but very big. I can't even imagine reading in hardback! It is an Indian epic about 4 families around the time of partition with Pakistan. It has been compared to Dickens and I think that is pretty accurate. The characters are well developed and the writing style very easy and readable. I bought in Bali and thought it would last the holiday for sure but it has lasted the summer. That's good as it is nice to get at least one good read in during the school holidays.

My plan is to go to the studio soon so I hope I will get there and get a photo of the Gracie portrait so far...

My pic today is of an Illustrator project I did ages ago. I did it for my sisters birthday. It was done in CS2 and it was when you could use live trace to get some resources but it was very difficult to work with the points and pathways. You almost had to redraw if you wanted to cut a bit out. Newer versions have the eraser which will redraw for you and seal things back up neatly into separate objects. That is great but I would never have made such a nice piece if I hadn't had to be creative with the points and paths and redraw some of the horse. I really like how it turned out.

TTFN X

BBQ Day

We are going to a BBQ today so I am baking Tollhouse cookies at the moment. Everyone over here thinks that they are the most amazing thing and that I am the most AMAZING baker when I make them. They don't realize that we have all been baking off of the same recipe on the back of the Nestle's bag of choc chips our whole lives. They don't even have Nestle Choc chips over here. I have just finished off the last of the ones my sister sent at Christmas. I will have to wait until December to get more unless I can get someone to send me some for no reason.

I had a great session at the studio yesterday and the Gracie painting is almost finished. I need to get a good photo of it for the blog. I wish I could sneak away and work on it some more today as the BBQ is just around the corner from the studio, but folks would think I was rude. Tomorrow is a holiday so I will probably get over in the afternoon. I hope I am not too hung over from the BBQ as it will probably go until the wee hours.

The pic today is a chilli truck from Bali. I took the photo from the car behind so it isn't great quality but I like the look of it.

TTFN X

Just a short blog today as it is already 3 and I don't know where the day has gone. I am off to the studio as soon as possible. I still have to work out the dinner situation and there has been some unrest between the man and me as to time spent at the pub. He is now declaring a sit in (front room) and won't contribute to menu plans. For my part, I plan to be gone baby gone as soon as I sort this out. As soon as he realizes that I won't be here, he'll be off to the pub! that means dinner time will be unpredictable.

I will just have to work out what I want and make sure there is something suitable to eat for him when he gets back. Then it's off to the studio...

I haven't made the felt bag yet as I have a nagging sense of fear of failure. I need to get over it and hopefully will feel more positive tomorrow. I think I am having a hormonal reaction to things so I will put it off for a more auspicious day. It does no good to be sad if it doesn't work out.

The picture today is of my Bali Calf. I took many pics of this little guy because I thought he would move as I got closer. He didn't and I have some great pics! I am putting this one on the web as I like the others too much to share while they are still vulnerable to webtheft. I am going to do a painting of the calf with a great background ala "the pig" and "the dog". I have a special background in mind but it isn't worked out yet. Lately, I work pretty much all of my painting out on Illustrator and Photoshop.

TTFN X

I am looking through my Computer Arts mags today for inspiration. I need to come up with some projects for my advanced class next week. It's difficult because I don't know how many students will be new to Illustrator. The school has been trying to "move on" students from the Photoshop classes into my class billing it as an advanced option. These students don't really care about the Illustrator or InDesign and they are usually disappointed when they learn that I only teach part of the term in Photoshop. If they do want to learn these programs, they are starting from scratch with vectors so there is a big learning curve. It makes differentiation very difficult. I have been doing this for years without much problem but lately the school is very keen on showing that students are going somewhere. I have argued that this isn't applied to other classes but they really don't understand digital design at all. It's very frustrating. I will not have any idea until I get to know the new students.

I have posted a pic of Norfolk (Wells-next-to-Sea) as we are returning at the end of September to visit with some friends and I love the photos that I took there. It is on my mind because I arranged for dog sitting today and now that's sorted I can relax. It's so beautiful there! I have loads of pics of the lavender fields and I hope we can go back there.

I have a new felting theme that I am working on. I have everything I need but just didn't want to get all wet and messy today. I am making a handbag after one that I saw a friend with yesterday in yoga. I looked it over and thought it would be the perfect thing to make and I could easily transfer the hows to my sister. She has wanted to felt but I think she would like something more hand-baggy to make as opposed to slippers. I am hoping to knock one up tomorrow. The great thing for me is always the decoration and this will be perfect for applique and needle felting. It takes a lot more wool so I hope the first one comes out better than my first slippers (or my first handbag which is universally considered ugly). I should have a pic by next week.

TTFN X

I didn't blog yesterday and I feel bad about it but I've been doing ok so far so a little slip and I will forgive myself. I was felting yesterday and I have posted a pic of the baby slippers that I made. I also made a pair of ballet slips for a one year old girl but I haven't finished them yet.

I'm pretty happy with the finished product but I haven't tried them on the baby yet. I just quickly make the pattern which was based on an adult pair so they may need some adjustment. It is much quicker to make these though.

The ballet slippers were a whole other thing. I had to figure out how to make a one piece strap and shoe. I also had to make sure I didn't f&%* it up by putting the strap on the same side each shoe. That is the kind of thing I do...

I also made some felt so I could put 3D flowers on the strap. I haven't done this before either so the whole thing is a learning process. I will take a pic of them when finished. I really like this experimental learning thing but sometimes it doesn't work out and you just have to suck it up and drive on. Once you realize that not everything works out the first time, then it is a lot easier to be creative and try different things. In the long run, you get better at design and you gain confidence in yourself and your abilities.

TTFN X

A day at the beach

School starts soon so I need to concentrate on my digital artwork and lesson plans.

Here are some things I did last term using Adobe Photoshop.

The first pic is a simple montage of images with different effects. I used "threshold" to create the black images. I used hue/saturation for others. The sandcastles were threshold and then changing black to white and cutting it out.

I used the example three times (for 3 classes) and I was really pleased with the effect of having 3 of some things. One of the things I tell my students is that a professional graphic artist should not be afraid to keep adding to the image. It gives it a lot of depth.

The second image is made with some downloaded watercolour brushes in Photoshop. I took the image of a parchment and layered it in with transparency to create the paper effect and then using the same image as the other artwork (boy on beach), I started painting. I faded the original and painted on top to create a watercolour effect. I used Papyrus font because it fades in and out.

That's my art for the day...

I spent the day helping a friend get some art drawers, for storing her beautiful prints and visiting other friends to celebrate the first birthday of my little dog Grace. We were in the common with the daddy and my other dog (mum). We were also joined by other sausage dog friends and Queenie (my poodle). It was a beautiful day! Now I must join my husband down the pub :)

TTFN X

"Guilt Free"

I uploaded a pic of the garden today as it is probably the last nice day this week and it is already becoming cold at night. Autumn is coming...

I think that as a lifestyle, "art in everyday life" should encompass the garden as well as the home style. My art for the day may be some felting (I haven't decided yet) but it may be that I go to the studio or nothing at all.

A long time ago, I made Sunday "Guilt Free'. That means that I don't have to do anything if I don't want to. I can eat what I want and be lazy without all of the self beating that I do the rest of the week. I think that giving yourself a day of guiltless rest is really healing.

I did waste the day yesterday too but I beat myself up about it. I had a hang over and was tired from staying up all night. I think the blood sugar levels jump around with alcohol so you must be careful not to get depressed. Even so, I have to stick with my guilt free Sundays. I can't take anything else that has gone on during the week into account. That is the simple rule. NO GUILT

And now, since I no longer want to be on the internet, I will sign off...

TTFN X

Balloon Girl

I went to a wedding yesterday and didn't get back until 4 in the morning so I'm tired and hung-over.

My art for the day is going to be digital for two reasons. One: I can just about handle the laptop and even that is like hard work... Two: I have a million photos to work with from the wedding.

I chose "Balloon Girl" to post because I LOVE it and I like the way that camera RAW works so I thought I'd talk about it. I went through all of my photos in bridge and then on some I just tweaked the clarity a little to give it a soft magical look. On this photo, it makes it look like a painting (and actually it may be at some point). I think that everything works in the photo; colour, subject matter and balance.

I love the way you can work with photos in Bridge and Camera RAW. You can quickly make your photos look professional or artsy.

Now, I have to get ready for yoga (if I'm going to make it). I hope it won't be too strong today. I have to take care of myself in Jamie's class because he works us hard and, IMO, being a boy makes him less sensitive to girlie weakness.

TTFN X

Sketching

So I did a quick sketch last night of the boy that I am going to do a painting of. It was pretty good last night but when I went out to get some fixative, I bought a new set of charcoal sketch pencils. It is overdone now...

Oh well; the man I am giving it to will love it! It does look like the boy. He's a miserable little so and so. I took about a hundred pics of him just to get him smiling but no luck. I finally told them that if he isn't a smiling person, then it won't look natural to have him smile in the painting.

About my new sketch pencils... they are about the same as others I have. I tend to hoard art materials. Last year, when we were selling our home, I put a lot of stuff in storage (thinking it would sell in a month max). I can't believe that I made so much of my art stuff in boxes at the back. All of my watercolours and sketchbooks etc... are locked up. I had to buy a new set of watercolours and brushes and the whole set up again this summer. It's not that I mind buying new gear but now I will have more than ever to keep. I also have a bunch of wool and all of the felting materials in the house. It's a very small home...

I had a teacher that said that most people get stuck at the "materials" stage of a project. This is the stage where you have planned it out and then bought all of the materials to complete the job. Then the interest starts to wane and you have a whole bunch of new stuff. I have always found this to be true of me but knowing it helps to fight through the laziness.

Well, tomorrow is a wedding so I will not be doing any art but Saturday I need to get to grips with my felting!

TTFN X Paige

Almost forgot...

I almost forgot to post today...

I haven't been very active on the art front today so I will post a pic of a painting I did quite some time ago...

I was feeling really uninspired and like a big fat loser so I decided to copy an old master... Sir James Guthrie painted this a long time ago and I had a postcard from the V & A show "Arts and Crafts". I learned so much from this painting and developed the confidence to do more of my own ideas! This was a real turning point in the painting career of Paige Barry. It's not an exact copy but the feel is there so I couldn't call it mine but I love it just the same. The geese all have their own personality and I think this is how I got started on the animal thing. I also took a lot of time doing it and that is what I am doing all the time now. I don't really market my art so I am taking the time and doing what feels right. In the end I will have fewer paintings but they will all be from the heart. I also like to learn while I am painting and this was a great learning experience!

I am going to try to get a sketch done tonight of a boy that I am meant to paint. I just want to get some of the shapes and the feel down. I might also try some coloured pencils. I'll have to see how it goes. I love coloured pencils! You can actually do photo-realism if you work hard enough. I want to see how loose or tight I am feeling about the picture and then I'll decide...

TTFN xx Paige

Lakelillies

While I was looking through photos for the Saatchi thing, I came across some Lake District photos that I had played with and decided that this one turned out really well. I used photoshop to enhance it and play with the colours. Those were the old days before Camera Raw. Now I can go through loads of photos and just play... I love it!

Today is Tuesday and I need to plan when and where things will happen before school is back in session. I need to do my lesson planning and Schemes of Work. We are being assessed next term so the paperwork needs to be together.

Unfortunately, the pig didn't sell so I will need to pick it up from the gallery on Thursday. This is not easy as it is so big that I need to have a people carrier to move it. I also need help moving it. It is going to hang in my hubby's offices until I can sell it or find another gallery. The difficult part is that it is all in central London so the logistics are a nightmare! Oh well, we transferred it from the Royal Academy to Llewelyn Alexander so it can go to Victoria the same way. I am lucky to have had it in a gallery at all. This was my first "hanging" and I was really excited. I don't market myself very well, if at all, so it is a miracle that it was hanging anywhere other than the studio. I hate all of the background that you have to have in order be taken seriously as an artist. Why can't the work speak for itself? I love sharing my work with people though, and now I can post it on my blog!

Todays art focus will be going to the studio to work on the Grace painting. I will post work in progress tomorrow...

Monday...

The day has officially gotten away from me but I did manage to register for the Saatchi online gallery. That will have to be my art thing for the day...

I now have to rush out and get something for dinner and take the dogs to the rec at the same time...

This blog thing is easier in the morning so tomorrow I will do it first thing!

Sunday...

So, a quick blog on this day...

This morning I moved the Arts & Crafts wardrobe from storage into my hallway. I spent the rest of the day organizing the fallout. It's strange how much crap you have to go through with even the simplest change. I have just finished (mostly) tidying and it is 6:30! I didn't get any felting done but I think this will make it easier to motivate myself. It is hard to get started when things are a mess.

One of my goals for the summer is to halve the storage space so we can cut our expenses. Removing the wardrobe was just the beginning...

Saturday ... Day2

So it is day 2 of the commitment to "post a blog every day". I have wasted most of the day on FB so I guess that is kind of like a blog.

I was up until 3am speaking to my lovely son about his plans for the future and helping him sort out some finance. He has decided (this week) to move back to the east coast (NYC) and finish his college using the GI bill. He is attending a local community college and we were sorting out the courses that would be transferrable and also a good series for his major (Business studies or Engineering) He really doesn't know what to do with his life... I hope it all falls into place because so far he has had a lot of obstacles. I believe that when something is meant to be, it all falls into place and so conversely, if it isn't falling into place... However, if you don't try then you will never have the opportunity to find out.

According to GOETHE:

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth...

the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."

With that said, I need to get started on my wool slippers. I am making some children's slippers out of felt and also a kit for my sister to learn how to do the same. She want's to learn felting and I think she could actually sell some of these at local craft fairs to earn some much needed extra money. If I can figure out how, I will post some pics on the blog when they are finished.

Well, that's my post of the day. I have yoga at 5 and need to do so much...

TTFN xxx

New to blogging

If you can believe it, I have never had a blog before. I do facebook and MySpace etc... and I have been the computer art queen since the early 90's but have never really thought about a blog. To be honest, I thought it was a bit sad to have a blog; like you don't have real friends or something. I have just bought a magazine called the "Artful Blogger" and it has changed my perception of blogs. I am now going to try to blog every day and once I figure it all out, I will blog with images of my artwork.