IF_Ahead

The Owl and the Pussycat

Two things came to mind when thinking about the theme 'Ahead' for Illustration Friday.

The first was 'getting ahead', and the second was 'land up ahead'.

I decided to go for the second idea, thinking about those two ultimate sea-farers...

The Owl and the Pussycat of course!

When they went to sea on the beautiful pea-green boat they would not have known what was ahead (for they packed some honey and plenty of money just in case!) but they took off anyway.

For those who need a refresher on the story like me, here is a link for Edward Lear's nonsense poem in full

The Owl and the Pussycat

Enjoy

x

Almost one year later

Another beginning...

This another beginning...And yes, there will be others.

Once there was a 32 year old woman who started a blog almost one year ago. She still loved everything that life had to offer but she had turned a year older and somehow things were very different. She was, well... a little older. She felt a little older, and acted a little older, and looked at the world as being a little older. And whilst the world still glistened, there was a tinge of old gold, antique sadness to it - just a tinge but it was still there. And still, there is no ending to this story, but there is definitely a middle, and this must be it. That 32 year old woman thought: 'I've reached the middle, and whilst I have loved and lost and loved again, and moved and lived, and smelt and ate, and ran and walked and skipped and slept, I will take a deep breath and find new things and keep moving and know there is still more to come. My God, I am finally a woman'.

1 year ago:The beginning...

This is the beginning...

Once there was a 31 year old woman who truly loved so many scrummy things about life that she wanted to collect, photograph, keep, get, hold, see, experience, draw, paint and record EVERYTHING but didn't know where to start. 

Then, on a Saturday afternoon in the early summer of 2008, as the 31 year old woman shared her favourite walk along an ocean path with another woman who loved scrummy things about life, it was decided that the time had come to finally collect, photograph, keep, get,  hold, see, experience, draw, paint and record EVERYTHING that was scrummy for her.

There really is no ending to this story. Only a beginning and a middle...

Bird and Fish

This is my first draft of a little story I wish to write and illustrate. Because I am a sponge for all things I see and hear I get concerned that there may be a story like this out there. If anyone can tell me that they have seen something like it then I will fix it. Any feedback would be good too.

Bird and Fish.

Bird knew the sky and the land but did not know the ocean. Bird knew the mountains and air, the warm, green places, and Bird knew the other birds who were his friends and family. Bird dreamed of knowing what was below the surface of the water but Bird could not swim or breath without air. If only Bird could somehow know what lay in the depths of the ocean.

Fish knew the ocean but did not know the land and the sky. Fish knew the hidden treasures that lay beneath the surface of the water. Fish knew the nooks and crannies, the dark, cool places and Fish knew the other fish who were his friends and family.  Fish dreamed of knowing the sky and the land but fish could not breath out of the water. If only Fish could know what lay above the surface of the ocean.

One day Bird hopped out onto the furthest branch of a great arching tree which hung over the water. Bird wanted to peek past the surface of the water and see what was beneath. Fish came to the surface to see what Bird was doing, knowing that Bird might tell him of tales of the land and sky. 

Bird chirped to Fish in Bird language, and Fish gurgled to Bird in Fish language. Neither Fish nor Bird could speak each other's own language but somehow they knew what the other was saying. Bird flapped his wings, and arched and dove and flew in circles at great speed. Fish jumped and splashed and swam in circles at great speed. They found a way to communicate by playing and chirping and gurgling. 

As their friendship grew from days of playing and flying and splashing, Bird and Fish slowly began to learn about each other. They learned what each other ate, they learned how each other played, and they learned about where the other came from. Fish slowly learnt about what was above the surface of the water and Bird learnt what was above it. No longer did the other long to be somewhere or something else. They had both found a friend who could tell them.

xxx

Camilla and the Crow.

Camilla and the Crow

And they all came from far and wide 

to see the crow and his bride.

From her hair the flowers grow,

Perched atop, the wisest crow.

They arched their necks, a glimpse they tried

And at her beauty they all sighed.

How magnificent! They all cried,

They dabbed their tears and wiped their eyes.

Unfinished yes, but getting there. I began last night and have had a few hours progress this morning. Will continue at end of day. The oils are getting easier to work and blend.

Another soggy weekend and I still did not learn my lesson in shutting the windows at night - again the rain poured in the bedroom window! The guttering is not good and torrents flow noisily right outside the window. Must ask the landlord to redirect.

I found this large feather a while back. I do have an obsession with crows/ravens/currawongs/whatever we call them here in the land of Oz. I love how their mystery and intensity translate over so many countries, myths and cultures.

Bless.

xxx

Can't I just make art forever???

I had every intention of beginning work today at 8am to catch up on those "working from home" hours I lost last week. However it is now 11am and I am still not there. I have had coffee, banana bread, been to visit my local discount store for a friend's birthday present (cheap I know, but some very cutesy Japanese notepads, cups, etc.), and now I am doing this. I also want to go to my local op shop today. I guess what all this means is that once I have finished these entries I must work consistently until early evening. Hmmmm, I will sit on that one.

Until then, here is the most recent "Loveliness not Perfection" entries.

Page 4:

The Seagulls...

Most days she would go down to the ocean and watch the seagulls circle the rocks.

I wasn't sure about this page. Too much going on, the seagulls are fat and weird and I don't like the white halo around her. She does have glitter hair and I quite like that. Still, I did say it was loveliness not perfection I was after.

Page 5:

Vintage Clothes...

Millicent knew how good she looked in vintage clothes.

After the mish-mash of the last page I wanted to keep this one simple. I may make changes to any of the pages as I go but for the moment I liked the simplicity of this one. I wanted the focus on the Japanese Yuzen pattern, and of course, on Millicent.

Birdy Abundance page 2 and 3

Here are pages two and three of the "loveliness not perfection" book. Such a little book, such yummy fun.

Page 2 (lino print on paper):

 

Little Bird...

How are you today little bird? What did you see? What did you do? Oh if only I could be like you.

Page 3 (Felt and paper collage):

 

The Apples...

On that day I decided that the abundance of apples meant I would have a full and rosy life.

Pyjamas, Pyjamas wherefore art thou Pyjamas.

It was my first time into a Peter Alexander store today. Bad move. I did not buy anything but I did fantasise and I will be obsessing until I go back. Very delicious. 

I had to, instead, play out my fantasies on paper. Now, I know I have not been using my camera and I really should because the images are so much more accurate, what is even worse is that when my computer takes a shot the text is reverse, and therefore unreadable. I, however, will translate:

"Carmelita did not care much for matters of the global economy. All she wanted was that perfect pair of Peter Alexander pyjamas".

Milly and Saskia

This is Milly. She likes to hang with the ravens.

This is Saskia. She is a bit of a swamp girl. I liked my hand in the shot so you can see how little she is. 

I love doing my blog however I am having so much trouble uploading my pics. They are small files but sometimes it takes AGES or does not happen at all. Does anyone have any pointers?

Monday-itis? I think not!

The day began a little cloudy - heading over the bridge on the bus, falling asleep, longing for my coffee at Wynyard.

I am sitting at uni today trying to concentrate. It is 9:38am and already I want a coffee break. As you can see I am, instead, blogging, so I may as well get that coffee. I am at a little booth in the library, on my laptop, by myself. I am sitting beneath a James Gleeson painting. All gold and fleshy and earthy.

Walking through Martin Place this morning (my usual path to uni) I snapped the Seidler MLC building. 

I also snapped an awesome sculpture/spiral maze made for a promotional exercise for Visy recycling. The maze was created out of huge bales of cardboard. All the business people rushing to work just stared at it, however, I walked the spiral maze for the sheer joy of doing something silly. 

For lunch I went to the MOST amazing sandwich shop. It is off Oxford St and the sandwiches are HUGE and so delicious. The bread is a fresh, soft, crusty loaf. I had tuna with gerkin, red capsicum, lettuce and chive and lemon mayonnaise. I would have had a Chinotto too but I resisted the temptation because of the huge amount of caffene and sugar I have already had. 

I stopped at the art store and bought, of all things, some pigment. Pale gold. Oh so beautiful. Like everything else in this life I had to purchase a couple of other products to mix it with (a different product for watercolour, for oil and for guache. Blimey). Still, it is stunning! It is a small bottle - $22 but half price so I got it for $11. Happy me. I can't wait to use it. I have been given some wood to paint on which will look beautiful.

Finally, dinner in Newtown. The yummy Kammadhenu. What a charmed life I live! Here is a pic of my friend Grahaeme's dinner. Mine was Palak Paneer (spinach and cottage cheese) with coconut rice and the best roti you've ever had.