A really bad night sleep; bored to death at work; sore back; literally looking for things to complain about; ran out of watercolour paper while still having ideas to get down on it; just really grumpy! As I sat there looking at the thick, grey cardboard back from my watercolour pad, knowing my watercolours wouldn't … Continue reading Bad Birds Four – Making The Best Of Waking On The Wrong Side Of The Bed
Bad Birds Three – I Am My Own Moodiness
We all have choices to make and the hardest is often how we choose to react to our circumstances. I was so frustrated with boredom that I became unaware of how I was emoting that black cloud of frustration. I was generating my own shadow of negativity wherever I went and getting even more resentful … Continue reading Bad Birds Three – I Am My Own Moodiness
Bad Birds Two – Keeping My Nose Out Of It
Remember that these were reactions to the boredom caused by the work practices of the summer job team... I can't really blame them... it might have made sense to me when I was 19 too. But now, I have so much on my mind and I'm quite set in my ways... work hard now to … Continue reading Bad Birds Two – Keeping My Nose Out Of It
Bad Birds One – I Hate Just Waiting Around
It started about a week ago. My summer maintenance job was meant to be very easy work and I convinced myself it was just for a little extra cash, so it didn't matter what had to be done. I enjoy physical labour... it's a break from intellectual work and allows my mind to wander. However, … Continue reading Bad Birds One – I Hate Just Waiting Around
Invasion of the Triffid-Snatchers
Are you a fan of the old black and white, alien invasion, b-movies of the 1960s? Take a look at The Day of there Triffids and try to figure out what the artistic director must have been thunking whence created the Triffids. They were supposed to be some plant-like aliens. In the book, if my … Continue reading Invasion of the Triffid-Snatchers
Puddles of Sulphurous Yellow
Every year my wife picks some typical flower for her outdoor flower pots; usually geraniums, daisies, chrysanthemums, etc... I tend to like weirder flowers, but we compromise on colours. I love yellows, both for the vibrant joy they evoke and for subtle decay they show while dying. Also, occasionally we can catch a stranger bug … Continue reading Puddles of Sulphurous Yellow
Violet Temptations
My plantain Lillies (hostas) infestation began with only a couple of plants from my father's garden; now there are so many that I can use them as ground cover for my entire lawn... well almost. The strange purple flowers that jut out of them on impossibly long stems waver in the wind as if vibrating … Continue reading Violet Temptations
Abstract Flower Bouquet – a spontaneous Mother’s Day Gift for Grade One students
I had just inherited my grade one class from their much loved teacher who was retiring a mere few days before Mother's Day. She was winding things down and didn't plan anything for Mother's Day. No problem, I'm an art teacher after all! I had already given the idea of doing Matisse style cut-out still … Continue reading Abstract Flower Bouquet – a spontaneous Mother’s Day Gift for Grade One students
My Autobiographical Pattern – Moving into an Installation
What follows is the first draft of a proposal that is to be submitted for a final Fibres art project this year... It will surely change, but I wanted to share my thought process on this installation... My Love of Making is a Fluxus Affair Guiding Quotes: “If I create from the heart, nearly everything … Continue reading My Autobiographical Pattern – Moving into an Installation
Getting Tired – Working Out Some Stuff…
While working on my main canvases, I've been plopping the extra paint onto separate canvases lately to see what might appear. I'm also trying to work out suggestions I get from fellow artists to improve the expression in my work. These are experimentations and I am painting them with the acceptance that I will most … Continue reading Getting Tired – Working Out Some Stuff…
The New Renaissance Mindset 