Here we go again..

This is what I'm working on at the moment. The last supper on a thick sheet of copper and brrrrrrrother..!!...its turning out to be a challenge. I started this a while ago but was (rightly) intimidated by the amount of work. I would like to finish it by tomorrow as all my pieces are getting time limits put on them. I'm distractable and a notorious procrastinator and by giving myself time limits, I'm trying to train myself to be less anal about 'perfecting' my creations, just be happily more 'creative' .
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PEWTER TODAY

I havent done pewter in quite a while. I started this one a while ago and finishing it is just the first one in a long list of pieces that need compleating.
Basically, the design was put straight onto the pewter with the result that there is not much uniformity, but that is just where I am at at the moment..simplyfying and just doing things.
God The Father is signified by the crown at the top of the cross, the design down the cross signify His tears shed through our sin and personal hurts, the hand at the bottom is that of the Son of God, Jesus, who although at the foot of the cross, is the biggest entity on it and is trying to catch our attention. The two doves on either side of the cross signifies the Holy Spirit.

I've started the Last Supper on a copper sheet (NOT a nice metal for fine work, and now also very wrinkly from being stored) but this is a test peace for a bigger one in pewter.

Going away on my own is something I would never have done, for various reasons, up till a few years ago. Two things happen when you are away from the family.: you discover that there's still a 'me' under all that wife and mom, and how important your family actually are, that you've left behind.....how important they are in compleating the 'me'.
In Paternoster, we went from fish 'n tjips at the Paternoster Hotel, to 'pudding' at a gorgeous little resturant on the beach...and ended up haggling with fishermen for crayfish.





We took the long way to Paternoster....a good 3 hour trip, stopping at Darling and Yserfontein. There was a festival in Darling at the time with taxi-rides, musicians sitting on the rooves, young children learning to 'Hip-Hop', Flea-markets, Darling beer and greeting cards which you can plant and produce a herb (one can only imagine)

Sometimes, its good for the soul to do something which you know would cause your children embarrasment :o) ..like dancing and laughing with abandon, chatting with the locals like old friends, greeting and chatting to total strangers about absolutely nothing.

On Blood and Love

My recent trip to CT has given me some very precious memories. My husbands two sisters. shared four days with me. These are two of the dearest, kindest and most special people that you could ever be blessed to share time with. We had four days of laughs, the last one, literally for the whole day, right untill I dropped them off at the airport.

I know that there's a saying: 'friends are family that we choose', well, these two dear people are family that the Lord chose for me. I have two precious sisters of my own who I adore, but I've been given two more. How blessed am I!

Today, I used 'Caran D'Ache' (which probably was correctly translated by a friend, as simply 'Oil Pastels') which I mooshed around with turps, and large quantities at that! The end result was not too bad seeing that I gave myself a time limit to do this and didnt know my medium.

Let me explain, I have inherited some interesting stuff which I want to try out. Most of it, I havent the foggiest idea what to do with. I've resorted to some antequated books on techniques on the stuff which I can identify (not great teaching tools as my previous blog would indicate) and a 'what the heck' attitude with the stuff I cant. Just enjoying the journey.

Keeping it simple

Just plain and simple pastle. I enjoyed using this medium, except that it's very powdery. (No milk or snake urine added)

A bit better...only a little

This is the final picture of another new medium.





First (my upload wouldn't capture in sequence, so, bottom first):

ordinary pastels were used, then I over-painted in milk (I thought 'Long-life' may be appropriate seeing that its organic and visualised this picture eventually turning green or being eaten by my cat)




Apparently Edgar Degas was known for this technique. Jolly good for him. Me? not too sure.

I'm busy with another pastel now. lets see how this one turns out. Think I'm going to try snake urine.