Paintngs in progress

These are the four paintings that I'm busy with at the moment. I am on a mission to complete them but am so distractable with an irritating 'fidget-factor, that I'm finding it really hard to do so. Fortunately, I have friends who I paint with once or twice a week, who know that I have 'ants' and that I battle to focus.
There are three exhibitions in London this year, June, July and September (??) and I haven't even thought about starting them yet. I have to clear my studio first...unclutter my mind!!


COSMOS
Just started this one, a commission which I started on Thursday. I don't often paint flowers so am pretty much feelng out of my depth. My references are a photograph, a metal dustbin belongng to a friend (I kid you not) and the cosmos growing in our garden (which is causing me to run up and down stars all day). This will take a while as I need to create the depth.......as well as a gazillion little stalk-like leaves.


SOMEWHERE IN THE DRAKENSBURG

Started this a while back....a still life which I need to work on as it is flat and incomplete and the spacial is all wrong.






SWARTLAND
A large, space-taking landscape...the first layer. Using pink as the base coat.....hmmmmm








PORTRAIT
Still sloggng away on the Venter family portrait. I'm completely and utterly bored and uninspired with this as it requires no imagination.... but I need to finish it......so I will (even if I start to bleed from my eyeballs!!!) Lots and lots still to do on this one!

Handsome prince or comfortable frog?

We have a resident frog. For the past few months, Molly has been trying to catch and eat it. (We've seen legs sticking out on either side of her mouth on at least three occasions!) Frogs can be highly toxic to dogs...a few years ago, our Retriever, Emma, had to be hospitalized after simply tryng to catch one!


I have (just been cra...d on by our parrot, great!!) rescued it a few times and have taken it to the far end of our one ha property, only to find that it had returned the next day.






It's rediculously tame, although it hides during the day. It's large and copious deposits are proof of its reluctance to leave.

Screaming head

On Ash Wednesday, a two-ton truck slammed into the back of our new car. I have never much cared for 'stuff' but when I saw my husband grab his neck, I pretty much flipped, and jumped out the car with clenched fists, ready to deface the truck-drver's head, dent for dent. Instead, all I managed to do was lambaste his ears with a tirade of very strong and equally unladylike expletives!


I had planned to start another sculpture but didn't plan on the motivation. And brother!!!.....did I get motivated!











Again, not planned, the emotion took over.
















The saying: "It doesn't rain but it pours" suddenly became alive and very pertinent to the Vallance household. We've been subjected to a financial hailstorm for the past two months and this was the last thing that we needed. Saying that however, we discovered that nomatter how bad things seemed....things could always be much worse. My husband and I could have been seriously injured for one.

The result of this accident was that we suddenly realized what we DID have......the important things...like our health, each other and a loving and supportive famly. The car, for me, represented the destructibility and empty transience of material things...and allowed me to visualize my anger. Not at all pretty!

QUIET REFLECTONS

Today, our home is quiet, half of my family are on the golf course and half are working (yes, on a Sunday). The quiet has seeped into my soul...and while I paint, I'm surrounded by my own thoughts and thoughts of the people in my life who seem to be constantly battling with the demons of their past and present...seemingly, without respite. Yes, to an extent, I have been drawn in, to become part of the various dramas but only through love. Nobody has been brought into my life without a higher purpose. My faith in this is what helps me to look through, and beyond and around the human element.

I so badly need this time to replenish 'self' and if that means attempting to try and process my own hurts and those of others, well then, I need that too. I guess, I'm fortunate in being able to express a lot of emotion..... and even my dream state, through my art....Alas for some, these channels are not available.

I spoke to a member of my family yesterday, who was obviously not in a great space (he hasn't been for a while). He sadly told me that he was looking forward to 'the Armageddon'...the 'end of the world', without offering an explanation as to why he felt this way. I have friends, who still, daily, are battling with life issues, a past that is innately part of them in this present day, and a present which seemingly has no infrastructure, ability or desire to help and is merely feeding their pain and feelings of powerlessness. What wars are being waged in the human soul to cause such misery and spiritual desolation and why am I even trying to understand it ...the run-off hurts me too.

What is my role? I have none. I'm just simply here, at this time, living in this era, as ordained and directed by circumstances, some which were brought about by my own choices but mostly through those dealt by the universe and what was pre-ordained. Its all a test and a lesson, good and bad. I have my own hurts, faults and failings which, no matter how similar they seem to someone else, are my very own. I'm just simply here, doing the best can to live while I'm alive in the best possible way.

With all my heart, I know that when we begin to take full responsibly for our own lives, only then will we begin to discover the joy within....and the beautiful simplicity that feeds it.

I love deeply and care deeply but cannot direct anyone else on their own journey....its theirs. Today I read a quote that made complete sense to me while pondering the troubled lives of my loved ones:

Give, but don't allow yourself to be used.
Love, but don't allow your heart to be abused.
Trust but don't be naive.
Listen to others, but don't lose your own voice.

Gypsum sculpture and other surprises

My art soul is on fire! Barring a few touch-ups (but then again, maybe not) I've just completed my first real sculpture for this year. I had such fun doing this. The best of all, it was so easy!

First step was to get my hands on some POP (plaster-of-Paris) from our local chemist, which, I was later to discover, is nothing more than simple gypsum...the white powdery mix builders use to plaster ceilings....but way more expense as it turns out.

Then, using my own discretion as to ratios, (around 3/2), I mixed approximately 1kg of gypsum powder with water in a bowl and mixed it till all the lumps had disappeared. I used 'Spray and Cook' to line a 1 Lt yogurt container, poured in the mixture and left to set for around 24 hours.

The following day, I had to make a small incision into the lip of the container, just to loosen the mold slightly, and it popped out fairly easily.
















Not knowing where to start, I eventually decided on the concept of the consciousness and sub-consciousness merging and simply let the tools do the work. The gypsum has a wonderful texture for carving but be warned, it dries quickly and once dry, its really impossible to work with. I'm yet to discover how brittle it becomes with curing or if it will crack under stress (which I'm pretty sure it will)....stay 'posted'!






























The final product has received many and varied comments, opinions and thoughts from friends and family alike (not without a raised eyebrow as well) but every comment has given me a smile.....just because someone has bothered to look long enough or found it interesting enough to produce a thought about what they see.....a great blessing for an artst...the best!!!






Back view...reserving my comments




























front view























This however, was the surprise. My future son-n-law discovered something else...which I hadn't seen.
















I joined a friend and two of her students who were working with gypsum and pop bandages making sundials, cups and here....a torso for breast cancer awareness.

Reconnecting wth a teacup

A silver teacup cup from a flat, formless sheet
Molded and bent, painted and polished.
A silver teacup brought us again to meet
to rebuild what was once demolished.

Pewter and painting - for Tony - Alas, too late

Finally complete, this is the Sacred Heart candle holder for Tony.

Tony passed away peacefully last week, so unfortunately, I was just too late in completing it, He didn't get to see my dear moms gift to him.





Here, the planning stages were complete and the work was about to start.




I wasn't that happy with the completed product but given that I had a time constraint, and I was rushing a bit, I guess one cant expect it to be that well done.










What I have learned is that pouring in the wax, is possibly the most crucial step, as too much wax....and the design changes shape when the patina is applied and the rubbing and shining starts. It also creates an uneven picture when sticking it down on your surface ...giving lumps and bumps to areas where they are not wanted.










What I did differently with this is that I used 'Silvo' , a sliver cleaning solution, instead of
'Brasso'. Granted, AFTER the fact, but the last polishing using the 'Silvo' gave it the best shine out of all the pewter that I've worked with till now. Will try the Silvo on its own with my next piece.