AFFIRMATION ABC

Here is the updated ABC

Progress before white out!

I put this up as a collage a few weeks ago. Then I painted it red, I just can't help myself then yesterday I started to over paint and the first coat started coming off. I do not know why. I glued the pages on with something acrylic so it should be compatible. So now I am going to gesso the whole thing and start again. All good, sticking on more pictures gives me something to do. Hope it doesn't happen again.

The white is reflection off a glitter star.

Long time away

I've been in England with my sick 91 year old Papa. He is now out of hospital and rehabilitation and is back living in his home with a 24 hour carer. Not ideal but better than it was. He was doing so well before he got sick and then off his feet - as they say. He is now walking with a zimmer frame or at best two sticks.

Anyway, now I am back and I see Paint Party Friday is into its second year and there are almost a 100 people signing up. WOW.

I have done very little art but have been writing. That's much more transportable. I did make little drawings of my two main protagonists.

           This is Tass                     This is Mirana

 In the original they have brown eyelashes not red as it would seem from these photographs, And yes folks, its a young adult novel! I'm about half way through and a bit um ... stuck in transition but am sure its going to flow again very soon. Still writing it everyday, just changing my mind about how its going to happen - a lot.

Also going to start work soon on some illustrations for a dinosaur story for kids. I am going to do some paintings and my partner is going to write the story. Hopefully. If he finds time. Maybe. Anyway that's the plan! So down the track I will start showing those.

YOO HOO my first blog for over two months.

THE BOOK - Affirmation ABC

 I'm sure you are all heartily sick of the ABC. I was but had a resurgence of enthusiasm thanks to Bernadette (call her B) of Pinch Me fame. She gave me an elegant kick up the arse to get on with it. And I did. Studio a mess but it's finished. Now I can show it to some kids.

So here it is after a four month break.

The back and front cover

I've done a cheat sheet at the back about each animal.

Should be first but hey!!

Any one got any publishing ideas?

Scratching my creative itch

Sometimes I just have to do something - anything just to be standing at the table and creating. I thought that I would make a back ground to paint on, something random as they  seem to work best. I started tearing up bits of citrasolved National Geographics. Then I found myself tearing other images then cutting out was what I wanted to do. The only deal, I don't choose, I just grab and any image I pick up I have to use somehow. I have a huge supply of magazine images for my SoulCollage work  so there is lots to grab from. 
This is it so far. It will look very different next time I show it!

I detest Picassa

Just when I think I have it sorted I don't.  I spent ages trying to find files and crop things and then couldn't  find them again. Then I get sucked into thinking I can do something clever with the collage function and I loose all the pictures. I detest it. Really I do.

So I made place mats cos we have the house rented out for 15 nights over Christmas and the table is a bit tatty so I thought place mats would help. This is what they look like in all their unedited glory!

We are off on the boat for the 15 nights. I am praying for easy weather. I am less and less keen on the chunky stuff. I am doing endless The Work judgement sheets on sailing. I have  seen a glimmer of the joy it could be but don't feel it yet. Sailing is hard, is that true!

I hope you all have a great holiday season.  Will get round to what I can and see you all some time next year.

Love Rosie

Busy busy busy

I've been working to generate some money + cooking last Thursday for a three day Byron Katie workshop we had here on the Island + two days in town for meetings for an organisation I am on + now today I am cooking sweet things to sell at a Christmas gift fair on Sunday. I have just made my first lot of delicious Mrs Higgins type biscuits. Recipe here. and for the other recipes, just click on the name Chocolate caramel slice, Ginger crunch, carrot cake ( this has been in my cook book for years)  and lemon yogourt muffins (Mollie Katzen - Enchanted Brocolli Forest)  to go!!

I made another tartan on acid picture. If I hasd more time I would gather together the 6 other pictures of the pictures underneath this one. It's a very well used canvas! It might be the perfect way to paint with not a lot of time but in the end as a picture it's very so what. It doesn't DO anything. I think I might just try another with matching colours not opposites. I have been painting at the end of the day after making my phone calls selling Cut 'n'Paste and then have about an hour where I listen to a talking book and slop on paint. Brilliant. Now, to make something I like!

I will clean it up and maybe put something else on top. As my mate Mike said last night, its a lot of work for a background.
I will really try to get round to PPF this weekend. But - as you can see I am pretty busy. I will do a whole lot tonight and try and find time tomorrow.

Playing & having fun

I forgot to put this blog up on Paint Party Friday last week. I took last Thursday off to finish this painting cos I was so keen to see how it was going to work out. Unfortunately not too well. I painted layers and layers of paint with strips of very narrow masking tape in between. The tape didn't come off cleanly, paint had snuck underneath. It ripped some of the top paint off and it looks like "tartan on acid" at least that is how Terry described it! Shame cos its a good way for me to paint now that I am not having focussed painting time -  just  layer after layer of colour. Although I don't really like the way this one worked out I am doing another cos its such a great way to paint now and then. I have painted over the top of the moonlight with black tree I made for the exhibition. I will show a before and after when its done!

The other thing I did was a butterfly for the Butterfly Effect - see my side bar - with oil pastels. Haven't used them like that for a couple of years. Its also not great but then I am not after great at the moment, just doing!

This week I have been playing/doodling  with colour pastels and pencils and my always-in-love-with metallics and interference paints. You can kinda see the shine on the top picture.

 So, lets hope I get this up tomorrow. I wont get round a lot of other PPF as I am away all day Saturday, and, it's got so large.