more painting and stitching

I have been working on my canvas piece - it is slowly coming together. The colours don't quite zing in this photo. I plan to put gold foil in the empty squares in the blue block. I have started working to the right of the yellow block and will have to unpick as the co lours aren't right!




Painting has helped on the colour theory front. My apricots look a little unprepossessing at the moment but the beauty of acrylics is I don't have to unpick but can paint over!

I learn more about colour every day :-)

painting and stitching

started stitching again - inspired by colours and designs of a semi abstract painting I did in art class - one of a pair - to be one of three if I get another canvas

this is one of the pair - not the inspiration piece - I will post that when I finish the embroidery



I have really enjoyed painting these abstract distractions. below is one of triptych. will add them all another time when the light is better and i set up a tripod (rather than a tissue box) to photograph them


Cheers all

annie's roses and Albury Bot Gardens

still life

the month is at an end ...

it has been a busy month - been to painting lessons and was very pleased with this effort - every time I see water I want to record it it. I finally got an idea of how to do it in thread - though the sample below is small and rather close up I was happy with what I achieved and will have yet another go at an embroidered water scene.

Also been to sketch club off and on and came home and worked up a sketch with more charcoal and pastel.

The month was marred by the death of my daughter's kitten Chi Chi - who went missing and found in the back lane - hit by a car . We were/are all very sad. Chi Chi now lies underneath a newly planted azalea bush n the garden.

heat seeker

The cold weather is affecting all of us .. my daughter's kitten snuck into my office and fell asleep on my lap top. I am careful to close the door now if I am not ready to shut down.

Sketch club is pretty much a constant in my life - I am not Leonardo but each time I go I do a better drawing. (Of course I only post the more reasonable ones I do.) And I love the fact that I can crop the photo so that I have something proportionate to the ground that it is on. I seemed to get mostly back views for the longer poses last night - which means I had to work on shadow to give contrast/form. One day I post a first and last drawing of the night.


There is discussion on the radio at the moment to the effect that anyone can became good at something if they practise for 10,000 hours. As I tend to only draw when I go to sketch club I have a lot of hours to clock up!

According to the fellow speaking it is important to try and extend your limitations and push yourself to the outer limits of your boundary (and change the molecular structure of the brain). The second important thing was to have rigorous critical feedback.

I have enrolled in acrylic painting class and had one enjoyable lesson. Its the first time I have really picked up a paint brush with the intention of doing something other than a background was for a journal or paint fabric on which to embroider. Jan, our teacher , set up a wonderful still life of simple lush primary colours and round shapes - all I could think was what a wonderful idea for an embroidered work! So I won't throw away my painting - or at least I will take a photo of it before I do - so I have a resource to call on when I get around to doing that.

I am clocking up my hours with hand stitching - my current embroidery project is a play with blue, grey and creamish threads on canvas using limited stitch types to create a mandala effect.