………. and here I am again. There are various reasons for the long break, not all of them completely acceptable to serious bloggers or even myself. Let’s just say “Life got in the way of blogging!”
It’s been a hard winter here in the Riviera of Antarctica. Part of my city is being claimed back by the wild southern Pacific Ocean or being flood damaged by this new set of climatic conditions. My dream of a cottage by the sea is on hold as it may no longer be a sensible place to consider putting down roots.
My art room has been partially given over to another and my painting hours have temporarily ceased. I have been knitting, crocheting and making light-catchers instead.
Crochet: One Bavarian Stitch Throw of the very giant variety, not finished at the time this was taken, but now complete and waiting for blocking to happen. It is so big it took 300g [6 balls] of yarn to finish the last round.
Mittens: A variety of Mimi’s and Bohemian Mittens are about to begin winging their various ways around the globe to those of you who are still waiting their winnings.
Light-Catchers: Here’s one photographed on a rare fine day in the garden before beginning it’s journey to someone special in the USA
I have made my light-catchers for a few years now – rather sporadically, as I enjoy making them especially for someone. They are my gift of good wishes, good fortune and a little bit of magic woven into beads and charms and crystals for someone special. I like to think of the person I am creating for, then I choose colours and shapes and crystals and charms especially for them. Then it all just weaves itself together.
Light-catchers are extraordinarily difficult to photograph – here are two simpler versions that just happened to be lying around on the work bench, coming to completion
They look nothing very exciting lying around thusly – but hang ’em up and watch the magic happen. A tip for those of you who have a catcher is if you hang them away from the window, maybe further out into the room, somewhere the sun’s rays filter in, even more magic happens!
I can’t leave you without a quick peek at the snoozing buddies – I’m under there somewhere. It took the better part of a year, but we are all together with harmony reigning at last.
Though there is so much more to tell you about, this is all the time we have for now – So, it’s ‘Good Night’ from Siddy
And ‘Good Night!’ from me. Thanks for coming by today, I’m so happy that you did.
The second post on the Washington Meet-Up is still in the works – there seems to be too much else going on to actually sit down and finish it……….. but I will, I know you are dying to hear more!
But I did get this Lace Leaf KAL project finished. The second colour arrived and is the perfect complement – what do you think? I’m really pleased with this scarf, it’s knitted in bamboo cotton yarn and made to be part of an ensemble for my YD. This means I’ve also successfully completed my first KAL albeit a little late!
I knitted it a little smaller than the pattern called for as I wanted it to be just a scarf rather than a shawl – and oh, the fabric is so soft and gentle. I love knitting with bamboo yarn!!
I’ve also finished my lady snail painting – meet Ms Snail:
Ms Snail is about to begin a journey, via snail mail, to Claudia in the UK for her 365 Days of Snails. Follow the link if you are intrigued and have an artistic snail to share. I found it quite interesting making this painting – I ended up feeling slightly kinder to the snails who inhabit my Boston Ivy and Jasmine vines…………
I’ve also assisting my YD in setting up her first ever blog. An aspiring photographer and our official photographer here in Contented Land, she has bitten the bullet and decided to join in the fun at WordPress. It’s a work in progress, but there is already two photo posts published. If you are at all interested, pop over to ‘Let’s See What I Can See’ and see what you think about what she is seeing!
Yesterday Siddy went to the beach on a gloriously warm and sunny May day – here are some shots taken by our official photographer
Siddy with sand on his nose
What a difference a week can make, we are totally enjoying some unusually placed hot summer weather here, the weather gods appear to be a little discombobulated……. I’m sure they will work it out soon, in the meantime Siddy and I are chasing seagulls, sniffing the sea air and wandering along the sandy shore. Happy Days!
Good heavens! It’s the 1st of May already – the year is racing away on me again!
I’ve got a post half written telling you all about the next part of the trip – but life and playing in my art room is getting in the way of my completing it ……..
Thank you for all your supportive words and shared stories around my hearing loss. It’s not 100% cured yet but is showing definite signs of improvement – an old, old friend from long, long ago read the last post and got on his white horse and galloped to my rescue. He is a homeopath in Germany these day [if you are there and need one just let me know, I can recommend him thoroughly] His suggested remedy appears to be working, I’m maybe only a foot or so under water now. On the chiropractic side my body has never felt more well oiled and smooth working – I’m very fond of my chiropractor too, even though he does inflict severe pain whilst aligning the bits!
Thanks Alexander, thanks Tat!! ❤
I’m painting – I did this one as my response to a Life-Book lesson published two weeks back with a most talented lady named Jenny Lee Wentworth. Her approach quite delighted me and I want to do more work with her in the future. I watched her lesson and a few days later sat down and started work without referring back. I still have to go back and see how far off the mark I was. Pretty far I think – but I liked the freedom it offered, even if I did come back into my own way of doing things really strongly….. This was a lesson in coming to form through layers of colour – no outlining or sketching involved. I am wanting to get to a closer resemblance of real people rather than this semi whimsical style – maybe I’m half way in that process………….
Copyright Pauline King 2015
This painting is about half finished
Half completed ‘Ms Snail’
As you can see, it’s sitting firmly in its ‘ugly stage’ in this photo. You may be relieved to know she is already looking better, but has a ways to go still. It’s destined for the UK if I like where it gets to by the end – if not it will just get painted over and I’ll start again.
In really exciting news, I got suddenly and most surprisingly presented with a new phone by my YD a couple of days ago. It’s a Samsung Android, the one-before-the-very-latest version. Now I’m a modern woman ………. No more getting into scrapes whilst travelling and having no ability to contact my friends without it being a very long convoluted process involving texts being sent half way round the globe and back again – you know the story…….. I can do it myself now.
If I ever go anywhere ever again…….
It is not the latest super dooper-cooks your breakfast kind of smart phone, but it is an extremely clever and on-to-it kind of smart phone and is probably capable of doing way more than I shall ever require it to do – and it takes really nice photos.
Here’s Siddy peering into it – probably ascertaining if it is edible ….
Siddy King 30 4 15
Look at those eye lashes! And another one
this is his really serious ‘Whatyadoin’ Mumma?’ face.
Now I might actually get around to taking photos for the blog instead of getting where I’m going and saying “Blast, I forgot the camera again!”
If you are up with the play – and why shouldn’t you be? – you may remember I’m knitting a lovely pinkish lacyish shawl with a KAL [Knit-A-Long] group. I mucked it up a bit when I had to frog a row – then two – and oh dear, three …… I’d decided to gussy it up a bit by adding in a deeper pink for contrast along the edging and was undoing a row. Sigh! Now I am waiting for that other colour to arrive. In the meantime I got all carried away with myself and decided to use the Indian Silk on this pattern too….. This is where that is up to. It’s like knitting with a strand of cotton and will take, I am told reliably by Claire who knows about these things, double the amount of 8 row repeats to get a decent sized wrap out of…… but it will be so pretty and light and airy and just a little bit blingy too ….. I just might be spending the entire winter knitting it!
Here’s a tiny shot of the detail – just casually snapped with my new phone you understand…………
And that’s kind of where we are at this week folks – it’s cold and dreary and already winter here in the far south of New Zealand. Orlando is sporting a magnificent thick white undercoat which I take to mean it’s going to be a cold one! When he comes down to ground level I’ll try and capture a shot of him showing his new winter coat ……
And here’s a little bit more of a Siddy-fix for those who love him
Until then – thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!
In the past week, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people whose blogs I follow. It’s been amazing. They came from nearby in Virginia as well as California, Canada, and New Zealand. We began with a lunch party organized by Laurie of Life on the Bike who then whisked Alys, Kelly, and Pauline away to Radford for a few days.
The blossoms that have their own festival!
On their return to DC, they wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms down at the Tidal Basin, so I met them at their hotel in Dupont Circle and proceeded to walk their legs off. First we visited Einstein at the National Academy of Sciences. Since I work nearby, Einstein is often a lunch companion in good weather.
Kelly had some things to impart to Einstein. He seems to be listening.
Then Alys took this photo of Pauline, me and Kelly schmoozing with the great…
Hi all! [waving happily from South-West Virginia] We are so happy here! Our days are spent talking, laughing, eating, [drinking some too] meeting so many great people over good food in great dining establishments and wondeful homes …….. It is just like meeting up with old friends and picking up on old conversations – I feel so very fortunate to be part of this adventure! Have a look here to see some photos of the gang …………….
WordPress Blogging has become so much more than we ever thought it would be. What started out as travel diary, forum for writing, sharing of photography, enlightenment about art, gardening, or crafting, or keeping up with family has become a community of international friends.
Over the last several days, 8 WP bloggers from 3 countries and 2 states, have met in various locations to continue in person, the relationships that have been forged through the world of blogging.
Maybe I should qualify that – I love Italian opera…….
But please, don’t hold this against me – I just discovered at an impressionable age that opera has the ability to be ‘more than’. Take any emotion you can think of: falling in love, falling out of love – pain, hurt, jealousy, broken heart, lost love, betrayal, death – and then multiply it by ten and you have the heights and depths of emotion the operatic aria can take you to. It will wash you clean if you listen at just the right time in your life!
Of course you have to suspend any association with real life. Very often when the voice is mature enough to sing the role, the singer is past the first flush of youth and most operatic leading characters are young and nubile ….. I remember seeing Pavarotti at his heaviest playing the the mighty Egyptian soldier Radames in Aida. He stood stock still, centre stage, like a rotund statue while the entire cast moved about him. But oh that voice!
In this day of filmed operatic singing it is hard to stay in the moment when chests are heaving and mouths are working overtime to get those notes out. You have to so admire opera singers, they have to sing and emote at the same time. It works much better when it is on the stage. The lighting, set and costumes – the vivid colour and acoustically perfect orchestra and soaring voices take over and the distance between you and the on-stage performance allows for the suspension of belief – one can be quite transported by the event.
Because of course the other thing about operas is the sets and costumes. One should never simply listen to an opera – it is a feast for all the senses. Rich in colour and grandeur and theatrical presence. The orchestra and voices soar and mingle with the colour and movement – it is a sensory explosion.
Not everything about operas is good. Many of the stories are just plain rubbish really. Sometimes the music misses the spot. But, just like modern musicals, every opera has at least one ‘hit tune’. And when aria and the emotion collide it is indeed a spectacular thing!
Even if you have never seen an opera and even if you have and say it’s not for you, I’m sure you will be familiar with these wonderful pieces. Have a listen as you read on.
This is one of my favourites, a chorus from Puccini’s ‘Madama Butterfly’ – even if you know nothing about the story, you cannot help but be taken into the tragic denouement.
The Hebrew Slaves Chorus from Verdi’s ‘Nabucco’. Can you hear the hopeless exhaustion throughout this hymn of loss for their beloved homeland? From the opening ‘Va pensiero’ I am always caught, no matter who is singing. I recommend biggifying this, and just enjoy – it is great example of staging and emoting while singing……..
One of the most popular operas today is also, in many ways, [and purely in my opinion, you understand – feel free to disagree] one of the worst operas of all time. It’s another Puccini opera, ‘La Boheme’ and it is in part, truly terrible! The plot is all over the place and some of the music is less than memorable. But there is a lovely romantic story running through it and it has to be admitted, I love a good romantic tragedy!
The real story is about Rinaldo, the writer and Mimi, the delicate embroiderer who lives above him. All the rest just tends to get in the way. This is one of the versions I have on DVD……..
In much abbreviated form it is the story of some young students – an artist a writer, a philosopher and a musician – all living in poverty in their garret quarters, hiding from the landlord because they can’t pay their rent. It is Christmas Eve. [Which reminds me, the modern musical ‘Rent’ is based on this opera.]
There is a knock on the door and Mimi enters. Mimi is a neighbour living in the upstairs attic, a poor girl who embroiders flowers for a living. Her candle has blown out and she has come seeking a light. Subsequently she loses her key to her door. Rinaldo, the writer, goes with her to look for the lost key. The sneaky beggars finds it and pockets it without Mimi seeing. Moment later he is declaring his undying love.
They get together, then he ditches her claiming he can’t stand her cloying jealousy but confides in his friend he thinks their poor living conditions are making Mimi ill. [Why he thinks kicking her out will make her better is beyond me and just another hole in the story.] Many scenes are out in the snow to ensure you get the ‘frozen’ message. Mimi coughs dramatically whilst singing beautifully and with her last remaining strength comes to find her lover again. She dies in his arms. Despite all my cynicism I always shed a tear!
Now the upshot of all of this is that even though I dislike the story – just between you and me, I feel I could have written a much better version ……. when the music is good, it is very good – in fact touchingly beautiful. This is why it is one of the most popular operas after all. And I admit it is the romance, the bohemian lifestyle, the starving artist in a garret syndrome that has me in its thrall. I am such a sucker for romance! Did I say that already? And bohemian artists in garrets …… sigh!
Here’s quite a good version of ‘La Boheme’ if you want to watch it
So when I had the opportunity to rescue some black fingerless gloves from the landfill because they were imperfectly finished or had minor faults and began to play around with them of course the very first thing that came to me was this aria from La Boheme ‘Che Gelida Manina’ loosely translated as ‘your tiny hand is frozen’ which Rinaldo sings to Mimi right off the bat!
I played around with colour and made Mimi many mittens so her hands would be forever warm. To accompany the theme there are little darned patches in some of the gloves, whether the mitten needed it for real or not. These are true bohemian mittens, colourful, different and ever so slightly well worn looking.
Mimi Handwarmers have flowers on the back.
La Boheme do not have flowers, they have a fancy ridge instead.
While the black gloves are made using acrylic yarn the additions are made with New Zealand wool or kid mohair. Every pair is different because I make it up as I go along.
I am enjoying making them and enjoying knowing something has been saved from the landfill and given the chance of an appreciated and fun life on someones hand. I am giving these mittens away. There are six pairs of handwarmers. However, I’m sorry to say, you do have to pay postage if you want to win a pair – my funds won’t run that far.
*New Zealand people postage is $NZ4.50
*The Rest of The World postage is $NZ10.00
* If I find I can get it sent to you for less I shall reimburse the difference.
Here’s how it works: If you wish to go in the draw you must be a follower of this blog and you must leave a comment. And I would really like it if you would take the poll – please, take the poll….. [I’ve been blogging for two years, I just had my anniversary last week and this is my first poll and I would love your feedback!]
Also mention your first and second colour and style preferences in your comment.
Even if you don’t want a pair of fabulous Mimi Mittens you can still leave a comment – you know I love to hear from you – I know bohemian isn’t everyone’s style!
At the end of the week I will draw names and publish the winners. You will then have to contact me via the address on my ‘Contact Me’ page to make arrangements for the payment of your postage and to give me your address.
Here’s the poll:
I hope you enjoyed listening to some of the music on offer – Orlando is asking me to turn it off – he votes for Bruce Springsteen, he’s not a fan of opera and he loves the late, great Clarence’s sax – we usually have a bit of a dance ……
This past week I have been painting every day, layer after layer on the same painting. It is week six of the Life Book 2015 course and the second Main Lesson with Tamara Laporte, whom I love having the chance to learn from! I painted and painted, I lost track after the tenth time I found myself applying more layers of colour and bringing up the lines again …. and doodles. Doodles for Africa my friends. I am a person who should not be encouraged to doodle. I don’t have a ‘stop’ button and now I’m rather afraid the painting looks like it has a sudden attack of measles – or a very bad rash!!
This is such a different style for me, though I didn’t stay so much in the abstract side of the venture but wandered into the whimsical as is my wont. I enjoyed the slow build up of colour, the challenge to place the right amount of dark and light shading and to blend just so…… I don’t think it’s a brilliant balance of colours, [not enough white and neutral spaces] but for a first go it’s okay. I loved being able to add in and add in and add in – the miniscule details all add up so that wherever the eye wanders there is something to look at, something to notice. For some of you it may be too much – it is for me – but the exercise was a great one for layering, building up blocks of colour and then somehow uniting them and for playing around with doodles [and for finding out I don’t know when to stop].
Here’s the whole caboodle for your viewing pleasure:
And here a some detail corners – highly magnified so you can see some of the layers and all the mistakes.
Bottom Right
Top right
Left side
I think there are certain little corners of the painting that I quite like. The colours blend well, the doodles are well balanced – something happened and it came together – but overall I find it a bit too much, what do you REALLY think?
In case you haven’t caught up yet, I am taking Life Book 2015 this year. This past week we had the opportunity to watch an artist at work and then, if we wished, to follow her process and have a go ourselves. No instructions were given, so it was a case of wing it, be inspired and have a go.
First up I have to admit I wasn’t that inspired. It wasn’t the artists fault. I really enjoyed watching her process and what she made. I think I felt the process was finished right there. But as I want to try new things this year I decided to get stuck in.
I decided to use an already collaged A4 water colour paper – the fact that I didn’t like the colours on the paper should have been warning number two – but apparently it wasn’t and I pushed on doggedly.
I made this
It’s an epic ‘FAIL’ There is nothing in here that is pleasing in any way. Layers of colour turned muddier and muddier – the figure is – just awful. I certainly learned a lot about what not to do ……….
So I tried again.
The rest of this post is specifically for Frank, who asked me to document my process – I hope you will enjoy seeing the stages
First I sketched my whimsical walker
Then the first layers of colour are applied to the face and body
I worked with these three colours until I got the shading, shape and depth I wanted – maybe eight or nine layers of colour – I wasn’t counting. Next some red is introduced
The hair colour is ‘Payne’s Grey’
She’s well and truly in ‘the ugly stage’. I know to keep going, it’s just a phase!
I’m still working on the face, adding layers and details, backwards and forwards, switching between eyes, nose, mouth, legs …..
Suddenly and abruptly, she leaves the ugly stage and starts to come alive. I paint her tutu
Her underskirt appears and words are added. Later I discover I don’t like the word ‘Walk’ here
The background colour is painted in and I’m in the zone
I work for another hour and a half, collaging and adding in the background detail, painting layers over, toning down with gesso and bringing back up with more yellow and green. ‘Walk’ is discarded. The face and hair get final attention. I take no photos, I am too engaged with what I am doing. Finally I am happy, she is done
The Tightrope Walker, holds her heart in her hands and walks out onto the high wire. Her eyes are closed, she is intent on her inner world, her intuition, her trust, her faith and her knowing. The sounds and activities of the world do not pull her off balance. She is in the zone.
There’s a lot going on, I have another painting underway and I’m still making other stuff.
One of the exercises in the Life Book course was to make a Gratitude Jar. Every day you write at least one thing down that was good, date it and pop it in the jar. It’s a nice idea and I had a rather large, spare jar sitting around, so I had a go. It hasn’t photographed that well, I took the shots into the light……. [sigh!]
I collaged the jar to death making lots of texture, made a label and stamped the name, drew flowers all around the jar and painted them a stunning shade of teal mixed up from three different colours of paint and I bet I’ll never get this particular hue again!
I coloured the faux metal lid with alcohol inks, hot glued a chain of silver butterflies around the edge and hung a variety of charms and paper hearts from an old bracelet chain.
And there she is – a bit of fun! Already filling up with memo’s of the joys of each day.
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You all know how I hate waste and love re-purposing stuff – well I’ve been at that again.
I had an opportunity to buy some black fingerless gloves for less than a dollar a pair. They are classed as ‘seconds’ and without the intervention of an entrepreneur would end up in the landfill. I was happy to pay the price asked, the flaws are minor and easily fixed, I love fingerless gloves and have a bag of end bits of yarn looking for something to do ….. So to while away the warm summer evenings I started to play and made these
Aren’t they cute – here’s one on my slightly paint grubby hand
And a pink pair
I love that I can take something that is flawed and destined to become rubbish and turn it into something that has a life and is fun too. These are going to be great when the season changes! Hands up if you like fingerless gloves – I have another ten pairs to make up………..
Here I am again – already! It’s only been a few days since my last post – whatever is happening I hear you cry? It’s cooler today – which is good. We can actually move and not wilt! Siddy has more energy to play and even Orlando has woken up for brief periods. And I am painting
…… until I am asked to play a game of ‘Fetch’
How can you resist this?
We play ‘Fetch’ for a few minutes – then Siddy retires to cool off and I continue work.
In the previous post I showed you my second version of the ‘Beacon of Light’ that was the first main exercise in Life Book 2015 and she was looking like this
She’s under-gone a number of changes and now I think she is finished. This is just a photo shot, not a scan – I am just so excited to share her with you
This is MY Beacon of Light – she rises from the sea – a metaphor for when I am lost at sea, or ‘all at sea’. You know that feeling, I’m not standing on firm ground ……. her message is you don’t have to feel like that, you are not alone. Trust, surrender, relax.
I’m happy! But what do you think?
She is painted on 300gsm A3 watercolour paper and I think is destined for a frame and my art room wall! But I’ll probably put a couple of prints into the Etsy shop as well 🙂 I’ll show you another shot when she is scanned – then you will get to see all the colour and details.
Thanks for coming by today, you know that I love that you did!
The Contented Crafter 