Friends At Heart

Friends At Heart

I do not think I need to explain to anybody who has read my other blog where the inspiration for this painting came from. We all have those friends and loved ones who hold a special place in our hearts. The trouble is that we do not often enough take the time to let them know.

Yesterday I wrote my blogs and then headed out to run 10K, or in old measurements 6.2 miles. I ran it in the fastest time I have for many years knocking three minutes off the time I had last run it at a pace I thought would be the best I would mange at my age.

So when I stood before my easel, I was feeling good. I had painted something the day before that I liked and I was back blogging. I began. I had an idea based on not saying often enough to those that mattered what I was feeling. Two abstract painting in quick succession found there way into the bin of no return.

This was the third attempt at expressing what it was I was feeling. I have already been told that it misses the mark but I give it to you.

You know something? I still have a nice feeling when I look at it.

So as you look at it please hear me say, you are my friends at heart.

This blog is linked to my other.  Look

Pools of Love

Pools Of Love

Deep pools of dark umber,

             unfathomable love,

                         forgiving ,

                                         unchanging,

                                                     unceasing,

LOVE.

Every move drawn into the inner depths,

 watching,

                  following,

                                      waiting,

                                                           shadowing.

My every motion.

The world went out,

               they came in,

                         stayed,

                                            forever loyal.

Understanding when all understanding seemed lost.

Hearing and knowing the unspoken words

Silently

             wordlessly

                                    these pools of love,

                                               spoke volumes,

                                                                     in my solitude.

Deep pools of umber Love.

The eyes of my companion ,

friend.

The dark deep eyes of my dog.

This blog is linked to my other where I tell the story behind this painting. I hope you do not find it too self indulgent.

 

Out of the Silence

A day that only got worse.

A day that only got worse.

Have you ever had a day when you wished you had stayed in bed, or a day where you could have just missed it out and moved on? Well yesterday I had just such a day.

It started off very well, a nice hard uphill run, things could only get better. I managed to write my blogs and post them, as some of you will be aware. I then went to print off what I hoped would be the picture I would attempt to draw.

The day went rapidly downhill. MY computer began to play up. The printer would not work, my camera would not connect. The screen kept blacking out. No matter what I tried nothing seemed to help. I got more and more frustrated. Eventually I discovered a loose connection to a usb hub which was causing all the problems. The trouble was I had let it get to me.

The painting was not coming on as fast and the way I wanted it, so I gave up and consigned it to the bucket. I did a further two tasks that went the same way.

I eventually gave up and decided at least if I went out for a walk nothing would go wrong there. I was correct. I had a great walk and decided on the way home to call in at the hairdressers and have my hair tidied up.

Thank goodness there is only a week or so between a bad haircut and a good one. To be fair the hairdresser made a great job, just took off more than I had wanted.

I got home and decided to shower off all the loose hair. I slipped on the bathroom floor and landed on my back right on the spot still weak from my much more serious accident. To make matters worse I knocked my brand new novel into the shower where it has ended up soaked from cover to cover.

As I lay down to rest it I thought, “All I need now is for somebody to knock on the door and ask if I want to purchase some lucky white heather.”

Today I start again. No running will have a day of rest clean up my painting area and if anything speaks to me I will listen.

I have told you that my paints and pencils speak to me? Does yours do the same?

Thanks to all my friends who during the course of yesterday were bright lights in a dark day. Those who contacted me on here and the ones who emailed. Without you all I am sure it would have been even worse.

Oh ! the painting on this blog today is an abstract I painted after seeing an old brick wall covered in autumn leaves and plants. A large work on canvas painted with acrylic using my fingers.



This blog is linked to my other. Those who serve go unnoticed

I Think it Is Almost There.

I Think it Is Almost There.

I have worked on this drawing off and on for a few days now. At last I have reached the bottom of the page. It was Barbra who advised me to work from top to bottom to save smudging the work already done. Is it finished? I do not think so. I am still not happy with the underside of the bridge. I have gone back and look again at my source and the actual bridge does have a strange angle to it. It is very tempting to go and try and straighten that for the sake of the drawing.

I am not sure that I have managed to capture the moving water as well as I might have. I would have loved to get more texture into the stones. Apart from that it seems not too bad. But then apart from that there is not much more to it.

I know that some of you have advised me to leave drawings where you can see them and return to them later. I will now do just that.

The process has indeed been important to me, as Jennifer commented yesterday. I have met a few obstacles along the way, mainly of my own making and inadequacies. I hope I have learned from them.

Next week as most of you know I am going away for a week to try and overcome a couple of other obstacles, two mountains. In the part of the world where I am going is a pencil factory. I will certainly be purchasing some pencils and may even buy a few of the coloured variety. Any advice in such matters would be helpful.

The obstacle of painters block I feel has been removed thanks to a pencil, a blender, an eraser and loads of friends. I am this morning feeling very grateful to you all.

Watch this space.

This blog is linked to my other. Obstacles Along The Way

Large MM Abstract.

Large MM Abstract.

This painting was created using the same methods as the one I used on my blog yesterday. It seemed right to put the other one on again today.

I am not sure that it fits with the blog I have written today on my other blog and for that I apologise.

I am still struggling to come to terms with the fact that somebody I have got to know on here is off sleeping in a car and I can do little about. I also have a dear friend who is going through Chemo at present and I can do little about that either.

Another of my blogging friends is also very ill and can not paint because it is exhausting her. I can do nothing. I feel helpless.

In the meantime here I am complaining that I cannot find the inspiration to paint, seems so trivial. At the same time my health is daily increasing with the tough schedule I have set myself. I have lost 28lbs in weight running better and yesterday cycled twice as far as I had thought I could and intended.

So one day soon I will paint. I have been trying to do some drawing but it is far from good enough to show on here, after showing Barbra’s tree roots.

I have also been remiss in leaving encouraging comments on the many blogs I read every day. That I will put right .

It is these thoughts that prompted my other blog this morning.

I hope you have a good day.

This blog is linked to my other.  So You Thought Nobody Was Watching