Meeting an Online Chum & Misty Installations

I took a day off on Tuesday to take a trip down to London. I had a fun day out, meeting up with an online friend from New York, who is over here for a brief visit. And though I took my camera with me, I was so swept up in the day that I didn't pull it out once. As far as memory-keeping/blogging goes, I'm sooooo crap at the moment.

Thankfully, my friend took this photo and sent it to me, so I have something to show for the day.

So let me back up a bit. Here's who I met up with...

(I grabbed this photo from his blog)

You may or may not recognise him as the mixed media artist, Seth Apter.  And he is a kind, generous,  witty and charming companion to go around London with. Am I gushing? Then don't get me started on his talents as a teacher in mixed media art. He creates the most stunning, textural work and has shared some of his techniques in a couple of DVDs, both of which I own and were how I first came to know of him.

To say I'm a fanboy is an understatement. I own his stencils, his stamps, his books. He's lucky I didn't grab the shirt off his back when we met up lol.

Much as it may surprise you, he did not fly all the way from New York solely to spend a few hours with me (and joking aside, Seth, if you are reading this, I know I've said it to you already but I'll say it again, I'm incredibly honoured and grateful that you took time out from your busy schedule to meet up).  No, he's also on these shores to teach classes at Art From The Heart up in Harrogate.

So what's with the photo at the head of this post? Well, we went to the Wellcome Gallery, just round the corner from Euston Station to see Ann Veronica Janssens: yellowbluepink exhibit. You know I'm a sucker for these entertainment/art installations. You enter through closed double doors into a room, painted floor to ceiling in white. It is filled with a thick fog, lit by coloured lights from above. You can barely see what's in front of you. A couple of times, my nose nearly touched a wall before my eyes could focus. It's disorientating, for sure but then I have no head for directions already, before you put me in a fog filled closet.

So yes, I'm fully made up for the rest of this week, possibly month :) And last night, the arty fun continued when I attended a demonstration from an artist who painted a beach landscape, from start to finish, in acrylics, in an impressionistic style. Absolutely breathtaking to watch.

The only thing that seems to be missing is any art or craft within the walls of my own creative space. Hopefully soon. Hopefully soon :)

Creative Blog Hop

Hello My Lovelies

I'm here with a slightly different post today. I've been asked, very kindly, to participate in a Creative Blog Hop by my lovely friend and fellow blogger Neet Hickson. As well as having the warmest, biggest heart that I know, she is one heck of a crafter - she teaches it, she demos for other companies at craft shows and she's been published in a variety of craft magazines. She has even looked after a local craft group for several years. Where she finds the energy I haven't a clue. She is a wonderful friend with a terrific sense of humour. I love her to bits.

Back to the challenge. Last Monday, Neet posted her answers to four questions. She then nominated little old me, to keep the chain going. And as her nominee, one week later, it's my turn to answer the same four questions.

So here goes...

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What am I working on now?

At the moment, other than the occasional card here and there, I’m mostly sketching and doodling. I love the playful, whimsical nature of the drawings I’m doing in my (sort of) art journal. And because I’m purposefully not sharing them, they don’t have to be very good or original. I can sit in front of the TV or in a waiting room and just scribble away without a care. There are lots of artists I currently admire out there and I’m learning by copying. What will hopefully emerge one day will be a hybrid version of them all. There’s a wonderful book on this method for mastering art, called “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon which I highly recommend. 

How does my work differ from others in my genre?

I don’t think it does. I haven’t found my oeuvre yet. I dabble in all sorts of styles. I love making stuff in a range from clean & graphic to layered, shabby chic. However, that said, after a lifetime of opting for conservative colour schemes, I’m discovering I actually love bold, bright palettes. In my art, in my clothes, in our home - I’m slowly replacing all the safe neutral tones with a rainbow of colour and I can’t begin to tell you how much more fun it is. I think the future might see me differing through my use of a multi colour palette and maybe the incorporation of more doodles. Ask me this question again in a year’s time lol. 

Why do I create what I do? 

Very good question and one that has been chewed over by greater minds than mine through the annals of history. The simplest and easiest answer as to why I personally create is because it brings me joy. I’m happy when I create. I could dig deeper and come up with a profound answer. But what I know is that when a certain amount of time has gone by and I haven’t done something creative, I miss it. No, more than that. I crave it. It becomes like an itch I need to scratch. I don’t question it. I go with the flow and give in to it. 

How does my creative process work?

Crikey, I bet this question has stumped a few people. Or am I alone here in scratching my head? If I have a creative process, this is the first time I’ve thought about it. I suppose it starts with seeing something which inspires me or triggers off an idea. It could be something I saw on a blog, or photographed on my travels or popped into my head whilst taking a bath. 

Once inspired, I dig out all the tools and materials I think I’ll need and just begin. I have the finished vision of it in my mind’s eye from the start but it tends to change as I create. I’m fairly methodical and I’m usually thinking about design principles and colour theory as I go. 

When I’m finished I instantly find fault with whatever I’ve done. Thankfully, these days I know I’m not alone and that the nasty critical voice in my head is normal. It’s never going away but I do have better strategies for dealing with it. 

My ritual is to tidy away any mess I’ve made and put the piece I’ve created away - be it a drawing or a card. If I look at it again the next day, after having slept, I generally view it with a less critical eye. In fact, I have a poster in my room which says “Done is better than perfect”. Words I need to remind myself of frequently.

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And there you have it. How creativity fits into my life right at the moment. A strange time to be answering these questions as I'm only just coming out of a creative ebb. It'll be interesting to read my answers back to myself a year from now and see if I still agree with what I wrote.

In the meantime, that itch has started again and I need to go take care of it :)

Doodling & the Talents of Friends

I've been doodling again. I wasn't sure whether to post the result or not as it's rougher than a bear's backside. It was something I idled away at whilst curled up on the sofa at nights, normally in front of a TV show or film.

In real life, it's quite a small page and the imperfections don't show up as bad. The moment I scanned it and saw it on screen, it's like every error had a flashing red arrow pointing at it. And yes, I feel just as vulnerable as everyone else who shares their stuff online, especially when it's a crappy play project for fun.

But heck, I just wanted to scribble away and produce something colourful. I stumbled when I realised the black pen I was using wasn't a water resistant one which meant the best way to add colour was to use pencils.

I dug out my Spectrum Noirs and soon found out how easy it was to cripple the carpal tunnel in my wrist! They produced a lovely rich colour but boy did I have to press down hard and keep going over until I had as smooth a colour as I could. I think you can tell where I gave up.

Next time, I'll use the correct black marker and use ink or watercolour.

In the meantime, I have much better artwork to share with you. My lovely friend Richard Pettitt now has a website up - check it out here - and he's taking commissions for pet portraits.

(Taken from Richards Web Page)

I have to say I love this particular one. The evil glowing eyes are mesmerising.

Anyway, although I knew he could draw dogs, I commissioned him to do a portrait for Nick & I of our furry housemate, Basil. And this week we received it. It's something I never thought to have done. It always struck me as a bit too sentimental and nauseating to have a pet portrait. But you know what? I should slap myself hard for ever having that thought. There's something utterly soul-lifting about having an artist draw an animal you live, love and care for.

Now I don't have the finished piece to share, it's too precious to put under the scanner and I'm keeping it pristine until it is framed.

But.....

I can share the photo Richard sent over whilst he was in the middle of working on it.

When we saw this, we went batcrap crazy over it. Photos of pets bring you wonderful memories but the experience and emotion you feel over a piece of art is beyond my humble means of expression. I have no words to do it justice.

Nick & I have had quite a few adventures and firsts this year. This has to be one of the highlights. So, so very happy with it.

Ironically, the day it arrived was the same day as a trip, for sir, to the vets, to have his annual injections. Two days later, he is only just forgiving us. Ever seen a cat sulk? His majesty can out-diva both of us.

And that's saying something

CAS & Ego

I've been reading. I don't say that to shock you. I read a lot. I make no secret about the fact that I love a good read. And I know, I don't usually share what I finger through on here. That's because it's so wide ranging and not always relevant to what I am posting.

But today is different. I read a book that's only been out for a few weeks, called Die Empty by Todd Henry. It's a gloomy title I'll grant you. The reason I bought it is because I'm a big fan of Todd's better known, The Accidental Creative.

I enjoyed the content and made a few notes as I was turning the pages but nothing particularly spoke to me until I reached the chapter on Being Confidently Adaptable. The one which begins "This Chapter is for everyone but you. In this chapter we'll be dealing with the effects of an overinflated ego." And yes, he read me correctly. I started to mentally harumph at reading about inflated egos. It's not a problem I have, I can easily skip this section. And my finger momentarily hovered on the skip to next page button. But I felt challenged by the opening sentence, so despite myself, I read on.

What made me sit up was a passage on value and complexity. How when we are creative, we sometimes incorrectly assume that in order for an idea, design or piece of art to be seen as worthy by our peers, it must be complex. I recognised myself in this. I all too easily have dismissed my own ideas because they are too simple.  I have, in the past, felt I could only share projects with the world which have taken a good deal of time to make, have been complex to piece together or involve a new technique.

My ego has gotten in the way. Good design ideas and creative projects have been cast aside because I have deemed them too simple. Even if the design is near perfect. It went into my mental trash bin. Whether for my work or my hobby.

So I've done a simple CAS card. I could tell you that it's harder to do, as more attention and focus is on what little detail remains. I could impress upon you (and myself) how culturally significant and intellectual the art of minimalism is, to lend it some gravitas. To satisfy my ego. To have approval from my peers.

But no. Today, I've made a card that took just a couple of minutes to put together. Not because I deliberately wanted to prove a point. It's an idea I've had and dismissed in the past. I knew I'd love the look of it and it would excite tingling goosebumps of satisfaction in me. It's a good design. I would go all funny inside if I received something like it in the post from someone else.

This is the kind of card my ego doesn't want me to make or to share. I want you to think and know I could do much more. But this is a card I'd buy if I saw it in a shop or on Etsy.

I love that I have discovered this about myself. I'm now going to hopefully weigh up my future creative ideas differently. I love complex projects. I love simple projects. And if they both give great pleasure when making and fulfil their purpose, then they have equal value. That is, once my over inflated ego is told to take a hike.

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Supplies

Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Geometric Style

Taking The Perfectionist Challenge

I'm over half way with my November 30 day challenge. Now I had every intention of not sharing it until the challenge is over. As in, when it's complete and darn near perfect. Of course, I know it will never be perfect. Certainly not in my eyes. So the world will never see what I'm playing with.

That's my comfort zone.

But the coaches on the challenge have other ideas. This morning, I opened today's email and here's what they sent...

My heart sank! First thoughts were along the lines of no freakin' way! This is not in line with how I intend to proceed.

But the coaches know what they're doing. They know about us perfectionists. The ones who never finish, never show, never share. They know about people like me.

So I've just spent my allotted 25 minutes on the computer, coming up with something which is part of my project (maybe. It's only version 1.0 - my get out clause)

And against my nature, I'm sharing it and taking the perfectionist challenge...

Whew! Not so difficult was it now? Don't know what all the fuss was about. That's one small step. There are 14 days left. What other small steps away from my comfort zone await?

Now where have I left that bar of chocolate for times such as these?

Experiencing Firsts in London (and was I sworn at in a posh retail store?)

Well what a weekend I've had. So much has already happened since my last post. All good, I hasten to add (well, Nick had his bike stolen outside a department store where we live which obviously isn't good but we're being pragmatic about it, no-one was hurt, no devastation was caused). So, yes. When I last wrote, I mentioned I was dropping in on London for the day.

The day started disgracefully early when my alarm clock rudely pulled me out of sweet slumber at 5.00am. In fact, as I walked to the train station, I just had to pull out my camera to capture the beautiful red sky as dawn was breaking.

The train journey down was wonderfully peaceful and I arrived in London at 8.00am, feeling like a little kid with the giddy buzz of being in the capital once more. First stop was King's Cross St Pancras station, home to the Eurostar trains, for a spot of breakfast at the oh-so-expensive but oh-so-delicious Le Pain Quotidien. Patting my stomach, where it was newly lined with scrambled egg and mint tea, I headed to Borough Market. There's no way I can go home unless I have paid a visit to Mrs King's and purchased a couple of her sinfully good stilton pork pies.

Next stop, was Laduree (well of course, you knew I would), where I experienced my first first of the day. Okay, I didn't experience it until later that evening to be strictly honest, but I opted for a selection of their new marshmallow flavours. The photo above doesn't show them as we'd munched them before I had the opportunity to grab my camera.

Opposite Laduree, was Fortnum & Masons, where I purchased a couple of boxes of my newest addiction, Smokey Earl Grey Tea. Now, inside my rucsac were a couple of very strong cheeses which had definite nose and I could already sense their pungency seeping through. I knew that people would be avoiding me by the time I sat on the train home and I could clear the underground out in minutes. I needed a plastic bag to wrap them in. So, when I went to the till to pay for my tea and saw the guy put them in a plastic bag, I asked ever so sweetly if I could have a spare one (which I was going to wrap my cheeses in). This is where I had another first.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty certain that as his head was bowed, pulling out another bag, he muttered just under his breath but ever so slightly audibly, words which were close to "for luck's sake". In a store renowned for it's overly polite staff too!!!! I hadn't told him my intention for the bag and I wonder if he thought I was just another oik wanting a freebie souvenir. I do hope I heard him correctly as it really made my day. Bless him.

Finally, at 11.30am, the real reason for going to London had come around. To meet an online friend, Richard Pettit,  whom I became acquainted with when we both did the 30 Day Challenge back in March earlier this year (do check out his wonderful vlogs). We have spurred each other on and become friends and we kept threatening to meet up one day. Well I impulsively decided to just book a ticket and do it. So there we were, meeting each other, in the flesh for the first time, in South Kensington.

And it didn't end there. Ordinarily, we could have met up, had a drink and some lunch and chatted the day away. But Richard had made plans already to meet up with a group of Illustrators and Artists. He offered to cancel or instead I could come along too. I chose to pack my pad and pencils.

So the next firsts are all linked in. Meeting a whole new group of people, sketching in a public place with them and visiting Christies. Yes the Christies. It's rather like visiting an art gallery with museum combined. Plus there's all sorts from vintage to contemporary to see. They had no problem with having a group of us littering the place and drawing away.

Finally, Richard & I headed around the corner to my favourite place, the V&A for lunch. Once again I was lucky enough for the weather to be warm enough and allowing us to eat outside by the water feature. Bliss.

Time ran on and I missed my allocated train home by 30 seconds. Thankfully, the trains run every twenty minutes and the one I eventually caught was virtually empty. So yet again, a peaceful journey.

Loved being impulsive! Must do it more often.

Thanks for dropping by and indulging me this wordy post. I do hope you had a fun weekend too with plenty of memories made.

London in Springtime

Spring has finally arrived, or at least the Spring weather has. Cherry & Magnolia blossom is on the trees and the sun is revealing itself amidst blue skies. Fortunate for me, as I've been travelling to and from London.

Firstly, there was a quick day trip to see the Big Stamp & Scrapbooking Show at the wonderful Alexandra Palace (the Ally Pally). Though I had a small list of items to look out for, I primarily went to meet up with a couple of blogland friends, Neil & Mark. I've poached the above photo from Neil's website, taken by his lovely wife, Susan (tweaked a little with photoshop). I only came away with a handful of goodies but meeting friends was better than the shopping. I spent a mini fortune the day after though. I'm afraid I'm more of an internet shopper these days.

I was back only a few days, when I again boarded the train to visit the Capital.  This time for a mini break with Nick. I booked it months ago and though we were staying with family, we were very much in tourist mode. However, we thought our trip may be hampered by the fact that an ex-prime minister was having a funeral on the day we arrived. Fortunately, protests were kept to a minimum and we weren't affected.

The moment we landed in Euston, we hopped onto the underground and headed over to the  Horniman Museum. Why? Because the itinerary I planned involved seeing places and doing stuff I've never seen or done before. And this was a museum that I'd previously not heard of.

They have a rather elegant and small aquarium which is a pleasant distraction but the main draw is a rather gruesome display of stuffed creatures. Not sure I feel quite at ease with looking back at dead animals. Upstairs, where this photo was taken, the displays were much more interesting and educational, as they demonstrated how nature is classified by botanists.

Better still was a room devoted to music. Believe me, I cannot describe the wow you feel as you enter through the doors and are confronted with two long corridors of cabinets filled with thousands of musical instruments. I'm no geeky fan of music and my only two failed attempts have been the recorder and guitar. I'm not meant to be a musician. But the wonderful array of every kind invented, in every country, was fascinating to take in. If you are stuck for something to do in London, it's free and I highly recommend it, for this room alone.

That was day one.

Day two, was the main attraction. I was born in London and have visited frequently with my parents when young, who have family and friends there. I've seen most of the main landmarks. But I had never been to one of the most famous. My namesake, St Paul's Cathedral.

As I mentioned earlier, I wondered whether we would actually see it this time, as the day before, Mrs Thatcher's funeral had been held there. I had anticipated protestors to still be hanging around but no. As it turned out, there was nothing. Better still, the weather had warmed up and the sun even poked through the clouds. We went early and good job too. When we left, the building was heaving. Thankfully, it wasn't quite so busy as we turned up, tickets in hand.

Again, I can't even begin to describe how breathtaking the inside is. I've seen footage on TV and photos but they don't give you the sheer scale of it. And you definitely don't sense the opulence and grandeur especially with the amount of golden decoration. Everything about the design of St Paul's is over the top and built to impress. And of course, I had to climb up to the whispering gallery and try it out. Honestly, the hairs on my neck stood on end when Nick whispered into the wall and I heard it, sat halfway round the gallery.

Now I knew about the whispering gallery but I had no idea you could climb up about 400 steps, right to the top of the Cathedral, to what is known as the golden gallery. I was like a kid, giddy with excitement at being up so high, with a clear 360 degree view of the whole of London. It's not suitable for anyone who doesn't have a head for heights, that's for sure. And you need to be fit. You'll definitely feel it in your thighs. Oh and the camera takes a bashing too. You can't help it. Like us, you'll come away with hundreds of snapshots of the view. Luckily, I won't bore you with them all here lol.

Could the experience of St Paul's be topped? No, Not really but our next stop was the next best thing. The London Dungeon Experience, is an absolute MUST SEE! And I'd advise that, like us, you book your tickets well in advance, online. For starters, only the pre-paid visitors have there heads chopped off at the start. Yes it's a way to part tourists with their money but heck, we were on holiday.

There's one drawback. The queuing! Even if you pre-pay, expect to join three separate, long queues. It really does promote the idea that the british love to queue. But that aside, it's worth it. We weren't allowed to take photos and rightly so. The best way to experience the whole thing is not to know what to expect. The fear from worrying what is going to be thrown at you next can only work once. And boy do they do it effectively. My nerves were in pieces by the end of it. And the grand finale? Oh how i'd love to show you the photo but really, I don't want to give it away. You just have to go.

What I will tell you is that right at the beginning, a hunched woman comes out, draws the small crowd towards her and begins with the tale of King Henry Eighth's wife, Ann Boleyn. It's all interactive and you will be picked on. She turned to me and asked in her old crones, voice, whilst pointing a boney finger, "What's your name sir?', "Paul" I replied. "Well, Paul. Have you ever slept with a queen"? Now you couldn't ask a better question could you haha?. "Several", I retorted. She corpsed, pulled herself together and everyone laughed. And as well as scream, we all laughed at each and every room you enter. It is the most fun you can have, whilst being scared witless.

After two wonderful events, we slowed things down and went to the Burlington Arcade (Bertie Wooster come to mind anyone?) to buy my Macarons from Laduree. Now if you've been reading my blog for a while, you already know of my love of these delicacies so I won't wax lyrical again here. However, we did stop for a cup of tea this time and opted for their special blend, which was a mixture of berries and cinnamon. And Oh, was it heavenly! The best cuppa I've had in ages. The flavour was just extraordinary and delightful.

And opposite was Fortnum & Masons. I'd never been in, so that was a must. We came away with Smokey Earl Grey tea (Tim, if your reading this, I took your advice) and Glace fruits, including a Glace Chilli. Should be interesting.

That was day two.

Our third and final day began with a visit to the Hayward Gallery for the must-see art show of the year (or so we'd heard) and I agree, it is.

The show's been extended to May, so if you are in the area, do go and see it. You'll come away in wonder. For me, as someone who loves art and design, it was an incredible show. Very emotive and overpowering at times on the senses. And I'm not being pretentious. It really does play with you.

There are no photos allowed so I've gleaned the above from the web. The top photo is an installation which is similar to the effect you have of those Christmas lights which have the illusion of dripping icicles, but on a huge scale. The next photo is a room with a light shining through a cage. Again, it's an optical illusion. as the shapes on the wall move around you'll feel the room sways and makes you giddy. The last photo again has to be seen. You enter a completely blacked out room where there is continuous strobe lighting. Against the wall are all these miniature water features and fountains. But what you see in the strobes is exactly what you see in a snapshot. One fleeting second of motionless, crystal-like water.

And there are many more rooms and experiences, all just as powerful, in this wonderful exhibition.

Lunch for the next stop and if you're vegetarian, look away now.

Can't visit London without a trip to Borough Market. We went for the pork and stilton pies and came away with so much more, including Gaperon cheese (again I've mentioned my love for this before on my blog) which is hard enough to find in France let al. And given that it was lunch time, I treated myself to a Camel burger. Well, I'd had kangaroo before and I wanted something new. Delicious but you wouldn't know it from a cow, to be honest.

And finally.

Just opposite Euston Station, where we would be catching our train home, there's a museum of all things bizarre. And again, I'd never heard of it or been to it before. It's the Wellcome Collection.

We didn't see it all. Our feet were aching and time was running out. But we took in one floor devoted to the weird and wonderful. It's certainly worth a return visit in the future.

And then it was time to come home. If you've read all the way through this long post, thank you and well done. I really should have an editor.

I now feel fully refreshed from my short trip and raring to get stuck in and be creative.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. And if you're near London, I hope I've tempted you with some ideas of places to visit :)

The 30 Day Challenge Deadline

30 days have passed! The deadline is up! It's show and tell time. The 30 Day Challenge I took throughout March comes to it's climax tonight at 10pm. Our instructions today are to show something tangible as proof of our efforts.

Now mine's fairly easy since I took the decision right from the start to share my project throughout the month and not just at the end. So if you have been popping over to the blog I set up to record my progress, none of this will seem new to you...well, apart from the whole new look to my blog to coincide with the deadline.

So here it is, the complete Veronica Frannie Collection:

There are also the texture backgrounds which encompass all the colours

And here's a little something I made from my papers, just to see what they are actually like to use when printed.

And there you have it. Not sure what happens next. Haven't thought about it. I just wanted to focus on actually finishing a project and facing my internal demons head on. It's been really interesting seeing other people go through the same insecurities and doubts as myself and press on regardless. Interesting to see how many of us, me included, collided with a midway slump. It seems we all had a blip around the 14th/15th March. 

And then I took a "Discover Your Style" course just as it began and I'm thrown by trying to uncover that at the same time. In fact I've still to do another couple months of that course. I think I'll be chopping and changing my mind constantly before I settle. But again, it's great to be in a small group of classmates who all face the same situation. It seems that we all play around and flit from style to style without settling.

So I shall take a breather. A small pause. The challenge isn't deserting us quite yet. Now that we've met our deadline and popped the champagne corks, we have to reflect on what we have achieved. You see, there's three parts to this  - Act, Reflect and Adapt. 

But that's for another day. Thank you for following along if you checked out my progress in March. Hope you're enjoying your Easter break, wherever you are. I shall be tucking into a very naughty and indulgent chocolate egg for sure. And then all that remains is for me to figure out what shall I do for April? lol