Posts

Showing posts from November, 2022

Most definitely not “fine”

Image
 Hi everyone It’s hard to stay focussed when you feel so alone. This month has been extremely difficult for me as my husband has been in hospital for an operation and then recently there were complications so he was taken back in.  Obviously, the worry of it all has been extremely stressful and as a result, my mental health has plummeted.  My husband is my rock and without him being his usual strong self, my world is very bleak. In order to keep my sanity I turn to painting or creative work of some description.  It doesn’t really matter as long as I am creating something.  It’s very soothing for the soul. This has been difficult due to all the trips to hospital and the more mundane matters of keeping house.  My family are a constant source of support and give me strength, but I also need my creativity to keep sane.  I have always been that way.   I’m normally a very private person and don’t often share my problems, always putting on a brave face. ...

Twilight Wolf

Image
  “Twilight Wolf” 16” x 12” acrylic on canvas board This was painted about 3 weeks ago as I have had a lot going on in my life recently and have not been able to paint, but I want to share something with you.   The fears we fail to face become our limits.  I am wolf, quietly I will endure, silently I will suffer, patiently I will wait, for I am a warrior and I will survive. Back to painting what I love, animals.  Enjoyed painting this wolf, although he looks more like a friendly dog.  That’s ok, I loved doing it and for me it’s the process that is of most value.  How painting makes me feel. When I’m painting I get so absorbed everything else is forgotten, all my troubles melt away and it’s just me and the paint.  It boosts my mood and helps me get things in perspective.  It’s why I would love to teach others the remarkable benefits of painting.  It’s more than the end result.  It’s a calming process that gives a feeling of serenity, whic...

Straw bales

Image
 Acrylic painting on canvas board, Straw bales. This reminds me so much of home, our old house, where we were surrounded by fields and after the harvest the straw bales in the fields.  It was such a lovely peaceful place and we had a clear view over the fields to watch the beautiful sunsets. Anyway, back to the painting.  With this one again, I did the simplistic drawing, then blocked in, followed by the refining and detail. “Hay Bales“ acrylic on canvas board 16” x 12” Not quite finished yet as I need to lighten the background bales a tad and strengthen the foreground shrubbery on the right. Feeling quite happy with this one. Hope I have inspired you to have a go at painting.  Remember, three colours, three brushes and three steps.  It’s so easy.  The colours I used are Ultramarine blue, Alizarin crimson and Yellow ochre, plus Titanium white.  You can mix all the colours you need from these and create a very harmonic painting.  Look out for my pa...

Making a bottle fairy house

Image
This was such fun to make and I changed things as I went along.  Using a glass bottle (this one is a gin bottle as I rather liked the blue glass) and some air drying clay, I left gaps for windows as I wanted to add lights inside.  An egg box was used to create one wall as it was my intention to make it look like stonework (kind of like crazy paving). Originally I intended to make the roof with strips of card stuck to the bottle stopper, but then I realised this would not be practical as I couldn’t easily open the bottle to add the lights or replace them if necessary (when the battery fails).  So I scrapped that idea and chose to make the roof slightly lower down. I used little strips of wood for the panelled door. Will get some updated pics of the progress shortly. Happy creating!  See you soon. Best wishes Shari 😊