We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
"Little Gidding"
T S Eliot

Thursday 24 January 2019

Creating happiness ... inside and out

The Fearless Four are half way through a project - in December we got together and made some clay things. Some in molds and some free form. Then we continued this month with using them on a canvas - making a highly textured background. Next month we will finish the project by painting the background and adding our clay creations.

In the meantime, I decided to use some of my clay creations (free-formed flower shapes) in a small glass-fronted box frame.

I cut some mountboard to size and painted the background with acrylic paints - including some metallics and interference paint.

I die-cut some metal to form the stems as I wanted it to be 3D.

You may remember the trip I did recently to the British Museum, where I found the inspiration for my flowers' colouring (see here).

The flowers are painted with acrylic paint, including a little interference, and then some gold gilding flakes added to the centre. The actual clay centres are painted gold. Finally I used a high gloss varnish.

I couldn't photograph it in its box frame as the glass created too may reflections, so this is before it went into the frame.


I was out early this morning, a heavy frost and bitter cold, but an absolutely stunning sunrise.


No photograph can capture the beautiful colours - it just made me feel so happy to have seen it.

Recently discovered Debasish Mridha, an American physician, philosopher, poet and author ...

At sunrise,
The blue sky paints herself with gold colours
and joyfully dances to the music of a morning breeze.
Debasish Mridha


Tuesday 8 January 2019

2019 - dream it ... do it!

Happy new year!

Still in recycling mode using some of Laura's discarded items!  This time an eclectic mix of a bottle, bowl of acorns and a mushroom ...


All things had a gold base colour ... and then I used acrylic paint (including an interference one) in a random way, and wrapped the bottle in cling film.


















Same for the mushroom ...

















The bowl uses the same colours as the mushroom as I liked the combination, and the acorns are two different tones of gold.














That was fun ... but now I'm going back to my first love of  watercolour and mixed media, and I've already prepped some boards.

I was sent a couple of funnies that I thought I would share - as there is some element of truth in them!

I have come to the conclusion
that buying craft supplies and
actually using them are two
separate hobbies!

So true - my other hobby is buying paint!

My 2019 New Year's resolution
is to finish all my craft projects from 2018
that I should have done in 2017,
after I started them in 2016
after buying the supplies in 2015
with the patterns I found in 2014!

My problem is that I find stuff I bought year's ago and can't remember what the project is ...

Hope 2019 is a good one for everyone.