Travels into my imagination

Jamie Ridler's wishcasting prompt this week was travel. I could spend the next 10 minutes rattling off a list of desirable travel locations - everywhere from The Seychelles to New York, Italy, Morrocco, the Amazon rainforests.... However, after the adventures I had in my dreams last night I'd like to explore somewhere far more surreal.

What secrets lie in wait to be discovered in the depths of my imagination? How can I travel further in and explore all those nooks and crannies? Last night I visited a post-apocalyptic world, a magical palace with room after room of treasures from the past waiting to be rediscovered, people to be both avoided and befriended and stories to unravel.

When I pick up a paintbrush or set fingertips to keyboard I open the door in the back of the wardrobe. I've placed tentative steps into the wonderland that waits but I feel a strong pull, luring me further and further in. Is that an elf beckoning me from the trees? What song does the siren's call whisper? How that horizon sparkles with such magical colours and textures.

Here is a world of infinite possibility, the stuff literally of dreams. To explore and travel within its twisting paths, mighty oceans and towering mountains is surely my destiny?

***

PS: And can it also be my destiny to visit New York with a well-stocked bank balance; enjoy a week or two of indolent bliss in The Seychelles (or frankly any other tropical paradise); travel around Italy soaking up the colours, scents and delicious aromas for a lifetime of artistic inspiration; be amazed in the Amazonian rainforests and buy a magic carpet in a market in a Marrackech!

Happy Beverly Hills Day

Yup, if you're in the UK and read your dates the right way round (cue protests!), you'll find that today is, in fact.... drumroll....

9 0 2 1 0

Just a little bit of fun for a Tuesday when I don't have time to blog properly!

Mess and destruction

Something strange has happened in the last year. I have never been what you might call a particularly tidy girl, but you could never have accused me of being beyond help. I admit some areas of my life have always been a struggle to keep under control - notably desks and anything to do with paperwork, but in the past it has always been confined to these areas. Oh yes, and my car for some reason...

Anyway, I digress... Since I started being all creative again I'm afraid that any attempt at order in this household has packed its suitcase and left in tears. I can't seem to keep on top of anything. I sit at my desk now surrounded by chaos. The dishwasher needs emptying and filling again. Groceries need putting away, the skirting board and radiator require a second coat of paint; there are art supplies taking over one end of the living room and toys the other... I found a dead mouse under the fridge (thanks cats!), washing needs doing... And that's after I've spent all day doing proper paid work.

In fact, why on earth am I writing about it? Get on and do it love, then you can sit down guilt free and plan your next load of mess and destruction! In fact, that's it... self-imposed blogging and art ban until I have spring cleaned my home. Things may be quiet around here for a wee while, but I hope normal service will resume shortly providing the clutter doesn't get me first!

Love's layers

There are many layers to every love story. It takes a wise soul to see through to what lies within...

My entry for Mixed Media Monday's 'Romance' theme. Open to your interpretation.

Mixed media journal page. Acrylics, coloured pencils, stencilling, stamping.... then I had a little play in Photoshop...

With a cherry on top

It's Friday. It has been a grand week. I've been working, painting and my kitchen ceiling has finally been repaired! Not only that but I finally managed to choose which colour to paint the walls. It was a tough call between Willow Tree (which is actually blue, rather than the green you expect it to be) and Melon Sorbet. The fruity concoction won, the decorator will be here on Wednesday.

All this talk of melons leads me nicely onto my next subject - fruit! (I should have been a tv or radio presenter with link lines like that, don't you think?).

I'm hosting the Inspiration Avenue fruit challenge this week and as I wish to be the hostess with the mostest I hurried down to the greengrocers to stock up on fruity delights. As I flitted between the bananas and pineapples my mind was a blur and my mouth a salivation. What treats would my guests most desire? Sweet cherries or plump grapes? A moist mango, a palatable pear, or the nectar of an orange. I couldn't decide so I bought the lot.

Now, this greengrocer takes his reputation most seriously and being 'green' does not provide his customers with plastic carrier bags. Being a forgetful soul, I had omitted to bring anything with which to carry home my purchases so....

I put them on my head!

The spirit of this post is one of great joy and frivolity and, being a Friday and all, it fits rather snugly into Jamie Ridler's Happy Friday group too. Why not pop along there and share what made you happy this week. Well, I think you may have guessed that for me the 'cherry on top' was definitely getting fruity with my painting!

The Swan Princess

This feels like a proper grown up painting. Yet again I was inspired by The Three Muses - which as their name suggests is naturally their intention. Create something around the theme of 'birds of a feather' they suggest...

For the next few weeks at least, most artistic output also has to double as homework and practice for my Suzi Blu portrait class, so it seemed both natural and sensible to combine the two. We all know that fair maidens have a strange tendency to turn into swans on occasion - or is it the other way around - so the idea was hatched!

My Princess belongs to the swans. One day I'll tell you her story, but I'm afraid the effort to create her this week has been something of a tiring affair since I don't usually start until bedtime. It's a busy week, but painting helps me relax so is a welcome finish to the day! I struggled with her face. I wanted a darkness around her eyes reminiscent of the swan but at the same time don't want her to look like the undead... A touch of immortality without the festering zombie flesh was the general idea. And let's not talk about her nose... Anyone know a good plastic surgeon?

I've also decided she needs a tiara, but the sparkly Princess headwear shop was closed tonight, so she'll have to wait another day or so.

I probably should have taken the photo in daylight (too big for scanner). Her dress is much more purple than you can see in this image and the shading on the swan a pale blue rather then grey!

Mixed media on acrylic paper. Coloured pencil, acrylics and some sparkly bits.

Milestones

Sunday Scribbling's prompt this week was Milestone. Next month I will be 40, can't get much more a reminder eh? I still haven't organised any form of party so unless I get my bottom in gear it will be passing by un-noticed. Ah tish! Maybe I just don't want to think about reaching 40.

What other milestones can I ramble on about instead? Well, next to spring to mind are those that appear in Project Plans. For those that don't work in the kind of business environment which requires the use of Microsoft Project, might I point out how lucky you are. These are very long lists of things to achieve and by whom and by when, marked in degree of importance and usually dissected to the smallest detail. They are much beloved by those of an analytical mind but strike terror in the 'fly by the seat of their pants' creative types. You see, I'm more of a 'know what needs to be done and by when and just get on with it' type of worker. I'll scribble down some essential notes and dive in. I keep on track because I know what I'm doing. I don't need constant referral to detail to force my output down a track it doesn't feel like investigating on that day. If I attend a meeting about where we are in an exciting project I like to discuss what needs to be discussed rather than tediously work our way through a long list of dull tasks. I do not like to refer to stages of my project as 'milestones' - the resemblance of the word to millstone is far too close for my liking. I prefer the JFDI methodology which is very close a word to JEDI and when the force is with you, what more could you ask for?

I'm sure the picture is foxing you... It is of the Milestone Hotel in London - looks rather nice doesn't it?