The simple things

I'm sitting in a green haze. Yup, my kitchen has been decorated (by Gary from Nuneaton) and the wintry light filtering in through the windows seems to be giving it a slightly illuminous quality - one which I'm not quite sure I intended.

I would love to sit and blog all day today, but I have work to do so must leave you to find your reading matter elsewhere (but do come back soon!).

My breakfast blog run this morning though did take me to Theme Thursday where they ask for 'flowers'. How we in the Northern hemisphere long for Spring. There's an icing sugar dusting of snow outside which is scaring off all the bulbs - hardly a shoot shows through so far. The birds have stopped singing in disgust, in fact I saw a queue of them outside the travel agent this morning clutching African safari brochures.

As my yearnings turn to spring, I could have posted a picture of a tulip (my favourite flower and easy to spell) but was drawn instead by the rich hues of this chrysanthamum, a digital manipulation of a photograph I took last Autumn.

And while we're on the subject of flowers, it being Valentine's Day and that this weekend... Tulips... my favourite... I'm also quite fond of daffs... (He checks this blog often readers....)

Stretching wings

I feel strangely liberated today. I stayed up far too late blogging, yet woke refreshed and the sort throat I've been nursing for days seems finally on the retreat - get back with you varmit...

I've been working from home and knocked out a couple of pieces of work that I'm proud of - real knock 'em dead stuff. I've also been deliberating over my contribution to Theme Thursday - this week it's 'Wings'. With the strains of Mull of Kintyre floating round my head, I set to thinking...

I am reading a wonderfully inspiring book by Kelly Rae Roberts about this very gossamer subject. She is teaching me how to give flight to my creative spirit. Her encouraging words and fine techniques are lifting my soul. I'm also lapping up all the sweet artistic juiciness from the Art Journaling Supernova - experimenting, playing and generally getting messy. What better artistic creation for wings then, than a homage to what I've learnt from both of these.

Maybe I'm just getting old and don't remember, but I'm sure I never 'noticed' autumn quite so much as I do this year. Colours, textures, smells all assail my senses. I feel like a sponge in a 'who can soak up the most' contest and I'm lugging all this inspiration around careful not to spill a drop until it can be poured onto canvas or crafted into words!

This then is representative of my creative flight through Autumn.

I present my 'Creative Wings'. It really is very 'Kelly Rae', so I feel a bit like I cheated myself - it wasn't enough of my own creation. I wasn't too happy with the face - she looks slightly odd... but I can always paint or collage over. Mixed media on canvas board - acrylics, collage, oil pastel and a real oak leaf. I asked some real butterflies to pose just for the picture, but they flew off, fickle things.

Of airy tongues...

Of calling shapes, and beck'ning shadows dire,
And airy tongues that syllable men's names.
John Milton

Yesterday's post proclaimed loudly that I still feel Summer's gentle touch, yet today I am thinking Halloween...

Well, I blame my friends across the pond where clearly this celebration is a much bigger deal than here in the UK, when if we want to get scared, we just look at our politicians! I'm amazed yet also intrigued to see Halloween countdowns abounding on blogs and a whole host of parties to join. Naturally, never being one to turn down an invitation, I am getting my pointy hat ready for one such fanciful twisting of a do.

Today's ghoulish thoughts come courtesy of Theme Thursday and their apple bobbing, pumpkin carving, things-that-go-bang-in-the-night challenge.

A little ATC triptych to tickle your taste buds ahead of the season of spookiness...

Mixed media: acrylics & collage (click to enlarge)

Mwwaaahhaaaaaaahhhhhhh

Quoting creativity (2)

In another moment of glorious serendipity I alighted with anticipation upon this week's 'Theme Thursday' challenge to discover that they are thinking along the same lines as yours truly and have chosen 'beautiful words' as their subject for us all to dabble in delight in.

So, for the second time this week, I continue my journey among creative quotation and borrow inspiration from the creative thoughts of others. Today we thank Alan Alda for bringing life and colour to the page.

I willingly leapt into the wilderness for this - a wild and romantic garden overlooked by a brooding medieval castle, whispers of magical creatures and secret pathways to the depths of the imagination. The more I create, the more I do indeed find myself and I'm starting to like what I see.

Much of this work was prompted by my 'artist date' yesterday - just me, my muse and a very magical place - but more on that in another post... (you see it better if you click to enlarge).

(Very) mixed media - scrapbook background, collage, acrylics, photography and photoshop.

Speaking of creativity... I'm planning on signing up for the second of these two journaling supernova classes in September from the Land of Lost Luggage. Very excited!

Summer Summer Summertime...

If you require a soundtrack for this post - kindly click here.

Well, it's Theme Thursday and this week we are invited to create a 'season'. Seeing as I am on holiday it felt only natural to pick Summer and, bereft of all my normal tools of the trade - most especially a scanner, I have created for your delight a digital rework of a photo I took but two days ago of an azure Atlantic. How much more summery can you get - look at the sunlight twinkling on the water, tickling the wave tops so they laugh and play their way to shore.

Naturally, it has received a few tweaks in Photoshop - given that I can never leave well alone, but hope it makes you feel like dipping a toe or even a leg in. However, I will warn you that despite the bright rays dappling the surface it is rather cold and not for the faint-hearted. Something went wrong with the saving (owing to consumption of holiday grape-based drink) and it is a little smaller than anticipated but you get the drift. So, dear readers, allow yourself to flow with the tide and take yourself somewhere warm and balmy; fill your pockets with shells and allow a cool and velvety ice cream to refresh your tired palette, for tis summer (at least in this neck of the woods) and one must rejoice!

Oran-ge-boom-bloom

This rather represents my mood today - or at least my brain. It's full to bursting with thoughts, lists, ideas, hopes, aspirations and things to do...

Everything is half done or dabbled with as my bemused and befuddled self reaches out to the next task and the one after before finishing anything. In fact, I know I won't finish this post now... I have to go out in a minute, but at least I made a start.

I know, I know. I should make a list and prioritise the key tasks. Finish those first then move onto the next. Sometimes though I just can't concentrate on any one thing. I tried to listen to a relaxation CD but the guy teaching me how to relax talked way toooo sloooowwwly. I don't have time for that nonsense. There's too much to do. First week of holiday nearly over. It's passed in a complete blur.

Anyway, this is my creation for Theme Thursday on the subject of 'orange'. You may recognise the lady - she is Little Boots the singer. I cut her out from Vogue and stuck her on a swirly background. We played with acrylics and oil pastel then she was unceremoniously flattened in the scanner before being magically transported into Photoshop. There she was mixed with some luscious photographs I'd taken which in their turn were adjusted and tweaked until the result was Little Boots exploding from the blooms. A little bit of fun and fantasyland.

Does your head ever feel this full?