Red & Green

 

Red & Green For Christmas, 2013

Happy PPF!  :-)

Quick sketches

A quick sketch tonight...

Fun to do while watching tv - and recovering from the dreaded flu :-) 

Xo L. 

I give my heart to thee

On my desk tonight.
Putting the final touches on.

Vintage lace with old hymn book title...

She has a 1920's attitude I think...

 

Sharing with Sunday Sketches  - I am ever so late ( again!)

xo L.

Untitled...

Lots happening

Beautiful weather today

grassed mowed

a new water colour to share

Untitled...  

I am late, ever so late, for PPF!

 

ATC's after dark

Created over a few nights , these ATC's , otherwise known as artist trading cards, ate just about complete.  They are layers of paper, paint, card and stamping.  Our only theme for this swap was to use summer colors.  Our summers here in sub tropical Brisbane, waiver between hot and thundery, or hot and clear - but there is always lots of green ;) 

And the resulting mess after tonight...

Sharing with paint party Friday!  After my second crazy week I'm lucky to get this much done!!

Xo L. 

Sunday snaps, and play time

It is so nice to be home after our trip away.  I still have some pics to sort out and upload to share... but I got busy ( already) on other projects so they will be forthcoming shortly :-)

Play time this morning... with a very quiet and empty house, Charlie (the cat) and myself had a play with an ipad app and created this vignette of the re-modeled studio - which I spent all yesterday afternoon working on.   As a continued work in progress I am increasingly happy with the layout, and function of this space... some further touches required!

I received a great bunch of native Australian flowers as a gift... I love the banksia's, and foilage, as when they dry they retain their form, and colours, and are great inspiration to sketch from.  Unfortunately I have no idea what type of plant this is - although I suspect it is a species of Banksia, but I cannot be sure...

This one I did this morning,  being shared for Sunday Sketches...

(Ink tense pencil, water colour, and some pencil touches).

Beautiful weather here today, blue skies, lightest soft breeze, and warm sun... cool enough for a cardi, and  appreciate a hot mocha... without being freezing!  Just love Brisbane's fine warm winter days!

How did you spend your Sunday?

Melbourne day 3

Art galleries ... Coffee, tea, walks, trams, food and relaxing... I love that we can walk everywhere and the great cafes on every corner...

And sketching...

Our last day tomorrow! And the weather is getting colder and windier!!
A shout out to Paint Party Friday :-)

Other posts related to Monet in Melbourne Trip are here...
Monet In Melbourne - getting ready
Day 1
Day 2 

Xo L. 

Melbourne day 2

Day 2... The day started with  A leisurely breakfast in the sun by the yarra river while reading the paper...

Then the monet's garden art exhibition at the Victorian gallery. 

Followed by a tram ride to Lygon street - otherwise known as little Italy... Old men Speaking  Italian  and drinking strong coffee, drinking wine in the little cafes as we walked past... And  a visit to the newly relocated brunetti's ...

Then catching the tram back to the city, a stroll through the lane ways,  chicken baguette, and interesting sights...

Now time for a rest, maybe a quick sketch, before heading out for dinner at a Irish pub!

Melbourne day 1

Our first day in melbourne started with a early flight from Brisbane. 

After checking in to our hotel we went exploring...

Lane ways, back streets, arcades, and the most necessary pastry from brunetti's! 

Monet in Melbourne

Off to Melbourne again! 

 This time with My Dear Man.  What could be better... 3 nights in sunny Melbourne (well at this stage it is warmer there than Brisbane in some bizarre twist! ).  The usual dilemma is - what to pack!  So for Sunday Sketches today I sketched my wardrobe for four days in wintery melbourne that were suitable for art gallery cruising, cafe lounging ( Brunetti's here we come!), and tram hopping!!

More posts to follow ... hopefully with the mobile technology!  Sharing with Sunday Sketching

(My last years Melbourne holiday links posts are here...

Day 1 Marvelous Melbourne Mother Daughter Holiday 2012
Day 2 Arcades and alleys
Day 3 Things overheard
Day 4 The Zoo and pairs!
Day 5 Greek Speaking dogs, illness & Movies
Day 6 Trams and starbucks
Day 7 Markets, owls and home!

Xo L. 

Reflecting on teeth...

Do you ever wonder why?

Why the sky is blue?

why the rain falls the minute you've finished hanging out 2 loads of washing?

 

And why teeth have a use by date less that the average life span?

A sore tooth... And it resulted in needing to have it pulled. Today. I wont bore you with the details. But Ouchy. My husband came with me, and held my hand! Yay! AND has cooked me yummy mashed potatoes. An easy night, and while indulging with watching my fav movie / I doodled this gal - who tells me it'll all be ok ... And a Big reminder to everyone to look after your teeth! Happy PPF!!

A violet on the meaodow grew...

Winds wanders, and dews drip earthward; Rains fall, suns rise and set; Earth whirls, and all but to prosper A poor little violet.

James Russell Lowell Quotes , Source: The Changeling

 

We have had the rain, and today we have the sun!

Sharing this little watercolour sketch for Sunday Sketches

Looks rather pretty in a frame...

Loving this beautiful, SUNNY weather....How are you spending your weekend?
 xo L.

When it's cold out!

It's cold.
Well not to put too fine a point on things - its freezing!
Barely reached 13 degrees, and with drizzly rain... a great day for staying side, drinking tea, and looking out the window.

Whatever happened to the clear blue skies, with a crisp morning, turning into nice warmth in the sun - the usual Brisbane winter's I dream about! I am ever hopeful they will return tomorrow - 19 degrees is much more civilised.

I have totally neglected my studio this week.  It is simply too cold in there!   Thinking I should just make a posy in the corner of the family room.  Right under the reverse cycle air con - of course!

But being inside, and having re-camped myself (for work though, not fun) in the much warmer family room, it is a good chance to consider how we use the different spaces in the home.    Why should the studio be the coldest & hottest room in the house? A little oil and turps, a few paint splatters, a little spilled water... nothing to worry about. really. I could set up an art easle right here. Maybe I will!

Here is an oil painting that I've been looking at this week, that I painted last year.  I still like it... which is a good thing!

I really need to get back into the art groove - there are so many fantastic opportunities around!

Sharing with Paint Party Friday.   And if you are Brisbane I hope you have a nice warm spot for snuggling under a blanket!

Where's your best spot, or best tip, to be creative when it's cold out ( and in!) ?

xo L.

Smooth sailing

Studio orgainisation - I am STILL at it!

RE-arranging

sorting through 

Stuff to give away

Books to sell...

..."Oh Mum!" my girls say...

"You're rearranging the studio, Again?"

Anyway,  I thought I had better actually give the New and Improved

set-up a try out last night while My Man is off camping!

 

He is off with the boys for a fishing weekend

And it is freezing mind you - being our winter

And it is Raining!

So I am totally glad they have gone and I'm home all nice and warm!

 

I don't think I love him quite that much to go camping, and fishing, in the cold and wet!

I much rather love:

hot chai tea with

sourdough Chocolate Cake

Which surprisingly worked a treat considering I left out three ingredients!

(Tip to self: DO NOT try cooking while chatting to a girlfriend! Because You obviously cannot do both at the same time!)

Large recycled  postage tag, acrylic, pencil, stamps, gel pen, gesso

The new set-up worked well...except as I type my cat figures the position of the art desk is a perfect runway and launcing pad for him to access the cat flap to his outdoor run at a gazillion miles an hour to check out the bird... 

hmmm 

that might not work (for me anyway!) if there is wet paint and water pots out!

 

I'll be around for a relaxing blog visit later today!  Sharing this with Sunday Sketches :-)

Have a relaxing, and warm, Sunday afternoon!

xo L.