Tea Time

This was fun - falling in love with colour all over again!

The Devil is in the Detail

Still working away at this. Getting a little closer with every hour to end.

I started a little "moonlighting" project last night (shhhh, don't tell Michael!) working on a portrait. I spent two hours sketching out my outline and collapsed in a heap feeling very pleased that I had got that far. About an hour later it struck me that I had used the wrong paper. Instead of using Arches Hotpressed watercolour paper I had used Rives. I'm not sure how the graphite will take to the Rives. Trying to decide now on whether to start all over on the right paper or to just try it out on the Rives. Or maybe try using charcoal instead of graphite. I haven't done a charcoal portrait in many many years. Decisions, decisions.

"Success in any endeavor requires single-minded attention to detail and total concentration.”
Willie Sutton

"Your purpose is to make your audience see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt."
Dale Carnegie

Eating Cold Porridge

I started reading a book the other day and the opening chapter captured my mind completely. It said that in order to become really good at something one has to "eat the cold porridge".

"The way he explained it, eating the cold porridge means working at something for so long that when you get home there is nothing left to eat but cold porridge......
That’s how you get good at something ...... That’s how you get good at anything. You eat the cold porridge.
You work at it when the others are playing. You work at it when the others are watching television. You work at it when the others are sleeping.
To become the master of something, you must eat the cold porridge."
From One for my Baby by Tony Parsons.

I'm still working at the grisaille of "Comfort Zone" and am very determined that I will get this finished. It has been cluttering up my easel for far too long. Its an incredible learning experience to work and work at something to develop it beyond a level with which I previously would have been satisfied. The fabric of the chair is still proving to be very difficult to get right.

Making Lemonade

My year started completely on the wrong foot. Resolutions disappeared as fast as they were made as life at work became really hectic and time I had earmarked for art was swallowed up by overtime. OK, so the money is good!

So tomorrow will be the first day of my year and I am determined that this year will be a productive one.

I'd like to say a big thank you to all the people who comment on my blog and keep me going in the down times, bolstering my spirits. I have been extremely flattered by several people whose work I love, who have said some very nice things about my work on other sites. Thank you! To you all, I hope the new year will be filled with wonderful things!