First the challenge....
I am stuck on my Moonta Bay painting. Well and truly stuck. I feel very critical of it and it is not looking how I want it to. I am tempted to start all over again but I will try one more time to save it with a good layer or two. If it works out, I will show you the in between stages as well as the final work...we will see. And now....a success! Here is my finished elephant! I am very pleased with how she turned out. It was fun experimenting with the shadows even though I felt a little nervous... I worked fast with a foam brush and a baby wipe to soften where needed. I used paint on a bamboo skewer for her eyes and her head-dress. The only time I used a paintbrush was when I drew the rough black outline...the rest of the time I used my fingers...which I have happily discovered is by far my preference. Yay...I am very proud of this one.
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Here is where I left my elephant from my last painting session. Today I added some high definition contrast in the form of black shadows, mostly using a foam brush. This is a pic on my phone to show that 'in between' stage. I also relocated her eyes...she is still quite abstract in form..but the eyes needed to be relocated to add a little more realism. This is how she currently looks below. I am nearly done. I was so excited with my progress this afternoon. I need to work on her eyes just a little more and I want to add some white details, especially to her forehead. I'll share my finished piece very soon!
Last week when I was sitting quietly under my trees, listening to my breathe and the resident birds, I heard a rustling noise. It sounded like a small creature was running circles in the leaves. I opened my eyes, curious as to whether a bird was having a 'dirt' bath in the leaf litter nearby, like my chickens used to do, but I couldn't see any bird on the ground and the noise had stopped abruptly. I got up to investigate, thinking perhaps it would be a lizard. And look who I found! A beautiful bearded dragon. I enjoyed looking at him as he lay completely still under my watchful eye, even his eyes did not flicker as a random ant or two crawled over him. Eventually I called out to The Man in the House to come and look and we swapped places; I went inside to get my camera and he took watch! The lizard was so beautiful, prehistoric even, camouflaged in his natural environment of dirt and leaves. After a few photos my husband returned inside and I returned to my meditation spot under the trees. It was another 5 minutes or so until I heard the lizard run quickly into the cover of the tree.
Beautiful creature, thank you for joining us and letting our trees and yard be your home too, you are so welcome to this space. Or should I say thank you for sharing this space with me? xo I googled a message from the Bearded Dragon and this is what I found... If a dragon-lizard presents themselves to you the time has come to detach from the ego and dive beyond the superficial. What appears on the outside in appearance no longer holds value and you will soon become more detached from the shallow situations in your life. Now and again it is required to be detached, to separate yourself from others, to succeed in what is necessary. Lizard-dragons will also show you how to leave the past in the past. To move on and released your attachment to what has been. The story you tell yourself of the past no longer serves you. Dragon lizards propose immediate change in one or more areas of your life. You may need to let go of old ideas, patterns, belief systems, habits, actions or lifestyle because they block the creation of new life and new beginnings. It is time to let go. Lizard-Dragons prompts the need to go within and examine your present reality and then, move with confidence and utmost assuredness into a new chapter of your life. www.rebelology.com.au While the kids played in the rockpools at Moonta Bay, south of the jetty, I collected some of my own treasures.
I drew them carefully in my little art journal (with a black felt tip pen, my favourite), while I sat in the sand in the sun. Here are a few of them. I don't remember seeing these caterpillars around before. They are on my orange tree now....citrus caterpillars. I googled black and yellow caterpillars and discovered that they will become Dainty Swallowtail Butterflies. (I am borrowing someone else's photos to illustrate my story today as I didn't have my camera with me.) Rewind to last Saturday and The Man of the House said I should go and have a look outside as there was a butterfly on the back lawn that I might want to see; just laying there. Busy with something, I was like, are you sure it's not dead? Has the dog or cat got it? Why is it not moving? No....just go and look. And this is what I found...laying flat on the lawn... Like it was waiting for me.
It looked much like this but not exactly like this. It had damage on one of it's lower wings, it looked like the shape of a small bite mark. "Ohhh, you're broken", I whispered. A bit like me sometimes, I thought. I wondered then if the butterfly would let me pick it up...the middle of the lawn wasn't a safe spot to rest. I gently placed my hand in front of it and, unbelievably, it walked straight on to my finger. Oh wow. I barely breathed as I watched it closely. My daughter, Miss 6, came out then to join me and she asked to hold it too. I attempted to pass the butterfly on but my movement prompted it to take flight. It would seem that the special moment was just for me. The butterfly's flight took me by surprise actually, the wing damage and the tameness of it made me think it was unable to. But it flew alright. Very well as far as I could tell. It landed on the orange tree and then out of sight. "It might be broken but it can still fly." I said out loud. Indeed. Thanks for the reminder. xo Oh Miss Elephant...I will do you justice. You are a labour of love, that is for sure. This is the second painting I started in October at my weekend workshop in Adelaide. She has been through much transformation...and yet she still continues to grow and change. (Sounds like someone else I know) I turned it into some planets for awhile :-) I enjoyed that but it wasn't forever. Lots more paint! At this point I flip the painting over to make out the elephant shape with chalk (Easy to rub off with a baby wipe if need) And today...as she stands patiently waiting for me. With a filter? What a beautiful girl.
She is very patient with me ;-) I have a few more sessions to go, at least one but probably two or three. |
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