PHOTO MONDAY - textures i like

this week Vee chose the theme - textures that i like.

 there are so many interesting textures that i like but i will share just a few here

 i often can't resist the urge to go up to a tree and feel the texture of its bark

i LOVE trees and i love the aura of strength and majesty that they emit.

 as i've been sick the past few days, i've been pretty much house-bound so the

 tree images below were taken at different stages last year

CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE

the rich, rough textural appeal is hard to ignore

i love, love, LOVE the textural look of paper-bark trees (below) with their many peeling layers

and then there's the almost smooth, dimply tree surfaces

i LOVE them all! 

i find trees to be visually and texturally beautiful and inspiring

another texture i love to get my hands on is PAINT!

wet, cool, creamy, luscious paint!

and i love snuggling into soft, fluffy cushions

as well as snuggling into this little bundle of fur

~ my dog CODY ~

what textures do you feel drawn to?

~ love, light and peace ~

ANZAC DAY

Fields Of Red - © Serena Lewis2½"x3½" ACEO - Matisse AcrylicsIn Memory of Soldiers Lost

ANZAC DAY is one of Australia's most important national occasions. While red poppies have been more associated with Remembrance Day in the past, they are increasingly used for ANZAC DAY too because poppies are seen as the symbol for sacrifice in blood shed. On this day, we remember the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp who fought so bravely during the Gallipoli campaign in the First World War. Australia lost over 8000 soldiers. To read the history in more depth, please visit this link.

I would also like to express my deepest gratitude and thanks to the soldiers who still continue to protect us at risk to their own lives, on a daily basis, in foreign lands. They deal with terrible hardships on a physical and emotional level and I pray that they return home safely to their loved ones. Whether you are for or against war (I am pro-peace), there is no denying that these men and women sacrifice so much on our behalf and they deserve our utmost respect.

~ LEST WE FORGET ~

I haven't been well for a few days now so I recycled an older post I had dedicated to ANZAC DAY.

~ love, light and peace to all ~

PHOTO MONDAY - something odd, strange or funny

i thought i was going to have to miss out on this theme, until yesterday, when the perfect subject came into my line of vision.  it fit the bill PERFECTLY!

remember you can click on any image to enlarge it 

my daughter, Michelle, calls it 'The Brain' because it reminds her of brains

....though it looks a little intestinal to me. lol

it's definitely odd or strange-looking, don't you think?

is it a door-stop perhaps?

or some sort of giant paperweight?

nope, it's a hand-made bowl that my eldest son, Bradley, made for me when he was 13!

a wonderful achievement considering Bradley is legally blind.

Bradley moulded this clay bowl by hand in his manual arts class at, Narbethong, a school for the blind.

he can't remember if it was air-dried but i'm thinking it was.

he painted and varnished it himself too.

the loosely painted design reminds me of army camouflage.

this bowl is solid and quite heavy and, for the past thirteen years, i've been using it as my odds and ends bowl on my art table.

I LOVE IT!!!

i tend to hold onto things that my kids made for me when they were at school.

Bradley has also made wooden items which i use for holding art stuff.

i will share them with you in a later post.

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this morning, when i went to wake Aaron up for school,

this was what i found

is this cute, or what?!!!

Cody didn't budge as i ran for my camera

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as for the home-front, i'm still working on Pay It Forward gifts so no photos of artwork just yet.  the hardest part when painting a gift for someone is deciding exactly what to paint for them.  this can take the longest time because i procrastinate so much.  i ask general questions of the recipient which helps a little but then....

i worry if the recipient will like what i paint them? 

will it be the right colour? 

the right subject matter?

i'm one crazy artist, that's for sure. lol

anywhoo, i'm just glad to be working on the gifts when i can because life has been pretty busy lately.

WARNING - RANT AHEAD - it's been raining, on and off, the past couple of days and i'm hoping it doesn't get heavier or stay around for too long because i certainly don't want to go through all the backyard swamp drama again.  to add insult to injury, our landlord sent out a lease renewal and had the cheek to actually put the rent UP!!!  we were not happy, considering we are still being treated for termite infestation and, after that, there will need to be substantial internal damage repairs done....a major inconvenience for us!  on top of that, the backyard needs to be graded on a slight slope and a larger drainage system installed.....another BIG job and inconvenience!   i rang the property manager yesterday and told her our grievances which she will pass onto the landlord. after all, we have an excellent tenancy history, i keep the house in great condition and, only this past fortnight, i paid $200 out of my own pocket to upgrade and improve the front garden bed.  you would think if a landlord has good tenants, he would show them some appreciation and understanding, wouldn't you?  legislation states that tenants should be able to live in  reasonable peace, comfort and privacy. if he isn't willing to keep the rent at the current price we pay, as compensation for the inconveniences we will have to cope with, we will definitely move.  as it is, i'm  not even sure that we want to stay considering all the invasive problems with termites we've had since september last year, not to mention all the upcoming repairs and work that will need to be done. apart from all the dramas, i am trying to focus on the positives so i don't stress out too much.

i hope you are all enjoying your week without any drama

love, light and peace

PHOTO MONDAY - Reflections

i'm late again but it was difficult to find a suitable subject for this week's topic.  so, earlier today, i snapped these quick 'reflection' shots -

click on any image to enlarge

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

~ love, light and peace ~

Charles Ingalls sketch

hi everyone,

i can't believe how fast the time has flown by over the past couple of weeks.  aaron was on school holidays for the easter break so we finally decided to do some major gardening in the front garden bed.  i dug out four vines that some crazy landscaper planted when the house was first built three years ago.  ground cover would have been understandable but vines in a garden bed with no fence/trellis support??!!  they were rampant and were strangling every other plant in the bed.....so out they came. on top of that, the landscapers had also planted two large plants that prefer shady conditions, NOT the sunny position they were planted in.  these poor plants permanently looked like they were dying due to all the sun damage.....so out they came too.  we replaced all the plants that we removed with plants more suited to the garden and conditions and i'm so much happier with the end result. it was well worth the following three days of severe back pain and body aches.

today,  i attempted to do a graphite and charcoal sketch of Charles Ingalls, one of the main characters in the TV series, Little House on the Prairie, which i bought on DVD recently.  do you remember it?  we have been watching the episodes during our lunch-times and occasionally in the evening.  i used to love watching this series on TV way back when i was a teenager.  i cry in just about every episode as it can get quite emotional with its life lessons, caring and compassion.   sometimes, i wish we could go back to the horse and buggy days as life seemed so much more simple back then....sigh.....  

graphite & charcoal in A5 sketchbook

click on image to enlarge

i have also been working on my Pay It Forward gifts but i can't post pics of them just yet.   i missed participating in the photo challenge last week and i'm late for this week's challenge but i hope to have that up over the next couple of days.  stay tuned.....

~ love, light and peace ~

new purple bag

yesterday, when brad, aaron and i went shopping, i noticed that shops are starting to stock their winter range of clothing and accessories.  i was happy to see that dark purple is going to be one of the popular colours for this coming winter.....although i'd be happy with it all year round.  

for some time now, i've been on the lookout for the perfect bag to no avail......until yesterday, when i spotted this gorgeous purple bag on special.  well.....how could a girl say no to that?!  usually, my problem is that a bag is either too large with just one huge compartment where everything gets lost in it or, it's just a tad too small to hold all the things i like to carry with me.  this bag seems to fit the bill perfectly.....time will tell i guess as i wear it in over the next couple of weeks.  

Pigma Micron pen, watercolour & coloured pencil in A5 sketchbook

Click on image to enlarge

Have you found any good bargains lately?

~ Love, light and peace ~

A quick sketch.....

Pigma Micron pen & coloured pencil in A5 sketchbook

Click on image to enlarge

I know, silly me!  It was a reflex action and I learned that my stay sharp knife was indeed....sharp. 

This happened on Monday and, with it being in an awkward spot, the wound is still sore and tender.

Ah well......it could have been worse and my lesson IS learned.

Love, light and peace