I've joined a Portrait Party

hi everyone,

thank you all so much for all the well wishes you have sent me over this past week. it has meant so much to me. the CT scan of my brain came back clear which was a huge relief for us and the doctor now feels the pain may be radiating from my neck.  maybe i cricked my neck somehow while sleeping, not sure?? so, this past week, i have been popping pain pills and applying heat-packs pretty much on a continual basis and today, for the first time in two weeks, i've actually felt signs of improvement.  i'm still in pain....just not as bad as it has been so now i'm thinking acupuncture may be the next step towards a full recovery.  it worked wonders for Michelle when she had her whiplash injury and our symptoms are almost identical.

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a couple of days ago, i signed up to Julia Kay's Portrait Party.

 it's a Flickr group where the members basically draw/sketch/paint portraits of other members in the group.

this was my first contribution

i used graphite pencils in my moleskine sketchbook
reference image here used with permission.

for now, i can only sit at the computer for short periods of time but i hope to be back on a more regular basis as my condition keeps improving.

i wish you all a wonderful weekend.  

~ love, light and peace ~

happy halloween, my pretties!!!

while australia doesn't normally celebrate halloween, i've noticed over the past eight years or so, that it has gradually become more popular, particularly among the children. of course, what child wouldn't like halloween with all those lollies/treats to munch on?! i'll bet dentists love halloween too.

i did a quick sketch to mark the day -

and, as i've enjoyed how sandy digitally alters some of her art work, i thought i'd try it with this sketch. this was done using the 'enamel' effect tool and i quite like how it looks.

click on images to enlarge

the reference for my sketch was an oil burner which was a christmas gift my mum gave me many years ago.

mum also bought one for my sister, saying that when she saw the witch oil burner in the shop, she was instantly reminded of my sister and me, so had to buy one for each of us. not quite sure why a witch would have brought images of my sister and me to her mind but okay....i think. my sister and i still laugh about it to this day and, in case you're wondering, we are very close to our mum so it's not an animosity thing. lol

actually, it may have been related to a story i once told my sister's kids when they were little. one day, my young niece was playing around with my outdoor broom and, as i was worried she would trip over it, i told her to place it against the wall as i would need it for my travels that night. of course, all the kids were then mesmerised with hearing how i was a witch (not really..hehehe) and how i would trip around on my broomstick each night. they were so excited and begged me to stop by their house that night so i promised that i would......well, when night-time actually came, they were all terrified at the thought of me in witch's garb tapping at their bedroom windows so we had to quickly put that story to bed. lol

and here are the treats for tonight waiting to be bundled up into little parcels for the 'trick or treaters'.

meet arnie......

......this big, bad boy is heavy duty stuff! he only accepts heavy duty staples and is sheer HEAVEN to use! for some time now, reece has been complaining about 'wimp' not standing up to the task at hand so it was time for wimp to be replaced. i wish i could say that wimp has served us well but that would be a lie. much to our frustration, he has pretty much been a 'wimp' from day dot.

as you can see, arnie is almost twice wimp's size -

NEWSFLASH - today is the first day in three weeks that i have felt half-human again.....YAY! those supplements sure pack a punch....thanks, mum! but, instead of painting today, i found myself reading blogs....thanks, ro! ;)

as i don't have any more painting progress to show, here is a zentangle i did last month. these are so much fun to do because even i don't know what the outcome will be.

Zentangles and....P.S. I Love You!

A couple more Zentangles.....I do enjoy drawing these as, they are quick to do, with no expectations. I just go with the flow....so relaxing.

I finally got around to watching the movie - P.S. I Love You. I was shocked when Reece, my son, told me that Gerard Butler was the same dude who played the role of King Leonidas in '300' as both are such vastly different roles. I didn't even recognise him until Reece pointed it out. Gerard is obviously a great actor! I'm not a huge fan of Hilary Swank but I thought she did a great job in her role. I was happy to see Kathy Bates in the movie too....she has always been one of my favourite actors. I LOVED her in 'Fried Green Tomatoes'. All in all, I thought 'P.S. I Love You' was a lovely movie and well worth watching. Yes, I did have the tissues handy and yes, I did cry. So, if you haven't seen it yet, get those little tootsies on down to the DVD store and hire yourself a copy.

Zentangle

Another zentangle which I worked on while in the waiting room at the hospital on Wednesday.

Michelle and Alex came to visit today and we had such a lovely time. We assembled our own homemade pizzas for lunch which were absolutely delicious! We watched family videos back to when the kids were all little and reminisced about good times. We also had a good laugh at some of the funny moments and, of course, my tight curl, 'helmet' perm (what was I thinking?! lol).

Michelle and Alex gave me a beautiful pink dressing gown for Mother's Day which I am currently wearing as I type. A storm moved through last night and left behind some cold, icy winds for today so my dressing gown is perfect for keeping me cosy and warm. I think I will go to bed early tonight and snuggle up with a good book and a hot mug of chai tea.

Zentangle and Pay It Forward gift

The weekend just flew by with class on Saturday, then shopping Saturday afternoon. Michelle and Alex visited on Sunday. I made curry and rice for lunch and managed to steam-burn the fingers on my left hand when I had a altercation with a pot lid. It hurt for hours afterwards and my poor fingers are still a nice shade of red and blue. Despite that, we did have a nice time.

Today, it was off to see Brad's Ophthalmologist and I managed to do another Zentangle in the hospital waiting room.

Here is the Pay It Forward gift I painted for Anita recently. She has received it so it's safe for me to post the pic now.

Click on images to enlarge

It is supposed to be a pencil case but I guess you could use it for other things too. The pouch is filled with well meaning sentiments for the recipient.

I really want to get out to the studio and rearrange it over the coming weeks. I'd like it to feel a little more homely. I don't seem to have found much time over the past few weeks to get much painting done with one distraction or another but, hopefully, that will change soon.

Another Zentangle

Click on image to enlarge
I drew this Zentangle yesterday whilst in the waiting room at the hospital. I notice I'm a little shaky with the linework and this was mainly due to the awkward drawing position. Normally, I would lean on a hard surface such as a table, wooden clipboard or lap table...none of which were available to me at the time.

For some reason, it reminds me of a frog. lol

Doodles and neighbourhood stress

I had an upsetting weekend with neighbourhood disputes. I love this house but I hate living in this street. Lots of kids who have no respect for cars on the road does not sit well with me and they all seem to congregate on the corner just up from my house. I'm tired of repeatedly telling kids to move off the road so I can continue on my way.

Unfortunately, it all came to a head on the weekend when I had to, again, tell a group of kids to remove their bikes from the road. They had laid their bikes flat across the lane and I couldn't even go around them because one young girl was standing in the oncoming lane so, I did what anyone else would do in my position...I told them to move off the road. As I moved on, I happened to glance over at the parents who were sitting in their front yard drinking and I couldn't believe my eyes when one of the Dad's gave me the finger!!! I stopped the car, got out, told him that I had every right to tell their kids to move off the road if they were obstructing traffic but all I got was a mouthful of abuse from the other Dad. Well, all I can say is that it is easy to see why their kids have no respect when that is the type of example they are setting for them.

To make matters worse, they blatantly taunted me later that afternoon by getting all the kids and adults they could gather out on the road playing cricket. Same again on Sunday afternoon right on through to the evening. Come Monday morning, I got in the car to drive my son to school and was astounded to see the road literally covered in chalk drawings which went for about 10 metres. It was an utter mess and a complete eye-sore. It reminded me of the graffiti you see on walls and buildings. What message are these parents sending their kids? That it's okay to draw all over public property?

I rang the local council and they sent out a clean up crew the next day. I did see one of the council crew talking to one of the Dads concerning the mess on the road so you would think that would be the end of it, wouldn't you? Wrong! This morning, I drove my son to school and noticed a single chalk drawing on the road. The drawing was of a 'penis'! I'm pretty sure I see the message they are trying to give me but, again, what sort of example is that setting for their kids? Don't get me wrong......I love kids! I've raised five of my own and I can proudly say I've been a responsible parent all the way. My kids know right from wrong. I just have to wonder where today's youth are headed when a lot of them don't seem to be given any boundaries. Needless to say, my weekend was not the best.

Today, I painted in the sky of the Zebra painting. I went to take a pic but the camera battery died so I will try to post a pic soon.

For the past two days I have doodled while watching the midday movie. The first one reminds me of a flower. I based the second one on what I thought was a Zentangle only to find out afterwards that the standard size for a Zentangle is 3½"x3½" and mine was drawn in my A5 sketchbook so I guess it can be a Clayton's Zentangle. lol If you haven't heard of Zentangles before, you can find out all about them here. I found the 'Zentangle' drawing to be a very relaxing and soothing process. You just start with a line and let the drawing develop from there by repeating patterns. I will definitely be doing more of these. As a matter of fact, one of the little, handmade notebooks I bought last year is exactly 3½"x3½" in size so I will use that one from now on.

Micron Pigma pen in A5 sketchbook - © Serena Lewis

My Clayton's Zentangle - © Serena Lewis

Click on image to enlarge

Michelle is coming to stay for a couple of days starting tomorrow so I'm very excited!! She is still not doing well in terms of her recovery from the car accident three months ago. They are now sending her for a CAT scan and an MRI to make sure they haven't missed anything. I hope they get to the root of the problem soom.

Zebra painting - Stage One & 5 facts about me

Finally, I'm back to the Zebra painting! I currently have four paintings that I will be making a start on in the next week or so. Three are commissions. I will try and post the occasional pic as I go but, for now, I've started with the rough draft of a mother Zebra with foal. I can tell you I was quite goggly-eyed by the time I had finished all those stripes. This is on a gallery-wrapped 24" x 30" canvas frame.

Stage One - © Serena LewisClick on image to enlarge

OH, I almost forgot, Boyd, tagged me some weeks ago to list five facts about me. Sorry, I'm late with these, Boyd, but here goes -

1. I have a fetish for little notebooks. I think they're cute and I use them for all sorts of lists and reminder notes. I have quite a variety in different colours and cover prints. I particularly love handmade notebooks with fabric covers and handmade paper for writing on. I would love to learn how to make my own.

2. I had my navel pierced eight years ago but ended up letting it close up because it never seemed to heal properly. Admittedly, I had it done at a hair salon where they just used the same piercing gun used for ears. I should have gone to a body piercing salon.

3. I prefer savoury over sweet food anyday.

4. In my early teens, my heart-throb was Donny Osmond. And they called it Puppy Love....oh, I guess they'll never know.....how a young heart really feels....and why I love her so.

5. When I turn 50, I plan to get my first tattoo. Nearly 20 years ago, I fell in love with the cutest little dolphin tattoo that I'd noticed on a woman's ankle. We were sitting beside each other in the waiting room at the hospital. I then decided I wanted a tattoo but I couldn't make up my mind whether I wanted a dolphin or some other design. I'm still not 100% sure but I figure that a dolphin may win out in the end considering it was what drew me to getting a tattoo in the first place.

I won't tag anyone specific but please feel free to carry the 5 fact tag on if you would like to.

EDM challenge #53 - Draw a mouth

Graphite in A5 sketchbook - © Serena LewisClick on image to enlarge


This challenge was to draw a mouth and, if inclined, journal about speaking out or holding one's tongue.

I believe both can be equally important as I think we do need to speak out when we see a wrong being done or if we need to share our opinion on an important issue. However, while not always easy to do, it would be to our own benefit to hold our tongue when we are feeling angry or moody. For every action, there is a reaction so, keeping this in mind, it is always wiser to keep our cool in potentially angry situations because nothing can be gained when words of anger are thrown into the mix.

I recently read this post on Kate's blog about smiling and I believe it to be so true. Kate has also included a meditation in which you use your smile as a healing energy for your body.

I'm sure we have all heard the old saying - Laughter is the best medicine. It has been proven that a smile or a laugh does bring positive changes within our bodies.

I'm also reminded of the Nat King Cole song -

"Smile"

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...

If you smile

With your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just...

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just...

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...

If you smile

Through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile...

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile
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I truly believe that so much can be gained from viewing our daily lives with a positive attitude and a smile. The choice is your's. Why not make someone's day today and give them a smile ~ :)

EDM challenge #33 - Draw an eye or eyes

Another Every Day Matters challenge done ~ YES! I drew my son's eye and the eye of a Bald Eagle. Can you tell which is which? hehehe

Graphite in A5 sketchbook - © Serena LewisClick on image to enlarge

On another note - We found the grand-daddy of all Centipedes in our house the other night! SCREAM!! I say 'grand-daddy' because, according to the website I researched, they are supposed grow between 5cm - 10cm.......this one was at least 18cm! My son woke me around midnight as he has spotted it crawling across the tiles. After much drama, we managed to get it out of the house and thrown over the back fence into the bushland from where it must have ventured out. I am now paranoid that we may get another in the house. They are venomous and give a very painful bite. I love having the bushland directly behind our back fence because it's relaxing and we get the melodious sound of the birds every morning, however, I have never seen so many varieties of insects since moving here. The harmless ones I don't mind but the venomous ones such as centipedes, I do.Do you see the little Kingfisher sitting on the fence?

Heath Ledger - May He Rest In Peace

Born on April 4th, 1979 - Died on January 22nd, 2008Click on image to enlarge

2008 Goals

It's been a very busy week and an upsetting one too. My 17 year old niece was held up at gunpoint at the local video shop where she worked on Sunday evening. It was in the news - Click here to read more. Naturally, Skye is very traumatised and won't be returning to work and she will also need to attend counselling for victims of crime. I feel so angry that someone has done this to my niece but, as with Michelle's car accident, we are trying to be positive and are grateful that it wasn't worse. Sometimes, it's so easy to take things for granted but it's moments like these that put into perspective how precious life is and how it can all change in a heartbeat.

On another note, I have finally done up my 2008 Goals list. I'm going to print it out and post it on the corkboard in my room so I am reminded daily of my goals. I plan to start focusing on my goals from the beginning of February as, currently, Aaron is on school holidays so we have lots of stuff happening.


Michelle came over to visit today and is still very sore and tender from the accident. We had a nice day together though.

I can't believe how fast the school holidays have gone....the kids go back to school next week!! My baby will be in Grade Four!