CHLOE

CHLOE SOMETIMES WORRIES SHE WORKS TOO HARD AT KEEPING HER MAN HAPPY!

Image 7 x 9 1/2 ins. with white border for framing.

Today I needed a change of subject and this was silly enough to suit my mood ;) It is not autobiographical by the way ....... so don't read anything into it LOL! My husband wishes ;)

Life Drawing

The pose at todays life class was tough, atleast it was from my position. The foreshortening of legs is so tricky. I don't think I nailed the upper body either ... it doesn't recede enough, and looking at it now I think it might have helped to reduce the tones on the head and the shadows behind it. Also the lines and tones of the arms and chair are too strong. Ah well ... there's always next week ... try try try again.

Incidentally, if there are other Cyprus based artists looking from the Limassol area, and you would like to get involved with this Saturday class, do please get in touch.

Speaking of Life...

Yesterday I did my first life drawing class in about 3 years and to say I was panic-stricken is putting it mildly. Carole came too and it was a toss-up, which of us was most nervous. I don't know why I get so worked up about it ... I suppose probably because it's such a disciplined procedure and the rest of my art is so free-wheeling.

As it turned out, I was really glad I went and will be back for more next Saturday ... looks like being a regular fixture. We set up in the garden courtyard of artist, Katie Sabry, who I knew a little from time at the Cyprus College of Art. Her studio is also out the back and she is well equipped with all the usual stuff ...easels and boards etc. Shade from the trees and pergola were welcome, but I fear Ray our model, might get a bit crispy around the edges as the summer moves on. In the winter we will be working inside of course.

It was also great to meet up with, Sheila, an old friend from the college, who is coming to the end of her BA course. It was just terrific to see some of her progress, plus she is such a sweet woman .... it made my day!

Also I've been tagged by Jan at Wibbos Words and Lesly at Pastel and Paint.

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs 7 things that are a habit, unusual or that no-one else knows, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

OK I'll play :-)

1. I have a phobia wrapped around viewing large ships or underwater wrecks. TV documentaries about the Titanic or similar, have me heading for the hills. Even a still image of a fully intact ship on the ocean sends a feeling of hot lead to the pit of my stomach.
2. When I was 8 years old, I won an award at school and was allowed to choose any book I wished as a prize. I asked for a cookery book. I was disgusted to be presented with a thin volume that explained how to make tea, buttered toast and fairy-cakes, when what I actually wanted was how to make Coq au Vin and Tart Tatin. Odd how we're who we are so early on.
3. I am the only woman I know who doesn't like talking for hours on the phone. For me they're a tool for saying the minimum of words to get my message across, then hang up. I'm a pictures person ... so sit me down with another face opposite and I can chew the fat as good as the rest of 'em.
4. I dislike shopping for or wearing new clothes ...I know, I'm one weird female! With the obvious exception of lingerie and shoes, I much prefer to buy my clothes secondhand. It wasn't easily done in the UK where charity shops are usually full of boring tat, but for some reason, here in Cyprus there is a more colourful and interesting assortment of tat to play with.
5. I have been spat at by a Palestinian shopkeeper in old Jerusalem. He took me for a Brit or American, both equal in his eyes. I wondered how different it might have been if I'd had the language to tell him that I understood and that if I was him I might have spat at me too.
6. When the boys were small, my favourite holiday location was Mousehole, Cornwall. I have a painting in my home by Nigel Hallard, viewed from a position on our special bit of harbour beach. If I could be confident it would 'feel' the same, I would like to go back one day.
7. For the last several years I've had lunch about once a week at the Meze Taverna in the old town. Every time, I always order Kikoula's fresh home-made humus with hot pitta bread and a glass of white wine spritzer without ice ..... every visit Diomides continues to ask me for my order and never assumes ... though I do detect a twinkle in his eye. Occasionally I'm tempted to ask for a pork chop, but I'm afraid he'd faint.

I tag;

• Robin Ann Walker. A prolific artist with a fascinating blog full of professional artist insights.
• Mr Zip. An old friend to many of the people I know, and a new and interesting discovery for me.
• Francesca Burras. The first blog I became addicted to.
• Lisa Lorenz. A bright beautiful blog with zingy colourful art.
• Neda Doany. An amazing collage artist and an absolutely lovely lady.
• Philip Edson. Still trying to figure out how he produces so much art and still gets time to work on his Spanish tan.
• Judy Scott. Dear sweet angel Judy. She takes shabby chic to a whole new wonderful dimension.

DAY 78 Project 365

There's something about a large piece of paper, a stick of charcoal and a lump of putty rubber. I think it's probably to do with being able to get something done quickly and in any case, it's a brill excuse to get messy!

DAY 58 Project 365

Tiny sketchbook image, which is the start of the next painting in the Four Seasons series ... already looking slightly windswept. Will transfer her onto 350g watercolour paper later today.

DAY 53 Project 365

Thanks Lisa for the series suggestion .... April to be followed by the other 11 months. I'm enjoying this style and especially the use of more vivid colouring and would like to do more of it. But think I'm too much of a butterfly at the moment to do a series that long ... but who knows. Any way, I've decided for now the quirky girl sketches will become a Four Seasons series. So April has now been re-named Spring. Here is the Summer sketch. Work in progress tomorrow.

DAY 48 Project 365

Indian ink and white pastel.

DAY 46 Project 365

Made using powdered charcoal, fingers and eraser.

DAY 41 Project 365

ASPHODEL

They grow everywhere in Cyprus. Sweet-scented but if taken indoors give off a strong odour of cats :-(

This is the safe non-odorous sketchbook variety, using watercolour pencils and my new extra fine Pilot black ink pen.

DAY 26 Project 365

Sketchbook.
New shoes.
Watercolour pencil, wash & ink.

DOMESTIC BLITZ

Stephie and Natalie fly here from the UK overnight tomorrow, so today I donned my 'domestic goddess hat' in their honour and cleaned the house within an inch of it's life. Everything squeaky clean and halo now conspicuously gleaming above my self-righteous person!

Next week the studio is going to get a shock when it gets blitzed. I can hardly move for stuff and working on anything bigger than a postage stamp is impossible. So it's more tiny portable 5 minute doodles in pastel, charcoal or watercolour crayons until I've re-organised. Played with some shadows on the terrace today.

DOODLES & DIGI PICS

No blogging for a while, but more productive elsewhere. Have been making pendant necklaces for a glut of birthdays, which were last minute affairs so no time to take piccies. Also I'm working up design samples to send to England for Amathusia.

Earlier I took some shots in macro mode of all kinds of mundane objects to kick off some painting/collage ideas. The blue/brown image for example is a close-up of a section of plastic water bottle.

Felt the need to get my hands dirty and spread some colour around. Five minute doodles are just about all I've time for today so did a smudgy pastel of neighbouring Gingerbread house and hay bales.

MAD DOGS & DESIGNERS GO OUT IN THE MIDDAY SUN...?

Physical activity of most kinds was out of the question in today's extreme heat. For some reason Cyprus has had July/August type temperatures since the last week of May.

Fortunately I'm in the early stages of a design project, which means I could sit around like a sedate Edwardian lady making genteel flower drawings. Not that there was anything sedate or genteel about the red-faced, perspiring female, who firstly had to scuttle around the garden taking photos of suitable subjects. Thanks to the miracle of digital cameras, this 'lady' didn't need to suffer sunstroke for her art, and this drawing of an hibiscus flower was made later in the cool of the studio.