New Painting

 Greetings

Every now and again I put a prepared canvas on the easel and just start painting.

I call this 'letting my subconscious out for a jog'.

I work in acrylic on these occasions, as I often paint things and then paint them out later.

I just paint what immediately occurs to me and, eventually, I decide the painting is done.

This is the picture I have just finished.

I do not care to dwell overmuch on what it might mean, as I may not want to go there...

Whatever it is, I'd rather express it in paint.

I usually spend some time looking at the picture before deciding on a name, but this one told me quite quickly.

It's called 'Hour of The Wolf'.

Until next time

Adieu

Eastercon 2023

 Greetings

As I have posted previously, my father died on the Tuesday before Easter.

I had just left him in a care home for two weeks respite care, so I would not worry whilst being away at Eastercon over the long Easter weekend.

I was persuaded that we should still go, as having people round me would be better than sitting at home.

We were giving our friend, Melusine, a lift and she arrived on the Wednesday.

We set out on Maunday Thursday about lunchtime and made reasonable time, despite a few traffic delays.

Teddy helped me set up my display in the artshow, where (for the first time in many years) none of the pieces had been shown before. I had many positive comments about my paintings- and no few groans at some of the puns in my cartoons..

It was a good convention and  I attended  seeveral program items of interest. I even managed to avoid spending too much in the dealers' room ( Though this was partly due to Teddy buying a substantial number of books that I will be reading after him).

The art show was trying out a new format. It was instant sale, rather than bid/auction. I think this is an improvement, as very few pieces went to auction in previous years.

I sold one small painting, called 'Nuthatch'

and a cartoon

I suspected that these were the two most likely to sell and am particularly pleased that they were bought by two of my friends.

There was no masquarade, but there was a 'wear something fabulous' mixer. I wore an alternate history take on my 18th hussar uniform. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures, but I plan to don it again and get some, so I can post more on that later.

Until next time

Adieu

Jungle Boy

 Greetings

Here is a brand new pencil drawing from my sketch book

The background has been done in 4B and 5B pencil and I have then 'drawn' into it with hard erasers.

Until next time

Adieu

The Hand of Time

 Greetings

In 2015 the Eastercon  ( Dysprosium) was held at a hotel at Heathrow.

Both Teddy and I attended.

Each member was offered a free glass mug. I had mine, but (for some forgotten reason) Teddy didn't get his.

I liked the design and have been using mine ever since.

Then Teddy bought a  ticket for a tombola at the Eastercon (Conversation) we have just been to and won- an unused Dyprosium mug.

I took these pictures of the two mugs side by side when we got home.

Ah, the ravages of the years...

until next time

Adieu

Sad News 1

 Greetings

I have been looking my elderly parents  since I was made unexpectedly made redundant from my office job in 2010 .

This started out with helping with gardening and housework etc, which were becoming harder for them to do.

However, it became increasingly apparent that , whilst I was only helping my parents part time initially, they would need me more and more as time went on.

 My mother died unexpectedly in 2014 and I carried on looking after my father.

This was fine at first and he recovered quickly from mum's death, but he was then diagnosed with  Altziemer's.

The amount I had to do them rapidly began to increase and I soon had to arrange other carers to help me. I had to get extra cover from them , or get my husband, Teddy, to cover for me in order to carry on with Re-enactment.

This meant, however, that both of us couldn't be away at the same time.

Recently, we had had to increase the number of home visits per day and we had actually manged to go to a re-enactor's fayre together.

With this new care package in place we decide to go the Eastercon ( the UK national SF and Fantasy convention) in Birmingham.

As it would be a bit far to come back in an emergency, we opted to put my father into a care home for two weeks respite care. 

This was the first time I had done this, but Teddy persuaded me I need to break and that it would also be useful to see how well it worked, as there were events further away next year.

I will not regale you with the trials and tribulations of trying to arrange the respite care( as that would be a whole long blog on  its own).

Suffice it to say it was not easy and was not finally settled and signed off on until five days before we were due to go (well after we had had to commit to membership fees and hotel reservations etc).

My father was bed bound by this stage, we had no wheelchair and the home would not collect him.

Luckily, we were able to borrow a wheelchair from a friend, book a suitable taxi and get him to the home.

 He was happy and animated on the short journey, we got him settled  on the Monday and went home to prepare for a long weekend away over the Easter weekend.

Unfortunately, I was called the next morning and told that he had woken that morning with breathing problems and that he had just died.

It soon became obvious that the official paperwork would not be ready until after Easter and  I was persuaded to still go to the convention.

I will post later about the convention.

Until next time

Adieu

Force

 Greetings

We have just returned from Eastercon.

I had been persuaded that we should still go as planned...

Anyway, here is something I had prepared before events interrupted...

Inspired by my husband's explanation  as to why he was apparently unable to leap up from his seat... 

here is a new cartoon.

Until next time

Adieu

Sad News

 Greetings

My Father has died.

Normal service will be resumed when possible.

Until next time

Adieu

Water

 Greetings

I posted recently about my new version of 'Cat's Paw'

Water is quite difficult to depict , as it has to have both substance and liquidity. It also has to read a liquid in several different states.

This composition included water in three states.

It had to be shown calm, rippled and explosively disturbed.

Here is a detail 

I am quite please with the transition between these states and think the 'reverse splash' of the water dragon making its strike has come out particularly well.

Until next time

Adieu