You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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What have you made lately?
Deborah wrote: "some of you have asked what I make and I can't post current stuff due to a mismatch between my old phone and the lappie - may have new phone shortly and hopefully problem resolved. However, please ..."Lovely! You're very talented.
I tried my hand at watercolour. My first paintings were rubbish, but I took a course from a local artist and I was surprised when one or two actually resembled something. (Wow! That looks like it could be a tree.) But... that was short lived. Watercolour is a tough medium. I discovered that I quite liked ink and watercolour combined.
Ink is rather fun to work with. I agree, Deborah, you have some amazing things up there. Thanks for sharing your work!
Yes, watercolour is tricky - I tend not to work with it in an exactly watercolour way (oh quel surprise!). Yes, inks are great. Thank you both for looking : )
Beautiful work, Deborah! Thank you for sharing.
Would love to also see current work, too, Deborah. I really like your color palette, image, and technique choices/inspirations.
Again - thank you both for looking!Tejas Janet - I will try to provide - thank you for your careful choice of words because my actual technique is often pretty poor but I am happy that someone can see what I am TRYING to achieve. I feel kind of shy to be showing my stuff, I rarely do and lots are just tucked away. I just like to challenge myself. I have never had any lessons but that doesn't matter to me, I don't admire people who just master a technique and then re-make it in slightly different ways. I, too, like my palette - I like paints from central Europe, especially Italian, as they are bright and jewel-like. I choose fabric paints for the same reason. I am fortunate to have synesthesia (which I never had a name for until a few years ago and just 'hid' it because if I talked about it people thought I was peculiar) but it gives me an automatic variability in how I see things and so I became very attached to Expressionist work and van Gogh. My brain constantly demands to learn and to experiment - probably to the detriment of ever becoming very competent but am always fascinated to learn and try a new presentation or approach so it's never ever boring.
Sorry for going on about myself! *it's all about me*
Your work is beautiful, Debra. You should not feel shy about showing it at all. I didn't know you had synesthesia. I find that fascinating, not odd. I love that you say you are fortunate to have it! Embrace your differences, more people (myself included) need to learn to do that. If you don't mind me asking, how does your synesthesia manifest? If you do mind, just ignore me. :)
Great stuff Deborah. We definitely have some talented people in ylto.
I've been thinking about making a Herb garden this summer, what do you guys think?
Deborah wrote: "some of you have asked what I make and I can't post current stuff due to a mismatch between my old phone and the lappie - may have new phone shortly and hopefully problem resolved. However, please ..."I love the colors of your art. The picture 'Every Dinner Party' really strikes me, and I can't even say exactly why. But that's the thing about art, we don't have to have concrete reasons on why we like or don't like something - it's a subjective aesthetic and/or emotional reaction. I can't wait to see your newer stuff.
I started making some roman blinds for our porthole windows in the bathroom and bedroom. I've finished one but I need to hang it. Then I'll post a picture.
Jake wrote: "I've been thinking about making a Herb garden this summer, what do you guys think?"I love herb gardens, Jake! We just moved into a new house and there are no gardens yet, so I'm planning what to put in. I used to have a great herb garden. My favorite herbs to use regularly were basil and oregano, and companion plantings with tomatoes work really well here (the tomatoes take on the flavor of those herbs). I always had different kinds of mint, but kept it to the end of the garden, because mint has runners that invade everywhere. I think if I planted mint again, I would keep it in a pot.
Don't plant mint in your garden, put it in a pot. We have an run of 2m x 10m of mint we can't get rid of, it's spread to the neighbour's yard, and has destroyed the fence. The old tenants/landlord we bought the house off planted it, and it's just crazy.I have some sage bushes, many oregano plants, chives, and rosemary. Here basil and coriander just bolts and isn't worth it. We get too hot too quickly.
I just bought cabbage, cauliflower, kale, silverbeet, and broccoli seedlings today for winter. And Japanese ginger, as that could be cool.
I also made the most amazing hot cross buns on Friday. I made some last week that were rocks. So I threw the recipe out (take that Nigella) and Lexx and I made up our own from about 20 on the internet, and using our sourdough recipe. Worked amazing!!
I love hot cross buns! Toasted with honey. Yum.
We have ours with just butter. I keep on meaning to take a photo of the insides but I eat it too quickly!
My mother-in-law used to make a sweet bread called Baska Bread or Paska Bread at Easter. She'd bake them in the large tomato juice tin cans so they came out mushroomed shaped. Oh, toasted with butter, and honey.. The honey would seep through. I tried making it from her recipe but it was a huge fail. Her "recipes" were basically just by memory so "about 2 cups of flour" and "a smidge" of that.
Ok thanks guys! I'll make sure to keep the mint on a pot or a raised bed. The reason why I'm doing it is because I want to start cooking more
Makes life so much cheaper and easier if you can grow your own, Jake, so completely understand. Google whether coriander, basil and the like will grow where you are. I am just in the wrong place in Aus to make it work. Those two herbs would save me buying 3 or more bunches per week for cooking, but that's how we roll :PWe used to make and sell Pashka bread at the Bakery, Janice. Sounds similar. It was apparently Russian/Eastern European in background. Never seen it anywhere else though, maybe I should ask for my sister in law's recipe.
Googled:Baska Bread is made with raisins and saffron.
Paska with lots of eggs and sounds more like what my mother-in-law made. I should try it some day.
I really want to start a garden, but we have so many deer here (not to mention bunnies) that would eat the garden. Sometimes, you can look out back and see a dozen deer in the yard at one time. I've considered investing in a small greenhouse, but I'm also terrible at gardening. It seems like it wouldn't be a very good investment, if it's something I'm just terrible at. What's easiest to grow? I'll take any tips you have.Also, Rusalka, those buns look fabulous!
Nice buns ;-) Love hot cross buns. With just butter. Never thought of making them before. We ate a number from the bakery.
Those Hot Cross Buns look wonderful, Rusalka! I was just saying to my husband yesterday we should make some. I'm really getting hungry for them now!
Made Creme Brulee today... brother wanted it so..
I've been drawing again. Here's my latest (with image that I drew from) 
That's so impressive, Sarah! What do you draw with?
You are doing awesome, Sarah. Keep nourishing that skill!
Thanks guys. I'm going to try to draw something each week if I can. I drew a wildebeest last week but the photo I was copying wasn't all that detailed and so my drawing wasn't that amazing either (which is why I've not uploaded that one. Lol.) I am literally just using 3 pencils Kristie.
It looked like a pencil drawing with smudges for shadowing, etc. Very excellent, Sarah.
That's amazing Sarah!Do you just start somewhere and copy, or are there some tricks to make it easier?
Yes there's a few smudges in there. I probably could have gone a bit darker in places. In a a bit scared to sometimes in case I ruin it.
Nice work, Sarah! I wish I had that talent...
You're very talented, Sarah! I'm impressed.
Peggy wrote: "That's amazing Sarah!Do you just start somewhere and copy, or are there some tricks to make it easier?"
I have been drawing two lines on the photo I'm drawing from, one vertical and one horizontal to split the image in to quarters. You might be able to see the lines in the picture. It helps me to get the proportions right as everything relates to those lines. I draw the outlines first then start shading. I had never done this technique before until the lady on the workshop I went on suggested it. She also was the one to tell me to just use 3 pencils as they would do all I need shading wise.
Making 4 quarters sounds like a good idea to create a bit of structure. I wouldn't know where to start!I remember in elementary school we also made a drawing based on a photo, but we divided it in all 1cm by 1cm squares to make it easier. I think that was the only close-to-good drawing I ever made in my life!
Yours makes me want to take it up too!
I love that i don't need lots of equipment for this hobby. Excellent for living on a boat with very little storage space. I'm finding drawing it quite relaxing.
Here are my two latest drawings:
A wet otter after just surfacing and a goldfinch
Thanks Kristie. I'm particularly pleased with the otter.
Oh Sarah, they are fab! You have talent woman ;-)
Awesome, Sarah. Such a neat work.
Sarah wrote: "Here are my two latest drawings:A wet otter after just surfacing and a goldfinch
"
yeah, so beautiful Sarah...
Oh Sarah - they are just beautiful. You are very talented.
Thanks guys. Much appreciated. :-) Otters are one of my favourite animals so i'm pleased with how that one came out.
That's awesome, Sarah! I love otters too so I'm particularly fond of it!
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Dark Witch (other topics)The Fox Wife (other topics)
The House of Lost Secrets (other topics)
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (other topics)
Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jennifer Chiaverini (other topics)Paulo Coelho (other topics)
Fumi Hancock (other topics)
The fun part for me is the figuring out the project, drooling over the fabric, and assembling the blocks. By the time I get to the borders, I'm itching to start something new. I do finish projects eventually.