Sunday, August 31, 2008

Primavera....A Little Early

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will recognise this from the pen and ink drawing that I originally posted a couple of weeks ago. It has taken forever to colour on the computer but it is finally finished and is quite pleasing. It is called Primavera which is Italian for spring. Lots of leaves this week.
I am very pleased with this image as it turned out better than I had expected. I used my 85 year old mum as a model for the hands holding the apron. It is pen and ink with digital colouring and is called Gathering the windfalls.
I decided to go a bit mad with the hair here but I like it. A very elegant lady indeed.
Can't possibly have a blog post without a tree somewhere
Just a practice drawing of long hair
The following images are of Kirsten Glasbrook's tapestries, a page from her book and the front page of the book. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

















It's been a bit of a "pickly" week, this week. Not quite sure why but lots of things seem to have gone awry for some reason. Even simple things that should have been easy had their own particular gremlins. Drawings that should have practically drawn themselves have worked out quiet ways to be awkward and not do what I wanted them to do. Sometimes I think they must have a life of their own.....no, not really but it sometimes feels that way. I often start out drawing something in a sketch book and I have a good idea of what I want it to look like but during the process of making it into a "proper" drawing, something happens and it goes off in a different and unexpected direction. Sometimes these are good and sometimes they are completely wrong and the picture ends up in the bin and I have to start again. I am sure all artists and craftspeople have much the same problems. Something to do with the creative process we are told: whatever that may be.

One incredibly useful tool, of course, is the computer. Oh the hours it saves me. I can create an image and whereas in the past I would ponder over what to do next, nowadays I just have to scan the image into photoshop and fiddle with it to my heart's content. When I have decided, I can go back to the original and know that I am not going to ruin it. Some people would say it takes away the spontaneity but who cares about that, if the end product is the best image possible, and who can spell spontaneity anyway. I can, but only because I have just checked with the computer on answers.com. I was very resistant to computers for many years but once I had one the addiction started. They make life so much easier that I wonder how anyone can manage without one.


Talking of computers, I am very upset to find out that my favourite website "Statcounter" has disappeared into thin air. I love checking my blog stats to see who has been for a visit and even nicer, who keeps returning. I am statless at the moment but hopefully that will soon be sorted out by dint of Google Analytics. Hopefully Statcounter is only having a bit of a glitch and will return soon. Then I will have two websites to check my stats with....hurrah. Oh and thanks to my brother and his partner Lesley for very valuable computer assistance without which I would be in a very deep muddy hole with steep slippery sides.


My featured artist/craftsperson this week is actually someone I have met. She is a Danish tapestry weaver called Kirsten Glasbrook and she creates the most wonderful pictorial tapestries. Her style is contemporary but with a folky twist and a definite hint of myths and legends. I met her when she was exhibiting at the Waterperry Art in Action show near Oxford a few years ago. She had transported a huge upright loom into the marquee and was showing people how she creates her work. I was hooked from then and when she produced her book on tapestry weaving I was probably one of her first customers. Her website is well worth a look - Kirsten Glasbrook. I have included several of her lovely tapestries and if I came into money I would definitely buy one. I cannot weave by the way.

20 comments:

Sandy Mastroni said...

My favorite is your 'practice' drawing of long hair
Looks perfect to me ... just the way it is !

Cathy said...

Thanks Sandy. It is definitely growing on me now...(pun not intended). I am really getting into drawing hair so I will be producing lots more hopefully.

Cathy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cathy said...

Isn't blogger funny. I have just deleted my own post because I clicked on the same comment twice and blogger is letting me know that I have removed it....ha ha.

~ Phyllis ~ said...

Hi Cathy,
I always look forward to the end of the weekend to see your new blog post.
Your blog is such a cheerful and colorful blog.
Love the Gathering the Windfalls. It reminds me of my Aunt Carrie gathering apples in her apron.

Cathy said...

Thanks Phyllis. It is always a bit of a rush getting my blog up to date, mainly because the photos take a while. Glad you like it though. I like Gathering the Windfalls too. I don't know whether people still collect them in their aprons though.

bunnits said...

Your blog is beautiful. I'm so glad I found it through my friend ~hyllis~ and her contest (congratulations to you!). Scrolling down through it, you have reminded me of how much I enjoyed printmaking. If only I had the time to get back to it.

A bird in the hand said...

It's all good, as they say.

I don't use the computer except to manipulate photos for collage, but I wouldn't say it's "not spontaneous" -- tools are tools, brush or mouse!

thanks for the intro to the tapestry artist. Her work is gorgeous.

Cheers, Colette

Cathy said...

Thanks Colette. I like using computers for digital art because I love the matt colours so much. Mind you it takes me forever to colour up a picture and watercolour is so much quicker.

Glad you like Kirsten Glasbrook's work. Her tapestries are on a monumental scale and take her months to complete but if I won the lottery I would be soon knocking on the door of her studio to buy some.

Laura said...

I love the tree image this week, and the leaves are all beautiful :)

Cathy said...

Thanks Laura. I don't think you can ever have too many leaves or trees....lol.

zukzuk said...

your new work is great. i especially love the colours used in the first two. i don't care what anybody says -- using the computer as part of your artistic process takes a long time and is hard work!

have a great weekend!

zukzuk said...

i also meant to say thank you for leaving a comment at my interview over a pikaland!

Flora Chang said...

Cathy... thanks for visitng my blog.
I love your "Gathering the windfalls"... it's very pretty! The colors work out very nicely. Also the long hair drawing is very nice too.
Hugs!

Cathy said...

Thanks very much Helen. I agree about the computer. I can draw and paint much faster than I can colour digitally. Still I like to use a variety as it makes the blog more interesting I think. Loved the interview at Pikaland.

Cathy said...

Thanks very much Flora. Nice of you to visit.

Holly Zemak said...

Computers are a double edged sword, on one hand they have opened up the world allowing us all to connect, I now meet artists I never would have. And I like the digital paintings, as you said the flat colors with the pen and ink work well. Just another form of expression.
But when I have technical problems with them then I could just heave it out the window.

Cathy said...

That is very true Holly. I remember when I had done quite a lot of digital colouring and left the computer for a little while to see something on TV. When I returned the computer had completely frozen and the cursor wouldn't move. I had to turn the thing off and lost all the work I had done previously. Needless to say I save my work regularly now and always when I leave the computer for a while.

That sort of thing never happens with watercolour....lol

Christina Silverio said...

The long hair you've done is incredible! I love the detail; the flow of it is perfect.

All the best!
Christina
hoydendesigns.blogspot.com

Cathy said...

Many thanks Christina. I enjoy drawing hair.