The Last Lunch Box ...

It is a monumental day today

not a birthday

not an anniversary

my eye hasn't magically healed itself

the cleaning fairies didn't turn up

it wasn't the day I woke up and my butt had magically shrunk while I slept

it is better than all of those

it is the last lunch box of the year

and at Paula's suggestion I am drawing it in celebration of this wonderful day

It has come not a moment too soon

my brain had pretty much run out of interesting options about a month and half ago

and this last one was pretty much stuffed with whatever was left

no thought was given to nutritional value or balance

I just shoved whatever was at hand and zipped it up

all the while singing at the top of my lungs and doing a mad happy dance about the kitchen

it was quite the sight I would think

There was edamame in there as a token effort to have something green

and the leftover Thai noodles aren't that bad

but the rest is pretty ordinary

but who cares on the last day of the year

and by the time most of you read this we will be lying by the pool

revelling in that feeling of it being the start of the 2 month summer break

no getting up at 5.30 am, uniforms or school runs

our days will be filled with swimming, eating ice blocks in the pool

trips to the beach, smelling like sunscreen all the time

and spitting watermelon seeds at each other at every opportunity

in short, my favourite time of year

Happily this painting will also pull triple duty

it meets the brief for the last Artist Play Room of the year

where the lovely Jenn asked us to paint five or so things

I have done it on a Friday so hello Paint Party Friday

and it is the last day of Art Every Day Month!!!!

AEDM has been great again this year

and a big thank you to all the people who have supported it

and took the time to visit, comment and play along

and a special shout out to Leah for hosting

I love that I can open my finished work draw and it is full of all sorts of new work

it has been a great month ... xx

In the last two posts I have been writing and painting about

Smelling Artichokes ...

Mozzie's Revenge ...

Smelling Artichokes ...

I have a bit of an artichoke thing happening at the moment

they are a great shape and colour though

I not a huge fan of eating them in any form

and on the subject of eating them

I do question just how hungry or mad someone was to eat one for the first time

they don't exactly shout to be eaten do they

I suspect it was done as a dare

this thought aside

what they don't give me in eating pleasure

is more than made up for with drawing pleasure

and the inspiration came from some new artichoke soap I bought

Who knew there was artichoke soap???

and it smells amazing

so amazing that I made a trip to the grocery store to stick my nose in the real thing

now I may have looked slightly mad smelling the artichokes

then smelling my arm

then back to the artichokes

but I was very curious to see if they smelt like the soap

and I had reason to think they might

because I also bought lettuce soap

I mean how could I not buy lettuce soap... how gloriously mad is that

anyway the lettuce soap smells like lettuce

so I figured the artichoke would be the same

but despite making a complete fool of myself in the produce section

I failed to get the fragrance of the soap or anything close in fact

but after sticking my nose in them I figured it would be rude not to buy them

so home they came and were plonked in a vase to keep them fresh

I duly made both Sinus and Phantom smell both arm and veg

but they couldn't smell the similarity either

so the soap, while lovely, was declared guilty of false advertising

and therefore the gorgeous packaging was not worthy of being painted

and the real deal has been my subject instead

On the drawing front they didn't let me down

and I had a great time painting them up

so much so I did two different small paintings of them

and they will be painted again I am sure

I can see a whole vegetable thing ahead of me

after this and the spagaragus of the other week

both were great fun to paint

but that will have to wait for another day

because despite your sympathy and wishes for my eye to heal quickly

which were greatly appreciated by the way

my eye still looking alarmingly like someone stuck a blue iris on Rudolph's nose

so short spurts of work are the order of the day I think

 Linking up with Day 29 of AEDM ...xx

Yesterday I blogged about

Mozzie's Revenge ...

Faltering ...

Mozzies's Revenge ...

This is a completely blatant grab for sympathy

but I'm just not getting a suitable amount from my nearest and dearest

so the job falls to you lot

The thing is I think I got bitten on the eyeball by a mosquito

stop laughing

I am serious

I woke up the other night and felt something in my eye

eye started hurting, and I thought I must have an eyelash in there

and in my half awake state kind of poked myself in the eye

got out the eyelash, then realised the eyelash was kind of squishy

which was gross and puzzling in equal measure

all the while blinking like crazy to try to ease an eye which kind of felt on fire

got up had a look in the bathroom mirror and it looked fine

of course I looked at it without glasses on and I am blind as a brick

but as I said... half asleep

so reassured it was all looking okay I promptly went back to sleep

In the morning I woke to an eyeball on fire

and on putting on glasses 

I was greeted by one eye looking like it had been to the mother of all parties

this baby is freaky looking, and magnificently bloodshot

actually bloodshot doesn't quite describe it

 it is more a glowing pool of red

it is disgusting

though on the plus side I can't help but notice the bright red

really makes my normally hazel eye look quite blue

and I finally have something to match my studio shoes

anyway

I had it checked out this morning and it will heal in its own time

and it turns out that it was probably been the poke in the eye that caused the damage

the chemist thought it was hilarious that I thought a mosquito had flown in my eye

but I am sticking to my story

I think the mosquito is taking revenge for my taking out his family earlier in the year

it is a little known fact that mozzies are in fact the biggest grudge holders of the insect world

and maybe doing this painting and posting about taking them out

was just asking for trouble

but biting me on the eyeball is taking revenge a bit far I think 

So the only painting I have done due to my zombie eye

is this sketch of some tea cups in my little sketchbook

which I think turned out really well all things considered

and I am now off to take my poor Mozzie bitten eyeball for a rest 

Day 28 of Art Every Day Month is here... only a few to go ... xx

the last posts have been ...

Faltering ...

Milk Wars ...

Faltering ...

It is Day 27 of Art Every Day Month and I must admit I am sort of faltering a bit

not so much in artistic output

and faltering in the domestic sphere is a given so it isn't coming into play here

it is more likely due to this being the busiest time of the school year

we are finally and gloriously in the last week before the long Summer break starts

which means that this week is a mad rush 

doing all the things I should have done over the last six weeks

so I am cramming in things like visits to the uniform shop

for senior hat band and jersey

senior... how did that happen... bloody hell I can't be that old can I ?????

cleaning school hats before the nightmare mould season that is our summer

and from experience I have learned that this is one you cannot skip

if it isn't spotless before the start of the rainy season

 then it is like a freaky furry ferret on the hat stand come late January

washing and storing  the 5 squillion uniform bits and pieces

 which will still manage to magically get grubby and lost over the holidays

finding a place to store all the books and crap from the school locker

and we are talking a serious mound of stuff here

trying to cram in a few quick visits with some friends while we are still childless

and can chat in peace and not have to share our yummy treats with grubby hands

and last but not least considering doing some Christmas shopping for Phantom

though I am tempted to find a couple of lumps of coal and be done with it

she may whine that she has been good and doesn't deserve coal

but I am thinking there would be lots of naughty things I don't know about

so it would probably be justified...

Of course there is a excellent chance that most of it will go undone

and I will just retreat to the studio and drink tea from this favourite cup

and get busy on drawing and painting up the vase of artichokes I have on my desk

they are just crying out to be painted

and it isn't nice to ignore such lovely specimens...

so fingers crossed the painting goes quickly so I can sneak in a job or two

or not... xx

my last posts have been ...

Milk Wars ...

5.30 with Finn and Jake ...

Milk Wars ...

I am curious if I am the only one who has ongoing milk wars

with their nearest and dearest

I am not talking about wars in the sense that they are making milk grenades

or that they are spitting in each other's

or heaven forbid drinking from the carton, which should be a jail-able offence in my book

though Sinus sticks his finger in ours occasionally

which is equally disgusting... but he is an equal opportunity finger in drink type person

so not so relevant to milk wars discussion

Maybe milk wars isn't an accurate descriptor

maybe milk conundrum works better

because the thing is that no matter what size milk I buy

both husband and daughter immediately need the converse amount

so I buy 2 litres

and it is cereal for breakfast lunch and dinner

and smoothies for snacks

but if I buy the three litre one in the hope of not having to go to the grocery store

for the 5 millionth time this week

then it is black tea , a mere splash in their coffee

and the mention of anything milky has them gagging and turning up their noses

Personally I prefer to have as little milk as possible

black tea is the order of the day

they invented chocolate made with milk so calcium could be palatable

and I believe in supporting the fine folks who create vitamin and Calcium pills

so they don't feel neglected

but my beloveds don't have that excuse

they are just a pain in the proverbial when it comes to their consumption

I am kind of considering getting the 1 litre

or even better yet dropping down to a 600ml one just to see what that would do

maybe it is time I take the battle to them 

No matter what the outcome is I have learned one important thing

and that is that milk containers are surprisingly tricky to draw

took a couple of goes to get there puppies drawn

but in the end perseverance paid off 

so I am thinking that maybe the same approach is needed as our war progresses...xx

Linking up with Sunday Sketches and Art Every Day Month

The last few posts have been ...

5.30 With Finn and Jake ...

Studio Love ...

5.30 with Finn and Jake ...

As regular readers will know I face a 5.30am alarm every school day

which is not that conducive to me making sense

Phantom gets up at 4.30am... seriously... no clue why... she just always has

so by the time I come down she is awake and ready to chat and things

me... not so much... the brain takes quite a while to wake up and unscramble

which is not being helped by the morning viewing these days

gone are the lovely tones of the Dirty Jobs Guy

 and no more Bear Grylls getting buck naked and jumping in a freezing lake

now we have Adventure Time with Finn and Jake

if there is a non adult in the house you will already be shaking your head knowing where I am going with this

because this show would do anyone's head in

This is a post apocalyptic cartoon that ignores all laws of narrative, visual continuity and common sense with a disregard that is actually quite admirable

at 5.30 am though, it can be downright weird

I am a cartoon purist... I want to see anvils being dropped on coyotes

bad guys being chased by Great Danes, and mice outwitting cats

instead I am faced with one of the last humans on earth

who was bought up by the dog's parents 

and the dog is magic because he rolled in a magic mud puddle

of course!!!!

The bad guy is the Ice King, and every girl is a princess of some type

there is a rainicorn who speaks Korean

a rainicorn is a rainbow unicorn if you didn't know...

and don't even get me started on the armpit farting penguin called Gunther

actually he is kind of the high point for me

nothing like a good fart joke at 5.30 am

If you feel the need to revisit those college years when you would go to a party

and find yourself trying to have a conversation with stoner guy

then go find yourself a kid and ask them to explain Adventure Time to you

you will be having flashbacks like no bodies business

Watching it when you are fully awake doesn't help that much

and I am starting to think that even if I had downed a jug of margaritas at warp speed

it still wouldn't make sense

The guys who create this thing are well out there

I can't help but think that Stoner guy from college may in fact be behind this thing

it would certainly explain a lot

But all of that is ok

and I'm not dissing it... I just don't get it

I know that as a parent I'm not supposed to get these things

I am supposed to be made to feel old and out of touch.... no hassles with that

my only hassle is being faced with it at 5.30 am

it is a very odd way to start the day

So at the moment I am counting down the days to the end of the school year

and the two glorious months of Summer break

5.30 am will not be seen... weird cartoons will be forgotten

and Phantom can watch in peace

just four school days left!!!!

Happy Paint Party Friday and Art Every Day Month all...xx

My last few posts have been about more regular topics

Studio Love ...

Day 21 ...

Studio Love ...

Let me open with a big thanks to everyone who sent Phantom get well wishes

they worked a treat and she is back at school

which means my sanity is looking much steadier today

in fact I am down right chirpy at the chance to get back in the studio

so I thought what better way to celebrate being back in my favourite place

than drawing one of my favourite corners of it

Just as you walk in I have this shelf where I have these sweet ceramics

 made by the very talented Kim Aitken

as well as some pendants I made from my art that I wear regularly

there are also fragrance reeds scented in Lychee Blossom

which smells of passionfruit to me

but as I have never smelt a lychee blossom , then maybe they actually smells like this

either way it is lovely and light and makes the whole room smell fresh and inviting

and yes that is an earring tree thingy... without any earrings on it

but it looks sweet in the corner so there it stays

Every morning that I walk into my little sanctuary I feel grateful and happy

I hear the sweet sound of the tea pot wind chime as I brush past it

the sun always filters in and makes it all look a bit magical

it gets that lovely hazy look from the filtered light

which means I can't see the dust

or maybe the lovely haze is because of the dust

either way it works

and all my paints and pens are just there waiting for me

 they don't make noise

they don't ask me to do anything/ read anything or pull their finger

they don't throw up on the carpet at 6.18 am like the bloody dog did this morning

they just wait patiently for me

I have to say that any day that starts in here is going to be okay

dog vomit and all

to have my own space

where I can work in peace

surrounded by things that inspire me is just so awesome

and I am thankful for it every single time I walk in there

which ties in nicely with the Thanksgiving holiday in the US

and so I am linking up with both APR and AEDM

hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday ...xx

my last two posts...

Day 21....

Getting Busy on the Zine ...

Day 21 ...

I would love to say I have been absent for the last few days

of Art Every Day Month

because I have been busy drawing and painting like mad

but alas this isn't the case

my poor daughter, Phantom Steve, has not been well

at all

so all I have to show for days and days

is one measly little finished painting in my sketchbook

and a backlog of about 5 million blog posts to visit....

I am pleased to get anything at all done

even if the plum isn't that plum-ish

it is sort of bright and lacking the purple bits

but I figure the blue bit looks suspiciously like a blueberry with a 50 tattoo

so put them together and you have a suitably plummy  rendition

of this delicious delicious tea

Slightly non plum-ish plum aside,

I like the finished product and it fits in nicely in my sketchbook

plus Phantom is on the mend

so all is on its way back to being fine with the world

I am now off to attempt to at least read some posts and catch up a bit

and maybe if the good old Phantom keeps improving at a rapid rate

I may even get back to the studio

crossing fingers and toes over here

which makes it surprisingly hard to type...

happy AEDM ...xx

The last two posts were ...

Getting Busy on the Zine ...

Biscot-tea ...

Getting Busy On The Zine....

This is what my desk is looking like this morning

full of notes, and scraps of paper

and half sorted pages for the zine I am writing about how I make my art

I have most of it sort of organised

and have a lot of it written

albeit in chicken scrawl that could be hard to understand

but I am figuring it will come back to me

and it has been a fun process so far

it has been all the best bits from those years of teaching art

without all the yucky stuff that makes you question your will to live

like syllabus, staff meetings, marking and  writing reports

not to mention I get to write it in pyjamas

wins all round really ...

I have started the illustrations

and have a good plan of exactly what I need to draw

and a pretty good idea of the layout

though I know myself well enough to know that the layout will change pleanty of times yet

but all the stressful bits like deciding what to put in and what to leave out are done

and the now really really fun stuff begins

So these are little sneak peaks of some of the finished drawings

I wanted to get a couple done to set the style of it

and these are just as I wanted them

which means I am so ready to jump in and get busy

exciting stuff

of course it does mean that the ever growing mountain of part finished work

may continue to be ignored

but this is just all too exciting at the moment

The other excitement of the last day or so has been my post going up

for the When Artists Cook series

that I take part in over at Dion Dior

I enjoy being part of it and I the painting that I did for this post

is now one of my new favourites

I worked a bit bigger than I have been lately and I love how it turned out

might be time to work on that scale more often

after I get to some of those part finished works I have shown you in the last few weeks done

and the canvases

and the zine

okay so maybe I will be working larger in the new year

bloody hopeless I am...xx

Linking up with both Sunday Sketches

and Art Every Day Month

Links to the last posts are here as well...

Biscot-tea ...

Tarts ...