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One Dream at a Time
Posted on January 15th, 2010 No commentsHappy New Year!
I love an Enigma. Someone in my studio building hung these posters around the corridors and in the kitchen some time ago. I still don’t know who made them or who posted them, but every time I catch sight of one I stop to think about what it means. Another one was posted, too, that says “One Smile at a Time”, which I also like, but this one grabs me every time I see it.This is a good time of year to think about dreams, both the sleepy type and the visionary, self-actualizing type. I have been sleeping a lot this winter, under snowy skies, grateful for the warmth of home. I have been dreaming a lot, too, about what 2010 will bring.
I like the groundedness of “One Dream at a Time”…just choose one, make it happen and get onto the next. Choose too many at once and chase your tail in frustration.
I wish I knew who made this poster. If you know, please tell me.
Or is it better not to know? Maybe the whole point is to keep a potent little mystery alive in the creative corridors.
Happy January New Moon - make a wish and follow your dream.
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What I’m Working On Now #3
Posted on June 16th, 2009 1 commentForgive my recent absence from the blogosphere, but I have been preoccupied with homely matters and also busy on new projects. I needed to make a fresh image for my crib over on the Picture Book Artists Association website. I decided I’d like to do something in black and white for a change, so I got out my favourite tool, the Rotring Art Pen
Rosmore by Teresa Flavin
for sketching. It has a lovely shaped barrel with a fountain pen-style nib. It takes easy-to-use ink cartidges, which means no mess. The mess you could ostensibly make, though, is on your drawing, if you don’t work carefully and let the ink dry thoroughly. I have learned the hard way, as a right-handed person, to work left to right so my hand doesn’t smear things as I go along. I have also managed to smear what I thought was dried ink when I went to erase pencil lines. Gah!
Now you may be wondering: who is the Rosmore in the image? She was inspired by a powerful character in the historical fantasy novel I, Coriander by Sally Gardner, published by Orion Books. Sally is also an accomplished illustrator and designer, which comes across in her highly visual writing style.
I enjoyed the book very much and felt inspired to illustrate Rosmore in her feathered stole and head-dress, sitting in a chair with huge carved wings. She regards herself in a mirror. You might guess from the image that she’s not a particularly sympathetic character, but I don’t want to give Rosmore’s role in the story away - so why not read I, Coriander yourself? It’s well worth it.
I have Sally’s subsequent books about the French Revolution, The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade, in the queue of books I will be reading next!
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Blueberry Girl
Posted on April 23rd, 2009 1 commentIn amongst all the emails I get suggesting I look at some wacky thing on YouTube, there is sometimes a link to something beautiful. This time it was a “book trailer” promoting Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess. Neil’s rich reading voice gives the trailer a lullaby feel and the artwork harks back to the Golden Age of Illustration when artists like Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen were published.
Listen, view and dream.. -
Welcome to my Blog!
Posted on April 20th, 2009 No comments
Dragonfly by Teresa Flavin
At last I am stepping out into the Blogosphere and embracing true interactivity. I ask myself what I would like to talk about and show. The top priorities will be to share my experiences of being an artist and a new writer. I would like to tell you about inspirations I have found in the physical world and in the virtual world. I hope also that this site can direct aspiring artists and writers to resources that will help them move their practice forward. Oh, and of course, I’ll share fun stuff, too.