Taexalia

wild.life

Diving In

Diving In

When I was in primary school two things happened that I am remembering today... Actually I'm not sure about the first one because I might even have been in nursery still...

I painted a train and I don't remember all of the details, perhaps I should phone my Mum and prod her memory, but my painting somehow got entered into a competition. I don't remember painting the actual train but I remember we had to find our way to Hazlehead Park for the final. I believe the event was a Traction Engine Rally and I remember lots of big old brightly painted engines showing off their mammoth proportions.

Hazlehead Park was a million miles from home in those days - you know how distance seems to shrink with time? Well it seemed like a very long way from home - perhaps it was because we were still in the age of the corporation buses...

Well, my painting won a prize. I cannot tell you if it was first prize for my age group, or just a prize, all I remember is being a little stunned and a little chuffed and a little not really sure what it all meant. Then I remember being excited about getting a prize that might be a big set of paints and some brushes because such things would be a luxury in those days. When the prizes were doled out I could not figure out the logic of giving a budding artist a set of wooden cubes that made a picture if your spent thirty seconds looking at the shapes.

Where were the paints so I could make more art?!?!?

Well today I have been painting all day and my nose is full of oily paint smells, safflower oil and stinky distilled turpentine. I started out the day by heading into town with Allan to attend a workshop on Celtic Knotwork - part of the Beltane Fire Society's 20th Anniversary Festival. We were given a large piece of calico and a large selection of photocopies of various designs and some guidance and off we went. I have never drawn Celtic knots before. I have attempted to re-create a Pictish Crescent and V-Rod in a polymer clay cane, with a striking result that looked great - just not like the Picts carved it.

I got stuck in with my ruler and soon became engrossed in trying to replicate a sort of square pattern with eight triquetras. I loved the way my mind let go of every other thought and just followed the design - and once I got all the way round it even joined to the beginning strand! We started painting them up but, as is always the way with creative workshops, we ran out of time.

On our way home we popped into the art supplies shop on North Bridge and picked up some acrylics so that we could finish our designs. I also splurged on some oil paints, brushes and things because I had a plan...

The photo of the crow I posted the other day is now being used as a reference for a painting. I have not played with oil paints for about a million years. Perhaps I'm old enough to say I haven't painted with oils for 15 years. But I've had these blank canvasses sitting around with the intention of making art for the TSLO exhibition in Odense and I've been dreaming this crow painting for weeks.

Now I have begun... I think I will leave the second thing I'm remembering for tomorrow because I want to write here every day and I fail miserably at that - so now I've got a ready made topic.

Hopefully I'll get some time tomorrow to catch up on the blogs I love reading - I'm thinking of you even if I haven't popped by of late xxx