January Windows

I thought I'd add a bit of variety to my post today, not just pages from my sketchbook.  But I will start off with one inspired by the long gone stained glass windows which once decorated our house.  I loved them, but the frames were so rotten we couldn't open any of them so they had to go.  Somewhere I have a good set of photographs I took before they were removed, but I cannot find them,  just a couple of snaps which gave me enough detail to do this. The diamond pane rubbing was made on the front door which we were able to keep, but no coloured glass.

Keeping on the window theme - this is the large window in my workroom, which was once the garage.  It was a very small garage and this wall is taken up with window and radiator - not a lot of storage space - hence a crammed window sill and cardboard boxes.

This is the business end of my workbench - the computer is at the other.  I have been trying out my soft pastels.  I was rather pleased with my first attempt of my little owl paper weight, but managed to spray it with repositionable mount spray instead of fixative - no please - don't say anything!  The second one is okay, but lacks some of the spontaneity of the first.  My soft pastels are rather old and seemed to have dried out and are extremely crumbly.  I'm not sure I am ready to invest in a new lot at the moment.

And finally here is me sitting in front of the computer, which cleverly took the picture of me holding my camera and with Marvin sitting on the conservatory chair which was brought in on a temporary basis, but has become a fixture since he loves to sit on it and give me creative advice.

I seemed to have acquired a new batch of followers in the last month - welcome and I am extremely flattered.  I did say I would arrange a give-away when I reached 150 followers, but the number has grown to over 160, so I must get organised, I haven't forgotten.

Do have a good week,

Jill

Who knows what the year will bring?

Here is my calendar page for January. As you can see I have featured Marvin, my ginger and white cat.

The reason I didn't post this before was I wanted to tell you about Marv. He has been poorly for sometime with an inflammatory bowel disease, which we have got under control with steroids and hypoallergenic cat food. But when he went for a check-up the week before Christmas the vet was concerned about his weight loss. He was a very large cat, weighing well over a stone (14lbs) and I had to buy an extra large cat container to transport him! So I just thought he was looking leaner and healthier under his new food regime. However a blood test confirmed the vets fears that he has diabetes. So we were faced with a horrible dilemma - do we start to treat it, or let nature take its course?

Treatment for cats with diabetes is exactly the same as for humans, twice daily blood tests and insulin injections. Committing yourself to such a regime is not to be taken lightly, so we took a couple of days to make a decision and talk about it with friends and family who know our situation and the cat's personality. we took the sad decision to let nature take its course as I felt I could not commit myself to pinning the cat down four times a day, twice to take blood samples and twice to inject insulin.  My husband would find it difficult to help especially as he is in need of some care himself having had a stroke some while ago as well as not being physically robust. Also Marvin was named after the paranoid android in 'Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy' as he is of a highly paranoid nature. I have given up trying to get a collar on him, and treating him with a spot flea treatment is a nightmare.  He is also inclined to ''wet his pants' when he thinks he is going in the cat basket - and then runs whenever he sees me for the next couple of days! I cannot imagine having to go through the routine needed to treat him. We would all be nervous wrecks. Also I asked myself, what would happen if we wanted to go away, who would we find to go through this for us?  So I am writing all of this, because I feel so bad, Every time I look at poor ole Marv I have a little lump in my throat, and I want you to understand that I am not being unkind - am I? At the moment he is fine ( see the photo below)

 

Marvin expresses his opinion of New Year's TV

His coat is a bit scruffy as he has bad teeth and dribbles - (the vet doesn't want to treat them and they aren't effecting his eating). The vet couldn't predict how long it would be before his quality of life is affected, but at the moment you wouldn't know anything was wrong, I've had enough cats over the years to know you can tell when that moment has come.  So please excuse me my maudlin over my pet. I know he will continue to pop up in my posts frequently. Reading this thorough - only a pet lover could imagine why anyone keeps such a cat in the first place!

A page from my Marvin sketchbook when we first got him

Marvin came from the marvelous local Animals at Risk Shelter(no web site), which has accommodation for all sorts of unhousable cats as well finding cats' homes. The couple who run it are devoted, and when we visited there were lots of resident cats sunning themselves in an immaculate garden with not the tiniest 'whiff' of cat. The cats waiting for rehousing were in a very homely, light and airy out house, and 'Rusty' as he had been called just rolled over at Mr T's feet for his belly to be tickled, so that was that!

He had been brought in by the security guard from a local Iceland store. We think he must have been well fed because he was rather fat, but totally paranoid at being shut in.  He goes mad if he is in a room with the door shut so goodness knows what had happened to him. Which was why we re-named him.

My nephew made us smile when my sister overheard him telling a friend that his Auntie had a cat that had been rescued from Poland!! Well Iceland...Poland what's the difference!

Thank you for sticking with me through this, I feel better for getting off my chest and I sure you will understand why we are making the most of Marv while we've got him.

Good bye January

Well here is the month of January all done and dusted. Looking back over the whole month like this is quite good as somehow it puts time in perspective - it seems to go so fast, but on the otherhand my parcel arriving from my sister seems like ages ago and yet I can see it was only a couple of weeks.

I have a few projects on the go but haven't had much time for posting and this afternoon I am weary and feel like a nap- not like me at all so this will be brief. I shall look at everyone's postings later.

Have a good week.

Calendar Challenge

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank.

We are going to put words on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity and its 

first chapter is New Year's Day"

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

When I posted my art calendar at the beginning of the month a lot of you expressed an interest in having a go and Kate over on The Kathryn Wheel is throwing down a 365 day challenge. I am more modest and propose a month at a time  as sometimes I find making a long commitment off-putting. But either way, please join in, make a January calendar and post a link here or with Kate - she'll be posting soon. Here is how I do it, but really anything goes. I fill mine in retrospectively, sometimes several days at a time, and with just a doodle or a rubber stamp, so it need not take up much time. I use a double page spread in an A4 'portrait' spiral bound sketchbook. I use a pink pig as they are cheap and sturdy.

Then I decide on a background

I often use a layer of gesso first as I like the texture it gives. For January I wanted that watery sun look, so I started with a pale yellow and then rubbed  a blue colour from a water soluble crayon and added some torn images of bare trees.  For this project I printed the month, year and days of the week rather than writing them.

I cut out 31 4cm x4cm squares - sometimes in just white, sometimes from off-cuts from other projects and work out how I am going to arrange them. Don't forget the 1st of January is on a Friday.

I decided each week would start with Monday so had to rearrange the squares.

When I am happy I stick everything down and add a few embellishments - here I have a couple of January quotes. If you click on the pictures you should get a large images so you can see the details.  Have a go and have fun.  I would say that one of the liberating things I have taken on board in keeping an art journal is that anything goes-embrace any mistakes and incorporate them into the work. There are lots of different calendars here on this flickr page - good luck.

January opens 

The box of the year

And brings out days

That are bright and clear

And brings out days

That are cold and grey

And shouts, "Come see

What I brought today"

Leland B. Jacobs 'January'

Link to last month's diary here.  And older ones here .