A Sensitive Portrait Commission and a Privilege to Paint
When I was approached to paint this, I was a bit apprehensive. It all depended on the quality of the photographs that I could work with. The father had recently passed away before his granddaughter was born. The family were grieving for the loss of their husband, father and grandfather. I was asked to bring him from spirit to hold his baby granddaughter that he had never met.
I will admit now that it brought tears to my eyes as the story was told. It was a wonderful thing for his daughter to want to have, for her mother, his wife, and I hoped and prayed that I could do this commission justice.
Working from photographs is not easy, especially when the lighting casts tinges and awkward shadows. I also needed to work out a composition to bring them together in a meaningful way. I think I got it right when she saw the painting. For me, that meant far more than the monetary value of the commission.
I enjoy painting commissions; loved people, loved pets, even loved homes, and the reasons behind the commissions are always special. I remember them all, and this one will bring back especially tender memories. This gentleman was with me for a few months while I painted him in layers in oils. May he rest in peace. I think I did him justice, and my thanks to the lovely family for their kind permission for me to publish this.
The World Wide Web - Traps and Pitfalls of the Internet
Yes, I've been quiet, and I’ve not shared much on social media lately, but sometimes we all need to take a break from the fast lane. I crawled into my shell for self-preservation.
I began to receive huge amounts of messages via social media that were scams, and even had my Instagram account cloned, which thankfully, Instagram deleted as soon as it was reported. I thank my followers for pointing this out to me so that I could report it. It is unnerving when you are targeted in this way, and having to constantly report and block scammers left me feeling whether the whole thing was worth it.
I have decided to embrace yet another form of art. I love experimenting with different art forms and digital painting is no exception. Although I have basic experience using Photoshop for getting my paintings ready to make prints, creating art digitally from scratch is a new path for me.
I have a new tablet and a software program called Clip Studio Paint. It is a steep learning curve, but I have always loved a challenge, and I have only touched the surface so far! I have to say, I absolutely love it!
I have decided to put up some pictures of real life. Ones that have hit me hard.
We spent two years coping with the dreadful COVID pandemic and now we are all hit with incredible hikes in our normal day to day costs of living. I would love to say that we will all get through this, but it is tough, very tough for many.
When I look back over the last few years, I look back with sadness. Sadness at the enormous loss of life and the hardships that followed. Sadness for the struggling businesses. Sadness for the lack of human contact we all needed but couldn’t have while we isolated. Most of all though, sadness for being denied the precious times I wanted to spend with my lovely Mum, knowing that she wouldn’t be with us for much longer. She passed away last April and I will always feel sadness that I couldn’t be with her as much as I wanted to while she was alive because of the COVID restrictions.
Commissions and an Exhibition
My “busy” is different to normal busy. Living with ME/CFS is challenging at times and requires careful planning so that I don’t run out of steam altogether. So, my being “busy” might seem to others like being in the slow lane, but for me I have been busy with commissions and enjoying the challenge of the varied work I have been asked to do. This blog image is just a couple of the requests that I have been given permission to show.
For the last seven years I have enjoyed being involved with TwitterArtExhibit, and each year it has grown in artist numbers. Each year it is hosted by a different organisation in aid of a different charity and in a different place around the world. I donate a small original piece of art which is exhibited along with hundreds of other artist. All the art is sold for a standard price with the proceeds going to the selected charity.
Being in the best health you can be is a good start
It seems that my blog musings have been all about health challenges lately. In truth, that has been my reality and I’m hoping that this recovery after having my gallbladder removed is the last for the foreseeable future. It has caused me considerable pain for the last three years. Covid-19 interrupted surgical plans for everyone, including me.
I must admit, four months of struggling to see anything without a double image did get me down, and there were times when I wondered if my eyes would ever get back to normal.
Page 1 of 7