Monday 1 April 2013

happy long easter weekend, april fool's day, etc.

 soft flowery cow on purple chair

I have given myself a break from studying, over the long weekend, and have had fun making and drawing stuff instead. I also struggled with the usually easy task of recharging my camera battery and downloading some photos. It made me smile when I heard Billy Bragg's new song, Handyman Blues, from Tooth and Nail, in which he sings: I'm a writer not a decorator, (so don't ask him to put up any shelves....).

Well, I'm an art therapist/blogger not an IT expert...clearly, I did eventually figure it out with a bit of help..I even found some photos I had 'lost' on my camera, from last December's trip to Melbourne, wow! (How can that happen?). 

However, if anyone can tell me how to reduce the 'view size' (does that even mean anything?) of my Blogger dashboard - suddenly over-magnified and hard to navigate - so I can see the whole thing in one view again, please let me know, that would be great. Its so off-putting.

 persimmons and chillies - watercolour and pen drawing

One of the great things about our vege box delivery is never knowing what we will get - I would probably never have bought persimmons, but they are beautiful in all their yellowy orangeness, and surprisingly delicious. 

 vase with chrysanthemum buds - pencil drawing

'Mums' from my mum, 'cos I was sick. V. nice.

two-tiered hand-made book

Hard to do justice to in a photo, but this two-tiered book is made with three different sized covers, all collaged with upholstery offcuts from Reverse Garbage. I made half of the paper 'signatures' (sheets of paper folded in half and grouped together, to form part of a book) the size of the smallest cover and the rest of the signatures the size of the largest, and sewed it all together with dark red and lilac waxed linen thread. The  recycled paper includes architect's drawings, old scraps of cartridge, wrapping paper for the endpapers, and other odds and ends from my supplies. Its got an open spine, sadly not visible in this shot. I love using old paper, it makes it easier to reuse, less of a blank sheet scaring me.

 Melbourne street art
Melbourne soft street art

Two of my retrieved photos from Melbourne...last December. 

Stopping studying for a break has been really good, just not sure if I can get back into it again, doesn't take long to lose momentum again. I am ahead with one social work assignment, but there is an exam on the horizon...and I got my lowest mark so far for Political Economy, oh well. Only two more months and this semester will be pretty much over. I have an interview for my final placement next week, I think I may be going to Queensland Health...well that could be interesting. 

more later.