Through the window - Annabel - initial thoughts.

Through The Window, is more of a challenge than I realized.

Of course what you see through a window could be anything and everything, and therefore anything would go; it could be a garden scene, street scene, graveyard etc etc., but I think the window element is important, and needs to be in there in some way.

So, I have to put the window in (frame, attic windows etc) or I have to show the distortions of speed (Mags) or colour and texture (Liz).

After a bit of consideration however, I think I shall go along with trying to portray, in some way, a phrase my mother used to say to me as a child ....."you are the window through which you see the world"




Pages from my altered books will help too. The first one is of a window cut into a page, and I like the idea of making a window to look through.

This anguished page is more of a self portrait involving emotions.  I have to say lest you think me on the verge of collapse, I was taking photos of myself pulling faces in the hope of finding interesting facial features to paint. They all turned out to be ghastly, but waste not want not, they ended up in my Angst Altered Book!


 Since making this page, I've added a good dollop of paint to the images to tone me down a bit!!




This takes me off on a tangent and allows me to intepret the challenge is a different way. It's probably going to be more of a self portrait and may well end up as an abstract.

Light and Shadow, finished - Annabel

I started with a brainstorm, had lots of ideas, and then perversely went with something rather unconnected to any of them!

A lone flower in the sun.

Light and Shadow 3 - A couple of photos

 I'm working on this challenge very hard...but in my mind!  I've yet to actually sew the piece but deserve and award for brainly devotion!

Just thought I'd  share these 2 photos - one more obvious to the challenge than the other. I love the texture in the stones. Both photos were taken at Kenilworth Castle.

Also I wanted to let you know, that Marion made a wonderful offer to help with the blog, and, being a little busy at the moment, I've gratefully accepted. She is now our new administrator. Thank you Marion and good luck; I'm sure it'll be fabulous!

Just a spot of admin (2)

Please read Marion's posting below.

Is there any interest in doing this in another format besides a blog? I've started a group page on Facebook so you can see what you think.(click here)

If you hadn't thought about size and format yet, could you let me know your thoughts. It seems to come down to whether or not you want to exhibit, in which case a prescribed size is easier to manage, but you may prefer to just do your own thing. (posting on 11th August refers)

Annabel-posting 2. Light and Shadow.

 Light and Shadow, stage 2

I'd left you last in the middle of my brainstorm.  Light and Shadow evolved into lots and lots of ideas, but nothing madly motivated me. This is partly because I had an idea right at the start, but which would be too vast a challenge for 6 weeks. It won't leave my head though - very frustrating!

But, pressing on, I went through the brainstorm notes. At the side of the sketchbook page, I drew some little boxes and jotted down a pictorial representation of whatever came into my head from reading the notes. I now had at least 7 possibilities for a piece.

I decided to go with the idea shown here on the right. In my little box, I have two panels, one light, one darker (in shadow), one large, one smaller,  stitched into a background cloth.

The idea was to embellish this cloth with weaving lines of colour and shapes. It would be burnt, or cut away.

So I made a start. The panels are done by putting torn masking tape on white cloth, and then using various markal sticks to rub colour onto the cloth in waves.   The panels were stitched in situ through the backing and wadding.

However, my boat is not floated, and I have stopped working on them. Not sure if I'll continue.

So I had a play with 3D which only makes sense to the eye with heightened use of light and shadow colours.

Blah too. I will muse some more.

Light and shadow. First thoughts.

When I set this challenge I had an immediate image in my mind, of what I would like to do, and whilst those thoughts have lead to something I intend to work on in the future, there's not enough time in the challenge for me to do such a complicated and involved piece. (well, perhaps not that complicated and involved, but it's summer, and I'm out and about a lot eating cake in various places and not paying enough attention to things artistic!) And someone said I was supposed to be having fun. Oh yes, me.

So, today I thought I'd better start again and in a more inventive and constructive way.  As ever I always begin with definitions. Very useful to get the dictionary out at this point and look up the exact meanings of words.

Light: The natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. A source of illumination. Little weight, not heavy. Not strongly or heavily built, low in density, small in quantity, gentle or delicate, not bold, not solemn or unhappy, and this one, which I didn't know, promiscuous.

Shadow: Dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface. Used in reference to proximity, ominous, oppressive. Sadness and gloom. An inseparable attendant or companion. A person secretly following another. Envelop in shadow: cast a shadow over.

So, clearly, lots of fun to be had, and where on earth to start or what to choose. One of my first thoughts is for the way light plays in paintings, because I love the power painters have to play around with light.

My understanding is that the eye picks up refractions and reflections when light bounces off of things, and the brain interprets them.

We can only see because there is light bouncing around, and latest research suggest we might see things differently especially colour.  Without light we are, of course, blind. We would be living in a shadow.

The way the light bounces off of things and reflects gives us colour as well as shape, leading to the well-known idea that black and white aren't colours. White is all of light with no refraction and therefore no colour, and black is absence of light and therefore can have no colour. (Thought: Light and shadow, therefore equate to black and white)

Using light and shadow

A circle turns into a ball. The ball can be given the illusion of all sorts of things by adding shadow.

There are such interesting shapes in buildings that cast shadows.

Using light and shadow gives a 2D piece of paper or cloth the illusion of 3D or of distance and size; it tricks the brain that the eye is seeing something it's not, and I love that; it's so clever.

Edward Hopper is known for using light and shadow to good effect. He creates emotional responses and feelings as well as illusions.

Next stage is to find a large piece of paper and brain storm. Write down all the things that come to mind and see what springs forth.

(slight pause, whilst sketch book found and coffee made)

Plenty of ideas emerged over my cup of coffee, but I'm still not madly enthused by anything yet; slightly liking the idea of a shadow being a degree of absence and not absence itself.

The sun is calling me and so is the need for some shopping, so I'll keep the next stage for another posting, when hopefully I'll have a better direction and clearer idea of what I'm doing.


Thanks for reading!

Introducing Annabel

Blank page trauma.

Thinking. Thinking....


What to say, what to say?  Well, I'm 55 so sort of in the middle of the group age wise, so far anyway. I am married to Graham and have two beautiful wonderful daughters, that sadly don't live very near me. I was born in Somerset but I moved so many times as a child that I'm left with a permanent feeling of not having a place where I can park my heart. Warwickshire does for now.

I've been quilting for about 12 years and painting for about 4 years, and just recently the two have sort of melded together. I'm on some sort of happy journey but don't quite know where my destination is. It might be that I will continue to change and not have a style...ever!  I have no artistic background whatsoever and have come a little late to such things, so feel I need to cram lots in before I get too old to hold the scissors.

Whilst I'm painting, I think I'll never sew again, and whilst I'm sewing, I think I'll never paint again. I need to do both in some form.  I have a room which is the back half of a double length garage, which has been converted for me to use as a studio. It has huge glass doors which open and let the summer in - when we have any of course, and am free to produce whatever the mood fancies. I also like to work on a large scale - I like the impact large quilts make in a gallery space.

It's important for me that what I produce is meaningful in some way, and I'd love for it to be called art. That would make me happy.  I have a sense of humour which sneaks into pieces as well, without being asked! I don't know how it does that; it's magic.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone does. Have fun everyone.