Painting from a poem ...

This next post is about one painting -  which came about as a result of a retreat with fellow OneSpirit minister -  you know who you are .  We were read a poem called ' Meditation for  the fully realised woman '   by Karen Andes,  and asked afterwards to write down key words , or phrases ,that had stood out to us .    I did a drawing .  Which  later ,  back home in the studio , became this painting .  And then i did add a phrase from the poem round the edge of the canvas ...  all is in these photos ..drawing ..  1st stage of painting ,  finished painting ,  and text on the edges 

Time to post some paintings ...

Its been a while since i used this blog , and now i would like to make some posts with the paintings i have been doing , please click on them to enlarge them .   I have moved into pieces with text in , and here in the 1st of them , from earlier last year .  Its about thanking that part of me that had been busy with holding on to old stuff where my energy doesn't need to be ,  and welcoming that energy forward into my current life .  Letting all that energy that was tied up in outdated struggles ,  which  could  make me very negative -    what i called my bitch voice -   come forward  into my life now ,  in a positive way  and become  my beauty voice  now instead. This painting came from thanking my beauty voice for all its strengths  that i can use now ...  

these next photos are of a sketchbook page from the time after I spent a vision quest day out on the land here ,  thinking  a lot about connectedness ..  feeling my connectedness with the place where i sat for 8 hours ..  and this felt pen doodle became a painting .  It goes round the edge of the deep canvas -  the way i often work ..  

( this text has decided to centre itself in the middle .. I like this colour ,  but i can't remember how to set the text back to the side ,  it seems to have a mind of its own .   I am clearly  more at home in my painting studio ...)

 

and finally ,  another progression from pen sketch to paintings -  this one came to me when i was driving down a country road ,  and i heard it from the old oak trees on the hedges ..   

THOSE COSTUMES ....

Here they are at last ..  many of you know that my dear Mum passed away just at the time the play was on,  for which I made these costumes ...  hence time has passed before responding to your delightful requests to see this body of work.   How Mum would  have loved to see them....actually she did see most of them on these and more photos,  the only person allowed that preview -   except for Deidre , the director,  of course -  it was fun to share that secret  through January  ..

I dont have a lot to say about them really,  it was a wonderful commission  ..  see my post before last for more  ...

I definitely intend to continue this thread of making upcycled clothes,  ideas are already brewing ,  so a new collection will be starting after the easter break ,  you saw it here first   ...   and I give thanks to all the creative spirits who whisper in my ear ...

here goes -  8 costumes   for the play  'Time's Fools -  the magic of maybe '                     at the Midland Arts Centre,  Birmingham  Feb 12-14th 2015 .....                                     (the white t-shirt under the 1st one isn't part of it -  just so it would show up )

HERE'S ONE I MADE EARLIER ....

And it came about through Carys Hedd of Wench Wear who taught & inspired me to start this upcycling fun .. ( see link below these posts)  
When she and Jade Mellor opened their fab shop Melfed in Cardigan last year, with Jade's delicious foraged foods & Carys's wonderful garments ,  (also see their Facebook page)  I won a raffle prize at their opening to spend a day on one of Carys's upcycling courses there,  turning old jerseys into a tunic dress ...   
Well I ended up finishing the garment at home,  and the skills I expanded that day came in very handy for making the costumes I wrote about on my previous post ....  

I hadn't photographed it,  but Pete was playing with my phone today ..  and here is the record of  what happened when a tibetan jacket I bought in Darjeeling nearly 30 years ago met a  jersey I have had a long time too ...   
I so recommend cutting up those clothes you no longer wear  :-)  This is so much more fun,  feels like new, and the old clothes aren't wasted .. win win.
Have a go , or ask me and I will enjoy doing it for you ....

unusual play costumes .... :-)

Its been longer than I realised since I last posted here - never mind,  I have something special to share ...
I received a delightful commission to create 8 upcycled costumes for a play that will be on in Birmingham the w/e after next ...

I have completed the costumes, but I cant reveal them  before the play,  but I can say that it has been a heart-lifting joy to make them,  and that the request was a direct result of the other clothing I have posted here before ...

I now work with a  mannequin which makes it easier to enjoy and play with the way fabric behaves ..  how it hangs,  stretches ..  puckers ...falls ..

They are all lovingly recreated from tee shirts,  dresses,  jerseys ..  items that someone somewhere had no further use for ,  and now they have new life,  which feels good ethically as well as being FUN !  and goodness (and others) knows we need to keep feeding our hearts ...

here are a couple of photos to show my 'pallette' , and some work in progress

my spirit helpers were looking over my shoulder all the time ,  as usual, in their ever unpredictable way,  and trusting the ideas that pop in -( really ? put that with this ??? )  - is part of the joy of making .  Also this work 'just happened' to come along at a challenging time, and has been the perfect counterbalance to other parts of my life ..  Oh thank you Universe I never cease to be amazed by the workings of love through our lives ...

I am all agog for that moment when I attend the play ,  and see who is wearing which item ( loose fitting - so not for me to decide ...!),  how they will look, move, seem unfamiliar, yet deeply known ...  As with exhibiting paintings I anticipate being a bit nervous ,  I never know how an exhibition will look when I go back in ...

WHY NOT COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF ?? !!

The performances are 

Friday February 20th at 19.30

Saturday February 21st at 14.30 and 19.30

Sunday February 22nd at 14.30 and 19.30

In the hexagon theatre - mac - birmingham  - in cannon hill park (opposite edgbaston cricket ground)

running time - 2hours (including an interval)

tickets: £10/6

from www.macbirmingham.co.uk or 0121 446 3232

I would so love to hear your reaction - see my email on this blog ...

blessings

Janey

THE OLD OAKS OF TYCANOL ..

Not fossils this time ,  but ancient living oak trees..  We went walking in Tycanol  woods last w/e and I promised more photos to friends who don't see my Facebook posts -  here they are :-)

It was one of those perfect early spring days -  we are a little behind you folks in England - with early flowers & lambs,  and also when the leaves are still small enough that light pours down among the trees too.  It was a surprise to see where wood sorrel can grow ... 

This wood has such a magical atmosphere,  very beautiful,  and time gets vague ...  but I think  it would take some courage to stay there after dark too ..

We went up to Carn Meibion Owen,  the rocky outcrops on the hill above, from whence the overview can be seen, and along an ancient sunken track between fields,  and the pic of me was in a clearing carpeted with celandines ...

I look forward to going back soon for the bluebells ....

Please click on these to enlarge them,  the little thumbnails really dont do these great spirits justice ...