More Modigliani

Hi Everybody!

Yesterday went by quicker than I can think, where does the time go?

For 'Inspired by the Masters' at Art Journal Journey I have once again been inspired by Modigliani. His very expressive portraits have really got me in their clutches just now! I used an A3 brush-wipe, smear, spray  and drip page for the background. The page was rather crinkled, as it had been squashed under something else, so I ironed it. Now I have the good feeling that I really did some ironing this week! I drew the portrait onto paper, painted it with water-colours and pastels, fussy cut it and glued it to the background. I added some more pastels round the head to make it blend better with the background. I love the quote of Modigliani that I have used here. I am also linking to Paint Party Friday, hosted as always by Eva and Kristin.

This morning started off well:

This blackbird is always the first in the queue for breakfast:

The hawk was dosing in the tree:

Met this thrush down by the river:

The water is wide and getting wider:

I'm glad I'm not standing by the pole taking my pictures:

And I love this lamp in the middle of the trees:

Have a great day you all, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Modigliani, Moo Mania and More

Hi Everybody!

Hope your day was good! The river is still rising here, so I am hoping it will soon be less. The ducks and geese are loving the flooded meadows by the Rhine, so t least they are enjoying it!

For Art Journal Journey I was once again inspired by Modigliani. I prefer his earlier works to his swan-necked ladies, although this lady does have a rather long neck. She is called Maude Abrantes. I started out with a background which was gessoed, and onto which I had stamped some autumn leaves. I added more colour with water colours and pastels. I drew Maude onto white paper, and painted her with water colours and pastel chalks, and glued her to the background after cutting her out. She looks to me neither happy nor healthy. I found a fitting quote from Modigliani again.

Moo Mania and more's new challenge is 'Anything goes', and I used a stamp from Crafty Individuals to make some triple stamping. Well, if you count the fussy-cut thistle on top, it was quadruple stamping! You can link up all sorts of projects, not just Moos, so hop over and join us there. Remember - anything goes!

We had a nice sunrise this morning, and the first half of the day was cloudy but dry.

Dark clouds were blown along by a fresh wind.

The Rhine has got wider and made new lakes:

On my evening walk I took a picture of our beautiful flower shop.

My way home lead me through 'Narnia', aka the path through the park which was once the moat.

Have a great day you all, take care,

and thanks for coming by!

Inspired by, Divas and too much water.

Hi Everybody!

Another cold and blustery day here, and the water in the Rhine is still rising!

Hope things soon get back to normal. 

My inspiration for today's piece at Art Journal Journey is again from Mondrian. I looked at some of his works which are not so bright and colourful as those in primary colours, and tried to make something similar. After giving my paper (A3) a coat of Gesso, I used a stencil from CWS to draw the shapes, which I coloured in using felt pens. I thought this would be quick and easy, but drawing all those tiny squares was not something for someone with so little patience! Perhaps I should have used a smaller page this time! I wrote 2 quotes of Mondrian around the edges.

At Tag Tuesday our theme this week is Diva. I'm not quite sure that this lady is a diva, but she seems to be going in the right direction. I used corrugated card for the background, painted with gesso and edged with molten Utee gold. The image is from a Gecko Galz collage sheet. I used some fabric, flowers and fibres as embellishments. I used the white roses because my Great Auntie Fanny once told me that Divas were ladies who wore lovely dresses and always go bouquets of white roses....

The water in the Rhine is getting higher and higher, and lots of parts of the shore and meadows have been flooded.

The geese and ducks are enjoying their new playgrounds

The trees have all got wet feet

The jetty is almost on a level with the towpath, so I'm hoping the waters will start receding.

Have a great day you all, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Modigliani, ducks and moody weather

Hi Everybody!

Hope you have enjoyed your weekend.

Today the weather was a bit quieter after the past stormy days, and we even got some glimpses of the sun today, so that was nice!

My inspiration for Art Journal Journey today came from  Amedeo Modigliani. He is best known for his portraits of his long necked ladies, but I was fascinated by this portrait of Paul Guillaume, painted in 1916. Guillaume was an art-dealer and collector in Paris, and his huge collection can be viewed today in the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. This face fascinated me because of its strangeness, and the way the eyes are painted. It makes me want to know more about why Modigliani painted him this way.  I used an A3 brush-wipe page, which I stamped, spayed and dripped. I drew and painted the face onto paper, using water colours, pastel chalks and charcoal, and glued the face to the background after it had been cut out. I wrote a quote from Modigliani around the head because I found it fitting: 'When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes'.

Today I walked to Schloss Kalkum to visit the ducks. I saw this hunter and his dog on a roof near the castle.

This tree always flowers in winter:

The ducks looks like they are standing around gossiping - perhaps they were!

The sun kept trying to find a way  through the clouds

Here's wishing you all a good start in the new week!

Take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!