100 Pastel Sketches 1-8

The 100 Day Project is well on the way.  I started a week late so will be completing a week later on the 18th July.  Here are the first 8 pastel sketches.

It has been great getting to grips with working with the variety of pastels and also working on different pastel papers which give you different effects and finishes.

Here are the first 8 sketches, I will share the next 8 tomorrow.

It has been great fun getting to know how the different supplies work, and it is lovely to see all the sketches together and see how much I have grown over the.

I am using a selection of 5 pastels and you can find a great selection at varying prices to suit all pockets on Amazon  and I have brought together a great selection of supplies on my Amazon Store recommendation that you can take a look at.

I hope that you have joined in the #the100dayproject2019 and are having fun in what ever you have chosen to do.  Take it at your own pace and don't allow overwhelm to set in and enjoy.

If you are interested in taking classes and working with pastels then check out Creative live

They currently have a series of online FREE Classes and discounted courses to suit your needs and each week they have several Free Live classes as well, so check them out.

Let me know how you get on and what challenge you will be doing yourself.  Take care and be a blessing

100 Day Project Challenge - Time for a Change

I decided to do the 100 Day Project, which officially started on the 2nd April, but I started slightly late, but will not stress over it, just carry on and get my 100 posts complete.  What I probably will do is do an extra sketch at the end of each week and catch up and the last week of my challenge I will create some videos sharing some techniques learnt while I was doing the challenge.

I decided to work with pastels for my challenge, and use some of the ones I have sitting in my studio.

So I took them all out so that I could get a better look, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw what I would be working with.  I found the Conte Pastels which I totally forgot that I had, and allows you to use them without getting your hands dirty.  These are a had pastel

Rembrant soft pastels

Rembrant Soft Pastels, and a box of 60 half pastels.  I brought them along with pastel paper when I decided years back these have some very vivid colours and as you can see break really easily

Royal Langnickel

The Royal Langnickel are hard pastels and will definitely take some getting used to

Rowney and Nouvel Carre

I also have a set of Rowney soft pastels and Nouvel Carre hard pastels, so I think I have a good variety to be getting on with.  

I think that it is a good idea every once in a while to see what supplies you have sitting in your studio/creative space so that you don't have supplies sitting unused for years, and depending on the supply can get hard and unusable before you get to them.

I encourage you to get your materials out and play, that is what I will be doing with these pastels and see just how well they work on their own as well as with other mixed media supplies.

Here are the sketches that I did for my first 3 days

1/100

2/100

3/100

I will be sharing the images on the blog and on Facebook weekly and daily on Instagram

If you would like to purchase any of the supplies you can check then out on my Amazon Supplies list

I hope that you can join the challenge and do something that you have always been putting off

Barbados Sea Island Cotton Birds Nest

Restoration Journal

I have been spending a bit more time in my Restoration Journal which I created a while back, and is made from an old university prospectus that I picked up at an opening.

It is great to be able to recycle and make something creative, and find ways to use the supplies that you have alongside the things that you may have in your home and bring new life to it.

Each morning one of my routines is to work in my journals both written and art and spend time reflecting on the things that I need to do for the day.  I am blessed to have quite a large window that I can gaze out of as I contemplate.

I noticed a while back a couple of birds landing on the branches of the mahogany tree in front of me and they kept coming back as if they were checking me out, I later realised they were looking for prime real-estate to set up home.

 

Bird Checking out the Branches for a new home

And that is what they did! Over time they began to collect cotton from the cotton plant and build a nest for themselves.  They strengthened it with a few twigs in some strategic places and then it was done.

Barbados Sea Island Cotton Birds Nest

I imagine it to be ultra comfortable and soft, they are using Barbados Sea Island Cotton after all, and it is known all around the world for being the softest, and greatest quality, so they chose wisely.

Other lovely sites that I get to see as I gaze outside my window are rainbows, sounds quite magical doesn't it.  I appreciate the time I get to spend in the studio and the  insights that come from being in a creative space.

Before the rainbow comes the rain, but nature is in sync

As the birds build their nest and make the most from their surroundings I too look around my space and am grateful for what I have at my disposal, and how I have made it feel homely to me.  

Think about where you are and the things that you have in your space that you can sometimes take for granted, and look at them with new eyes.  What wildlife can you see around you adapting to their environment and utilizing what nature has available.

Rainbows adding the magical touch to the studio

Spend time in your art journal and create a page that expresses how you feel about your space, those things that you can sometimes take for granted, or those things you need to see with a fresh pair of eyes.

Stay blessed and be a blessing

Realityarts Podcast - Episode 67 - Family OUT NOW!

Today on the podcast I talk about Family and what it means to me, both the immediate and extended.  I also touch on those people who you spark from and feel sometimes on first meeting as if you have known them for a long time.  

Coming Home - Mixed Media Art Page

Take out your journal and create a page about what your family means to you, what memories of your family do you have, and experiences that you want to hold on to and pass down to younger generations.

Join me on the podcast, you can also listen on your favorite platform and find me on there as well, I am looking forward to connecting with you

If you listen to podcasts on different platforms check below and see if yours is listed and you will be able to enjoy my podcast from there, take your pick!

Anchor 

Google  Podcasts

Spotify

Breaker

Castbox

Pocket  Casts

RadioPublic

Overcast     

Stitcher 

Apple Podcasts

Stay blessed and be a blessing

Form & Fire Ceramic Exhibition, Barbados

Form and Fire Exhibition brings together 6 Ceramicists based in Barbados and I went to the opening, check out the sneak preview below and meet the talented artists.

In the video Juliana Inniss explains how the group came about

Exhibition opening - Argentina Embassy, Barbados - Artists - Amanda Trought, Ancel Daniel, & Juliana Inniss 

Juliana Inniss finishes her hand-built vessel forms using alterntive firing techniques such as Raku, Naked Raku, Saggar and Sawdust firing

Artist Lynn Haynes

Lynn Haynes throws porcelain vessels on the wheel and embellishes them with flowers and other tropical themes.

Artist Gail Riley

Gail Riley hand builds work from Chalky Mount white clay and indigenous terracotta clay incorporating other local clays as slips

Artist Ancel Daniel

Ancel Daniel hand builds clay masks which are then incorporated into 2D mixed media work

Artist Melanie D'Oliveira

Melanie D'Oliveira works are inspired by tropical fruit forms which.

Artist Martina Pile

Martina Pile's hand built and wheel-thrown work incorporates sgraffito into tiles, bottles and dishes.

A fantastic lineup of artists with a passion for ceramics but their own unique style, you really do need to see the work in person.  

If you are interested in learning about ceramics you can check out the list of books, tools and more on 

Realityarts Amazon Storefront

Podcast Episode 65 - Creating in Faith - Loss and Purpose

Come and join me on the podcast.

In today's episode I talk about loss and purpose. What do we do with the feelings of the loss of a loved one. When does the weeping turn to joy and how can we walk through the pain into the blessings of their memories.

There are so many of us who feel that if we don't think about the person then we won't feel the pain of loosing them but the opposite is true, we will try and numb the pain but we will still feel it, coming in waves when something reminds us of them, and it could be the smallest random thing that sparks it off.

I found that the more I thought about all the things that we did together, and laughed at those moments it helped me wade through the pain.  The more I did it I found that when I did think about them I would think back to joyous times, the times we shared and the things that they would have wanted to be remembered for.  One of the saddest things we can do is to decide not to think about the person as if they never existed because we cannot bear the pain, without realizing that when we do journey through instead of covering up we will have some amazing stories of strength, love and compassion, our memories of our loved ones will intensify without the pain, and we will be able to find laughter at those times we shared.

You are not alone

I will always miss the physical presence of the person but the feeling of their spiritual presence as if they were in the room sharing the moments that I am going through fills me with comfort.  

If you are going through the loss of a loved one, take your time, it is a gradual process and I am here if you want to share.  If you are able to journal or do something in your art journal you will also find comfort in creativity.  Don't shut yourself away but reach out and as you are blessed be a blessing to another.

Art Journal Texture

Mixed Media Art Journal Page - Amanda Trought

There is a quote which says 'Creativity takes Courage' Henri Matisse, and I definitely think that you have to show up for yourself each and every day.  You will get those times where you don't feel like creating, and in these times especially you have to show up - not for anyone else, but for yourself.

To show up for yourself you have to first see 'You'

And not be afraid to put yourself out there, and then do it all again no matter who you think is or is not listening.

I wanted to play around with textures and brought out some embossing powders that had been sitting on my shelf for the longest time as I previously used them when making cards and didn't see other possible uses for them.

This is why it is essential to play around with your supplies and see how many other ways you can use them or what you can combine them with.

I also used a stencil made from recycled materials and applied Gesso to the page.  It is amazing the things that we have around our homes that can double for a creative tool!  Texture is important to me and helps tell the story that is waiting to be told.

It is only when you start looking at the detail on the page do you see all of the delicious textures that are evident.  I hope that you find the courage to step out in your art journal and experiment, you may like what comes up.

Open Studio Tours - CaFA Art Fair 2019

It was great to be part of this years Caribbean Fine Art Fair (CaFA) as one of the artists and also sharing my studio in Barbados on the open tour. 

 I shared about the use of techniques using recycled materials, mixed media and more. 

It was lovely to have people in my creative space and it made it come alive even more

Fellow Sculptor and Mixed Media artist Afreekan Southwell 

Studio Tour Visitors blessed my creative space

Next years tour aims to be bigger and better with it being the 10th year of CaFA

It was also great to be part of the main exhibition which brought into the Island over 40 Artists sharing their amazing work.

Sharing a moment with Curator/Artist Oneka Small and Artist Russell Watson

Artist Earl Darius Etienne demonstrates his fabric pieces

Therapeutic Art with Artist S.Ross Browne

Designer modelling her own clothes

 And shared my work in the main exhibition of the Fair

Still working on a few videos of the exhibition and will share as they get done.

For further information on the Caribbean Fine Arts Fair 2020 - https://www.cafafair.com/