48- a magic number!

Something slightly different today folks- firstly, this graphic is courtesy of my hubby so I can't claim any glory it may muster, and secondly, it's dedicated totally to the Number 48 which is a math thing (ugh) and not art as I see it. Why?
Well!
There are many reasons why we should appreciate this number-
~ 48 is the number related to communication
~ the points Leeds beat Harlequins by, recently
~ a novel by James Herbert
~ year 48 was a leap year, starting on a monday
~ China's record high trade surplus soared to 48% last year
~ the Great Rhombicuboctahedron (new word for me!) is an Archimedean solid with 48 vertices (surely somebody, somewhere HAS to appreciate THAT!)
~ the Torah is acquired through 48 virtues ( I didn't realise there were so many)
~ the Library at Alexandria was ravaged by fire in 48AD
~ 48 is the smallest number with ten divisors (ugh, hard math)
~ Ancient peoples recognised 48 constellations (24 in each hemisphere)
~ the atomic number of Cadmium is 48 ( the graphic above shows these colours quite brilliantly, I think!)
And lastly, but by no means leastly, the number of years our Pepe and Meme have been married! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! What an awesome innings! When we grow up we want to be just like you- we've only got 47 years to go! Joking aside, this is why we appreciate the magic number 48- 'Bottom's Up' Mems and Peps, have a wonderful day, and carefree years to come xxx

Return of the Laughing man lamp!

Finally finished him, as a replacement for the previous dropped effort. One good thing I've noticed since shattering him on the floor, is....noticing, really! How aware am I now of my more fragile pieces? Doesn't do any harm to shake yourself up now and again, she said blithely- although you couldn't have told me at the time. I felt so good about re-doing that lamp that it galvanized me onward... work has just flowed. Hmm... what can I break next?!

Did I mention I love Marabu!?

A little while back I had a good old rummage through the Marabu website, as I wanted to find out if they were doing other glass colours, (and of course because I'm just plain nosy.) I had no idea they had such a vast product range. Whilst 'oohing' and 'aahing' at all the splendid stuff I spotted a competition, which I duly entered and then promptly forgot about as I thought my photo hadn't uploaded. Later I was told I had won a runners-up prize (for my lamp,) of a few paints and they were being shipped off to me. "Well! That's nice!" I mused. What I really should have been saying is "Marabu are a wonderful, marvellous and exceptionally generous company!" Look at what turned up in a rather large box today. Few paints, my eye! I got very girly and excitable and sort of bounced around all afternoon. I would never just go out and spend money on all these different paints, so it's been a pleasant, and gratefully received windfall. I'm tired now- good job I didn't win 1st prize. Ha!

Gloves of Rock! .....

I like this grotty weather- the weekly under 13's football got rained off this morning! Don't get me wrong- it's not the standing about in unsuitable footwear in the marshy bogland that passes for the pitch, not knowing the offside rule, or pre-teens using swear words you haven't heard of before, that can be grim. No, it's me. I get so "team-ist" and aggressive...highly unattractive at my age! So instead we put up the battening, ready for Arthur (the van) to receive his much-needed, ply-lining innards. Strangely, we thought it would be easy.
The glue gun was too long for the housing unit, so Mike chopped off the bottom of the tube. Unfortunately, he pierced through the end, so I (he has a small phobia of getting goo on his hands!) had to manually spread this 'hard as nails' grouty glue stuff with my fingers. It didn't seem a problem for the first half hour. Our biggest problem was the two metal sheets riveted to the top of the fibreglass roof which had sizeable leaks coming from both of them. Mike had to shear them off by hammering, which made the newly glued battens drop off the sides of the van! Where's an octopus when you need one? Every available limb was put to good use holding wood in place, while removal of the metal proved our worst fears. Two big holes.... which will now be made into skylights! By this time however, the stuff on my hands had set hard. I felt like the Thing from the Fantastic 4 made of rock! Picking at it was slow and painful, so I Lobster Thermidored myself in scalding soapy water for half an hour just to get it off. I'm not complaining- it says quite plainly in the destructions 'not to get it on your skin'... I'm just passing on a good hindsight tip for free- buy a long enough glue gun to start with!
The photo is an outline of a new version of the Laughing Man, courtesy of my attack of dropsy earlier, and another new lamp called "Elevation." Needless to say, I concentrated properly photographing these two lamps- no mishaps this time!
I hope everyone has a good week to come. Take care.

A smashing time indeed...before and after pictures

I excelled myself yesterday. I had what can only be described as the ' un-Midas' touch. Everything I came into contact with, turned to shards. It became so bad my husband actually started to walk around after me with the hoover permanently attached to his hand. It started off by an innocent languid stretch in my new, much higher, work chair. Carnage followed! The lamp behind me got brushed against, which in turn knocked up against the office clock, which in turn fell down...... and smashed all the vases I had drying on the radiator below. The noise was so startling I forgot to get snippy or upset - more concerned really on not cutting myself to shreds getting out with no shoes on.
No, I most definitely did not get snippy then.
We decided to go for lunch after cleaning up, where upon I clean swept a Pyrex jug of the kitchen side with an arm jolt manoeuvre. Have you ever dropped Pyrex? Awful, lethal stuff. No joke, it went everywhere with this horrible deep cracking noise! I felt a tad embarrassed by my prevalent clumsiness, so I still didn't get snippy. Just kept uttering apologies and " leave it to me"s.
No, I finally got snippy after lunch. I went to photograph my latest piece, The Laughing Man, for the website. A very large Art Deco style lamp that took me a week to finish..... and just a second to drop on the floor. Now THAT got to me dear reader. Right in the stomach, a real gut-wrencher, as they say. I have of course started another one, which if I'm honest is laid out shape-wise much better, but I did feel it necessary to take photos of the "well-he-isn't-bloody-laughing-now"man, as some kind of cathartic healing ritual. I am also thinking of changing media, to say, cotton wool and rubber, maybe? Or marshmallow. That stuff is safer.

When you're on a roll....

I felt quite pleased with yesterdays idea of doing a 'Tides and Toes' range, that another two rolled of the creative wagon today. Strange how that happens- some days fly by bursting with colours and shapes, and other days it's a real struggle to find inspiration, I find. Glad I had a productive day though, as now I don't feel in the slightest bit guilty for not taking some exercise today. Mike has been the same, having spent all day installing Leopard on his lovely Mac. Big brain stuff trying to work it all out. We got a bit carried away and tried to install it on my 'puter, which of course 'it couldn'a take the power, Cappin' and crashed. In the ensuing gobbledygook on the screen there was a superfluous message (I feel) that said, AND I QUOTE..." we are hanging here, time to panic" as one of the screen commands! We were speechless! Is this normal Apple procedure? I started to laugh... it was the only command I could understand (and relate to!) I feel a little more computer literate now.

Little Boy Blue

I recently sold a small picture of a little girl looking down at the tide coming in, not for the technique of the painting or the sheer brilliance of the artwork involved (!) but purely for the subject matter, I think. Almost everyone can relate to being at the beach and feeling the tide wash over their feet. Did you run away at each ebb and flow, or did you stay firmly rooted, gasping at the coolness of the water? I always 'toughed' it out- not because of any degree of courage, more for the lack of coordination and running skills really. This modest little sale has inspired me to do a series now, which I will call 'Tides and Toes.' The paintings are very small, and relatively fuss-free compared to my other artworks, so they can be slotted in amongst the general creativity that goes on here. Here's the next- Little Boy Blue. Hope you like him, I like his dinky, chubby arms. Even if the subject matter isn't to your taste, at least you can reminisce there once was summer!

Starry, starry night.....

A celestial feeling came over me this week. I have always been fascinated by outer space and what fills it, and many fanciful daydreams of heavenly bodies occur (as ever when I am supposed to be working hard!) Hence this influence on my latest deco design for a lamp. A nod in the direction of Pleiades, an homage to the seven sisters. Imagine that, being one of those seven ladies, in one family, at Christmas. Riotous!