MHBD's Blog

Jean Byrne, red leather dress, 24 January

2012-01-26T14:24:00.003Z

Red is a good colour for Jean Byrne. And she loves leather, so this is the perfect combination. I'd say the boys on the forums are talking about this one!

Gold Boy, Emerald Girl

2012-01-23T18:01:00.002Z

Yiyun Li's collection of short stories (some of them as short as 10 pages), Gold Boy, Emerald Girl, is an interesting little book. Set in modern-day China, the focus is on people who don't quite fit in - some are living alone, some are or were married. Some are lonely, some strike unusual friendships, or not. It's an easy read before bedtime, the characters who populate each story come to life within a few pages, and it's an interesting look into life in China. I enjoyed it.

The Shape Shifter

2012-01-22T15:45:00.000Z

Did I tell you I got a Kindle from Santy this Christmas? I wasn't expecting it at all, but I loved it instantly. I've got a few paper books to finish before I can start buying books for my new toy - about 6 months' worth of reading. But it will be so handy for the holidays - no more worrying about Ryanair weight restrictions. Over the Christmas holidays, I downloaded a book my Dad had mentioned - a detective story with a Navajo theme. It's called The Shape Shifter, by Tony Hillerman.It follows a retired Navajo tribal police lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn, as an old case he investigated when he was a young man raises its ugly head, when an old rug, cursed due to its association with the persecution of the Navajo people, reappears after having supposedly been burned in an accidental fire many years before.

I'm not a reader of thrillers and detective stories, but this was pretty good. I might read another one or two from the same series.

Evelyn Cusack, 20 January, black dress

2012-01-22T15:28:00.003Z

Beautiful black dress on Friday evening for Evelyn. A different cut from her usual style, but this looks really young on her. And I think her hair is less heavy than it used to be.

Evelyn Cusack, purple dress, 13 January

2012-01-15T18:14:00.003Z

Evelyn always looks so happy, even when she is telling us that, by next weekend, the weather might be turning "wintry" Snow anyone?

Trees on an island

2012-01-15T17:47:00.000Z

I have something like 80 pictures I took from that Yellowstone program, so bear with me. I probably won't paint them all, but there are some beautiful beautiful scenes that I have to share with you.

This one I painted after lunch today. I used the leftover paint from Autumn in Yellowstone, rich greens and reds, well diluted and I applied a quick wash, which I blotted straight away with absorbent paper. I repeated the process, and, interestingly, the part that I hadn't blotted out the first time came out lighter than the rest. It makes sense, as it was still very wet, but the effect surprised me all the same. I then went on to paint the island and the trees with the same colours. I did the water last: I re-wetted the bottom part of the paper and I applied the tree reflections wet-into-wet. It was all done in less than half an hour.

Autumn in Yellowstone

2012-01-14T18:41:00.001Z

I've never been to Yellowstone, but I'm definitely adding it to my bucket list after seeing a three-part documentary on RTE over Christmas. The photography was so beautiful that I had to replay the whole thing and take pictures of the scenes that inspired me!

So here is the first little painting based on those photos. It's mixed-media - mostly watercolours, with highlights and sky in oil pastels. The colours are completely different from the original, but I wanted to continue to explore the richness of autumnal hues. I hope you like it.

Siobhan Ryan, red dress, 9 January

2012-01-10T13:09:00.001Z

Very Mad Men:

Reds

2012-01-10T12:31:00.000Z

I got a few tubes of watercolours in Kennedy's before Christmas - they had a 20% off offer for customers on their email newsletter list.

This little scene was painted with Schmincke's madder red dark, mixed with cadmium red. The two reds bounced off each other and gave me this beautiful bright colour. The darker shades are achieved by adding a dark mix of ultramarine blue and vanadium yellow.

It's all in the mind

2012-01-09T18:43:00.000Z

Some people who shall remain nameless see an octopus and crab claws. What do you see?

Gallery

2012-01-07T15:19:00.000Z

I'm going to need more wall space for all these watercolours! Really glad I used my holiday time for painting. It feels so good to look back at these! During the year, it can take me two months to achieve as much.

Wet-into-Wet technique

2012-01-03T13:13:00.000Z

Ah Ah. Now I know what I've been doing wrong all these years!

First, I always stretched my paper, let it dry, then just wet it but not soak it through. I tried Wes Waugh's method of wetting the paper on the board without stretching, and it's true, if you wet it enough, it won't buckle
Second, although my paper wasn't soaked, there was a lot of water on the surface, so paint would get too diluted and it would run all over the place. Using a cotton towel to mop up the excess water definitely worked
Third, I tend to use a brush that's too full of water, so the colour goes in all directions. Taking the excess water from the brush (and making sure that it's fully loaded with pigment) definitely gave me stronger colour.
And fourth, because I had water flowing everywhere, I always rushed. Taking it slow gave me more control over my painting.

Now all I need to do is find a suitable subject to apply these new skills!

Pomegranate

2012-01-02T15:43:00.001Z

Very productive holiday in terms of painting. I was quite inspired - that's half the battle. The other half of course is to pick up my brushes and actually paint something. Normal weekends always seem to be busy, and even in the summer I often don't get to do much, but Christmas holidays are different somehow. Here is a little pomegranate I bought a couple of weeks ago. It's shrivelling fast, so I think I'll cut it and see if I can manage to paint the inside, and then eat it!

Cendrillon

2012-01-01T19:07:00.000Z

I've just finished watching La Monnaie's staging of Massenet's Cendrillon. I've enjoyed it tremendously, more for the production and singing than for the music itself. Though I have to say it was my first time listening to an opera by Massenet, and sometimes, you need to familiarise yourself with a piece to fully appreciate it. The music has plenty of humour in it, just like Rossini's La Cenerentola, which I saw in Dublin a good few years ago. I felt Massenet's music a bit disjointed for my liking, though, despite some lovely pieces and tunes. Maybe I'm just not used to French opera.

The staging, sets, lighting, costumes, choreography, the whole production was beautifully done - modern and abstract, but in keeping with the spirit of the story - it's a fairytale after all, and there is a dreamlike quality that permeates right through. But it's also comical, a perfect one to introduce children to opera, maybe. Maybe not, after all. How do you explain to a 7-year-old that the Prince Charming is really a boy, although he sounds like a girl? (For those of you who like a Joey moment, yes, there is a kiss at the end!)

I loved the singers - gorgeous voices and lovely acting - Cendrillon and Le Prince Charmant are suitably romantic, while the rest of the cast carries the comic aspects of the story with gusto - the two ugly sisters were very funny, as was the bad stepmother, in an Alice-in-Wonderland kind of way!

Overall, well worth spending two and a half hours watching this - it's available for free on La Monnaie's website for a couple of weeks (until 19 January).

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T18:46:00.000Z

Moving On

2011-12-31T13:55:00.000Z

I've got plenty of inspiration material, collected over time, magazine clippings, internet photos, our own photographs. Sometimes, that can be overwhelming. But yesterday, it enabled me to quickly move on. This one is quite unusual - it's a photograph I found on the National Geographic website, of a volcanic eruption underwater in the Atlantic ocean near El Hierro in the Canaries. I just loved the mad colours, and El Hierro is one of the Canary islands I haven't seen yet and a friend of mine went hill-walking there a few years ago and said it was wonderful - she even snorkelled there. So, it's on my list of things to do some day before I die. But maybe I'll wait until all that seismic activity settles down a bit. In the meantime, I'll dream of the deep blue sea with a lime green stain!

Colours used are: indigo + prussian blue for the sea, burnt sienna + a touch of indigo for the mountains, and phthalo blue (what else - when you need a mad green, phthalo blue is the one you want) + cadmium yellow. I played with the colours before I launched into the painting itself. This is something that Shirley Trevena recommends - it's a warm-up before you start on the real work, a way to relax into it, to get the creative juices flowing, and to check that the colours are going to work! Very often, I tend to jump straight into a painting, but then I end up having to scrap my first attempts until I've worked out my colours and techniques, so there is a lot to be said for these watercolour doodles. In this one, I used the colours listed above, as well as a blue oil pastel. The mottled effect is achieved with a Schmincke Aqua effect spray.

Impressions of Christmas

2011-12-30T17:41:00.002Z

Greens

2011-12-30T13:11:00.000Z

Here is the photo that inspired that little watercolour.

And another picture of the painting, taken in better light. It's a strange little painting. If you look at it close, it's just splatter and strange white lines. But if you step back and view it from a distance, it takes shape and looks quite convincing. I'm not sure where to go from here - I don't think it's frameable, but I don't know how to improve on it. Maybe I'll just move on?

Greens

2011-12-29T19:40:00.001Z

I'm still exploring the theme of the colour green, or rather the million of hues that fit under that label! This little painting is created from 5 pigments only: cobalt blue, aureolin yellow, burnt sienna, hooker's green and black (yes, black, not something you see much in watercolours, but hooker's green + black is a combination recommended by Sherley Trevena, an artist who is not afraid to paint with bold colours. Hooker's Green is pretty boring on its own, but with black, it develops great depth. I've also just tried it with Interference Gold, and I think that will be worth exploring too!

This is a scene from a photograph taken in the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin in the spring of 2010. Must go back there soon to take more photos!

Plenty of splattering for textures. I had to use an old shirt to protect my clothes. Messy business.

Reasons to drink Green Tea

2011-12-29T10:39:00.003Z

Green tea is good for everything! And I love the taste of it. My personal favourite is Clearspring's Sencha.

Siobhan Ryan, Christmas Day

2011-12-28T16:38:00.001Z

A modern look for Siobhan Ryan on Christmas Day. Somehow, I knew she wouldn't be wearing a tight-fitting silver dress! Would love to see the bottom of this dress. Is it long, is it short? That's one thing RTE never shows: the weather forecasters' legs. Very different picture on TV5 (we've watched a good bit of French-speaking television in the last 10 days) where one of the weather presenters was showing quite a bit of leg!

Jean Byrne, black dress, 22 December

2011-12-28T16:34:00.000Z

Classy black dress for Jean a few days before Christmas. I don't think Jean was on duty on Christmas day, so no silver dress this year!

Mixing Colors and Avoiding Mud : Watercolor Demonstrations

2011-12-20T13:47:00.000Z

He makes it look so easy, but believe me, it's not!

2011-12-18T18:04:00.000Z

If you want to purchase some of my designs, go to www.zazzle.com/_MHBD_
make custom gifts at Zazzle

Jean Byrne, red jacket, 13 December

2011-12-17T15:58:00.000Z

I think this red jacket is new - very flattering.

Jean Byrne, dress with gold belt, 12 December

2011-12-17T15:56:00.000Z

I think the big gold belt really suits Jean.

Little House in the Prairie - composite

2011-12-17T15:39:00.000Z

And if all else fails, just make a picture from all my attempts, using the Picasa collage tool! Interesting results guaranteed!

Little House in the Prairie 3

2011-12-14T15:01:00.000Z

I shouldn't have started with the sky. It's too different from the rest of the painting. It was a good sky, though, just not right for this painting. I got the steps for painting the sky in a Cheap Joe video - the colours are Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna. For the rest of the painting, I used a variety of mixes using just my three favourite colours: PB29 (ultramarine), PV19 (permanent rose) and PY184 (vanadium yellow).

So, after taking a picture of it, I scrubbed my sky off and applied a strong wash of ultramarine with just a dash of vanadium yellow. The picture below is not quite the final painting - with all the colours so strong, the white dashes in my foreground grass stood out too much, so I dabbed a pale vanadium yellow wash over it. I'll have to see in the morning if that works or not. If not, I'll add a diluted ultramarine wash. PS - the sky is not quite that blue. I must take another picture of it.

So, here is the final product. The vanadium yellow worked really well. And I decided to crop the painting tighter, to get rid of some of the sky, which I felt was dominating too much. And the colour in the picture below is truer to the actual painting.

Pepper

2011-12-13T10:31:00.000Z

I drew another pair of shoes earlier in the week, but not pretty enough to show here. But I think my little pepper is quite nice so I decided to show it to you all. Peppers are very forgiving - even if you don't get the bumps and dips quite right, your drawing will still look like a pepper. An art teacher friend of mine told me once that she always starts the year with nature subjects, just for that reason. The talented students can then move on to urban landscapes and portraits. Some like me will stick to the peppers for life!

Les Belges du bout du Monde

2011-12-12T18:44:00.001Z

For those of you who missed it on Belgian Televison: Les Belges du bout du Monde - Marie-Hélène Brohan Delhaye - RTBF Vidéo
It's a really strange feeling to see myself on the telly, but Dublin looks good!
Wondering if the number of Belgian visitors to Ireland will noticeably increase after this? Is that even something that is measured?

My Shoes

2011-12-12T18:40:00.000Z

My summery espadrille platforms. That was a tough one to draw. Not 100% sure where it went wrong, but I didn't get the proportions right - either the straps are too narrow or the sole is too long, but they just don't meet where they're supposed to. I'm definitely trying a simpler shoe next time.

Still and all - it doesn't look too bad.

Last summer wasn't great, so I didn't get a chance to wear them much, but they're really comfy, so I can't wait for good weather to start wearing them again!

Jean Byrne

2011-12-12T18:39:00.000Z

A few outfits worn by Jean Byrne recently. I can only assume that RTE/Met Eireann have reduced their presenters' clothes allowance - it's the recession for everybody after all, and I approve of cutbacks to unnecessary spending - as Jean hasn't bought new clothes recently.

I think the red dress is relatively recent, and a favourite of the boys who spend time discussing her attributes on the Facebook group "The Jean Byrne Appreciation Society" and other forums. I may have seen the black lamé jacket on her before. And the biker jacket is definitely a favourite of hers - though not of mine I have to say - I think it looks wrong over a dress. Of the three outfits here, I prefer the lamé jacket.

Les Belges du Bout du Monde

2011-12-10T17:24:00.001Z

Bonjour la Belgique!

"Les Belges du bout du Monde"

2011-12-09T10:02:00.000Z

Can't wait to see myself on the telly!!!

"Les Belges du bout du Monde" nous emmène en Irlande

Me & Brendan & Willow

2011-12-05T12:14:00.001Z

We'll always have Paris 3

2011-12-04T10:57:00.000Z

Finally, and it turned out easier than I thought, "We'll always have Paris" on 700x500mm canvas. If I was to do it again, I would add a 5th background layer, to correct the slight unevenness in my brushstrokes. But I don't think I can face another go. I'm happy with the textures, the colours (the actual red is not quite as fire-engine red, it's a lovely subtle mix of burnt sienna and quinacridone red), the fluidity. I'm looking forward to seeing it hanging over our mantelpiece.

The Flying Dutchman

2011-12-03T15:24:00.000Z

VDH sent me a link yesterday for a free live web transmission of Wagner's Flying Dutchman at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège. And also for free streaming from La Monnaie, the Belgian National Opera House. Here I was, thinking that all there was online was the Met. How wrong I was. If I start looking, I'll probably find another dozen opera houses streaming their live performances free of charge. I guess they do it as a way to attract new audiences, who may then go onto actually buying a ticket some day.

I haven't reached a stage yet where I'm comfortable with Wagner, apart from Tristan & Isolde, with its beautiful sweeping music. I did watch the whole performance of the Flying Dutchman though. It's one of Wagner's shorter operas, at two and a half hours. I can't say I loved it, but I did appreciate the music and the drama. Maybe it was the speakers on my laptop, but I didn't think that the voices were very strong at the start. It did improve when I moved to my iPad with headphones, so I think the problem was at my end. The lady who sang Senta, Manuela Uhl, sounded to me like the perfect Wagner singer, beautiful voice, full of thrills. But she wasn't fat! So that killed one of my preconceptions about Wagner operas! And Mark Rucker, the Flying Dutchman, was a big presence on stage.

The set was interesting, but maybe distracting too. One of the first scenes is on the deck of a ship caught in a storm, and that was nicely done, with projections representing the huges waves pummeling the boat, and the cast leaning left and right, just like on the deck of the Starship Enterprise! When the Flying Dutchman arrives, the ground lifts up to reveal a vision of hell, with skeletons and giant red cobwebs. I quite liked that bit. The set and production reverted to a more static form after that, not quite as dramatic.

From what I can see on the website, they will offer a replay on the 17th & 18th of December. Keep an eye out for it. Also available on the site are cast interviews and promotional clips.

My shoes

2011-12-02T19:45:00.000Z

Nothing like a public statement to motivate me! Almost as soon as I had written my previous post, I picked up my pen and paper and another pair of shoes (Imelda Marcos, eat your heart out, although she probably didn't go for flats like I do). I didn't use the flash for the picture at the top, so it's not quite as sharp,but the colour is fairly true to the original. For the the picture at the bottom, I used the flash and I also made it black & white in Picasa. Here is the result, my beautiful little leopard-spot pumps. BTW, I'm a size 37.5/4.5.

My shoes

2011-12-02T16:27:00.000Z

I have to start practising what I preach - drawing every day! Sometimes, I go for weeks without drawing anything, except for what I'm planning to transfer to acrylics or watercolours. Drawing for its own sake is real fun and I should do more of it. I started on Tuesday, with a pair of shoes that I love. I didn't get around to it on Wednesday. But I forgave myself and drew another pair on Thursday, another of my comfy favourites. I'll probably skip today - it's the night of the Late Late Toy Show after all, so I won't find 15 minutes to draw! Great excuse, isn't it? No, no, no. There is no excuse. I probably spend 15 minutes every day playing Solitaire (I am an addict, let's face it), so I could easily swap that for 15 minutes of drawing. But will I, really?

If, like me, you need help in motivating yourself to draw, I recommend The Creative License, by Danny Gregory. He's even got a full chapter on "Resistance", with a section on "Excuses" and "Procrastination".

Siobhan Ryan, black and pale pink outfit, 28 October

2011-11-30T09:48:00.000Z

Another nice outfit for Siobhan Ryan last night, though I think it looks a bit old on her.

More bad weather on the way! The map shows the rain we got yesterday morning. It was pretty bad, sheets of heavy rain, relentlessly peltering down.

Siobhan Ryan, classy LBD, 27 October

2011-11-29T18:50:00.000Z

Simple but classy, and beautifully accessorised. Siobhan Ryan got it spot on with this little black dress last Sunday evening.

And as you can see, some cold weather on the way this week.

Little House in the Prairie 2

2011-11-27T17:01:00.000Z

For this second attempt (it's the 4th actually, but the first two were really bad - it does take me a while to get all the elements lined up: composition, center of interest, colour dominance, values), I was trying some techniques I found on a Cheap Joe video for mixing colours on the paper without ending up with mud. No mud here, that's for sure! I even went a bit mad on the orange. But the whole scene lacks harmony. I used something like 10 different base colours, so no wonder it's like a mad orchestra without a conductor.But I like the composition. So I'm going to have another go!

Breaking Bad

2011-11-26T19:16:00.000Z

We were on the lookout for a new TV series to watch over the winter when Niall recommended Breaking Bad to Brendan. I don't know how we had never heard of it - maybe it's not been showing on the Irish & UK channels? Like all the best in American television, what gives it its power is a good story, with characters who feel like real people. If you're not afraid of a few violent scenes, this story of Walt White, a struggling chemistry teacher and family man in New Mexico who finds he has lung cancer and decides to start cooking meth, is just amazing. No special effects (well, apart from the occasional explosion), no vampires or special powers. Just the exploration of how a terminal-cancer diagnosis changes your perspective on life. In a very different way from The Big C, it has to be said. I can't imagine my old chemistry teacher getting involved in the drug-dealing trade. I guess you have to accept a certain level of suspension of disbelief to enjoy these things.

There are plenty of side stories that will develop over time, I'm sure. Like that of Walt's sister-in-law, whom we've just found out, has a propensity for shop-lifting. And Jesse, his drug-dealing partner, who comes from a posh family and whose little brother is a high achiever. But so far (we're at Series 1, Episode 7), it's mostly about Walt, his humdrum life as a teacher, his meager income supplemented by a part-time job in a car-wash, his son Walter Jr, who has cerebral palsy and is in high school, his wife Skyler, who is expecting their second child. One interesting complication is that his brother-in-law, Hank, is a DEA agent. I won't go into too much of the detail of how Walt discovers he has cancer and his impulse decision to make money for his family by making and selling drugs. But each episode so far has been full of surprises, twists, horrific turns (it's a violent world, after all), family love, and lots of good chemistry.

And the great news is - they're making Season 5, so we'll have plenty more to look forward to.

Little house in the prairie

2011-11-24T17:04:00.000Z

Well, sponge painting is not as easy as you'd think! While my little trial trees looked lovely, I wasn't able to reproduce the effect on a proper painting. Where I went wrong, I'm really not sure. The colours are lovely, but it lacks structure and shape. What happened, I think, is that I got colour-happy and didn't create an individual shape for each tree.

I still went on with the rest of the painting, as I wanted to experiment with how I'd paint the little house. As it turns out, it became the centrepiece of this watercolour. I had really intended the trees to be the centre of interest, but it didn't work out that way. The trees ended up looking more like fire actually, which is quite interesting, if that was the effect I had been looking for!

You'll notice also that I didn't paint the lime-green tree beside the house. It's not that I forgot, no, no. I was trying to use some of the tips from Powerful Watercolour Landscapes, and as I wanted the trees on the hill to be my "What" (the focus of the painting), I decided to eliminate the bright-green tree altogether. Well, the little house became the "What" instead (and, yes, I know the roof isn't quite right - I'll fix that in the next version). I've got a lot to learn! We'll get there eventually!

We'll always have Paris II

2011-11-24T10:53:00.000Z

OK, I'm slowly building up to the large size painting. I've moved from 405x305mm to 508x405mm. It doesn't sound like much but if you were to see the two side by side on a wall, you would notice. This is still on acrylic canvas paper, which is lovely and fine, but a bit too thin for the kind of knife application I'm thinking of. My next step is roughly 700x550mm, on canvas.

Anyways, I'm happy with this first step. Let's hope things go well for my next.

I'll just have to learn how to take better pictures of acrylics paintings. They tend to catch the light, so I guess I should photograph them in a North-facing room, using a tripod to minimize camera shake. Next time, next time.

Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks

2011-11-23T12:12:00.000Z

Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks, wasn't an easy book. I nearly gave up on it at the start. I thought it was a war story, but there is a long preamble, set in prewar France, where our hero, a young Englishman, is falling for his boss's wife. It's not that I don't like a good love story, but I felt the emotions were over-exaggerated, not to mention the sex scenes! I just didn't see the two lovers as a likely pair.

Where the book's strength lies, though, is in its meticulous depiction of WWI, in the trenches and the tunnels and on the hopeless battlefields of Northern France, where the bodies are so pulverised by artillery shells that most of them can't be identified, where lice cause an incessant itch, and where friendships, brief or lasting, depending on your luck, are formed.

I'm sure I studied WWI in school, but it didn't make much of an impression. In the case of WWII, I suppose Saving Private Ryan gave us all a sense of the butchery that is war. But, until I read this book, I didn't really have any idea of what it was like for the soldiers in the trenches in 1914-1918. The depictions are so vivid that I don't think I'll ever need a movie for a better sense of the conditions that the soldiers had to endure.

There is a third part to the book, set more or less in the present day, which took me by surprise. Not sure if it really worked for me, but I suppose it ties the whole story together. I felt it was more a literary tool than an integral part of the story, and I don't like to be manipulated by an author.

All that said, I think Birdsong is worth the read, just for its central story of men and war.

One Day

2011-11-22T18:17:00.000Z

Just finished reading One Day. It wasn't bad but I don't really see what the fuss was all about - Dexter doesn't deserve Emma, he's a spoilt, selfish, rich kid, with not too many redeeming qualities. I kept on thinking "what does she see in him?". And the ending was (spoiler alert) a bit like Cold Feet, not very original. Don't get me wrong, I loved Cold Feet. But that's a few years ago.

Aha! I just read that the author, David Nicholls, used to write for Cold Feet. So that explains it all!

Satyagraha - Philip Glass on the piano and Richard Croft singing

2011-11-20T19:04:00.001Z

At the end of the day, it's always about the music (I picked this up from the Met website).

Satyagraha - Staging

2011-11-20T15:58:00.000Z

Interesting little video showing different aspects of the production of Satyagraha, Philip Glass's opera about Gandhi's formative years in South Africa. As there is little action per se in the opera, the staging was essential in creating a visual projection for the characters' emotions, with all sorts of unusual props - newspapers, giant puppets, sellotape, fire, clothes, lanterns and people pulled up into the sky.

Satyagraha

2011-11-20T15:46:00.000Z

One of my favourite parts from Satyagraha, Philip Glass' opera, broadcast from the Met HD Season last night.Visually beautiful, and full of emotion.

I loved the fact that the words didn't matter so much - I often find that I get distracted by the sur-titles. Here, you could just relax and let the visuals and music sweep over you.

PS: I think this version is played faster than at the Met. It's actually better played slower, as the "hahahahahahaha" of the men's chorus sounds more sinister at a lower pace. Have a listen here to compare (+ some photographs showing the stunning staging production)!

Walk Walk Walk

2011-11-17T17:41:00.000Z

OK, she's still scary, but I just did the three-minute walk-at-home, and I feel good.

Don't Feed the Fairies

2011-11-17T16:53:00.000Z

Don't Feed the Fairies, was recommended to me by one of our customers, who told me that this book was Eileen Gormley's first work of fiction.

I don't normally read fantasy/science fiction (though I watch a lot of it), but Don't Feed the Fairies grabbed me straight away. Great start to the story, good characters and a roller-coaster of a ride. Don't expect something too serious. This is simple light good fun.

It's the story of an alien woman who finds herself stranded on earth after her plans to farm humans don't work out. You see, these aliens are not exactly vampires, but they suck the energy out of animals on their planet, and they have found that humans are very tasty. She meets a few humans on the way, and rescues a baby alien, who looks just like a cute little fairy.

The only thing that disappointed me in the book is that it ended too abruptly. All of a sudden, it was all wrapped up, a bit too swiftly for my taste. But I guess the author is planning plenty more stories around Cytolene and her motley crew, and I can imagine it quite well making the transition to the big or small screen.

And it's great value too. You can buy the Kindle edition for $3.51 on www.amazon.com. (For some strange reason, Irish customers still can't buy Kindle books from the .co.uk site? I don't get that.)

Paris

2011-11-16T16:52:00.001Z

I decided to play with the gorgeous burnt sienna colours that I used in The Eye of the Tiger, and I have big plans. The problem is that I always try out my new ideas on small acrylic canvas paper (405x305mm), like this dynamic abstract painting here.

And when they turn out well, I feel that I will never be able to achieve the same again on larger canvas. There is the question of size of course, and the tools to use to create lines and areas of colour. But there is also the question of the canvas density. Acrylic canvas paper is very finely-woven, whereas the canvases I have (from Lidl - I'm not at the stage where I want to spend big money on expensive canvases, but maybe I should!) are rougher, more of of loose weave. The issue is that paint will always seek the lowest ground and pool in the weave.Which makes it hard to draw quick sharp lines. I'll try it anyway. In the meantime, we'll always have Paris. That's what I just decided to call this one! Better than Abstract Number 10.

BTW. the background colour is a mix of Phthalo blue and Raw Umber - a beautiful rich dark. I've also tried Ultramarine blue and Raw Umber - not as vibrant, but really really dark too, particularly when you apply two layers.

Fall Colours

2011-11-16T16:41:00.001Z

I can't resist a good challenge, me. I'm already on my second disastrous attempt at painting this lovely pastoral scene I found in The National Geographic. At each step, I'm learning more. Or rather realising that I'm not applying anything I've learned over the last few years of painting. That's the problem when you're jumping from one medium to the next. But I think I'm on the right track now - I'm going to do sponge painting. Great fun and quite a good technique for trees and foliage - I hope!

I tried out a small sample yesterday and I'm pleased with the result. I'll just have to find a way to vary the pattern more, and to increase the contrast between background and foreground, without going too dark. What I'd really like to do is stamp painting, as I've seen some lovely effects in books, but any attempts I've made in the past have been no good.

Sattelite pictures

2011-11-12T19:57:00.001Z

The same glacier in Iceland - just a bigger view of it

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Satellite pictures

2011-11-12T19:55:00.001Z

Glacier in Iceland

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Satellite pictures

2011-11-12T14:00:00.001Z

Another idea - Unidentified reef - Maldives

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Satellite pictures

2011-11-12T13:49:00.001Z

View of Mount Fuji in Google Maps. I have lots of ideas for paintings. One of them is to paint interesting Satellite pictures. I might do this one in different colours maybe.

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The Eye of the Tiger

2011-11-08T21:16:00.000Z

Painting is like horse-riding, you might fall, but you have to pick yourself up and get back in the saddle (on the saddle? It's the little words, isn't it?). Well, I've never done any horse-riding, so I wouldn't know.

I got myself some nice burnt sienna paint at the weekend and played with shades inspired by a Creature Comforts colour composition.

Here is the result - not frameable, but a whole lot more colourful than my previous efforts.

Christmas Cards

2011-11-08T20:03:00.000Z

Today, we received the Christmas cards we designed, me and BB, on Zazzle, and I'm really pleased with them. Simple but gorgeous!

Autumn in the United States Photos - National Geographic

2011-11-08T18:50:00.000Z

I'm always on the lookout for art inspiration. I have tons of beautiful photographs, taken by ourselves or found on the web.

Some lovely ones on National Geographic, as always:
Autumn in the United States Photos - National Geographic

No wonder I feel a bit overwhelmed! How would I even start to tackle something like this!

We need to talk about Kevin

2011-11-04T19:02:00.000Z

It sucks you in. "We need to talk about Kevin" follows the mother of a Columbines-type school murderer in the aftermath of her son's actions, as she tries to make sense of the events that have taken her life from under her feet.

She remembers Kevin as a baby, how difficult he was from day one, how she was too exhausted to bond. And yet, she never gave up on him, even if she found him strange and disturbing.

It's not a conventional movie. Tilda Swinton is not a conventional actress. There is a lot of red colour, but not much blood, so don't expect to be shocked in that way. But this movie is so powerful, you will not forget it.

Pan Am

2011-11-04T18:42:00.000Z

Still not sure if we like Pan Am or not. It's light. What I find really grating about it is the bad sets - In this day and age, surely, there are ways to give the illusion of Paris or Berlin without spending a fortune. In Pan Am, unfortunately, it looks like they left the set designs to a teacher producing the school musical!

Not sure if we'll stick with it!

Siobhan Ryan - grey dress with zip, 31 Oct

2011-11-04T18:32:00.000Z

Siobhan Ryan is becoming more confident in her delivery of our weather forecasts. It's not always good news, but that's the life of a weather forecaster!

Don Giovanni

2011-11-04T18:21:00.000Z

I love Mozart's operas. They are so much fun, and there is a great tune kicking in at every turn. Don Giovanni is no different, every time a singer takes a breath, it's to start a beautiful aria, charming duet or bracing ensemble. No other opera composer does it with such verve!

And, for that, I enjoyed last Saturday's Met HD transmission. The singers were fantastic. And I loved Mariusz Kwiecien's baritone in the title role, and the energy he brought to it, despite his recent back injury and operation. And Luca Pisaroni's Leporello was full of mischief, just as he should be - I loved his first aria, Madamina, il catalogo è questo. (And if you like cute dogs, make sure to check his "Dogs on the Road" and Dog Blog page. Lenny & Tristan even have a facebook page!)
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To me, it is pure Mozart, lively, fun, light and bubbly.

Special mention also has to go to Barbara Frittoli and Marina Rebeka, in the roles of Donna Elvira and Donna Anna, respectively. Though it has to be said that Donna Anna is a rather dull character, or, as Marina Rebeka herself explained, she is mourning for most of the opera, so she is quite a difficult one to play - she is sad and angry, not a wide range of emotions.

The production was quite traditional, nothing new or modern about it, and for that reason, a bit disappointing. But when you have such beautiful music and great acting, you don't really need a fancy set, choreography or interesting lighting.

"Cheap" Joe Miller-Non Traditional Watercolor

2011-10-26T12:43:00.000+01:00

I find this demonstration of non-traditional watercolour techniques even more interesting than the previous one. Beautiful colours that sing together. To me, it shows that the subject matter doesn't need to be lofty in order to produce a good painting. Here, Joe is painting a few pharmacy bottles and a big paint brush, making references to his two careers - one as a pharmacist and the other as a painter and artist supplier. That's what prompted me to start my "Pag" project. I'm a translator, a project manager and a computer repairer. So, I decided to go back to my love of diachronic linguistics (the history of language to you and me). I don't think I'll make something as pretty as Joe's painting, though, but the joy is in the making. That's good enough for me. I'm not planning to sell any of my paintings - though we're running out of walls, so I'll have to figure something out.

"Cheap" Joe Miller-Traditional Watercolor

2011-10-25T17:19:00.000+01:00

I know it's really about selling products (their American Journey watercolours are currently on special offer), but I love Cheap Joe's videos - he just makes it look so easy and the colours are always vibrant. I wish all my watercolours looked that good. Or maybe they would if I bought Periwinkle and Halloween from the American Journey range! I'm tempted!

Siobhan Ryan - 24 Oct - Blue dress

2011-10-25T17:08:00.000+01:00

New dress for Siobhan Ryan. She also wore a nice pink dress a few days ago, but I forgot to snap it on the RTE Player.

I think she's growing her hair longer, but I think I like it better when it's not pulled back so severely from her face.

Red Sky, Red Earth

2011-10-24T17:44:00.000+01:00

I didn't think that a larger version of Red Sky, Red Earth would work, but I was wrong. It was quite easy to do in the end. I had to get plenty more acrylic glossy medium for my base layer, which I got in Kennedy's. I had rung earlier to see if they had what I needed, but I got quite worried when I saw a lady ahead of me buying tons of acrylic medium, and I thought I had made the trip into town for nothing. But the gentleman whom I had talked to on the phone had set aside the medium we had discussed, fair play to him.

I've used less oil pastel, which I think works better, less fussy. On the other hand, I wish I had used a slightly stronger yellow as a base - I find it too pale. Not sure how we'll go about framing this one - it's painted on canvas board, but no doubt the man in Village Framing will work something out.

Les Belges du bout du Monde

2011-10-24T17:26:00.002+01:00

Coming soon - click on the video for a taste of what Belgians around the world are getting up to these days - Les Belges du bout du Monde

Pag

2011-10-23T14:16:00.000+01:00

I've got this notion in my head about a painting around my favourite indo-european root, pag. Not the easiest thing to express in a visual way, so I'll need to explore for a while. I've started here with a few clothes pegs, courtesy of Padraig who took this lovely photograph, that I manipulated with Photoshop and Picasa. How I'll incorporate fasten, page, travail, travel, newfangled, peasant, peace, pectin and Pacific into this, I have no idea! And a peg is hard to draw, so I might need to make a little stencil that I can paint over. I might start with a collage, then move on to watercolours.

Jungle Fever

2011-10-22T15:16:00.000+01:00

I'm doing more acrylics work than watercolours these days. I'm not sure if it's good or bad. Acrylic colours are easy and vibrant. But I get so lost in the glorious hues that I forget composition and structure. It's certainly a great way of ignoring the fact that I should practise drawing more.

But never mind all that. I picked up some cadmium deep red, process cyan and cadmium yellow the other day and dabbed it all over canvas paper, with a touch of slow-dri blending medium. It wasn't particularly pretty.

Then I mixed more process cyan with lemon yellow and cadmium yellow, and applied it all over, again with slow-dri blending medium. Before it had time to dry, I pulled the paint around the canvas with a plastic painting knife. The result is more like graffiti than painting, and the green is too green, but I like the idea of it, if not the actual result. Yes, I think I'm going to explore this theme with a more natural green maybe, or a deep red. Hard to know what will work best.

I've tried a few variations in Photoshop and I can't decide between the olive green and the maroon. It makes for a nice collage though!

Anna Netrebko video blog

2011-10-19T11:57:00.000+01:00

For a glimpse into Anna Netrebko, check out her video blog - down to earth & funny, not your typical opera diva!

Anna Netrebko as Anna Bolena in The Metropolitan Opera 2011-12

2011-10-19T11:48:00.000+01:00

Anna Bolena

2011-10-19T11:40:00.000+01:00

I had checked the Movies at Dundrum listings but could not find anything about the Met HD transmissions. As Opera Ireland had ceased to exist, I could not find any information and had given up on it. Until Lucinda mentioned that she had heard that this season of Met opera would be shown at the Screen in town, as well as the cinema in Dun Laoghaire. With only a week to spare before the first performance, I didn't think I'd manage to get tickets, but I was lucky and even got a seat for the first show of the season, Anna Bolena.

The heavy rain that started almost the moment I left the house didn't stop me. I had an umbrella and good shoes. After purchasing a bottle of water and a pack of jelly babies, my favourite opera nibble, and making my way down Grafton Street, I was all set..

I didn't know Anna Netrebko, but, according to the gentleman sitting next to me - and he was quite the opera buff, so I'd say he was right - she was the main reason the show was sold out! Beautiful stage presence, dramatic acting and a clear, powerful, delicate, voice. I was not familiar with Donizetti's operas- after Anna Bolena, I will certainly be tempted to try out more.

I felt the stage design on the bare side, with some strange choices - I didn't like the tree trunks coming down from the sky to set an outdoors scene; the red bed didn't work - I would have felt it more appropriate for the scene between Henry VIII and Jane Seymour; and what were those Irish Wolfhounds doing on stage?

That said, the stark set and dark lighting conveyed a strong sense of oppression and impending doom, so I can't knock it.

The costumes were beautiful. The costume designer based her work on paintings and drawings from the period by Hans Holbein - from the simple linen undershirts with embroidery around the collar, to the way each outfit was actually held together (for instance, some of the sleeves were just tied to the bodice rather than sewn), most of them in blacks and browns. The only fancy outfit was Henry's golden Court coat. And it was interesting to see Anne Boleyn shedding her jewelry as her star wanes in Court.

The acting was good, if a bit dramatic - but I think that's expected in such a tragic bel canto opera. The only singer whom I felt was too restrained in his acting was Stephen Costello, who sang Lord Percy. An Irish American according to my knowledgeable neighbour! I felt the character's passion wasn't showing through, amidst all the drama. That said, he was a beautiful tenor. And considering how young he is, I think he has plenty of scope for developping his acting skills.

Good interview with Anna Netrebko, who comes across very friendly and witty, not a diva at all, and Stephen Costello & the director of the Metropolitan Opera here.

PS: It's a real shame that the Opera Ireland bi-annual live opera productions no longer exist. Apparently, they closed down to make way for a new Irish National Opera Company that was going to be set up in 2011. But I have just found out that it has collapsed, even before reaching its first production.So, we're left with no live opera season in Dublin this year.

Cat

2011-10-17T10:33:00.000+01:00

We're cat lovers and this big guy caught our eye in Marlay Park yesterday:

Marlay Park

2011-10-16T14:30:00.000+01:00

Beautiful day today. It's hard to believe we're past mid-October. Temperatures are getting a bit cooler, around 12-14, but with the sun shining, it was warmer than some days in August this year. We went for a walk to Marlay Park, along with half the population of South Dublin - Thankfully we got there around 10:30 and found parking easily. It was a different story by the time we were leaving, though. Cars were abandoned on footpaths and on the grass, and the traffic was at a standstill outside.

Still plenty of leaves on trees - very different from our estate where the leaves have been turning for well over a month.

Irish Presidential Race - it's getting worse

2011-10-15T23:42:00.000+01:00

Dana’s niece set to sue her over comments denying abuse | Irish News | IrishCentral

Educating Essex

2011-10-15T15:15:00.000+01:00

Long winter nights are the perfect time to catch up with what's on the telly. We're still watching Big Brother (Channel 5 don't broadcast to Ireland, unfortunately, so we're watching it via some YouTube links - Many thanks to the young person who's taken on this daily task), we're nearly done with MasterChef Ireland (don't click if you don't want to know who won), and there's always a Come Dine with Me or two showing on a channel somewhere.

We're looking forward to the next season of Mad Men and also to the start of Pan Am (coming to our screens next week, I believe).

In the meantime, we're being entertained and educated by a program we're watching on Channel 4's 4oD - Educating Essex. Cameras have been set up around a secondary school in the UK and are providing a fly-on-the-wall documentary - the main themes so far have been mostly about discipline, bullying and how the school manages disruptive students.

Some may disagree, but I think the principal and vice-principal come out of it with flying colours. What strikes a chord is their patience, persistence and focus on giving their students the best possible chance of an education, in situations where others would have given up on the troubled kids a long time ago.

In one case, a student is taken into care because of issues with his mother following an acrimonious divorce. The way the story is told, it looks like the principal cares more about that student's welfare and future than his mother, to be honest.

Now, of course, we're only seeing an edited version, what the producers have decided to show us. It may not be the full story. Those things rarely are. And of course, we're seeing all the trouble students, who are probably playing up to the cameras. We're not even getting a glimpse of the ones who are working hard and have no reason to be sent to the vice-principal's office.

In the last episode we watched, there was quite a funny scene, with a long queue of boys reporting to the vice-principal, as their internet accounts had been monitored and it was found that they had been downloading games onto the school computers. Not a single girl in the queue.

All in all, the world of teenagers is very different from when I was a kid. I don't remember any cases of bullying. Sometimes, the class would get into trouble for making too much noise if a teacher was late turning up. But I don't remember any bad language or major bad behaviour - I did turn up for History a bit tipsy on the occasional Friday afternoon - we had a couple of free periods after lunch and we'd go to the pub - I was probably 16 or 17 - I'd be drunk on one beer. But that's the height of it. And it didn't affect my grades!

The school shown on the program is probably one of the better ones - that's the scary thing. It seems to be relatively middle-class. Most of the children, even the ones getting into trouble, want an education. Nothing compared to what was portrayed in "The Wire" - Inner-city Baltimore it isn't!

Siobhan Ryan - brown dress 14 Oct. Jean Byrne on Green Tea

2011-10-15T15:00:00.000+01:00

Very low cleavage for Siobhan last night - she had a little vest all right, but it was flesh-coloured, and I'm sure it only served to fuel the boys' imagination. She hadn't been on for a while, and she sounded a bit uncomfortable. My guess is that presenting the weather on TV is like anything else, the more you practise, the better you get.

Jean Byrne certainly has been getting plenty of TV time lately, and we've seen most of her wardrobe displayed. My favourite I think is a black dress with three-quarter sleeves and an asymetric neckline. I heard PlayBack on the radio this morning and I thought that her portrayal on Green Tea was a bit unfair - the voice was spot-on, but she doesn't swallow every 30 seconds. Apparently, she used to do that when she was more of a novice, but that's no longer the case. She is such a professional.

The Year of Magical Thinking

2011-10-14T19:02:00.001+01:00

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is a book that was recommended to me a long time ago. Clearly, I didn't read the blurb on Amazon and I was expecting a work of fiction. It isn't. It's an account of death and grief.

Joan Didion's husband died suddenly of a heart attack, while their only child was in hospital fighting septic shock brought on by a flu and pneumonia. They were sitting at the dinner table - one moment he was talking, the next he wasn't.

In this book, Didion surveys the year following her husband's death, her feelings, or rather her numbness, how the slightest little thing would drag her back into the vortex, if she found herself in a place that held memories for her and her husband, and her inability to accept the fact that he's not coming back.

Being a writer, Didion is someone who takes her research seriously. She tries to find some literature that would help her understand what happened, and deal with her feelings, and she quotes plenty of learned tomes that really don't help her at all - only a book on etiquette seems to hit a chord with her. Interestingly, this book has now become the reference point for people grieving. It didn't make me cry - which I think is good - but I felt it immensely compelling.

The Guardian articles

2011-10-12T14:16:00.001+01:00

This is a facebook app, so not sure if the link will work, but let's give it a try:
http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/world/2011/oct/08/amanda-knox-facial-expressions?fb_ref=U-xxacvlr5F7UM4F_oIgABm1-CFCONX02FBS-32f4gXXX&fb_source=profile_oneline

Cute Pictures

2011-10-12T14:15:00.002+01:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1273864/Salati-leopard-Tommy-dog-snuggle-daily-game-chase.html

PS : much easier to share all these links on Facebook - most sites have a Facebook Share button, but not many have one for Blogger. So if you want to see more of these things I find on the web, search me on Facebook.

Major Tom

2011-10-12T14:13:00.000+01:00

I'm a Star Trek fan, but I don't think I'll be buying this album. Good giggle listening to the samples on the iTunes store - Shatner's versions of Rocket Man and Bohemian Rhapsody are hilarious.
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/10/william-shatner-space-jams/

Impressions of Parknasilla

2011-10-08T18:44:00.000+01:00

Parknasilla

2011-10-08T18:36:00.000+01:00

We were down in Kerry earlier this week. Like last year, we stayed in Parknasilla. It proved a good choice, as the weather wasn't on our side. Low cloud and fog most of the time meant that we couldn't even see the peninsula across the way.

There would have been no point in setting off on long sight-seeing journeys, so we decided to explore the extensive hotel grounds instead - lots of little coves, islands and dense woodland.

We also made use of the pool, with a swim before breakfast every day. Just as well. What a breakfast! Home-made muesli and fruit, poached eggs, grilled tomato, black pudding and nutty brown bread, pain au chocolat, and French toast. Even a soup for lunch was too much! (That didn't stop me, though!) All that followed by delicious dinners. My stomach has doubled in size in 3 days. Fantastic food in the main restaurant. Beware of Fabians, though, their pizza restaurant. We were served 2 dreadful frozen pizzas. If they were not frozen, there was something seriously wrong with them - a biscuity base, lashings of tomato sauce and shredded cheese. It really tasted industrial. The waitress was very apologetic.

Kerry is a long drive from Dublin. Four and a half hours is a long way. We went via Cork - with the motorway, you can make Cork in two and a half hour. The road isn't bad after Cork (at least, it's not as busy as Mitchellstown-Killarney), but it's a long two hours all the same. I still think there should be a motorway between Dublin and Killarney, the capital of tourism in Ireland. But nobody in the Department of Tourism seems to be pushing for this.

We got one of the newly-renovated rooms, on the top floor just above the entrance. Maybe because we were repeat customers? Gorgeous room, large and bright.

Apart from eating, swimming and walking, we didn't do much. I tried a little bit of painting and drawing on the iPad, but more doodles than proper work.

Red Sky, Red Earth

2011-10-08T16:58:00.000+01:00

With the added copper-coloured oil pastel. It's going to be hard to reproduce this on a larger canvas!

Redemption Falls

2011-10-08T09:15:00.000+01:00

Redemption Falls is a strangely interesting and engaging book by Joseph O 'Connor. It took me a while to get into it, I have to admit. I found the language in the first chapter really hard to read, full of strange expressions and fancy words. I considered giving up, but I stuck to it and it proved immensely rewarding in the end.

The thing is that it's a story told in many voices and from many perspectives. So the language changed at every chapter - that must be something really hard to do as a writer - and it became easier.

The story is set somewhere in the Wild West shortly after the American Civil War, and follows the entangled lives of the acting Governor, an Irish patriot who escaped death in Ireland, his estranged wife, and a silent little boy who's seen too many horrors in the war.

Probably the most challenging book I've read in a long time, but well worth it.

Indian Summer

2011-10-06T21:46:00.000+01:00

No, I'm not talking about the 3 days of glorious weather we had last week, I'm referring to the Indian restaurant in Stillorgan that's re-opened its doors after 9 months closed following a fire next door.
We went there this evening and enjoyed their new value menu. Can't wait to try their other dishes

Separated at Birth

2011-09-29T18:48:00.000+01:00

Brendan came up with this one the other day - uncanny resemblance, isn't it?:

Separated at Birth! Sharon Ni Bheolain and Lady Penelope (from Thunderbirds TV Series)

Red Sky, Red Earth

2011-09-27T21:06:00.000+01:00

I'm juggling a few projects - the best way to operate if you don't want to get bogged down with a painting that's not going too well!

This one I started on Sunday, and it's the one working out best so far.

A Gloss Super Heavy Gel from Liquitex mixed with yellow and white, applied with a painting knife, provides the underlying texture. Then, just two colours, cadmium red and process cyan, mixed with Liquitex Slow Dri Blending Medium.and Liquitex Matte Medium, applied with rough fan brushes I bought in Lidl a while back, and scored with a plastic painting knife. I'm now working on adding small touches of copper oil pastel.

Next, I'm going to experiment - I would like to achieve the same effect on a bigger scale - I need a wide piece of plastic and 3 bigger fan brushes, and a lot more Liquitex medium!

Clementines - The Return

2011-09-27T20:53:00.000+01:00

In the meantime, I'm also working on Clementines - The Return. I applied white oil pastel to the background and did another layer on the scarf. I am further than ever from the original colour of the scarf, but this greener version works quite well. I used a Liquitex slow-dri blending medium to give me more time to work the highlights and shadows. I mixed in a bit of matt medium to tone down the gloss of the slow-dri, but it's still quite shiny. It looks almost like velvet now.

Next, I'm going to have to tackle my Japanese plate. And I'm going to have to rework the background some more. And then probably apply a gloss medium over the whole thing. Right now, the clementines, the plate and the glass are matt while everything else is glossy.

This will keep me busy.

PS: just read the information on the Liquitex slow-dri blending medium on the website, and I have found that you can use this medium, mixed half and half with water as a fixative for pastels. I must get myself an atomizer to try that out! That would be ideal for my mixed-media projects!

Milford Sound

2011-09-27T20:37:00.000+01:00

I promised you a better picture of the Milford Sound watercolour, didn't I? Although the picture is better, that doesn't correct the flaws - I'm going to remove the foreground bushes - the pastel effect clashes with the rest of the painting. As for the Mitre and the mountain in front of it, I will need to make them a simpler texture, less fussy. I like my sky, water and mountains in the background on the right. We'll get there eventually.

Exercise

2011-09-27T10:30:00.000+01:00

She's got a really annoying voice, but I'm going to try this walking-at-home program. I need to lose a bit of tummy fat before Christmas, and I don't really want to get up earlier to do more at the gym. I'm already finding it hard to get up these mornings, so trying to get up earlier would probably only make me want to stay in bed longer!

The big C

2011-09-25T10:40:00.000+01:00

This summer, we watched the first season of The Big C, a new TV series with Laura Linney. She plays a standard American housewife who discovers she has skin cancer and it is terminal. She doesn't tell anybody, her husband, her son, her brother, and decides to start living life to the full. She wants a swimming pool in her garden, takes a lover, buys a fast car... She kicks her husband out, and the poor man has no idea what's going on.

It's quirky, it's funny, it's sad. I'm looking forward to Season 2

The last of the movies

2011-09-25T10:20:00.000+01:00

These rugby matches on weekend mornings are a great opportunity for the likes of me trying to catch up on blogging.

Not too many more movies to cover, so here we go:

Watchmen: a super hero movie with a somber side. The superheroes are mostly retired, and one of them gets killed under suspicious circumstances. And these heroes have some dark secrets. Squeakly-clean they are not. Quite good, but probably not for those who have never watched a super-hero movie before.

Dodgeball: much better than I expected. Light, silly, family entertainment, plenty of laughs.

Duplicity: with Clive Owen and a too-skinny Julia Roberts. Both are spies who quit their jobs and move into the world of industrial espionage. Set in Dubai, Rome, New York and Cleveland, it's a complicated story with many jumps back and forth in time. I enjoyed it. I saw a review that said that Julia Roberts was curvier than in earlier days. Now, I don't agree with that statement. I think she looked too thin. But it just shows the pressures actresses over 40 must come under to stay in shape.

Beautiful picture

2011-09-22T22:29:00.000+01:00

The sea. A gorgeous photo in this article

The Maldives - aiming to be carbon-neutral by 2020.

2011-09-22T22:21:00.000+01:00

Interesting article in the Guardian

Jean Byrne - white leather jacket over black lace?

2011-09-18T19:19:00.000+01:00

Over the last few day, Jean Byrne has been wearing some of her lovely dresses - the turquoise one, and also the black one with the golden belt. Beautiful.
Today was an off day, though, with a strange bell-sleeved white leather jacket over black trousers and a black lace top. Not my favourite.

Milford Sound

2011-09-18T19:08:00.000+01:00

Here is the final product for Milford Sound (the photograph was taken in artifial light so the colours are a bit yellow. I'll try to take a better picture tomorrow). And also, a black & white version of it - always useful to check the value contrast. I had to add detail to the bushes in the foreground using pastels - the dark block of watercolour was too stark.