Beginning Again

....and Merry Boxing Day too!

I hope you're all well and that the season finds you with the ones you love, happy and content. I've been away for a while - as you can plainly see from the dates on the posts - and spent a looong time debating whether to close my blog down for good, but I figure I at least owe you lovely people some thanks for your support at a really crappy time in my life, and for your patience and let you know that it meant - and means - the world to me.

Breaking back into blogging feels weird at the moment and six months is a heck of a long time to sum up concisely but I'll make a start at least. As it's still the festive season, I'll keep it light as much as possible! I have kept 'arting'.., for myself, and I think it's saved my sanity! I have a new journal - I've actually filled three since leaving blogging - this one being an altered book that I kept when we cleared my uncle's home a couple of years back. I've had to leave a lot behind for practical reasons so it's been an exercise in starting over, and having to let go of so SO much stuff has encouraged me to incorporate more personal items - photos, ephemera, keepsakes etc - into my journals so that they're easy to pack and keep as I continue through life. Space-saving has become an issue! I'll share my progress with you over the next few posts. I hope that some of my rambles and ideas and such might be useful to people and I figure that it's one thing to give advice, but another to share the personal practical applications of it. Can't really do one without the other, eh?

As I'm not overly sure where to begin I'll start with my current journal. I moved back to written journaling for quite a while during my house clearance and house move which was just after mum died. It was such an upheaval that I think I just needed to vent and journaling became a daily catharsis for me. I did find myself still filling it with doodles and pictures when words would not suffice and gradually, the art has taken over again. I still find myself needing to write so at present I have a couple of books on the go but the one I'll share a bit of now is mainly art. I know it's not everyone's idea of journaling but as I've said on many previous occasions it's all about what works for me.

These are my recent journals - I apologise for the dodgy pics, my camera's a bit.....temperamental!

Yep....that's my (*ahem*) TIDY (ahahaha) workdesk. Yep.  This is the altered book journal -

It's the usual thing - I removed some pages and glued others together. I opted to just leave some as single pages as well, some torn or cut, just for variety. I've only faffed about with the first half of the book - I learned that lesson a long time ago. Altering it as I go along ensures that it still closes because I can remove more pages whenever I need to - it doesn't bulk out or tear. I opted to keep this book because it has a lot of surveyors diagrams in it which look cool when they show through background layers: just adding a bit more interest where I want them to.  I kept a box of cut-outs and ephemera which I sifted through so that I could add some tabs and images to pages to alter as I go along. It's worked very well and gives me useful prompts when my mind goes a bit blank.

....Tidy, tidy workspace..... shyeah! aha!

To help me focus and have purpose, I wrote myself a note inside the front cover:

"This altered book originally belonged to my uncle who was a chartered surveyor. It is now a journal to help me re-build my confidence in making art, trying new techniques and developing skills. Although I may choose to share some pages, this is for my own enjoyment and will hopefully reflect my personality, thoughts, dreams and humour. I have no concern that some pages will suffer a natural decay and damage from regular book use...this is as beautiful to me as the art itself."

.....Basically I just needed to re-introduce myself to mixed media work after having been left so long with just one basic set of coloured pencils and a pen! The value of art journaling, aside from the soul-calming element, is that it does indeed provide a safe place for building confidence in using different mediums and techniques. It took a couple of pages of slightly halting messing about before I found my way again but I'm a lot happier now. It's also helped me to settle a little....I miss my studio dreadfully, and having no place to call home for a while was pretty scary, but working on this book helped me to nest a little and feel at home where I am now which was an unexpected bonus!

I'll leave this here for today but I promise to be back with more in the next day or so. I'd like, once again,  to thank the lovely people who left comments on my earlier post, "To Heal My Heart" and who took the time to email me. You've no idea how much your words helped me and reassured me that there is great kindness in this world.  Thanks for visiting again - big hugs to everyone, from Shroo:)

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and all the best for a happy new year 2015 from Shroo x

To Heal My Heart

Today has been a tough day.

Today, my mum died. She has fought valiantly against cancer, staying strong and positive but infection wore her down and she was  released from her battle this afternoon just as the sun broke through the rain clouds that have dominated the week's weather. A group of butterflies took flight from the ground outside her window, and she was free.  

She was an artist, a dancer, a pure kind spirit and constant inspiration to all who knew her, including myself. I know she'll live in my heart every day, just as I lived in hers and I will feel her willpower and love with me always. 

I wanted to share this with you as I've been away from here, caring for her and loving her for some time now. She loved to read this blog while she was able and I wrote most posts with her in mind. I wanted her to know how much I value everything she taught me, and the gifts that I inherited from her. She was my guide through the darkness and my companion in the light and although I feel incomplete without her by my side, I take strength from knowing that all that she was is still with me now and always, in her words and deeds and in her beautiful art. 

She has danced into a glorious colourful meadow of summer flowers, accompanied by the sound of lark song and the love I sent with her. 

Love you mum. Dance and be happy. xxxxxx

Finding Time for Art - Or ELSE!

Let's pretend it's only been a couple of cheeky days since my last post, shall we? Yes....just for a lark... How is it that despite there being twenty-four long hours in each and every sparkly day, there's simply bugger-all time to get stuff ACTUALLY properly done? Or even a BIT done, in some cases.

I've been INCREDIBLY busy - which, in itself, SUCKS - but then, on top of the hectic, I've decided to severely de-clutter. Sounds like a GOOD idea, eh? yeeeeaaaahh...... no. I have this thing where I have to make sure that  stuff's not wasted, which makes getting rid of the crap I have in my house a nightmare! It's even EVEN harder because I actually LIKE my crap.... I love my awesome Disney snowglobes.... I live for my gorgeous books.... I adore my nik-naks and collectables... Parting with any of them at all (and choosing frugally which ones to keep) is like Sophie's Choice every time! Added to which I'm a first class procrastinator. So my house looks like several really quite big bombs have hit it. A lot!

This is not condusive to relaxation - or art. It is, however, a real boon for the stress-fairy, who's become a permanent fixture, limpeting onto my brain and playing havoc with my blood pressure. Normally I'd have out with the paints and the shiny arty things and flap it all about 'til calm returned, but a/ I've packed things away so that they're safe while I sort through stuff and dispose of various bits, and b/ I can't get into the studio as it's full of charity/ebay/collector's shops boxes all piled up ready for re-distribution. Stress-fairy is THRILLED with this and has been happily cranking up that blood pressure for a month now, so this last week, I foraged through a forgotten corner and found a teeny weeny sketchbook and a couple of my favourite Tachikawa ink pens and have determined to set aside a little time every day to doodle and remember to breathe.

 True.

As it's been....a few days (shush) since that last post, I thought I'd share the first few pages with you, sort of whether you like it or not! Moowahaha... You'll notice that they're all sea-based. That's because I like sea-based things. I'm not planning to win an award here, just not to have my head, heart or anything else explode from the results of poor time/space/stuff management. SO here we go...in page order....:

The scanner's not keen on the paper. The backgrounds are all left sort of off-white but my scanner - Gertie - decided to add random blotches. As I can only assume that it's an expression of her own artistic muse. Aww.  This sketchbook's only tiny - it's 5"x5" and that's kind of cool as it allows me to finish things quickly. Less intimidation, more fun! Take THAT, stress-fairy!

....An absolutely accurate - almost photographic - depiction of a standard day on our local coastline. *ahem*

I like cormorants. There are LOADS (I counted - that's accurate) of them around our local docklands, so I added a couple of docky-type images to this beaky chappie just for fun.

 Gertie Scanner really hates this paper... Anyhoo - mermaid! I KNOW! Who'd have thought it? Me, draw a MERMAID! Craaaaazy......

Naughty Octopus! DOWN boy! SIT! It's the marine version of a Freudian nightmare, but then that's octopusesesesesesi for you.  I've not faffed with detail on the octochappie as I intend to throw some inktense pencils his way. When I can reach them. Or find them.

More mermaids, some fishies and a message in a bottle. Sorted.

Another fish. He has a jellyfish for a belly and he likes it. He's a fish.

So that's an update. Sorry it's not more exciting or tutorialy but if you wanna swap - I'll have your studio with paints and tables and stuff, and you can have mine with it's boxes and bin-bags..... Nah....didn't think so! 

I'm off to get some sleep before another hectic day begins. Sending some love out to the blogosphere - if I'm REALLY lucky I'll have time soon to visit YOUR awesome blogs and say 'hi!' - hopefully whilst sitting in a MUCH clearer, muse-friendly space!  Wish me luck! Much love -Shroo :) xxx

Inspirational Artists - Yoshitaka Amano

Hello, you scrumptious lovelies!!

Have you had a good week? I do hope so - time to breathe....time to play...time to ART! Mine's been MASSIVELY hectic - in fact, I think my poor li'l computer forgot what I look like... But today I have time to sit and read through your wonderful comments, which have made a LONG few days of grot disappear in MOMENTS, to be replaced by happy faces and renewed optimism, so thank you SQUILLIONS for that! You know I loves ya xxxxxxx

I've not had any real time for art since my last post, although I have some new jewellery ready for Etsy - here's a sneak peek -

Seriously....I can't resist beads... It's a genuine weakness! I've just about been able to exercise severe restraint over paper buying, but beads? Nah.... they're too pretty...! I don't know if it's the variety of shapes, the feel of them, or the GORGEOUS colours - maybe a bit of everything! YUM!

In my last post I asked for suggestions on what I should post next, and Carmen (visit her fabulous blog HERE) reminded me that I've not written an 'inspirational artsists' post in quite a while! She's so very right - and I have a LIST of them too! So I've sifted through my notes and images and stuff, and decided on an artist to spotlight here for you. I'm sure many of you will know of his awesome talent and stunning art, but I have so much love for his work that he's an easy pick right here, right now.

Inspirational Artists - YOSHITAKA AMANO

Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese artist, born in 1952 who STARTED his career as a teenager, working as a character designer for animated series such as 'Speed Racer', 'Gatchaman (The Battle Of The Planets)' and 'Robot Hunter'.

He stated once [to paraphrase] that if life's too stable, creativity dies so he left a comfortable career and at the age of 30 started to work as a freelance artist. He has designed characters for MANY massively popular computer games, most notably, Final Fantasy. He has exhibited worldwide, and produced [now] iconic pieces illustrating a variety of books and comics including 'Vampire Hunter D', 'Elric Saga', 'Elektra And Wolverine: The Redeemer', and also, spectacularly, 'The Sandman: The Dream Hunters' (with Neil Gaiman). He's also had several collections of his own works published, each of which is a genuine delight and inspiration. Here are some of the books that I proudly own -

Now, you know I love you guys, but I'm not risking spine cracks to scan stuff from these lovelies, so you can thank Pinterest for the assistance with most of the images from hereon in... I knows you understands!

Ok. Sooooo.... I first became aware of Amano's work in the late '90s and haven't been able to get enough of it ever since. I find his books incalculably invaluable, especially when I'm suffering an artstic 'brain freeze'. He is fearless. His work OWNS the page and the canvas and achieves a genuine presence and life of its own.

Amano's work shows heavy influence of tradition Japanese artwork combined with more recognised manga styles and techniques...

...and he also shows aspects of influence by western artists and art movements...

It's always interesting trying to divine where other artists find their own influence... In Amano's work I can see the influence of the art nouveau movement, a hint of some of the long-standing fantasy artists such as Michael Kaluta or Charles Vess, as well as echoes of the work of Aubrey Beardsley, maybe even Arthur Rackham -and many others.

This is Beardsley's illustration for Oscar Wilde's 'Salome' ...his fantastic extention of costume and headdress and exquisitely delicate, posed limbs seem - to me - to be reflected in Amano's characters.

Amano doesn't seem to be intimidated by bold colour - not only combining them passionately to produce evocative and romantic images...

...but also using them selectively to create powerful, high impact works with only one, single colour -

...as unafraid of an ABSENCE of colour as he is by bold, definitive strokes. He manipulates colour and makes it work for him -

With simple black ink he produces sketches that are are so dynamic that they almost seem to move on the page -

  - and allows the viewer to add their own imagined detail ...

His work ranges from the beautifully impressionistic...

...to the detailed and precise-

Although he may be best known for his fantasy art, he has produced some fabulous pop and graphic  art -

When you look at these, then look at this :

- you'd not think it would be the same hand that created them.  In my opinion, he's one of the most versatile and gifted artists working today. I can't get enough... really. I could fill this post with words, rambling on and on about his style, his skill, his technique... But I honestly think that I'd rather encourage you to go hunting for his work - on Pinterest, on Google...or your search engine of choice. Check out your local library, comic shop or book emporium and treat yourself to something you'll treasure. Looking at this online is nothing compared to enjoying it in print. And if you are EVER lucky enough to visit one of his exhibitions, then drink in all that awesome and then smuggle one out for me, will ya? A biggun.

I'm going to leave you with another few images - you've no idea how tough it' been here to CHOOSE!  I really hope you enjoyed this post and that you go find out more about Yoshitaka Amano. I hope you're filled with inspiration and make some beautiful art to share with us in the blogosphere.  Thank you for visiting! I'll be back as soon as I can with more STUFF - and another one of these inspirational artists posts, now that I've been reminded of how big my list is... Yep.

Sending out love and hugs to all of you - Shroo :) xxx

Full credit to the awesomeness that is Yoshitaka Amano - long may you be EPIC!