Day 81: Blooming Fireworks

I am pleased that the weather was so lovely today as I had planned to redo all my garden pots ready for summer and I had counted on it being warm and sunny.

I left early in the morning for the local Garden Centre and picked up some bright, colourful and vibrant potting plants in red and orange shades. The plants were home and potted up in quick time.

As I sat with a well earned cuppa and looked admiringly at my work, I caught this bright red bloom set against the clear blue sky. The light was so dazzling that the glare cascading around the flower gave the appearance of a light filled firework exploding in the sky.

It was magical ... and I had to try and capture it.

Medium: Golden Acrylic paint on Fredrix Artist Canvas

Time to complete: 3 hours (in two sessions on same day)

Day 80: Glass Bottle

This bottle is all that remains of an organic apple and blackberry fruit juice. It has been rinsed and is ready to go into the glass recycling bin.

I sometimes wonder whether all the glass that goes in to recycling is reused in other products or whether there is a glass mountain somewhere that is growing ever bigger.

There must be many people like me, who trust that the urban recycling systems are delivering what they promise. I am sure there will be a report somewhere in the depths of the paperwork at my local council.  I will check the council website to see if they are reporting on the amount of rubbish that is now being diverted from landfill to recycling centres.  I support these initiatives that help protect our environment and I would much rather have a fruit juice from a glass bottle than and plastic one any day.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: 15 minutes

Day 79: Fern Pattern

I was playing with this fern pattern as I am looking for a repeat pattern I can use on Christmas Cards. The idea came to me when getting a glass of water. I spied the discarded ferns and leaves from an old flower arrangement and liked the way they were sitting on top of each other on the bench.

They leaves had lost some of the vibrancy and colour but I liked their shapes and the uniformity of the pattern they made against the dark background. I am glad I captured it.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Watercolours on Strathmore Watercolour Paper

Time to complete: 40 minutes

Day 78: Green Pepper

A stir fry was on the menu for dinner and I had left a couple of vegetables out to cut up ready for the wok. I decided to have a short break before embarking on dinner preparation and drew the pepper while sipping my cup of tea.

The family love stir fry and green curries and it is a good medium to get lots of vegetables into the mix. Green beans, carrots, peppers, peas, sprouts, potato, soy beans ... they find there way into the wok or into the pot.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: 15 minutes

Day 77: Bean Sprouts

I like bean sprouts with tomato and cheese on rice crackers as an afternoon snack. The red of the tomato, the yellow of the cheese and the green of the sprouts always look mouth delicious ... and I love the crunch of the sprouts in my mouth.

Today I painted this quickly at a friend's place. I borrowed the watercolours and I did not have the right paper for the medium. The colour pooled and the paper buckled. C'est la vie !

Medium: Child's paintbox watercolours on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 20 minutes

Day 76: A Theme on a Rose

It is fashionable today to use vintage china in cafes. Some match their cups and saucers and some don't. The result is often very charming...sometimes it is not.

Today I took a piece of a rose pattern on my cup - and ignored the brown mismatched saucer - and completed a challenge from a friend's art book.

In the exercise, you are challenged to paint part of the piece with your eyes shut. Yikes ... I was not comfortable with that at all and I won't be repeating it often. It does, however, force you to trust yourself a little and visualise your brush on the paper.

Medium: Winsor and Newton Watercolours on Stathmore Watercolour paper

Time to complete: 40 minutes

Day 75: Still Life with Book

I love books and am always running out of shelf and storage space for them. I have shelves in more than one room piled high with my literary treasures and I can't think of a better thing to do, when I am not mucking about with art, than reading.

An afternoon or morning tea slot is not just a stop for some sustenance, it is a chance to either work on art for read a book. Sometimes I try to do both ... but not at the same time. I alternate between the two and it is a wonder I get anything out of either of them, but I do.

The book and apple looked a little lonely on the bench so I added a vase. It made drawing the still life much more interesting.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete:  35 minutes

Day 74: Little Condiment Jar

The condiment that came in this little jar has long been eaten. I cannot remember what it was or where it came from, but I do remember the jar originally had a cork stopper which I probably threw out in the rubbish a long time ago.

I have always like its shape and the feel of the little clay container when it nestles in my hand, so I keep it on a shelf in the kitchen. One day, I may find another use for it. Until then, it will continue to sit waiting and I will continue to enjoy the sight of it.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 20 minutes

Day 73: A Study in Greens

I have a hedge around three sides of my house and all the windows at the back look directly onto it. Today, while sipping my tea, I decided to do a quick exercise on negative space, and the hedge was the perfect subject to explore this with.

There has been occasional talk from neighbours about perhaps removing the hedge but I am happy to say that the cost of doing so and replacing it with a fence has always proved too expensive. I am relieved I have never had to fight to keep it because I love seeing the green border that surrounds my house ... and the birds love it too. I so not want to lose it.

There are parts of rural New Zealand where hedges have been removed to make way for barb wire fences. I read the other day that some farmers are now replanting hedges. They certainly look more attractive marching along the landscape that wood and wire.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Watercolours on Strathmore Watercolour paper

Time to complete: 40 minutes

Day 72: Flower for the Table

We had friends coming over for the afternoon so I picked up some blooms from the florist to brighten up the place. I love fresh flowers in my house. The sight of them makes me happy and I love the fragrance.

One of the flowers in the bunch had a short stem and no matter what I did with it, I could not fit it in the other arrangements. It had a large flower head and it seemed out of place no matter what I did with it.

I solved the problem by placing it in a short vase and put it on the table where it sat quite happily in the middle of us all as we chatted around it.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 20 minutes

Day 71: Packham's Triumph

Strawberries have arrived in the fruit shops signalling the arrival of spring and summer's fare. This Packham pear is probably the last I will get to eat until next season.

There are many gardens in New Zealand with Packham Pear trees. They are hardy and easy to grow. The fruit is versatile - it can be eaten raw, cooked or stewed. I like to eat Packhams straight from the tree. They are quite fragrant and I love the smell of them.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Watercolours of Strathmore Watercolour paper

Time to complete: 20 minutes

Day 70: Polystyrene Packaging

Today we had a new television delivered. The old one had an interesting array of colours showing permanently on the screen and a few blank spots were no colour showed at all. It needed to be replaced.

Polystyrene packaging surrounded the new monster and the remnants of it were standing on the sideboard. I observed them all the way through my morning tea and decided to draw them.

I am not a supporter of this type of packaging. I would much prefer that the manufacturer used a renewable environmentally friendly resource ... but I was told that I was not being realistic. I still believe there are viable alternatives. Customers just need to keep asking for them.

The problem of the appropriate disposal of this unfriendly material is now ours. It is not recyclable.

Medium: Compressed charcoal on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 25 minutes

Day 69: Little Pink Box

I have been gradually clearing out some cupboards in a fit of spring cleaning. This little box was included in a small pile of things that are no longer needed which was left on the kitchen bench. They were sitting waiting to be packed up and delivered to the charity shop in Takapuna.

Hopefully, someone will see it and buy it and the money will go to a good cause. It used to hold the trinklets and treasures of a little girl who is now all grown up. It was a precious possession and it deserves to be passed on to a little person who will care for it like she did.

Medium: Soft pastels on Sugar paper

Time to complete: approx 30 minutes

Day 68: Afternoon Tea and Life Drawing

I was invited to an artist's quarterly working afternoon tea gathering ... and the subject was life drawing. The theme of the afternoon changes each quarter and the idea is that the gathering provides an opportunity for artist's to work and explore. As an artist you also have the opportunity to get some peer feedback and criticism of your work.

Drawing people is not my forte. It is my fault, I do not put in enough practice to build my technique in this area. Throughout the 2 hour session, I had many opportunities to work on drawing the human figure through a number of poses in a series of 2 minute, 4 minute, 8 minute and 10 minute life model sessions. I learnt a lot from the experience and from my peers.

A big thanks to the Artist's Group for the invite. I enjoyed the afternoon tea and the company.

Medium: Compressed Charcoal on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: 8 minutes

Day 67: Billboards and Hoardings

As it is currently just under one week before our National Elections, campaign hoardings and billboards are everywhere at the moment and political discussions ease there way into the general discourses of my day.

It seems that my meetings with people are peppered with the latest piece of interesting news and, if nothing else, Kim Dotcom has livened up the political scene here - even if some of the events surrounding him are questionable.

This piece was completed as a mixed media challenge. The requirement was to complete a piece that resembled a wall that was used over time to post billboards. I kept my content bias within the political arena ... although some of it is tongue in cheek.

Medium: Mixed Media using clippings and Golden Acrylic paint on Poster Board.

Time to complete: 2 hours

Day 66: Mortar and Pestle

An ancient tool still used today in my kitchen is a mortar and pestle. The design is so simple that it has stood the test of time and been passed down through ancient civilisations to us today ... and it has not changed.

I have seen them in antiquities displays in museums around the world and it amazes me that I still have this tangible link to the domestic life of the past in my home.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 20 minutes

Day 65: Empty Dessert Plate

In my opinion, there is nothing so satisfying for someone who has cooked a meal than the empty plates at the end of it.

A successful meal is not just about the food on the plates. It is a shared time with friends; a few laughs; creating memories; telling stories; connecting with others.

"At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely" W. Somerset Maugham.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 25 minutes (while chatting as you do at a dinner with friends)

Day 64: Little Cream Jug

This little cream jug gets used for all sorts of pouring jobs. Today it was put to use to hold some raspberry coulis for a topping on a dessert. The splash of red was just what was needed to balance the tangy taste of lemon in the cake.

I do enjoy baking and sometimes I wish I had more time to spend doing it ... but things like art get in the way.

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 20 minutes

Day 63: Ripening Mango with Glass

I have not had a mango that ripened from the middle before. For some reason, I thought that they ripened from the bottom. Perhaps this is a maverick mango ... one plotting its own path through life.

I am not happy with aspects of this piece. I need to align the glass. I am happy with the background and the mango. However, time is up, so here it is. I will have to play with aligning the glass another day. It will keep.

Medium: Golden Acrylic paint on Fredrix Artist Canvas

Time to complete: 3 hours (in two sessions)

Day 62: Rose Hips in a Bottle

Today I played with a mono print of some rose hips and grasses in an old glass bottle. I had collected the materials while out walking the dog in the local park. It is the last of winter's bounty as spring has arrived and with it new growth. It surprised me that the roses had not yet been pruned.

I spent more time playing with the arrangement in the bottle than it took me to draw it but there is a certain satisfaction in getting the fauna right.

The mono print plate has a level of "noise" which I like. Some people smooth out the background with cloth and cotton buds to remove the oil paint residue. I like to leave it.

Medium:Oil paint Mono Print on Watercolour paper

Time to complete: approx 1 hour and 30 minutes

Day 61: Waiting for Food

Luke had not been home from school long and was sitting on the floor filling in time by playing with the dog while waiting for food to heat.

The game required some retrieving of objects before sending them off to be chased and Luke kept returning to the same position in the game. I liked the pose, so quickly captured it.

Medium: Charcoal on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Day 60: Old Kindling Bucket

Sitting at the dinning room table sipping tea, I could see this old bucket against the wall on the back porch. No longer used as a kindling bucket, it has become a receptacle for all sort of miscellaneous objects. Cluttered around it are a pair of old gardening gloves, an old rubber ball in a bowl and a small rusty old iron which is often used as a door stop.

Late last week, I met up with a friend and did an art study in a limited colour palette that really frustrated me so I decided to give the exercise another go using this group as a theme.

I didn't find it as frustrating as I did last time and that is probably because this time I knew I was only able to use 5 shades and approached it from the beginning with that in mind.

Medium: Pastels on recycled Sketchbook paper with blue ground

Time to complete: 40 minutes

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Day 59: Mixing Bowl

I had no idea what I was going to draw today so I decided to do a 'lucky dip' from the dishwasher and my prize was this mixing bowl.

This is the bowl that I had used the previous evening to mix together some spices for a green curry. It is a sturdy kitchen object ... and I would be lost without it.

I drew it while having afternoon tea ...

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 15 minutes

Day 58: Blue Hydrangeas in a Water Glass

I was surprised to see these small hydrangeas in the garden at the back of the house. Spring may have officially started, but usually my hydrangeas do not flower until the end of October. They were almost miniature blooms and they were snuggled at the top of the bush bathed in sunlight.

The weather here this time of year is changeable. In the last week, we have had days were temperatures have sat at 9 degrees Celsius, followed by lovely balmy days of 18 degrees. I knew these little blooms would not survive a cold snap, so I picked them and put them is a glass and sat them on the table so I could draw them while I had afternoon tea.

Having them on the table added a punch of welcome colour and I enjoyed the sight of them so much, I decided to paint them.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Watercolours on Watercolour paper

Time to complete:  40 minutes

Day 57: Dessert Spoon

I understand that ice cream is so irresistible because it has the perfect balance of sugar and fat. Eaten separately, the cream and the sugar would over power my taste buds and I would know they were bad for me ... but together they harmonise and provide a creamy heavenly taste.

This afternoon, I needed ice cream. I know what you are thinking ... I had the conversation with myself about not REALLY needing ice cream, but the argument that a piece of fruit was a good alternative did not convince me and I had the ice cream. Two scoops of ice cream, in fact.

I like to eat ice cream with a particular spoon. It is not as large as a standard dessert spoon or as fat as a teaspoon nor is it as small as a parfait spoon. It is something in between - a perfectly formed ice cream spoon.

Here it is ...

Medium: Pencil on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete:  approx 15 minutes

Day 56: Apples on a Plate

I love the colour of these two apples, which are sitting together on a brown hand glazed pottery plate. The browns in the plate compliment the colour of the wood on the table top.

Both apples look luscious and ready to eat ... and after painting them, I chose the red one and it tasted just like an apple should. The granny smith apple is sitting back in the fruit bowl for another day. Granny Smiths can be a little tart and if it isn't eaten soon, I will use it in some baking.

Medium: Golden Acrylic paint on Frederix Artist Canvas

Time to complete: 2 hours

Day 55: Upside Down Mug

The mug had been rinsed and left upside down on the bench at work because the dishwasher was full and there wasn't room for one more piece of anything.

The cups are designed to ensure ease of stacking in large cup drawers under the bench and people often attempt to stack them in the dishwasher in the same way, which can prove disastrous if you don't check before turning it on. There is nothing worse than realising at the end of a dishwasher cycle that half the cups are still dirty inside because they have been stacked one on top of the other. For that reason, there is a large note on the front of the dishwasher which reads: "Mind the Mug" which always confuses the visitors to the floor - but not the locals.

Medium: Pencil drawing on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 15 minutes

Day 54: Homemade Meringues

Meringues are one of Helena's favourite gluten free afternoon snacks and so it was no surprise when she brought some with her to share with us this afternoon. They were little snacks of soft pink and white sugary goodness. Each one was uniquely home made.

I hate to think of the calorie count inside of those little morsels ... but they were gluten and dairy free so they are, in theory, on two levels good for you.

Unfortunately, I did not get to draw the meringues before the 'hoards' descended to devour them. By the time I was ready to start, only three remained on the plate.

Medium: Pencil drawing on Sketchbook paper

Time to complete: approx 15 minutes

Day 53: Late Afternoon at Wenderholm

The day before my car battery had gone flat and I was told I needed to take it for a good run to top it up. I set off on a rainy afternoon heading North and stopped when I got to Wenderholm.

Wenderholm is one of my favourite places. It holds happy childhood memories of fun, sun and freedom. I pocketed a muesli bar and a drink and headed to the beach for a quick walk between showers before heading back home.

Sometimes the beauty you see stops you in your tracks. While walking up to the sand dunes towards the beach I had one of those moments. The sand dunes were wet from the rain and the sand shone like spun gold. The reedy grass was swaying in the wind. The sky was so blue it hurt your eyes. The clouds were being painted by the wind in long strands across the sky. I had not reached the sea but I could hear the waves crashing onto the beach. It was jaw dropping fabulous ... and much more interesting to draw and paint than a drink can and a muesli bar.

Interestingly, I had a conversation with a friend earlier in the week about sand dunes and how beautiful they can be.

I drew a couple of fast studies and have attempted to capture the scene on canvas.

Medium: Winsor & Newton Oils on Frederix Artist Canvas

Time to complete:  3 hours

Day 52: Lemon Tonic

I have been given quite a few lemons recently and I have been using them up - mostly squeezing and slicing them and adding them with tonic to make a lemon spritz. I read somewhere that it is good for me but I drink it because I love the taste.

If I put my drink down and forget it, no one steals it ... I make it without honey or sugar. I love that bitter tartness. The zing of the lemon. Yum ...

Medium: Golden Acrylic paints on Frederix Artist Canvas

Time to complete: 2 hours