Heart Of A Family

'Heart Of A Family'

© 2015 by Shiloh Moore

A4 Pitt Pen on Watercolour Paper

I have had this image floating around my head for years.  Similar to the Mother and Child at the heart of my 'Mother And Child Nativity' © Nov 2012 By Shiloh Moore

'Mother And Child Nativity'

 © Nov 2012 By Shiloh Moore

Also similar to 'Lovers Embrace' © 2011 By Shiloh Moore

 'Lovers Embrace' 

© 2011 By Shiloh Moore

I imagined a heart based from a family, but couldn't quite bring it to fruition with my own doodling.  Then a few months ago on Pinterest I saw a pin of a photo of a family by Summer Lyn Photography:  Immediately I could see my heart come to life:

Concept Photo

© Summer Lyn Photography

I scribbled a heart shaped from the faces of the mother, father and newborn child.  Instead of featuring the wedding ring, I emphasised the mother's breast, the baby's belly and the father's shoulder, three loving elements to many families.  

 

'Heart Of A Family'

Initial Sketch 15 Nov 2015 by Shiloh Moore

 This is dedicated to so many families and friends in my network who have new born children.  So much love to you all xxxx

Poem: "A Place That I Go"

From age 16 to 23 I wrote poetry, and in 2004 self published a book, 'Stranger In The Moving Chair' (still available to buy via the contact page of my website http://shilohmoore.wix.com/byshi )  The last poem in the book was the last poem I wrote.  It closed a chapter to my life.

I wrote a few more poems 6 years later, but again stopped writing, and focused on artwork. 

2 nights ago I felt I'd really like to write something again, and while lying down, I got out a pen and paper.  I usually write free verse (not rhyming,) but I wanted to see if I could write something that rhymed.  It poured out of me, and 20 minutes later this was what I had written: 

“A Place That I Go”

© 2015 By Shiloh Moore

17/11/15

(Age 35)

Despite constant pain and

Despite all the fears,

Despite the frustration

And the many tears

Over all these years

I have slowly grown,

To accept, and know a place

I can go on my own

Where fears are calmed

And inner peace pervades…

Where I love my life

Despite the pain that invades

I feel ‘held’ by hope

By strength, in reflection

And am ultimately moved

By a strong connection:

Despite the isolation

And no ability to travel

To see the sights nor

Be involved in person

Nor ‘contribute to society’

On a monetary level

Or to live my life

To its full potential

I long for a life partner

To share life and to intimately know

And I grieve for our children

Whom we’ll never nurture as they grow

In my fantasies

I have the strength and the power

To talk endlessly with friends…

Or at least for more than under an hour

Despite all this I feel I belong

To this universe, and to all humanity

Even in deafening solitude

I feel innate purpose, I feel free

I am grateful knowing this place

Where I not only merely exist

But live satisfied with all I have -

This gives me strength to persist

It's hard to imagine
Living this way
For the rest of my life...
Till I'm old and grey

So I live in this moment,
And block out the pain
I go to this place
Where deep down I'm ok.

The pain overwhelmingly aches

But deep within my soul

I know of this place, where

Within this life, I feel whole

Disclaimer:  Feel free to share this link, but please do not reproduce this poem without consent from the author. Shiloh Moore can be contacted at her website at:   http://shilohmoore.wix.com/byshi

'May Peace Be With You' 2016/17 Calendar

'PEACE Dove (May Peace Be With You)'

2016/17 18 Month Calendar

© 2015 By Shiloh Moore

A4 Spiral Bound 

The calendar costs A$25 including postage within Australia.
Overseas postage available on request.

To order, please contact Shiloh at her Website Contact Page Here:  

http://shilohmoore.wix.com/byshi

Inside: 18 months including:

 'Dragonfly'

© 2013 By Shiloh Moore

Featured in May 2016

and

 'Busy Owl'

© 2011 By Shiloh Moore

 Featured in June 2017

Including 3.6cm x 2.8cm rectangles to write in.

Finishing with:

'PEACE Dove (May Peace Be With You)

© 2015 By Shiloh Moore
Featuring an overview of 2017 

On the back:

Collage of some (not all) of the Included Artworks

All artworks © By Shiloh Moore

Over the past year my health struggles have been building and truthfully, quite scary.  Over the past few months in particular I have not been well enough to create any new art and have been in bed most of each day, in constant excruciating pain.  

With every ounce of being I have put energy into creating this calendar, with generous support from my folks and friends at greenridgepress.com.au  Back in 2004 Greenridge Press also generously printed my book of autobiographical poetry, 'Stranger In The Moving Chair,' of which I still have copies for sale.

All artworks included in the calendar have been created over the past 5 years while I've been housebound - at best able to sit up for less than 4 hours throughout a day.  

I am so happy to be able to spread love into the world this way and be a presence in peoples' lives even from afar. 

May Peace Be With You.

...What If All Goes Well?

'...What If All Goes Well'

5/9/15 by Shiloh Moore

Wording digitally added to

 'Mixed Media Background'

© 11-12/7/15 by Shiloh Moore

Something I've been saying to myself when my mind whirrs with fear of what's to come...

"Oh but, my darling... What if all goes well?!!!"

...

Inner Journey

'Inner Journey'

© 2014 By Shiloh Moore

A4 Pitt Pen on Watercolour Paper 

In June 2014 I drew this image of my inner journey - a personal piece, working from right to left, journeying from my wounded inner adult, to my inner child.  Firstly my inner adult was crying, hugging herself for comfort, then on her knees weeping, then crying out.  Secretly this was how my inner adult was feeling at the time.  I was more than just frustrated with living with severe long term chronic pain and illness, deep down I was hurting.  

This drawing was a breakthrough.  As I moved through the positions of my wounded adult, I finally came to an image that brought me great comfort - even delight.  Finally, I embraced my inner child.  I bent down to pick her up and she reached up to me for comfort.  At this moment we both needed each other to heal.  And we now had each other.  I felt whole.  In my imagery we went on to dance with each and have something I hadn't experienced in quite some time - fun!

I published this image of my inner adult and inner child on my blog at the time, entitled 'Embrace Your Child' on Sunday July 6 2014. At the time the full image of  my 'Inner Journey' was too personal for me to share.  Now I feel I can.  The journey from my hurting adult to embracing my child is a healing journey that I continue to feel in a cycle.  

I love reaching that final image of me embracing my child - it is so healing for me.  When I'm struggling I picture this image and it gives me great comfort.

The Night Sky

"The Night Sky would be in Deepest Darkness

If only the 'Best' star shone"

© 1997 By Shiloh Moore

I wrote this little quote/poem when I was 16.  Everybody has something to contribute.  Everyone is worthwhile and worthy.  Everyone is valuable.  We all brighten the darkness in the world.

Greeting: I don't know what to say...

"I Don't Know What To Say... But I'd rather say that than nothing at all..."

Words © 2015 By Shiloh Moore

Words on 'Abstract Painting'

© 2012 By Shiloh Moore

Acrylic on Canvas 2012

A few friends have been going through severe times lately.  I've been looking for an appropriate card - but 'Get well soon' when you have a long term chronic illness is like a kick in the face, you know it's not going to happen (well you may improve to a better level - hopefully - but it's highly unlikely you'll recover to being fully 'well'.)  And a sympathy card is not appropriate either, nobody's died - you're still alive, life is just incredibly hard for you!  There are times when I just don't know what to say.  So I thought I'd make a card that said just that.

I know from experience, especially in the early days of chronic long term illness, that I would rather hear from somebody that they have been thinking of me rather than feel isolated not realising others cared.  Sometimes just letting someone know you care - and acknowledging there is no 'quick fix' or 'cure', but you are still there - that means the world.  You don't have to 'fix' the problem.  Just being there is important beyond measure. And if you send a card like this and don't hear back - it's most often not because it's not appreciated.  It's appreciated perhaps even more so.  So send it with no agenda for a response.  Know your efforts will be appreciated, and reciprocated in spirit if not in practice! 

Chapter 1: Giraffe Family

 

 "Chapter 1: Giraffe Family"

inspired by a photo by © Dave Jenike/Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

By Shiloh Moore July 2015

Mixed media

 Collage papers (including 'Chapter 1' page from a 'Babysitters Club book', and scrapbooking papers of music, leaves and hearts, and Paper dotted with ink using bubble wrap)

Layered with tissue paper,

then coloured with Watercolour

Image of drawing combined with background image using 'Picmonkey' online editing

Lots and lots of my friends are having children, so I've been drawn to pictures of families and pregnancy and children.  I was looking through Pinterest and found an amazing image of a family of giraffes.  There were no credits for the picture, but I google image searched and found this:

Giraffe Family

© Dave Jenike/Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

 

Firstly I drew an outline of my picture: 

Outline by Shiloh Moore 13/7/15

I was thinking of drawing the spots on the giraffes using zentangle patterns, but decided I'd like to try using mixed media, and to use the effect of bubble wrap dots to give a spotty effect.  I was not sure it would work, but was willing to give it a try!

I set up the backgroud papers:

 

I chose to use a page from 'Chapter 1' of a double-up of a beloved 'Babysitters Club' book  I had, to give the title 'Chapter 1' as the start of life as a new family with the baby Giraffe.  Those books bring me good memories of my childhood.

 

I had to lighten the image for the outline to stand out.  So I covered it with with crumpled tissue paper to give it a textured effect.

Here was a basic preview of what it would look like.  I was worried you couldn't see the spots.... But then I added colour.

Here was the background effect in colour.

Then by computer I added the drawing of the giraffes to complete the effect.  I don't know how to manually transfer the image onto the background, so in real life all I have is the background image, plus the plain outline drawing.  If anyone knows of a way to transfer them together manually, not just on the computer, that would be ace!

So here is the final product.  I'm not entirely sure the bubble wrap texture came through well enough, so I'm not entirely happy with it.  But it was a fun effort.  I may go back to the original drawing and draw in some spots with Zentangle techniques afterall.  But for now, I'm utterly exhausted and in a tonne of pain so I must ban myself from doing more for a while!!!! Happily so though :)

 

 

 

PEACE Dove

"PEACE Dove"

© 2015 By Shiloh Moore

July 5th 2015

A4 Pitt Pen on Watercolour Paper

Yesterday I was looking through Pinterest and found an amazing drawing of a cat and mouse, using Typography with the cat made out of the letters 'cat', and the mouse made out of the letters 'mouse'.  Unfortunately it was uncredited so I won't put a link to it here.

I loved the idea so much and went to bed aspiring to doing something like that myself.  

When I woke up this morning I was still thinking about it, so in my half asleep state went to my pencil and paper, and using the outline of a dove that I drew for my February 12th 2012 post 'Be Free'  I immediately started penciling in the word 'PEACE'....and immediately it worked!

 Here is my initial scribble:  

And a photo of the final A4 picture framed:

Zentangle Part 3: Tenterfield Terrier

"Zentangle Tenterfield Terrier"

© 2015 By Shiloh Moore

30 May - 24 June 2015

Pitt Pens and Derwent Pencils on Watercolour paper, on Scrapbooking Paper Background

For my third effort at Zentangle I was ambitious, I wanted to do a portrait in memory of my beloved pooch!  I wanted to give it as a gift, so the pressure was on to do it justice. Here's the photo of my beloved:

I did the outline the same day as the outlines of my previous posts, 'Zentangle Daschund', and 'Zentangle Dove' (30th May 2015.)

Outline 'Zentangle Tenterfield Terrier' 

© 2015 by Shiloh Moore

I had both a brown and a black Pitt Pen to do the doodling on her face, so I photocopied my outline and roughly scribbled in the areas to be shaded black and brown.

Stage 2 of 'Zentangle Tenterfield Terrier'

© 2015 by Shiloh Moore

Then I took a couple weeks off as my arms were in extreme Fibromyalgia pain from the drawing I had done (my arms are always sore but this spurt of artwork had really flared it again.)

When I could, I looked at other zentangle and zen doodles online and in a book, for ideas as to my favourite styles of doodling, and ones that may look good and were appropriate for my pooch!

Then I could contain my pacing/resting/art ban no longer and decided to start doodling.  I worked on it for a few days 20-24th June and before I knew it, it was finished!

Here's a progress pic when I had started doodling:

Stage 3 of 'Zentangle Tenterfield Terrier'

© 2015 by Shiloh Moore

And the finished drawing without the scrapbooking paper background:  

Stage 4 of 'Zentangle Tenterfield Terrier'

© 2015 by Shiloh Moore

 And the finished product below the photo of my beloved poocherino:

Zentangle Part 2: Dachshund

"Zentangle Dachshund"

© 2015 By Shiloh Moore

31/5/15

After I did my 'practice' Zentangle Doodle of 'Zentangle Dove' (Zentangle Part 1: Dove on ByShi Blog June 2 2015), I was game to give myself a challenge to do a portrait with my gorgeous friend's amazing dachshund as my muse. I tried to do a portrait of them both, but my attempt at a portrait of my friend was far from complimentary (yes, not all my work turns out!!!), so I cut her out and just made it star her dachshund.  And I'm happy with the result! 

My gorgeous friend's dachshund

Stage one of the drawing

I am not the best at proportions so I cheated by photocopying the photo, then used a light box to trace the outline as above.

Then, while lying down in the position illustrated in my blogpost 'Living With ME and FM Series - Lying Down' (ByShi Blogpost Jan 18 2012), I doodled the zentangle details, then cut it out with patterned papers as a frame. 

The framed Zentangle picture and a photo of my gorgeous friend's dachshund side by side:  

 I've been absolutely exhausted and have had elevated pain levels since, so I think I overdid it and must pace myself before I start my next project (though I have so many ideas!!!)  But I feel wonderful emotionally to have created once again.  Art is definitely an 'important prescription' for my soul! (Thanks to my doc for the prescription - see 'Zentangle Part 1: Dove')

Zentangle Part 1: Dove

"Zentangle Dove"

© 2015 By Shiloh Moore

31/5/15

I haven't done any new drawing or painting in almost a year.  I've had a crazy time with my health and most of the time have not been well enough to create, plus I have not been feeling particularly inspired, so I did not want to push it.

One of my awesome doctors recently gave me an 'important prescription' - a colouring in book for adults, to gently get me back in the zone, with no pressure, and to just have fun.  The next day, another friend recommended I google 'Zentangle Art' and get into awesome creative doodling.  I've never been much of a doodler - I have mind blanks and put too much pressure on myself to not make a mistake!  But I thought I'd give it a try.

So my first attempt I used the outline of my doves in 'Be Free' (ByShi Blogpost Feb 12 2012) which I used again in 'Dove Tree Mandala' (ByShi Blogpost Sept 23 2012).  

I was not well enough to sit for long to do this, so I lay on my side and drew in the way I illustrated in my post 'Living With ME and FM Series - Lying Down' (ByShi Blogpost Jan 18 2012).

This was my first attempt at Zentangle and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Later that day I tried 'Zentangle Part 2: Dachshund', which I will upload soon, so stay tuned!!!