ByShi

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

where there is life there is hope

'dum vita est spes est (where there is life there is hope)'

An amazing man with very severe ME for decades now, recently wrote to me 'All is not bleak though, ...' 'Where there is life there is hope.'

This blew me away and the quote (taken from the latin 'dum vita est spes est') really connected with me.

I haven't been well enough to do any big painting or major artwork, but the quote inspired me to sit up to do these two quick (2 minute) pastel drawings, to bring the Latin phrase to life.

I like to contemplate life and hope as the new year approaches. May 2014 and beyond be filled with peace, love, joy, hope and as good health as possible.

'dum vita est spes est (where there is life there is hope)'

The pastel images:

Green Pastel

Pink Pastel

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Gifts

Magnets of artwork

A friend showed me how she made magnets from her artwork. Simply laminate wallet sized photos of artwork, then glue a magnet strip on the back. I have made up a few batches of 20 of my favourite pieces I've done. (Contact me if you'd like to buy one!)

Shown here are: Row 1: 'Dragonfly', 'Juliet', and 'Circle of Life'

Row 2: 'Where there is life there is hope (green)', 'SpiralDaschund', and 'Where there is life there is hope (pink)'

Row 3: 'Bodhi Leaf', 'Rainbow Girl', 'Wisdom (Learn to Play)'

Row 4: 'Tori Under the Pink', 'PopArt Whimsical Owl', 'SpiralBird' and 'SpiralKittyLove'

Row 5: 'Enjoy the Puddles', 'Couple Expecting', 'SarBear Owl', 'Tree of Life'

Row 6: 'Peace Dove (blue)', 'Be Free (black)', and 'Peace Dove (green)'

Mugs of artwork

This year I gave gifts of mugs with my artwork on them. These are a few:

Top Row: 'Rainbow Beauty', 'Alanis', 'Bob Girl'
and Bottom Row: 'Be Free (silver)' and 'Be Free (black)'

Keyrings of artwork

And here are the remaining leftovers of some keyrings I had made up.

'Rainbow Girl', 'Dragonfly' and 'Alanis'.

I'm pretty pleased with them! I hope the recipients are too.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Dragonfly

'Dragonfly'

A5 Watercolour, Pitt Pen and Max Factor Max Effect Nailpolish on Paper

Last time I was near a creek I saw two gorgeous buzzing dragonflies. I was captured by them. Their iridescent glow was stimulating to the eye. I tried to take a photo but couldn't get close enough and it just couldn't capture their essence.

Then a friend, Jayne Eldred, posted one of her photos of a dragonfly on her facebook page 'Jayne Eldred Photography' in the album 'Pokolbin, Hunter Valley March 2013.'

Dragonfly by Jayne Eldred Photography

Used with Permission

This photo stunned me. The beauty of the delicate dragonfly, was captured incredibly. I think it's my all-time favourite photo of a dragonfly!

I have a Max Factor Max Effect nail polish in blue that shines green on different angles. I had an idea to draw the dragonfly and colour the body with this nailpolish to get the iridescent effect in different lighting. It's not captured here in the scan, but framed in real life, you can see it shines at different angles.

I drew the dragonfly with pitt pen, coloured the body with nailpolish, then did the background colours with watercolour and detail on the wings of the body with more watercolour.

'Dragonfly'

I am using this design to make 'thank you' and 'sympathy' cards like below:

'Dragonfly - With Gratitude'

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Boab Tree

'Boab Tree'

6cm x 8cm

Acrylic and crackle medium on Canvas

A friend is going through a particularly tough time at the moment. Her emblem for strength is the Western Australian 'Boab Tree' found in the Kimberley. Some of these trees are known to be more than 1500 years old. They live in a harsh environment and store thousands of litres of water, and are almost entirely edible, some parts with medicinal properties. There is strong mythology around these trees in the Aboriginal rock art and Dreamtime Stories. The trees are known for surviving and providing sanctuary in the harsh outback Australian landscape.

These qualities are amazing, no wonder my friend identifies with them as her personal motif.

So I painted this tiny mini canvas for her, experimenting with crackle medium. I chose the green for the tree, to represent life (Boab trees are not green), but I'm worried it makes it look more like a cactus than a Boab! But hey, here I'll use some artistic licence!

So here's to strength, endurance, hospitality and spiritual connectedness. Sending love to my friend xx

close up of 'Boab Tree'

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

My Precious Body

'Resting Peace'

Watercolour on A3 paper.

I painted 'Resting Peace' 15 years ago when I was 18 and dependent on a wheelchair to leave the house, recovering from a full year totally bedridden barely able to talk or eat or sit up. My mother bathed and fed me during this time and even this was a mammoth effort for me. The blues and purples in the outside of the picture represent the ease of the world, the beauty outside of my body. The reds of my body represent pain and discomfort, blood stagnant and aching all over. This was my rest. I would try to tune out the pain in my body and see if I could notice and take on the outside stimulus of the gentle blues. Mostly I was overwhelmed with the pain.

At this time I hated my body as all it brought me was pain and exhaustion and thousands of terrible symptoms. I felt caged in this body, trapped, being tortured, no way out...

Now, 15 years later and still experiencing extreme pain constantly, I realise it's not my body that confines me and causes me grief. My poor little body is so weakend by this powerful illness and yet it still keeps going, keeps fighting, keeps me alive to experience the love, small joys and simple pleasures of this wonderful world. It allows me to experience existence.

My body is not a cage trapping me in torture, it is an amazingly strong and resilient beautiful marvel coping with a massive load while still helping me experience this life, which beyond the illness is precious. My body's a fighter, powerful and valuable. Oh little body how I love you.

When I'm in a lot of pain I now talk to my body, encourage it kindly to keep going, thanking it for surviving thus far, asking it to continue. The other night I couldn't sleep due to pain so I lay awake talking to my body giving it love. I wrote this:

"My Precious Body'

Precious brave body

keep fighting

You deal with so much

such a heavy load

for such young shoulders

Keep on Keeping on

Look after you

Stay strong -

You can do it.

You live so broken

so frail

so invaded

yet you survive

and continue to live

using great strength.

You experience life so richly and deeply

even when you are forced to have bedrest,

hour after hour, day after day

My body: You Belong.

There is purpose for your being.

How powerful and strong you are

Despite feeling so helpless

frustrated and overwhelmed,

pained and utterly exhausted.

You are amazing

You are precious

Keep fighting beautiful one

Oh little body how I love you.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sympathy Blossoms

'Sympathy Blossoms'

4"x6" watercolour and pitt pen card

A friend asked if I had any cards for the purpose of Sympathy cards. I realised I didn't.

I haven't been well enough to get out the acrylics and do a big painting, but I thought I could try a small watercolour.

I've been noticing cherry blossoms and how beautiful they are and wanted to paint them. I didn't have 'real life' ones so I drew from photos.

I have been reading a beautiful book by Marie Williams, called 'Green Vanilla Tea.' Marie's husband Dominic struggled with Alzheimer's and died in his early 40's. The book is a memoir accounting both the incredible struggles and the wonderful memories of life with Dominic and their two sons Mike and Nic. The love in their family is powerful. It is touching to read.

Cover of 'Green Vanilla Tea' by Marie Williams

(used with permission)

http://mariewilliams.com.au//

I have 'met' Marie Williams online and I dedicate this sympathy card to her and her boys.

I drew the blossoms on my sympathy card, guided from the photo on the cover of the book 'Green Vanilla Tea', only from the other direction and with other colours.

I chose the colour of the blossoms inspired by cherry blossoms in a photograph by a friend, Josie Eldred of -love to be young photography- . I am a huge fan of her beautiful photography - she does the most amazing macro work, and it's even more amazing because she, like me, struggles with ME (Myaglic Encephalomyelitis) and has done since a very young age. So her work is out of passion and painful determination like mine. I loved her macro shot of cherry blossoms

in pink and this inspired the colours of my cherry blossoms on my card.

#cherry blossom #macro

(used with permission)

website: http://www.lovetobeyoungphotography.com/

facebook: -love to be young photography-

So I dedicate this card, with sympathy especially to Marie, Mike and Nic. Also to all who suffer or care for those struggling from chronic illness, especially those who have lost their loved ones.

'Cherry Blossoms'

Original 4"x6" watercolour and pitt pen on paper

Monday, September 9, 2013

Wishes II

It's been a few months since my last blogpost. For 6 weeks I had a very welcome lift in my health and was able to do a bit more, so I filled my time catching up with friends and doing things I haven't been able to do for a long time and really miss. I even saw a movie.

Then a month ago I crashed and am back in survival mode. I've recently faced new challenges to confront. But such is life, at least I have the hope of improvement once again and know it can happen.

Being horizontal for many hours each day, has had me thinking what's important to me. I still try to send cards to friends and I wonder what to say. In Feb 2012 I wrote some wishes that are on this blog: "Wishes - Feb 2012" I thought I'd like to try to write more in that style. I wondered what do I wish for my friends? What do I long for for my self?

I came up with this poem that I've displayed on two different abstract pictures, one I created in 2008, the other in 2011. I wish for these things sincerely for my friends, but for myself as much as anyone. And I truly feel them. They're what get me through.

'Silver Abstract'

Acrylic on canvas

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Girl With Kitty

'Girl With Kitty In Bed'

I did some drawings of a girl with her kitty, both lying in bed and standing up and active. A lot of my friends with ME have kitty companions and their kitties are incredibly special to them, so I wanted to capture that. This is the drawing of the girl with her kitty in bed, in colour (above) and just with the pitt pen (below.) I wasn't too happy with how the purple in the watercolour came out, but I didn't have the energy to redo it and it's just an exercise for fun, not to be paid, so it doesn't have to be perfect!

'Girl With Kitty'

And here's the girl standing upright holding her kitty. In colour (above), and the outline using Pitt Pen (below).

'Girl With Kitty'

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Little Girl At The Beach

'Little Girl At The Beach'

Watercolour and Pitt Pen on Paper -

(Paper page from 'The Baby Sitters Club #32' by Ann M. Martin)

I went to the beach last year and have had this image floating around in my head ever since. I like to imagine myself as a little girl, wearing floaties on the beach, building sandcastles with my bucket and spade, under the shining childlike sun. It makes me feel warm and happy.

Other images of my 'Little Girl' can be found by clicking here

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

SpiralDeer+Bird

14" x 18" Mixed Media on Canvas

I continued my Spiral Animal Series including:

Spiralbird

SpiralKittyLove and

SpiralDaschund

This deer and bird were inspired by Kaiser Craft's 'Hummingbird' collection of papers.

It feels great to have been able to paint again.

Welcome to ByShi, Art by Shiloh!