Jessie Lilac Blog

Each visit to Oxford brings me more discoveries with plenty of inspiration. The Ashmolean  Museum was the first stop and I was quite peeved when it closed at 5.40! Treasures on the inside, and a large cupboard with pre raphaelite treasures on the outside. More pre raphaelite loveliness, and patterns that give me ideas. I love the dark blue background with the turquoise pattern laid on top. Charles Dodgeson, better known as Lewis Carroll studied at Christchurch College in Oxford. Opposite the college is a little victorian shop filled with Alice-in-Wonderland souvenirs. I couldn't resist buying a couple of cards! Alice's Shop was the actual shop where Alice used to buy her barley sugar sweets and was the inspiration for the old sheep shop in Through The Looking Glass. Sir John Tenniel, sketched the shop for the accompanying illustrations, reversing the details as if a mirror image. I'm now charged up with all kin...

Facing forward , greeting the day face to face. Looking forward, not back.

Stream of Consciousness As I painted I let the picture tell me what to do. I pour myself onto the page and wait until tomorrow for the answer.

(click for bigger) Melody Beattie wrote "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Insanity is feeling like we can't choose, or can't choose anything but the one thing that doesn't work." My own definition is having totally lost control of your own  thoughts. Do you have  your own  definition?

First of all let me show you my illustration for this week. 'Twirl' for Illustration Friday . **** Look what arrived in my letterbox this morning. My parcel from Micki has arrived! Micki Wilde from the Secret Hermit has been running an art swap this month and today her painting arrived at my house! Do you remember last week I told you about the one I was working on to send to her? I hope she likes it. I love hers! Around the edge of the painting it says, 'She had a deep desire to unleash her imagination for the all the world to see.' Thankyou Micki, I am now the happy owner of 2 of your lovely paintings! :)) The one on the left I bought myself for a treat a few weeks ago. It's called 'Fly Free' . Two lovely ladies to watch me as I paint! :)

Awareness is a choice. I'm still enjoying a more subdued pallette of colours (for me.) I did limit this to two but I think another one wanted to get in on the act, must be a couple of accidental splashes of paint from an earlier drawing. The little splash peeping from behind the tree looks like a pink heart doesn't it?! I wish I'd noticed it before, I could have put a sweet little face on it.

Prepare yourself for the Spring to come. Have love taking up all the space in your heart. If you dwell in the negative, it will always continue to blind you to the happy places that are there within your reach.  When you hurt other people, you hurt yourself more. ****

An art journal page from this morning. It's difficult to know what's going on inside myself sometimes let alone other people. Sometimes I find it helps to write down my feelings. It helps me to answer my own questions. It's as though I knew the answers all along, like the 'silent' inner voice that knows what's best for us. It's good to listen to it in times of confusion isn't it? My youngest loves to draw and most of her art is 'cartoon' style using gel pens or Sharpies, so when I saw these paintings she gave me for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I was very surprised. I had no idea she could produce something so very different to what I've seen her do before. She must have been more visually aware of the  places we often visit than I thought. I love the way she's written 'mummy' on the frame too! Meanwhile 'mummy' is doing some crochet therapy in the evenings. I made a cushion cover a few weeks ago. You can see it ...

I've been making a painting for the art swap that Micki Wilde is organising over at The Secret Hermit . I'm not going to show the whole picture yet until she's received it because I want it to be a surprise. I'll reveal all in a few days! Why do some people not like January? I love January! It's like a new beginning, a new page, the start of fresh ideas and a brand new year. Today the sun has shone all day. Packed lunch and camera in hand there were some lovely sights to behold on this sunny January day. The first robin I've seen this year sitting confidantly close to the path, all puffed up like a woolly pom-pom to keep warm.  The first bulbs emerging from the ground. I think I've seen more snowdrops today than I've ever done. Trees of different sizes  and shapes.  Glorious colour  and trees with a heart. See? January is a beautiful month. : ) 

I used a limited colour range of pencils for this, purples, golds and pinks. The shapes drew themselves if you know what I mean. What do you think they mean?

You might have noticed I've had a blog make-over. I've been craving gentle colours. Mauves, soft pinks, gentle ochres and fawns. I felt I wanted to use a soft medium too, so I dug out the old pencil crayons that had been long neglected and spent time playing with them to produce the picture above. I feel the need to be kind to myself, to surround myself with softness. This is the scarf I've just made using the softest wool I could find. Its called Wendy Merino Bliss . I found myself choosing gentle colours, earthy colours. I want to be surrounded with gentle.

I had a lovely birthday yesterday and returning home to read your lovely messages made it even better! :) Thankyou so much for each of your sweet comments, you are all amazing people. xx The photo above is the view down the street in Moretonhampstead . I love how the little villages around Dartmoor are so close to nature, just look what's at the end of the street! The next village for my birthday outing was the village of Chagford. I love it here and it was made even more special when I sat amongst the beautiful paintings of Rima Staines while drinking my delicious mug of tea in the Courtyard cafe .  Her paintings are even more beautiful in real life! I had to cut the bottom part of these photos because there were people sitting at the table right by them.  And if you haven't already discovered her wonderful blog, click here to experience her magical world!  :) ~~~~ After having the big christmas binge and then my birthday on new years eve, ea...