Jessie Lilac Blog

Open Up To The Best I've made a new print from my mixed media painting. Please note, the watermark along the bottom edge won't be on your print. :) Please click here  if you'd like to see all the details. Do you remember this picture of my studio? I'm still working on some new paintings on canvas for my exhibition and the ones featured in that post are now finished, hooray! I'll do a proper post on them very soon and it would be lovely to see you here again. x

S p a c e  I've got a thing for purple today. How about you? :) ~~~~ UPDATE ~~~~ I've listed this new painting on Etsy if you'd like to buy it. Here it is standing next to one of my favourite ornaments! It measures approximately 7 x 10 inches and is painted with inks on watercolour paper. Please click here to see it in the shop. :)

I don't like secrets. Even when told a nice secret I get too over excited and find it almost painful keeping it to myself as I can't stand the suspense! If I'm asked by someone to keep any sort of secret, I take that very seriously and won't tell a soul. I'll ask permission to reveal it to others and only then will tell those closest to me and trust that they know they are the chosen few. The picture that I've painted (above) for Illustration Friday is a page form my art journal.   (close-up detail) It has its own secrets.  The first layer was writing about how I felt, private thoughts that needed to pour out. I layered gesso and inks over the top to disguise what I'd written and in some way to heal too. It seemed to work. :)

To me, pink is happy and comforting. I love its bright jolly colour that adds a shot of warmth. As you might be aware if you've visited here before, purple is my favourite of all and I'm currently making a summer cardigan in a lovely shade of lilac. As much as I love purple, I felt it needed a shot of pink so I'm edging the sleeves with a narrow strip of bright fuschia!  You can see the project in more detail here on Ravelry if you like. :) Meanwhile, this morning I've listed a brand new print of my painting on canvas 'Travelling Dreams' on Etsy.   Click here to see it!xx

Here are some photos I took a few days ago for a little escapism. Nature soothes the soul with its beauty.  I would love to live in an old stone house, a house full of stories. Wouldn't you? This poor old house hasn't had anyone living in it for a long while. The stories that door could tell I'm sure. I gaze upwards and marvel at the trees. My painting 'At One With Nature' Do you like my new blog header? I felt it time for a change. :) ♥This painting is available as a print in my shop. from today.♥

I like to paint intuitively and leave the interpretation open to the viewer.  Quite often, I don't know what they're about myself until a while after they're finished, a bit like dreams.  The best way to describe it is that they spring from a place inside my mind in the same way that dreams come from the subconscious and I become just the bystander watching it happen. Now having said that, the last two pictures you've seen here were purposefully made to look happy. I've had some major life issues to deal with lately and felt the need to see bright cheery colours, smily girls and sunshine. I can do that.

I made a happy painting. Sometimes life is out of your hands for a while but I can still make a happy painting. 'Shiny' for Illustration Friday Shiny paint helps. :)

I've been away from home a lot lately and when that happens, some things have to be put on hold and rather neglected. This  cardigan I'm making has waited patiently for me and I will resume the clicking of needles very soon. Here's the stage it is at the moment. I've completed the back and have started the left front panel. Other poor neglected things are my lettuces... lol ! ...yes I've never seen lettuces like this before either! I don't think I'll be eating them any time soon. ;) Poor things, we've had a lot of hot sun and I haven't been around to water them! However, my paintings are very slowly emerging. They actually often improve by periods of time away from them. It gives me time to see them with fresh eyes.  Plenty more to do to them, I shall keep you posted with their progress :)

Here's my picture for this week's Illustration Friday word, 'Hurry!' I used to skate a lot when I was young. I'd glide around with ease and even today when I'm out and about, if I see a smooth pavement (sidewalk) that's newly tarmacced  I have the urge to don some skates and whizz away! I did try on some roller boots a few years ago but I'd lost either my sense of balance or my confidence and wobbled about, shame. :) Life has turned into a whirlwind lately, trying to fit too many things in to my week. One of the things I do a couple of days each week is work in a lovely toyshop called Just so .  Here's where I sit... I'm of course not in the picture because I'm stood here taking it. :)  Here are some of the views around the shop.. It's a good place for an artist to work, it fills my head with pretty images all day long! Happy   J u b i l e e weekend to those of you celebrating and I hope the sun com