Oh my goodness! I've got my first DD!!! I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I logged in and found so many messages in my inbox - in fact I'm watching the total increase with every new page I open.

Firstly a huge thank you to for suggesting my new Doormouse painting and to for choosing it.



With so many messages to get through - more than when I was absent for 6 months!! - it will take me a while to reply to everybody but in the meantime I'd just like to say thank you to you all for all the s and the s I've received today. I really, really appreciate them all.




Shona

Delighted to be a member of:-

Yet again it's been a long time since I wrote a journal. It's been a long tumultuous roller coaster of a few months with some unbelievable emotional highs and lows for me and my family. Suffice to say, my life has completely turned on its head since the last time I wrote, not least because I'm now jobless. It's taken quite some time to sort out the many issues that my redundancy has created and, although I've tried to check in on dA regularly, I haven't really had a great deal of time to make art or to comment on the art that has landed in my inbox. For the latter, I apologise. I hate to fav and run but that's been all that time would allow most days.

So now I'm back at college part time (a student at 40!! who'd've thunk it!!) and I'm hoping to fill the rest of my time with art. There may be a point in the future when you'll find me sitting here wearing a sign around my neck saying "Will paint for food" but I'm hoping it won't come to that.

There's a saying here in the north east of England where I live "Shy bairns get nowt" so I've taken the bold (for me anyway) step of contacting a few publishers here in the UK with samples of my work to see what happens. With that in mind I'd really appreciate hearing other people's stories who have done the same - successful or otherwise - to know how you approached them, what experiences you had, just to get an idea of what to expect. Oh, and my DA portfolio is at [link] if you'd like to take a look and let me know what you think.

Thanks

Shona

Delighted to be a member of:-

There's lots of things happening now I'm back in the swing of painting again...

Firstly I've started a new Project!! Really and properly this time - I've even been doing research!!! Finally it's an idea that makes sense to me and doesn't actually restrict much of what I paint in the way, say, a tarot deck or a set of illustrations for a single story might. So, I've been writing and sketching (and researching ) for a few months now, I'm setting up a new website for it and - who knows - maybe one day I'll even find a publisher. It's called Herbarium Intermundia which roughly translates as 'the Botany of the Spaces Between Worlds'.
I've been wondering about setting a blog too but I've never used one of those blog sites before and don't know which to choose. I'd really appreciate any thoughts, advice or suggestions on the subject from anyone who uses a blog site.

Speaking of websites - I've just re-done mine so that its more Firefox friendly. I've finally ditched Frontpage and rebuilt it. So any Firefox users please, at least one of you, make all the effort worthwhile and go take a look

I'm about a third of the way through my Botanical Illustration Course, learning new watercolour techniques for painting flowers and leaves. It's a challenge to change the way I usually paint but I'm enjoying it immensely, especially knowing that it will help me to complete some of the artwork for my new project.

Now, on to other stuff - I've just passed my 9000 pageviews on my profile page and my 2nd anniversary here on dA and I would like to give my sincere thanks to everyone who visits, favorites and watches my gallery. It really does mean a lot to get feedback from other artists. So as my 10,000 kiriban approaches I'd like to offer a little gift to whoever captures the 10,000th pageview (or nearest to it). I've sketched out a little bookplate which I'll complete and personalise for the winner. It'll be a while yet but if you want that bookplate then keeping checking the page.



And so, to a feature - sculpture, model-making, doll-making - whatever way you classify it there are some fantastic artists here on dA creating fantasy themed piece. These are just a few from my favs gallery:-

by always creations with such character and soul, Kevin's forest characters are just beautiful


by Wendy's little faery houses are made from all kinds of found materials. it's such a wonderful idea and they are always so beautifully crafted.

by Pat's little pod people have the most expressive little faces, full of detail and delicate colouring

by fabulous quirky ideas and a Gollum to rival the Weta Workshop's sculptors

by sweet dragons and a cat with a look on his face that I know only too well

Please take a look at their galleries for more wonderful creations and give them the attention they deserve.

Delighted to be a member of:-

It’s been six months, almost to the day, since I was active here on dA. When I wrote my last brief journal I really had no idea how long I’d be away but I certainly didn’t think it’d be a whole six months.

And the reason for my extended absence? Well, on the 18th of August last year we lost Socrates, one of our cats. Not just ‘one of our cats’ but a very special friend who had been with us for 14 years. It has broken our hearts and, that day, when I returned from burying him and walked into the room where I paint, the room where he chose to spend much of his last days, I knew my muse had gone, my desire to paint had left me and I put my paints and brushes away, not knowing when I might pick them up again. So I signed off from dA for a while, knowing too that I needed to cut myself off from art in general while I came to terms with what had happened.

As time went on an idea got stuck in my head that if I were ever to paint again then the first thing I would have to do would be a painting of Socrates. It became an idea that I was unable to see beyond – something I absolutely HAD to do. But try as I might I couldn’t visualise it in my mind. Eventually an image did come but it took even longer to start, to commit to paper. The fear of getting it wrong was so powerful that I was too scared to start. But in the end I had to or I might not paint again, and slowly it began to materialise. Finally, after six very difficult months here it is.



This has been the most emotionally challenging piece of work I’ve ever undertaken, draining, frustrating, terrifying at times, vital and heart-felt. I feel relieved it’s finished at last, yet lost without its constant presence, lost without his constant presence. But as it neared completion I did begin to feel a change in myself, a desire to create again, to paint again.

Now, back here on dA, I have a mountain of comments and favs to thank people for; an even bigger mountain of fabulous art in my Devwatch to look at and so many clubs to catch up on. It’s going to take a little while but I’m looking forward to being back here.

So if you’re reading this and decide to take a look at my painting of Socrates I hope you might take to the time too, to read the description. Nothing in the painting is placed there randomly, every item, every flower and plant has a significance, a reason for being there.


Shona

Delighted to be a member of:-

I'm not gonna be around for a while so I'm apologising in advance for any unanswered messages and for not joining in in club activities. Not sure exactly when I'll be back.

Take care people


Shona



Delighted to be a member of:-