nested

The soup and the wine made an incredible supper last night combined with fine company. Hoarknockle outdid himself.
The nest is done.
I tried to keep it loose and quick. Added a last coat of satin varnish and now it waits to go away to its new home.
The rig I had built by ProMetal is proving to be a good one. It holds the camera well and seems steady enough. The new camera is well designed, heavier than my previous one and has a massive increase in quality.
The HD video it shoots is amazing. It doesnt look like video...it has a filmic look to it which makes it seem richer and more beautiful. Fingers crossed!
Weekend is here and with it promises of Valentines day and some fine, fine wine to accompany a morsel of foie gras. I know the winter games start tonight...but the thought of some good wine thrills me more.
Hmmmm.... what shall be next?
Tea.....

nesting

Sweating on the stationary bike as opposed to sweating on a stationery bike is an interesting concept. A Stationery bike would be an elegant thing printed on ivory card, small and easy to carry with you.
A stationary bike is a lot less elegant. I try and spend at least 2 hours a day on mine in order to avoid the dreaded cabin madness and to fight off the million threats to my heart. My heart may be benefitting but my bottom is certainly having a hard time.
Right near my stationary bicycle stands my work table with the most recent piece, a painting of a Crowned Plover's nest.
When we were visiting the fairest Cape in South Africa, we lived at Deltacrest near Franschhoek...pure undiluted beauty. The plovers breed everywhere and happened to have a nest close to the house. There is something about the courage of a small bird making a nest in plain view and keeping anyone away by dive bombing predators. The eggs are brilliantly camouflaged and really hard to spot if you dont see the birds sitting on them.
This piece is for very dear friends who no longer live there and have moved to a distant land. I painted a similar piece directly onto the concrete floor of their kitchen, behind the backdoor. (difficult to remove and take along) I am hoping this will take its place.
Hoarknockle is making a delicious smelling lamb and bean stew for tonight... to be enjoyed with a fabulous Diemersfontein Pinotage and good company.

long quiet...

It was Hoarknockle, I swear. He was supposed to fabricate a credible blog about art while I was sitting and doing nothing.
I see now that he has not been doing this and for al intents, it looks like I have been doing nothing.
Which is not true!
It's been a busy time.
I have been working on the beginnings of a documentary, buying equipment and reading books and harvesting knowledge from anywhere I could find it. Isn't the internet a wonderful place to research and find information?
So far....
I have bought a Canon 7D camera which can shoot HD video and a beautiful little GoPro HD camera which is smaller than a pack of cigarettes (and a lot healthier too!) and shoots full HD video with an incredible dynamic range.
I have been getting a post card made to send out to clients and publishers.
I have been making lists of everything I need to do and keep track of. Making lists of lists....(sad isnt it?)
I have been living with snow. Lots of it.
I have been out and about with my younger son for his speed skating season. He did brilliantly and is now done with his speed skates. Went out on a high.
I have found a wonderful wine shop which sells excellent wines...nearby! Oh Joy!
I have been chatting to possible producers and broadcasters who might advise me on the direction of my documentary and ultimately where it will end up.
I am making a painting of a crowned plover's nest with two eggs in it... for a friend who lives far away.
My eldest son and I baked a magnificent chocolate cake from scratch, just because he saw it on TV and wanted to do it himself and we will share it with friends as its just too rich for only us to consume. Hoarknockle is cleaning the kitchen aftermath.
I shall be posting the image of the plover nest soon.
It was the winter blues slump...nothing more.

doldrums

...well not really, more like a gusty breeze blowing me in circles.
I got some work off to a publication and then started work on an image for my son's high school end of year program. Its rather tough going when there is no brief, yet the recipients have all kinds of requirements and no one "knows" what is going on. As I am doing it as a freebee, one would imagine they would be on top of it...?
Meanwhile I have been doing research into all things technical. More to the point, matters pertaining to the new Canon 7D camera which shoots HD video and we are hoping to use in the making of a documentary. Its rather like having the ingredients of a very complicated cake all whirling about in mid air, like the particles in an electron cloud. You know there are there, but you have no idea what they look like or where they are.
The past few days have been educational. I have been learning.
Also cut up an old pair of aluminium crutches to form the structure of a camera stabilising rig I am building for the new camera. It needs to be welded together...I dont think the masking tape and hot glue is enough...not to talk of the cardboard mock up adjusting junction I made.
Busy without too much to show for it all. Satisfying though.
Hoarknockle is nursing some hot glue burns...I cannot imagine where he got them.

slimmed down

Throw out the clutter; I dont know what I was thinking. Was looking at the image for a while and decided to simplify it. Lower calories. Maybe it was the sound of "Biggest Loser" in the background. I think Hoarknockle was watching, he has a thing for tubbies.

dream dream

After some hard hatching, the image is developing some depth and then I may do some more.
Painter has so many little aspects one finds over time... well, I do. I keep finding things I didnt know were there and they make work easier. There certainly is something about developing an image and seeing it grow...you plunge into it and lose yourself at times.
Thankfully Hoarknockle has me attached to a safety harness and can pull me back if I go in too deep.
Its snowing today...light fluffy like meringue....hmmmmmm meringue.
Time for tea?

fading jangle

....and as the jingle jangle of the shopping mall music fades mercifully...
I'm here again, at my warm computer, a cooled teacup at my elbow. Hoarknockle is almost fully recovered from the abrasions sustained during the festive hurly burly.
Lady Sandra bought me a delightful Picasso, although I was hoping for a swath of Monet's Waterlilies. The only thing that prevented it was finding a large enough wall for it to hang on and her Ladyship was not going to allow me to move her collection of rare and unique snow shovels. Thus for now, the Waterlilies remain in Paris.
My wrestling contest with designer chairs continues.
So far so good. I may have to get into it with some more ink and pen and really give it some wellie. Not sure if anyone will comprehend the subtle humour of an ejector seat. Nonetheless.
Cross hatchings and more hatchings. Next is the completion of the tin chickiola. Both of these images have to be done by wednesday.