Old French Book Pages

Works by Madame A Daudet & poems by Anatole France landed in my hands a while ago. They were a matching pair from the same publisher…. both with delightful drawings next to the title pages.

I love the way the publishing date is written; 

the twenty fifth of march eighteen hundred and ninety two. 

The typeface also, is beautiful… so elegant...

and the texture of the paper…. a delight to hold & turn the pages, 

despite the water damage & broken spines

It's many years since I attempted to speak french, but I could understand some tantalising 

glimpses of text, such as " the light smile through the dark shadow", 

that could be a delight to express calligraphically.

...n'oublie pas, ceux que vous en fait chercher longtemps ou que l'on n'a pas bien compris. On dirait que le mystere ou ils etaient enveloppes les imprisonne tout au fond de la memoire, comme un cocon impenetrable et fragile brise seulement a son heure par l'aile vivante et ouverte de l'idee enfin éveillée.

…don't forget that those you have long searched for or don't understand. 

Then something about the mystery that is imprisoned deep within the memory, like an impenetrable cocoon that a gentle breeze will awaken when the time is right, and the idea will take flight…

[or something along those lines… anyone is welcome to give a better translation, lol]

I do find myself reading the french & gradually taking in more of the sense of the words rather than a direct translation. It will be great to eventually create some pieces of work from these.

Art- 2 Picasso quotes

Art is the lie that helps us to see the truth

Picasso

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

Pablo Picasso

Wedding Vows to Frame

Do you remember this that I showed you a while ago (here)? Now that it has been gifted, I can show you the full version.

To stop the masking tape damaging the surface of the paper when i remove it, i stick it onto my desk (or my jeans or the back of my hand) first to remove some of the tackiness, before putting on the paper

I build these mini-masterpieces up with several layers of watercolour, sometimes i vary the effect by using a flat brush or by adding gestural marks and gold powder. 

This was a large piece to write out, with two distinct parts. Although I had an idea of how I wanted it, I typed each part out in a font that echoed the style I thought I might use, then fiddled around with the proportions until they balanced…. then I just wrote the first column, letting it go how it would. Then I measured & ruled in the top lines for the 2nd part. It very nearly worked first time too!

I've blurred out the names, but once I knew I was going to do another version, I used this to play around with some possible effects. If this had worked, I'd have used a spare scrap to play on. In the first version, there was no variation in the bottom few lines, but it needed some weight at the bottom to anchor it & balance with the other side. That's when I added in the ruling pen over the top…. and here is the final version….

It's on a full sheet of Saunders Waterford Hot pressed paper, which is 76 x 56 cm / 22 x 30 inches… I added crop lines for the framer, to cut through some of the outer diamonds & left a few little notes to my client in the margins which she decided to keep!

An Arty Card for a Teenager...

… that sleeps at every opportunity!

 "I don't take naps…. I take horizontal life pauses"

I've had these backgrounds painted for a while, so when my sister made a request for this brilliant quotation, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. All I had to do was pick a colour!

Then my niece decided that they'd make perfect 'Thank you' cards for her teachers…. of course she only let me know the day before she needed them. Kids eh! 

She was right though…. they're a perfect non-conventional extra special card

that can say anything that you want them to.

I love the freedom of making gestural marks reminiscent of writing but without the need for words.

 I even used up my last piece of fuchsia coloured paper for her [you owe me H!] It's such a shame…. I'll have to order some more paper now *smile*. It was a touch bright to go with the raspberry ribbon, but sanwaa tissue over the top toned it down just enough. 

I have a new addiction….