Coming up...

On Thursday 17th June, at 11.30pm. BBC4 are showing a documentary profile of Louise Bourgeois in the 'Imagine...' strand. If this programme makes it on to iPlayer later on in the week, I'll add the link so that anyone from overseas can watch it too.

Dear Reader, I send you warm greetings on this chilly summer's day!

A strange state of mind

I had to take the past few days out which makes me feel SO angry with myself; I loathe being at the mercy of emotions. And once again I'm fearful that my brain & body are beginning to over-ride me. Imagine having a dictatorial stranger in your house & that you are completely at their mercy. This is bipolar. I am not my bipolar, but my bipolar is me.

From Sunday morning to midnight yesterday, I managed a total of five hours sleep so I've been feeling very disorientated & restless during the past few days. Last night, my brain finally submitted and allowed me to sleep so I feel better today.

Now that a quieter place has opened up, I'm going to see if I can't paint it out. I think the trick is not to analyse it but to gently acknowlege it & see if it will work through. And I shall also count my blessings, for I am fortunate & have many.

Namaste!

Catching up!

It was the perfect weather for taking photographs today; the light was clear & bright and I could sit in the study without melting mid-afternoon.

I've been wearing this bracelet with these scintilatingly beautiful beads by Emma Ralph for quite some time, but I'm now delighted to be able to partner it with this mix & match group of four earrings featuring Laura Sparling's famous Luminobeads. The earrings go by the name of 'Don't Tell Chris' - this posting from Laura's blog should explain why. I do hope Chris will forgive me ;-)

Just look what I've done with Helen Breil's stupendous focal beads! You're probably wondering why I've spilt the original setting (as seen on Helen's home page) apart. I promise that there is method in my madness. I purchased another stunning focal from Helen and, as I want to make maximum impact in a demi-parure of earrings and a collar, I decided to create these earrings in a sculptural form. I love wearing them; the line is so flattering to the neck. I call them 'The Peacocks' as they bob & weave in a similar way to the waltz of those stately fellows as they parade before shaking their tail feathers out. Once I've figured out how best to do justice to Helen's other dramatic, scene-stealing focal, I'll add a photo of the collar.

I have Emma Ralph to thank for the Harebell Ice beads in this set of earrings. At just over 6cms from the tip to toe, these are lovely & long. I'm heavily into dangly ear gear this year!!

A Special Edition of the Faces: Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois: 25th December 1911 to 31st May 2010

Spiderwoman, you really started something!

Book Review: 'Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art With Photoshop Elements' by Susan Tuttle

I'm an old fashioned photographer in that I know a fair amount as to how to manipulate a camera shot, but place me in front of Photoshop & I'm sunk even with the aid of the doorstop of a manual that I bought to help me negotiate the programme. I get a pain in the neck just lifting the manual up so Photoshop & I have remained strangers up until now. With the arrival of 'Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art With Photoshop Elements' by the highly talented Susan Tuttle, all this has changed.

Susan's intention is to teach us how to create beautiful digital art, something I've yearned to learn about as I want to incorporate such images into the art journals I keep. But hold on for one tiny second. In her introduction, in a lovely, lucid format, she has taught me what I've been looking for a long time - how to start working with Photoshop Elements! My days of a pain in the neck are over. She then proceeds to take you deeper and in thoughtful, step by step detail & with clear, luscious illustrations, shows you how to create digital art with chapters devoted to manipulating images, painting & drawing, layering elements to create digital collages, merging images to create montage art and incorporating traditional art into digital works. There are 25 projects to follow and a bonus CD with goodies for you to play with.

This book is lavish - information, inspiration, techniques & ideas abound. This is the perfect introduction & springboard for those of you who want to learn how to create digital art. Read this book and then run with it. Susan is giving you the key to the door and is the perfect companion to usher you into the world of digital art. I'm enjoying playing with this book so much & would heartily recommend it.

May I offer you a delicious serving of eccentricity?

Courtesy of the BBC, a televisual offering can be found here: 'Behind The Scenes at the Museum'

This film is the epitome of all that beautiful BBC2 & BBC4 do best. It's one man's look at the community who oversee the running of the Freud Museum in London. It may sound dull, but I can assure you it isn't! From the developing 'atmosphere' between upstairs & downstairs to the organisation of the dating evenings - yes, you really could meet the partner of your, ahem, dreams ( joke? get it?) and the delightful Freudian slip-pers in the museum's gift shop, this is an hour full of gentle delights.

Fancy making friends with the museum's official dog? Or does finding a lost painting by Lucien Freud appeal? If so, please watch and enjoy. Because you're worth it :-)

The Perennial Question?

I'm a person of extremes and much as I adore succulent colour & a clashing contrast, I'm also a sucker for the pretty nudes & blush pink dresses that are currently walking down a High Street near you. And here is my solution to the 'What Should I Wear With That?' question; one that I hope would stand out in a crowd.

My fingers tiptoed through my bead trays until I alighted upon this set of beads by Dora Schubert. 'Parfait' as the French say, and then I went scurrying off to sift through my collection of pearls because nothing enhances skin tone better than the oyster's greatest gift to the world.

So here is 'Neutrality'. Could this be an answer to the question?

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Jean Yates kindly reviewed this necklace in this post from her blog.