
I rarely get blog awards but as four very kind bloggers awarded me this one, I was pretty amazed! I'm very honoured so thanks go to
Teresa at Blueberries Art & LifeGrahame N ButlerSpinnereta at Jacobite RoseChristine at Creative Life StudioI have to list 7 things I love. Making a list always makes my mind go blank so it took a while to come up with something and not repeat things I've said before. And I should say, this excludes the obvious - family, health, chocolate, art materials etc.!
1. This was easy, cats! Chocolate brown Burmese or Siamese, I can't decide which, but I do love cats. They are so elegant, beautiful and completely mad, which is a great combination, I think!
2. Also brown and beautiful - Black Lemurs. I've always been drawn to Madagascar and it was a really amazing to visit a reserve on the island of Nosy Komba and have them jump on my arm for a banana! I can still feel those soft little fingers today!
3. Holidaying in West Cork as a child. It was such a thrill to drive to the beach along deserted county roads on a warm August day. Just before we'd arrive I'd look up at the fluffy white clouds over the hills and think of the fun we'd have on the beach just beyond. There is something about the clouds where sea meets land that still gives me a thrill. I'd hate to go back there now as it would probably ruin the memory!
4. Shopping in London. Going to Cork was an escape from London, but after so many years, on and off, of living in other countries, I think of London as home. I love shopping trips there - there really is nowhere better, it has the best food (it's a myth the French have better food - and anyway, it can be bought in London!), the best art shops, the most choices for books, shoes, clothes and anything else you can think of (Alex discovered the guitar shops in Denmark Street last year!). There is so much to see and do there and I've only done a fraction of it!
5. Colour. It's been a long journey, using colour the way I want to. I used to love combining colours in paint as a child and seeing how they looked next to each other. Somewhere along the line I stopped playing but strangely enough it was going to a colour consultant in my 30's (as a birthday present!) and seeing the colours that suited me that was a major turning point. I really was stunned for days! It was like being given permission to play again!
6.Precision in nature. While others see chaos, I see precision - in the way petals fit together, in the precise shading on feathers, patterning on fish scales or chameleon skin, for instance. One of my first memories is of looking at the petals of a lupin and marvelling at how precisely the changes in size of each one to make the perfect whole (not to mention the prefect gradation in shading from top to bottom). From spinning atoms to spinning planets, I don't think any of it is chaotic.
7. Music. I was a young teenager in the mid 70's which was a really exciting time so music has always been an important backdrop. I thought I'd eventually grow up and start liking classical music but it hasn't happened yet!