Quotes

I simply love quotes! Not sure why....I just do. Maybe it's because I find people inspiring and therefore what they say in a quote can be inspirational (and clever and funny.....).

Here are some pictures I have taken using quotes as a theme.

Have a good Tuesday!

Helen

My version of Peace and quiet

I saw this on the back of the seat in a train. Absolutely loved it!

Happy Valentine's Day

I woke up this morning with the man I love - how fortunate am I.

He presented me with a Lego scene he made of a Stormtrooper giving his lover some flowers. Very bizarre you might think, but to us creative souls it's perfect. I am thankful to have him in my life and love the fact that he made something just for me....not a cuddly toy in sight!

Here is a pic he took of it and a link to his Flickr photostream.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/templeton-cross/

Happy Valentine's Day everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Portrait time

In my quest to re-develop, spruce up, brighten up and liven up my blog and website I feel I really ought to have a better photo of myself. The ones up are a bit old - mind you, I am then a bit younger so that can't be bad- and to be honest, not really worthy of someone who enjoys taking photographs.

But boy do I hate my photo being taken. It's horrendous, I can never find an image I like and I think 'do I really look like that' So my goal this month is to have one taken. I have the resources, namely my wonderful Jim to help me with the lighting etc, and I have the equipment, I just need to make the time.

I then started thinking about doing a portrait every week or every month, like I have seen people do on Flickr. That all depends on whether I can force myself to do it and have the bravery to post them.

But first....little steps and take that one portrait picture.....

What a difference a year makes....

It really has been ages since I have written my blog. Lots of things have happened in my life in the last year, some great.....brilliant infact, and others not so good. This has meant that my time has been diverted away from writing blogs, updating my website, and doing other similar activities.

Briefly, my father passed away in April 09 after a 3 month battle with cancer, and if this has happened to you I am sure you understand the impact this has on your life. My dad was a huge inspiration to me but not only that, he was the head of the family, he made the decisions (guided by my mum) and he was my safety net. He was the man I looked up to, the man who I wanted to emulate and the Dad I adored. I have no idea when I will get over his death....I hear that you never do, you just learn to live with it. I guess at the moment I am trying to do just that.

On a more positive note, I met a brilliant man in July 09 who is my soulmate. His passion and vocation is photography (http://www.templeton-cross.com/) and he has inspired me greatly. One creative soul with another. Absolutely perfect!

On another positive note (see it's not all doom and gloom) the rennovations to my old cottage are taking shape and it means I can free up some time to be creative again.

My plan (gotta have a plan) is to re-develop my blog and website and do more of the things I love....such as photography, art, spending days with my lovely Jim and not forgetting, laughing.

Helen

Behind every good man, is a good woman..........

31 Days - 31 Pctures ~ The First Seven Days

I love inspirational people and have recently been inspired by a wonderful man to dust off my camera and start snapping away again.


I adore photography and art, and more recently, art has taken preference. So in order to put this right, and re-kindle one of my passions, I decided to take a picture-a-day....hence 31 Days, 31 Pictures!

The idea is simple....every day I will take a picture of something which I have either stumbled across during my travels, or something which happened during my day. How many times do we say 'if only I had my camera!'......well now, my little point and shoot is with me all the time, so that I can capture those moments, those interesting people, those beautiful skies......

So here's my first seven days in pictures.....please click on the link below to see the rest!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/millie_scarlet/sets/72157622290889148/

Thanks

Helen

http://www.scarletdesigns.net/

Day 1 - Couple in the Park

Day 2 - My First Rolo

Day 3 - My Suprise

Day 4 - An old brochure

Day 5 - Fushias

Day 6 - Red Guitar

Day 7 - Smartie face

Networking...

I've recently decided to invest time in online networking.

Most of us these days use Facebook, Twitter (although I am yet to suss this one out) and LinkedIn, to name a few. These are social networking sites, aimed at keeping friends, colleagues etc up to date on our lives, whether it be personal or professional.

These sites are great and can be a very useful way of promoting your artwork and photography, announcing exhibitions, promoting events or just keeping people informed on what you are currently working on.

I have found LinkedIn to be a really useful site, mainly as it allows you to join groups on a professional basis whereby you can create discussions and learn some interesting things you never knew before. For instance, you may want to try out a new medium and would like experiences of other artists. They can give you advice and tips and provide interaction that is sometimes lacking when you are alone in a studio.

Naturally, these sites can take up a lot of your time, but used wisely, can provide an excellent source of information and in the process, build up a network of like minded individuals.

So give it a bash I say...

September 07 - Venice in Watercolour!

It's been far too long since I have updated my blog, so I am playing catch up!

The month of September saw me attend a wonderful Art-Events workshop called 'Venice in Watercolour'. Julie King was the inspiring tutor who made it all look so easy.

Julie started us off by painting a scene of a building on the canal which had beautiful shutters, lots of character and looked a painters paradise, especially if you were there! She showed us various techniques and ways in which we could capture the essence of the scene and bring it to life. Unfortunately my picture turned out nothing like I hoped so it will be resigned to my folder where all the graveyard paintings go! I never chuck them away as you can learn so much from them when you look back, but it certainly won't be making any public displays!!

For the second part of the day (after a nice picnic lunch and a natter) we painted the Venetian skyline from a picture supplied by Julie. Again, she showed us various techniques and the best ways of using the colours.

Here's my attempt below! Still not brilliant, but a far cry from the previous picture (trust me)!