Cath Sheard Art

Blog

  • Feeling my way to a new direction

    From time to time I test out new directions, usually after being inspired by reading about and watching other people’s work. I love watching other artists on YouTube and letting that inspiration feed my work. I don’t want to copy their work and, even if I did, I am a hopeless copyist. What I do as an artist is what I do! Sometimes Tony will see a work and ask if I could do something similar. The answer’s always no. My hands and brain are wired to create in a certain way, so when I watch a lot of someone I can see their influence in my new work, but it always ends up looking like mine…

    Recently I have been reading about Flora Bowley, and my dear friend artist Martha Marshall put me onto Jane Davies. Here are to test pieces; I am sure you can see the influence of their style. I’ll be doing more pieces in my art journal until the new way of working becomes part of what I do and feels integrated into my art practice. I’d love to know what you think of these directions.

    Happy 1

    cruciform 1

  • Art journal cards 161-167 364

    Art journal cards 161-167 364

    I’ve been able to do an art card a day most days this last week, it feels so good! I still have to be careful, but am happy to take the win. These use Stencil Gil stencils, Copic markers and various pens, Ranger Glossy Accents, ephemera, Diamond Glaze, Golden paints, old maps, newspaper words, gesso, Golden Garnet gel medium.

    162 364 163 364 164 364 165 364 166 364 167 364

  • Trying out some art time

    My shoulder and wrist are still quite sore if I do too much (please, never ever drink and drive – your careless actions could change someone else’s life forever), but I *needed* some art time. I grabbed some gelli print tissue paper, the June Stencil Girl stencils, a green Posca pen – which shows as white in the scan, and a fine black pen and got to work. The quotes in the circles through the centre are from Wishes Fulfilled by Dr Wayne W Dyer. I’ve been a fan of is writing for many years, and have been listening to this on audio as I drive to and from work each day.

    i am that i am

  • My angel babies and Mum

    Many people know that in my 20s I lost a lot of babies to miscarriage. Because of the medical issues it’s hard to know exactly, but likely more than 12 angel babies came our way. A conversation with Sandra, my best friend of 45 or so years, last night reminded me of them. Not in a sad way, more a sense of heightened awareness.

    When all that was happening I was living in Auckland and Wellington. I’d ring Mum often to tell her what was happening — Mum the nurse thinks I’m pregnant. Mum the baby has gone. Mum the pregnancy test was neutral, so they think I might be pregnant. Mum the baby is gone. Mum the Dr is suggesting we try this…

    Mum listened patiently, without offering too much sympathy as she knew I had to hold myself together. She and Dad only had my sister Ailsa and I, and there’s more than a decade between us. I know she wanted more children but it never happened, and Dad loved all kids. I wonder how hard it was for them listening to me?

    It always looked to me like Mum was a great Grandma to Ailsa’s children. They were lucky to have Mum in their lives and she loved them. There’s an ending to this that I am not going to write because it involves someone else’s child, and I have cried a little for my babies this morning but know, as always, that love remains.

    angelbaby

  • Whe injury & disability collide

    A couple of years ago I wrote this. Since the car accident my wrist has been really bad a couple of times and here we go again. I am typing and mousing left handed. I can barely grip a pen or dress myself. I have two wrist braces but can’t use the better one with my walking stick because of the metal bar through the palm so have to swap to a softer one some of the time. Between Tony and I we are quite a pair!

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