Cath Sheard Art

Tag: self

  • Gelli prints

    What’s the perfect thing to do on Good Friday? Make art of course! I got out my 6×6″ Gelli Plate, Golden Fluid Acrylic paints, a pile of stencils and got to work. I mainly printed on 120gsm white paper but a few telephone pages were harmed in the making of these prints…who needs to look up Stratford numbers anyway? I made dozens of prints, these are just a few favourites.

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    Tony came home as I was cleaning up and we had one of those conversations where I was reminded once again how lucky we are to have each other, and how respectful and careful we are of each other’s feelings. We even ended up commenting on that; that we choose to operate on a level of care and respect.

    Look, I say, holding up the two purple ones with red and white patterns underneath. They match. No they don’t, says Tony. Yeah, they do – they’re both purple with red and white underneath. Tony: that doesn’t mean they match! Me: well close enough… he shrugs and laughs.

    Round two. We’ve been talking about repainting the middle room, currently lime green, in a cream shade so I can display more art. He’s watching, amused, as I rifle through my pile of prints, considering my next step with them – a journal maybe? Suddenly he says – you could cut them into proper squares and display them in a grid on the middle room when the walls painted. I’m so excited I flap my hands at him 😉 He just laughs and says he regrets the suggestion already. Then he looks at me and utters his favorite line “So, what are they going to be?”

    And my reply: They’re not going to ‘be’ anything, they just are. Oh, he says, and smiles at me.

    Even the newsprint I cleaned my brayer off on each time has been put aside to do something with. Both pieces have such cool colors and this amazing texture. And for the record, I love my Gelli Plate!

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  • A theme emerges

    Mum’s funeral service, conducted by a local JP who had a lot to do with Mum, has made me think about what I do and don’t believe. Mum was an atheist, as was her dad. I spent some time in the church as a teenager but I suspect that was about belonging more than anything. I certainly don’t call myself a Christian. Thinking all that through seems to be a recurring theme in my journal, as does my changing relationship with my now-retired husband, and career/art time, now that Mum is gone. Here’s what I have been creating with all this in mind:

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  • An art day to soothe my soul

    There’s nothing like a day getting messy to soothe my soul. I have cut new leaf stencils and masks, cut a Heartagram stencil, inked and layered and glued and…  I am really enjoying this larger format landscape journal. The pages stand up well to the way I work and I like having more room to ‘do stuff’. I just wish my wrist was stronger, but it’s getting there.

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  • Looking back at 2012

    I know this is a bit early, but I have a lot going on in my head, so this seems the perfect time. At the end of each year I think back on the year that’s been; the achievements and events that have shaped my life. Knowing what we have done, what has happened, and where we’ve been, helps map the road forward. Here’s a quick recap of things that stand out from 2012. In many ways this has been a sad and difficult year but as a scrapbooker I know that we can’t just document the good times; without the hard stuff, the really good days would not shine so brightly.

    • Had to accept Mum going into the local rest-home, after 14 years of caring for her at home, when she had a stroke in May.
    • Was awarded Overall Winner of the 2012 Signature Exchange.
    • Dropped out of Post Grad Diploma in Museum Studies at Massey for 2012 – my work and family needed my time more than my studies did.
    • Re-elected as Co-Chair is PubSig, a national organisation that supports librarians, to serve another 2 years.
    • Enjoyed another year of love and friendship with Sandra; 40-mumble years and counting!
    • Presented a lightning session on professional registration at the Palmerston North LIANZA conference 2012.
    • Participated in the 14th Annual International Collage Exchange.
    • Tony had double cataract surgery, then a few months later a femoral crossover bypass to get around a 20cm clot in his left femoral artery.
    • Enjoyed being on the communications committee for the 2012 LIANZA annual conference.
    • Mum passed away just four days after my birthday and 9 days before Christmas. My heart aches.

    My guiding word for 2012 was LEARN; looking back, I did few of the things I wanted to learn to do. I think that’s mainly a reflection of the kind of year it has been, which means that my word for next year will have something to do with being kind to myself. When you look back, what have been the big things for you this year?

  • Making a new art journal

    I’ve been converting an A5 notebook into an art journal for the coming year. I usually have more than one art journal on the go. This one’s role is to encourage me to draw more often, and make notes of ideas as they flash though my brain. I coated all the pages with gesso, and have spent a few afternoons painting, inking and stenciling to get rid of much of the whiteness. I’m nearly finished and the process has been very therapeutic as I mourn the loss of Mum, and incredibly messy. I can’t wait to start gluing bits and bobs into it, drawing on top of the paint, and generally just using it – not storing it, putting it on the bookcase and leaving it there or making it too precious to use.

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