The 100 Day Project

I'm not all all sure that this is necessarily one of my better ideas but I decided to participate in The 100 Day Project.

The aim is to choose something creative to do every day for 100 days.  That's 14 weeks!  What was I thinking?

I decided I would make 26 zines - one for every letter of the alphabet.  The idea is to make each zine about me and my identity. If you want to know more about how to make a Zine lok at this blog post.  If you would like to see some of the Zines I've made in the past put Zine in the search box on this page and it will show you all my posts on Zines.

Day 1: I put moulding paste through an alphabet stencil onto an A4 sheet of cartridge paper.  And then decided to do the same on another 3 pieces of paper.

Day 1

Day 2: I put three colours of acrylic paint on a palette and painted this piece of paper.  Then found I had squeezed out too much paint so painted another 3 pieces of paper.

Day 2

Also day 2

 

 

Day 3: I stencilled Australian flora onto one of the pieces of paper - which isn't actually as blue as this photo suggests!

Day 3

 

Day 4: I made an alphabetical list of words that could be used to describe me.

Day 4

Day 5: I stamped a bubble pattern on the page for B.

Day 5

And also sorted out small photos for some of the letters.  I haven't put the photos of my grandchildren on here but they are in the collection.

Also Day 5

Day 6: I used a stencil to draw the letters A, B & C on the front of the zines.  I coloured the letters in with a Glaze pen.  I love these pens because when the first coat is dry you can colour over again.  And you can keep doing that until the letter looks enamelled.

Day 6

So there's me up-to-date.  I've managed 6 days in a row although not quite in the way I had planned.  I had intended to spend 4 days on each letter, but between too much paint and working on different things simultaneously I have 3 zines on the go at once.

It will all work out in the end I'm sure.

Thanks for being here today
Bernice

Creative but not stitch!

During the past 3 weeks I have been sorting and disposing of the church studio, as I mentioned in my last post.

I did however manage to fit in a poetry workshop.  As a warm up exercise we were asked to use the opening words of the Mary Oliver poem:Franz Marc's Blue Horses - 'I step into the painting.

Sara-Jane asked us to use Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!) by Henri Rousseau for inspiration. 

Here's what I wrote during the workshop.

Surprised!

I step into the painting
as torrents of rain
cascade from monsoon clouds
and permeate my clothes.

Surprised by my sudden appearance
the tiger cautiously retreats
under the cover of the undergrowth
that conveniently camouflages him.

Strangely, the canvas of the painting
feels soft and warm.
The fronds of plants envelope me
as if made of cloth.

Stitch-like brushstrokes feather in
the greenish hues of foliage
whilst each leaf emerges
well-defined from its neighbour.

Surprised by the textile quality
of the painting, I step back
out of Rousseau’s artwork
and the tiger stealthily returns.

The theme for the session was horses but I didn't write about that.  Instead after the session I tried writing another poem based on a painting.  This time JMW Turner's Rain Steam Speed.

Maidenhead

The hiss of steam.
The smell of burning coal.
The heavy trembling of the viaduct.
I could hear and smell and feel
The monster rushing toward me
Through the rain that surrounded it.
It was as if I had stepped into the painting.

I sensed staring eyes
But there was no one near.
I wrapped the long velvet cloak
more closely around me.
The hem of my dress was muddied
spoiling the pale chiffon.
Why was I wearing this?

Steam hissing.
Bridge shaking.
Ground rattling.
The clatter came closer
Constantly drumming.
Clickety-clacking.
Never stopping. 

The train charged past me
Thrusting me back from the line.
The sounds and smells faded
as the train headed west.
And I found myself
back in the National Gallery
amongst the staring crowd.

If you like to write creatively whether prose or poetry why not give this a try.

Thanks for being here today
Bernice

Procrastinating or is it thinking time?

I found the start of this blog post in my Facebook memories!  I wrote it in 2010

My name is Bernice and I am not a naturally tidy person. There I've said it. That said there comes a time when I haven't put things away and I end up with just enough room to put a 12"x12" piece of paper on a table designed to seat 8 people!!! So I determined to tidy up the space which could be called a craft room or a studio but was built to be a dining room. I have a kitchen as well but that's only because it came with the rest of the house. 

I started yesterday. I had read an article about how to overcome procrastination and the author said two interesting points in amongst several good points. One: break the task down into smaller parts and two: say what you are going to do out loud. So flies on the wall have heard me say: "I am going to put all the papers away", "I am going to sort out this cupboard", "I am going to find the dining room table" etc. Actually I'm hoping there weren't any flies, although I did find some cobwebs. Perhaps the spiders ate the flies. (Cue for a song here!)

Back in the real world of 2025, nothing much has changed.  I still manage to procrastinate particularly regarding decluttering my house.

However I have a lovely friend who loves sorting stuff out.  Which is just as well as I'm the sort of person who starts clearing and then really wishes I hadn't and loses interest.  My friend however keeps me going.

This is just one cupboard in the study.  Fortunately my husband put in a new shelf for me.

 

 

Which was immediately filled with bags containing sketchbooks and works in progress.

 

 

We then cleared the top shelf and the floor and now it looks like this.

At the same time we have been sorting out all the materials that were part of the church studio.  We had 8 iKea tray units to clear and have successfully done that.  However there are a lot of boxes  waiting to be taken to various people and places.

I hope you find a friend who can help you sort and declutter.

Thanks for being here today
Bernice