Thursday 2 April 2020

A different world

How I wish my first blogpost of 2020 could've been in happier circumstances. But right now I feel the need to reconnect with my blog-friends and find out how you are all doing. I hope well and healthy!

We have been in lockdown since almost 3 weeks. It's a lockdown light, we're still allowed to do necessary stuff like grocery shopping, if we take precautions of course, like keeping our distance and not going out when feeling sick. I'm working from home now, as is my hubby. Kids are home from school too, getting a lot of assignments and online classes.

The last months I've been working a lot in my new colored pencils journal. I started it out with peepholes because I thought it would be fun to be able to look through to the other page. Here's the first page I did:


Here you can see where the holes are. I messed up her hair so I cut another hole through her forehead.


However, when starting on the second page, I found it a little annoying that I had to work around the peepholes. I wasn't too happy with what was coming through either:


But, well, I had to finish the third spread with the peepholes too. Although I must admit I like that horizontal line I had there. I wouldn't have thought of doing that without the hole being there.


And then I had enough. I wanted the freedom to put on the page whatever I wanted without having to work around something. The next page I had to start with collage because I had put varnish on the page and the ballpoint from the hair went through to the other side.


I was really getting into colored pencils again. It's a long time ago I used them and it's fun to have a journal dedicated to colored pencil drawings.


And I love searching for lyrics or texts that fit the images :-) It's kind like a poetry book for me. If I ever get it finished of course...



And then, whoops, I was getting bored again. I have these periods that I'm really into something, like in this case colored pencils, and other times markers, or intuitive painting or sketches, or, .... I don't worry about it, because I know there will be other times when I really get into it.

So then I did nothing for a while. When this whole Corona-thing swept over Europe I felt paralyzed. I couldn't stop watching the news, reading those horrific stories about people dying alone, not being able to say goodbye, all the heartbreaking details, the health care workers that were dying too, and it just didn't stop. I wanted to find solace in art, but I couldn't. Until one night I decided I had to stop watching the news, or at least spend less time glued to the screen. I revisited my "Creatures"-workshop with Roxanne Siciliano ("by Bun") and started glueing images in my journal. And it helped. I had found a quote on Facebook that hit me right in the gut, and I knew I wanted to use it in my journal. Here's the resulting spread:


I don't know what I'll do next, maybe I feel like starting a new painting. On the other hand, I might just continue glueing images. I'm too restless to paint. Whatever I do, I know I must protect myself from becoming obsessed with what's happening in the world. Art helps. It always does. I just need to find the courage to start. Or to continue in this case.

Anyway, enough about me. I'm looking forward to go visit my favorite blogs. And link to Paint Party Friday again.

Because this is such a weird time, and because humour helps to deal with things, here's a whole bunch of funnies, mixed up with more serious memes. Hope you enjoy!

















I just want to end with a beautiful song I first heard this week and that really touched me. It has nothing to do with Corona, in fact it's from a Belgian TV-program where a group of artists spend some time together and make their own version of each other's songs. I so love this song, hope you enjoy it too!



Well, that's it for now. 
Please stay safe, wherever in the world you are. 
Virtual hugs ♥ ♥ ♥

15 comments:

  1. Beautiful art work. Stay safe 🌈

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  2. Beautiful works of art your pages, I love them all and they express feelings that is your art! Bad this time and all the dying people who died without their relatives at this feeling I get stuck and open my heart to let it fly for these people!
    I wish you a good time and stay healthy!
    Greetings Elke

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  3. Amazing, inspiring, uplifting and oh so creative i'm in total awe of your work Denthe. Your pencil work is amazing and I thank you for sharing all that you have been up to recently, something I find so difficult to do more than ever now. Those peep holes are a superb addition to your journal work a great way to express how what we see can change around us.
    The news and media are painful to watch, we should be so thankful for our art it's a safe place to escape. Take care of yourself & stay safe & above all keep on creating. Sending creative light & best wishes your way Tracey x
    P.S Thank you for the funnies if I could crochet my house would definitely end up looking like that :)

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  4. Wow, your journal pages are beautiful and what a great idea.

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  5. Beautiful art and have missed your funnies, good ones.

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  6. Yay! I am so happy to see you back. I hope you got my email. I am so impressed with the colored pencil art. The skin tones are just amazing and of course I love the hair. You are so talented and I have missed seeing you here. I hope you continue. Here in the US the news is the same ugly BS so I stopped watching it. Thank you for the funnies. I have missed those too. Be safe and Elbow hugs.

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  7. I love the journal spreads and the idea of the peepholes. I am 100% certain however that I would make a huge mess of that myself! Lovely images - I know what you mean about phases of being into one medium or another- I do that too! Happy PPF from Number 21 :D

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  8. Great to see you around again! Love your beautiful art as always. Stay safe and well! Hugs, Valerie

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  9. Hi Denthe :) Your post is very honest and I appreciate it. I am staying very far away from the media. I inform myself every morning but only with the basics that the government has issued. The media is trying to make us all more anxious and depressed. I fell into that trap after 9/11 and watching the news all the time made the situation worse for me. You are healthy and it's good to try to focus on art and home and gratitude. My hubby and I and our pets are all healthy. We are in lockdown too, but like you, we can go grocery shopping. We don't really want to though. A lot of people here in Quebec are not following the guideline and are not taking things seriously. We have the most infected people in Canada! Some good news I found out today, we will be okay to move next month, we were very afraid that we would be stuck here. Your coloured pencil art is glorious. You really do such a great job with them! I recently started coloured pencils too and I love them! You do hair very well! :) Stay safe and healthy!!! We will all get through this!!! :)

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  10. I missed your podtings. Happy you are back.
    Luv your coloured pencil journal pages
    Stay safe

    Much❤love

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  11. Beautiful art- and those cut outs must be challenging for sure. i keep wanting to try it in my journal but I keep holding off;)I especially love that last piece with that special quote. And thank you for the funnies!! Hang in there, and stay well. Happy PPF!

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  12. This is my first visit to your blog from PPF, and 'm in awe of your work-it's amazing. I loved the funnies at the end, and the song is lovely. Thank you!

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  13. Your artwork is gorgeous ~ so creative and colorful ~ ^_^

    We all, I think, were in shock for the first week and the News always sensationalize everything so I am very selective where I get my info and it is not on TV ~

    Keep on creating ~ it is healing ~

    Be Well,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  14. Such unusual work in your pieces, but we can be restricted while following our instincts by nothing. So I understand how you felt. They are great though, especially love the faces.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! I love hearing your thoughts about my work. Because I am getting too many spammer comments, l have to use Captcha, sorry. Hope this is not a problem for you !