First and last

Happy New Year everyone.
Hope you are all set for a very creative and productive year. It will fly by faster than you think so don't put off any ideas or ambitions. Go for it or my favourite 'Go with the flow' - remember mistakes are the learning curve and they can always be cut up, painted and incorporated into something else so don't hold back. I look forward to watching what you are all creating over the year.

Here is my First posted image of 2008 which is of the Last piece I made in 2007 but the light wasn't suitable to photograph. (The title of this post reminds me of a holiday I spent when a teenager in a small holiday cottage in Staithes on N. Yorks coast. It was called the First and Last as it was the first cottage at the top of the hill going down into Staithes and the last cottage on the way out. Climbing the hill home wasn't very welcome after an evening in the Copper Kettle coffee bar at the bottom of the hill - which is an art gallery now with some wonderful paintings and sculptures displayed there. Ooops I'm rambling....) Here's the image:
This is a mobile based on an image of Queen Nefertiti. The header is a curved triangle - like a Toblerone box but curved inward in red, green and blue with her bust machined, painted and then highlighted with gold leafing pen. The colours being common to much of the Ancient Egyptian jewellery (thank goodness they had found such rich colours to use in their jewellery and decoration - amazing really for so long ago). The hangings are the letters of her name - machined on satins in the front and painted and sponge on the back. The edges of the letters are satin st using the Madeira FS20 metallics in matching colours. I am pleased with it.

The decorations are down and stored away - how much bigger the room looks. I didn't make any new year resolutions as this year may be unpredictable depending on whether the book is to be published this year or next year. I won't know until I speak to my editor.

Will have my grandson for next 3 days so will not have time for much else. There are a number of CD's to get to grips with. One of the discs I bought him was a disc to play chess as he has shown an interest in learning to play the game and he is very keen to progress to Cluefinders Year 6 which I won't let him do yet until he completes Cluefinders Year 5 much to his frustration. The top level of a Cluefinder is usually equivalent to the first level of the next one so that's his aim and he's almost there. He is desperate to see what the next adventure will be.

As with yourself Sharon, I want to spend some time creating more digital collages and as you call them composites. And, as soon as the weather permits - out to do much more photography. We've made a list of places to go.

I have a shopping list too - will be ringing the man I know who said he can mix any colour metallic paint I would like - I have a list don't you know - and hope he can mix some colours I would like to add to my collection for a lot less than buying the well known brand names. He also has pearlex type powders for a lot less too - will ask about them.
And there's more!!! but not until I've reorganised some of the storage. Must find somewhere else to keep my 2 guitars - they block access to a set of drawers which I may use more if they were easier to access.
And another thing I must do is begin to use much more of my stock and rediscover what I have forgotten I have. Do these sound like resolutions??? Sounds like a lot of work to me - just as well they are not resolutions!!!

Goodness this is a long post - sorry. Must get on now - 3 more pieces to finish.