Category Archives: Photography

Share Your World 2016 – Week 10

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…..it’s Thursday and I’m home trying to get over a cold

I don’t like waiting so long to get to Cee’s challenge but it seems like I’ve taken on more than I can manage at the moment so something had to be put aside temporarily. That something just happened to be writing for my blog. I’m trying to rest today so that I’m not sick over my March Break. Plans include drawing, reading and answering the following questions.

What would you ask for if a genie granted you three wishes?

I would ask for good health for me and my family. My second wish would be enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life and take two or three trips a year.  My last wish would be for on going happiness for my children. If they’re happy and I’m healthy what more could I ask for?

What experiences are most meaningful to you?

The experiences that are most meaningful to me are those that involve my husband and my family. They would include getting married, buying a house, having my children, going on vacation, having a great job and watching my children grow up and sharing their happy moments.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was very young I wanted to be a nurse. At the age of 12 I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and not just any teacher but a family studies teacher. I held on to that dream all through school, occasionally contemplating about going into medicine but my first choice was teaching. Well I did become a family studies teacher and did that for 15 years and then switched to become a guidance counsellor for two years and then a grade 5 homeroom teacher for 14 years and for the last 4 years I’ve been the librarian and art teacher.

Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was….

I can’t pick just one. My wedding day, the days my children were born, the day we bought our house, the day I got my first teaching job, the days when my daughters got married, the day my son got engaged and the day my granddaughter was born.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for spending the day babysitting my granddaughter last Sunday. My husband had a lot of medical tests done this week and I’m grateful that everything looks good and that his cancers are still in remission. We have the green light to proceed making plans for our trip to Italy this summer. We’ve had warming temperatures all week and the rain that we were suppose to get didn’t arrive until today so we’ve experienced very pleasant days.

After tomorrow our March Break begins and I’m looking forward to a week of rest and relaxation. We haven’t made any plans other than seeing our children. Maybe we’ll take in the museum or the art gallery and I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of walking.

Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Crooked and Squiggly Lines

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…..Cee is encouraging us to use our imaginations for this challenge

Surely in my photo library I must have photos with crooked or squiggly lines. Cee, however, is asking us to use our imagination and find some interesting subjects. Seeing that I am somewhat housebound today I think I will explore the nooks and crannies of my home.

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WPC – Harmony

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….took awhile to find this week’s photo challenge but I didn’t give up

Today’s walk brought me peace and harmony as I played with my new camera and experimented with different angles.

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Day 4 of My Sketchbook Challenge

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….and adding doodles around my Warhol sketch

Today I added some colour around my Warhol sketch during my art class with my grade twos. I was hoping to show some of their work here but they need a little more time to finish their portraits.

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Yesterday I bought a couple of new pens and some coloured ink. I was really looking forward to playing with them and when I got home tonight I was able to do just that.

I also managed to get in over 10 000 steps again.

A Concert, Sketching on the Subway and Walking 11 000 Steps

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….it was a good day

This afternoon I took the subway downtown to attend a Music in the Afternoon concert at the Edward Johnson Building. I was hoping to hear the pre-show lecture but I arrived too late and sat in the lobby and ate my lunch. IMG_7681The concert was very enjoyable. The Daedalus Quartet performed Jean Sibelius’ String Quartet in D Minor, Voces Intimae, Op 56. and then they were joined by Romie de Guise-Langlois on Clarinet. Together they performed James MacMillan’s Tuireadh for clarinet and string quartet. The piece was long and haunting and I quite enjoyed it but many of the older members of the audience were clearly not enjoying it.. After the intermission, the group played Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B Minor. For many this final number brought the audience back in their favour.

 

On my way to the concert I pulled out my sketchbook and started to draw the woman who was sitting in front of me. It was the first time that I have attempted to sketch people on location. I usually use photographs or use my imagination but I’m determined to stretch my skills and try new things. At the concert hall, I arrived early so I also attempted to sketch the podium on the stage. It’s not a bad start but I have a ways to go and lots to learn.

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After the concert I walked along the Philosopher’s Walk and took photos of the snow and surrounding buildings. We finally got a really good snowfall but by next week the temperatures are suppose to rise to double digits and it will all melt and we’ll be left with slush and puddles.

When I got off the subway I had a fair distance to walk to get to my car. I drove over to the Junction and parked the car again and did a little shopping in the area. All in all it was a good walking day and I recorded 11 000 steps by the end of the day. A good day all round!

 

 

 

 

Share Your World 2016 – Week 9

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….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World

Have you done something you truly want to do today?

I really wanted to draw today and get in my 10 000 steps. I’m happy to say that I’ve done both and I got to see my favourite show which is Survivor. I’m in a pool and I’ve chosen four players that I hope will make it to the end. There have been only three shows so far but I’m pleased that none of my players have been voted off and two of my choices are on the team that keeps winning challenges. As a result I earn extra points and another player found the idol today for which I earn more points.

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What can you help the world with?

This is a tall order. I think on a daily basis I can try to be the best person possible and share my gifts and compassion for people. I don’t want to sound preachy but I think we all need to be more tolerant of all people, regardless of their income, race, religion, education and sexual orientation and be fair and equitable to all.

I try to reduce my carbon footprint by using less energy, walking more and using the car less and recycling, composting and reusing items instead of throwing things into the garbage that end up in landfill.

I think the best way I can change the world is by educating people and making them aware of how we can make a difference if we all pull together for a common cause. The argument always falls back to China’s contribution to the world’s pollution and until they change our efforts won’t make a difference. I know for a fact that there are groups of people in China, India, and parts of Africa that are protesting against big businesses that want to change agricultural lands, fresh water bogs, and rivers in their communities and they are making a difference.

If life was ‘just a bowl of cherries’… which fruit other than a cherry would you be..?

I would be a peach. Perfectly ripe and juicy.

Quotes List: At least three of your favorite quotes?

I always quake at the thought of having to write quotes, never mind my favourite ones. I know a favourite quote when I hear one or read one but don’t ask me to remember one, two or three. If I write anything here it’s because I did a little research to jog my memory and if you don’t see anything it’s because I couldn’t find a favourite quote.

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”
― John Lennon

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
― C.S. Lewis

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for getting back on track with my walking. I’ve walked over 10 000 steps a day for six days in a row. Now if I could only get my eating back on track so that some of this weight that I’ve gained would come back off. I’m grateful for my good health. Last night I was able to shovel the snow off the sidewalk in front of eight of my neighbour’s homes and other than feeling a little tired today I feel remarkably well.

This week I hope to continue drawing in my sketchbook on a daily basis, complete the last assignment from Carla’s class and continue walking 10 000 steps a day. On the weekend I hope to see my granddaughter. It’s been two weeks since I’ve held her and I can tell from the photos that my daughter sends that she’s changing by the minute.

 

Am I Crazy?

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….I just signed up for two more art classes

In January I decided to take another year long course with Carla Sonheim called Y is for Yellow. Every two weeks there’s a new lesson with homework. So far I haven’t been very good about finishing all the assignments but there’s one that I really liked and I keep drawing more examples of famous artists.

Today I signed up for a 31 day sketchbook challenge that starts tomorrow and another sketchbook class that goes for six weeks. The first mini assignment for Sketchbook Skool was to put some ink blots on paper, press it against another piece of paper, let it dry and then draw a sketch around what you see. This was fun to do and was somewhat similar to some of Carla’s assignments from past classes.

Here is what I did today:

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Last week I shared my Dali sketches with you. When I demonstrated the technique with my grade two class on Friday I did another Dali and an Andy Warhol. I took them home on the weekend and finished them. I haven’t added the doodles yet. I think I’ll leave the Dali as is and only draw doodles around the Warhol piece. What do you think?