A NEW ACCOUNT

HI ALL,
Well the paintings are moving along, a little slowly, but they are getting done. I have also started two much smaller pieces, in an attempt to produce more work in a year.
The big paintings are a real challenge, but take so long to do, so I am trying some new ideas on a smaller scale.

I have also opened a new account :Cheebawitches: is a stock account I am doing with my best friend Lav, she will kill me for using her pet name. But you would have seen her in some of my paintings, 'Secrets' and 'waters edge', and she is the model for one of the larger pieces that I am working on at the moment.
Lav is a wonderfull friend, who lets me dress her in different costumes, and then walks around castles and grave yards for me, draping herself over ancien tomb stones, and walking through Arundal Castle in a wedding dress, while I snap away. And all in the name of my art.
Anyway, over the years I have taken many many pictures, not just of Lav, but of all sorts of things, ranging from insect wings and giant hornets, to landscapes and elephants.
So I have decided to put some up for use as stock art.
Now I wasn't thinking photo manips, but more as reference, although any use will be fine.
I am also not the best photographer in the world. And you never know, you may find the occasional picture of moi the other half of 'Lav and Jules' poping up, and it's about time there was some stock photo's of those of us that are no longer 21.
And besides that, I think Lav is beautiful, and she looks good in anything, medievil, gothic,
She is also a constant supply of laughter, my lifeline. It's not up and running yet but I will let you know when it is.
Henry is doing well, although he still has a bad leg. Today we had to shave off all his lovely feathers, as the vet is coming to take x-ray's and ultra sound of his bad leg tomorrow, so we will know exactly what is wrong, and if it can be put right, so fingers crossed.
Jules

NAKED WOMEN DRIVES WRONG WAY UP THE M25 LAUGHING LIKE A BANSHEE

1000 pageviews, well 1015 as of today. I would like to say a big thank you to and for the features they both did on my work, I know it helped a lot, and to for letting me use her stock, The Dragon and the Firefly has been really popular, and for all the encouragement from my friends, it has helped me enourmously.
Now if my spelling is off, or this journal is a bit muddled, please excuse it, but I have had a weird couple of weeks. Firstly my Doctor gav me some new tablets to take, packed with seratonin. Now seratonin, or a lack of it in the brain can be a cause of depression. So you take the pills and off you go. Well it would seem that after all these years, my brain just doesn't want any, because I reacted badly,(to say the least).
I asked the doctor, 'this will not affect my driving will it', 'no' she said, HA.
If I had driven, it would likely have been headline news at 10, 'NAKED WOMEN DRIVES WRONG WAY UP THE M25 LAUGHING LIKE A BANSHEE'.
It started off with what I can only describe as an incredible high, which quickly became euphoria. Now normaly, my mind races, all the time, you will often find me reading a book, watching the TV and listening to music, all at the same time, it's part of my being Bi Polar, and shutting down is the hardest thing for me. Well, two days on these tablets and I couldn't even string together a few simple words. People were asking me, 'are you alright' and I was having to think just to get the words to register.
I only took two tablets over two days, but something in my head was telling me, this was not right, and I distantly remembered reading in the side affects 'euphoria'.
I asked my daughter to get the little piece of paper you get with all pills, and read through the, comon, not so common, rare, and very rare, and there it was, 'Euphoria'.
As I began to read down the list I was suddenly overcome with this 'hot' feeling inside, and before I could finish reading, my heart started beating faster.
Within a few minuits I was unable to breath, within a few more I was rushed down to the surgery where I spent an hour on my hands and knees, just trying to breath.
Acute seratonin syndrom is the official name for it, and it was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, I though I was leaving this world for the next, and a little before time I might add.
Since then I have been having panic attacks, which is sooooo not me. I have also been diagnosed with diabetes, which on top of my PCOS means I now live on lettuce, and my blood pressure is up, so I am also trying to give up smoking, not a bad thing I know, and all for my own good, but god is it boring. I can't even seem to work, although I have done a little, until I begin my new medication, I am left feeling exhausted all the time which for someone who is always on the go, is frustrating to say the least.
With all this to deal with my hubby did something wonderful. I went up to the stable where we keep my daughters horse, and found two of my offspring, one who should have been at school, the other at work, standing by the gate, as I walked around, demanding to know what they were doing, I saw this face in the stable next to Penny, that I did to know. His name is Henry, and I have posted a picture in my gallery just because I wanted you all to see him. He is a big old shire cross with a heart of gold, and you can see it in his face. His feet are like dinner plates with so much feather, his hair is just like mine, about the same texture too, and I love him to bits. Although I can't ride him at the moment, most of the time I feel as if I've had a couple of neat Vodka's, you know when all around you starts to look a bit funny, it's like existing in that time, just before you drop off to sleep, when the tv starts to sound weird, so riding would not be a good idea, I would end up going one way, while the horse went the other. But Henry has become my focus for getting fit, at a time when I was feeling I wouldn't see Christmas.
I am still a bit panicy, which frustrates me, as my body panics, while my mind is going 'what are you doing this for'.
Today I went to see my Aunty, She found out two weeks ago that she has cancer of the colon, it has spread to her womb and she had to have it removed. She has been very ill, the cure more than the illness, and lost most of her hair, but when we arrived she was just returning from church, and her smile was as big as I ever remember it being, her spirit as generous as I remember, and I thought to myself, 'Jules', 'things could be a lot worse', If she can smile, then what have I to be sad about.
Thanks to every one of the 1000 who have visited my Gallery, especiall :fagashlil: who has always been a good friend, and here's to the next 1000.

'There is a problem sending your reply'
'lease try again in a moment'

Good morrow one and all
God I love Sundays

Well it's been a busy week this week.
Firstly the hubby bought me a new Vaio laptop. My poor old fieldtech one has been retired from the hectic life of surfing and live updates. To the more sedate pass time, that we have come to know and love as 'Bookworming'.
So, welcome to the world of windows Vista.
There are a few problems that need ironing out, just don't know if the creases are mine or Vista's.
My printer only prints when I shut down the laptop, useful I know, and I have to keep refering to the 'classic view' or I get lost, (think that might be me age though). Alas and alack, xp is now one more thing in my lie that has become, 'A classic'.
It's how it begins you know.
I am also having trouble on my replies on dA. When I put two new pieces up last weeks, (one of which changed in front of eyes). I also fond, that every time I send a reply or comment, I get the message,
'There was a problem sending your reply'
'lease try again in a moment'
Now I don't know if it's me, Vista, or dA, but some comments are getting through, others are not. Some are getting through but to the wrong deviation, and vice versa when replied to me. We spent a good half hour trying to keep up with each other, but in the end I didn't know what I was replying to anymore.
I have since tried again, and to reply to fav's but it is still doing the same. So bear with me until I find out what's going on.
We also have a new addition to the family. Her name is Penny, and she is a Welsh section D, who is the most laid back horse I have come accross, a real Hippy of the horse world . Except that is if you ride her in windy weather. BIG BIG lesson learned on Wednesday. NEVER NEVER ride Penny in the wind, unless you like being Zorro for a day
But I now have a cure to my not being able to find a suitable stock pic for my unicorn, We now have the perfect model, I just have to work out, how to get her ito rear up, with me laying on the floor beneath her without losing my face when she lands, should keep me out of trouble though, (I hope).
Think I feel another sunday morning snooze coming on.

Darrock Anyon

At the exhibition I entered recently, I met a very successful artist, who filled me with, well, so many things, confidence, hope, joy. She was so enthusiastic about my work, and invited me to her studio, to see if she could help me move forward. I accepted her invitaion, and duly showed up, very nervous , but curious, I left devastated. She told me my work was flat, I achieved no sence of distance, there was no form to my figures, their skin was almost slimey, I could go on.
For the next week, I couldn't even pick up a brush, when I did, I just started crying, I felt as if every day of the last ten years had been a waste of time. She asked me what I wanted to do with my work,'I want to get better at it' was all I could say, because it's the truth. There is no need for material gain in my work, there is just the need to paint. The silly thing is, she warned me of what she was about to do.
'When you try to teach someone, who has taught themselves, it is a very emotional thing'. 'You have to strip them bare, leave them with nothing, and begin again'.
I listened to all she said intently, I remember everything she said, but sometimes when you strip everything away from a person, all you leave them with, is nothing.
At the bottom of my room, stands Darrock Anyon, six feet tall, his Dark violet eyes follow you intently, the warning in them clear, 'she is mine, and I will fight you to the death to protect her'.
I started this work just before the exhibition, and as I struggled with all that this lady said to me, it has sat there, untouched. His nose isn't quite right, his hips at the wrong angle, and his left ear looks like mr Spocks. The chain mail cod piece looks entirely too rude because the roughly painted leather undneath, well you will see what I mean, his fingers look like sausages, I could go on, but instead, I picked up my brushes.
This is the last time I shall paint Darrock, (I think) he has changed a lot since the first one, but then so have I, but when I look at him now, as he watches me typing this, he has taken on a whole new persona. He was always a strong character,but it's s if he is now the embodiment of what my painting means to me, his eyes push me on, even when I'm working on other things, he watches always. It's going to take me an age to finish him, so I decided to put him up as a WIP, the first I might add, I don't like people seeing my work half done, but what the hey, you only live once The last ten years will only be a waste if I choose to waste them, and I can't abide waste.
I admire this Artists work, and I don't intend to ignore her words, she knows what she is tlking about, she's been teaching for thirty years, and her work, which is mainly equine based, is like captured memories, but for this painter my soul chooses my path, and I can't fight that, don't want to either.
So for all Artists, be they painters or poets, writers, uncle tom cobbly and all, when people give you advice, if anyone ever makes you feel that bad about your efforts in life, pick up your pride, thank them very nicely, and then tell them to ....off thank you, I'm doing quite nicely as I am.
And I must say a big thank you to :empty paper: coming online and seing my work featured on my new insane friends space, and the kind words, really, really helped me so much, just as each and every comment does.
Deviants are the best.


I have also replaced some of my files with better ones, I will be updating all the ones that are not so good, and they are all bigger, so you can get a better idea of the detail etc.
Sssh Baby has had a few changes as well, her hand and hair for one, and Baby's eye was a bit wonky, all better now though.

:Elandria:
:Fagashlil
:Emptypaper:

Now I know for some people, this comes easy, and I'm sure it's quite simple, but will somebody please tell me how you add links and other peoples avatars to my page. Yes I read the help, but it tells you, what to do, not how, either that or I am being really thick here.

'HELP'


=Elandria