It is October already and with most of our family birthdays celebrated we now look forward to the end of the year and more excitement with a family road trip to the Tankwa Karoo and some spare time on our hands. 

Many students have been caught up in the Jewish holidays which start with Rosh Hashanah and end with Simchat Torah with many visits to schul, some fasting and the enjoyment of delicious food and good company. 

Classes have been rather random with the holidays taking precedence of course. It seems that we will restart at the end of October and finish the 2024 sessions at the end of November. I've compiled some new classes with the view to re-look at creativity and boost letterform. Through 2024 most of us have consistently worked in A4 watercolour books to keep pace with the lessons presented. I encourage students to be brave and work directly into the workbook with just a few trials for colour and letter size before commencing with the work. While it can be daunting, the spontaneity of the piece outweighs deliberate working out. And of course, if all else fails, another piece can simply be pasted over the unwanted or unliked piece. 

For me, working directly into the book removes the serious 'faffery' of over-worked art. I read that delightful word in a blog written by Lucy of Attic24. It describes the many times a person faffs around without achieving much. So I 'pinched' the word with many thanks and much admiration. Lucy is a wonderfully creative crochet designer, photographer and many-sock knitter. Bright and colourful, she is such an inspiration. 

Stationery and art materials are not only essential to my 'well being' they are part of my life and I enjoy browsing for new papers and materials. I have found some beautiful 'Have-to-Haves' from Etchr at the ArtSavingsClub store which I've known for a long time online and they now have a store in Linden. An Aladdin's Cave of delights for creative people of all calibres and disciplines. My latest choices are a tin of A6 watercolour postcards and an A6 concertina watercolour book beautifully bound. Cannot wait to work on them.  These will make wonderful gifts for the right people. 

With November around the corner and new projects in the making I created this Lest we Forget piece for the 11 November which I shall post then. New projects to keep students interested are always a challenge and I really enjoy stretching myself to make lessons interesting and creative, especially at the end of the year. 

And in between all that I have been reading some fascinating books in the past week or so: Tidelands by Patricia Gregory is an historical novel (Book 1 of a trilogy) with interesting historical details (Roundhead times in England) and great descriptive writing. Little Stories of your Life by Laura Pashby where the author encourages the reader to become more aware of the finer details of everyday life and to 'make notes' and record beautiful moments. And to end off winter: Nature Tales for Winter Nights edited by Nancy Campbell. Short stories and commentaries about winter. Some intriguing, others charming.

As October ends we still haven't heard the Piet-my-Vrou who usually greets me on by birthday in early October. I suppose the weather patterns have wrecked his flight path, or perhaps Piet doesn't need a 'Vrou' at the moment?

Here's to your happy place, whatever or wherever it may be...

Anne-Marie

 It seems that if one is not a 'serious blogger' life interferes with any creative blogging that might be on the computer.

Thursdays seem to have become the day of Calligraphy and we continue that tradition to keep us constant and focussed. I shall create moments of creative calligraphy insights with other bits and pieces in between.

Coming to the end of a year of more calligraphy I have split the final sessions into 2 week modules to keep students interested and creative.

Small Book Gems

These are concertina books, folded paper books, flag books, in fact anything which creates a book-like structure which can be read as a book. 

My grandchildren love books which can be opened like a concertina and used for imaginative play and colouring in. In fact the colouring in was fortuitous as I had made three little 'hole-y' books as small gifts when I visited them leaving no time for me to colour. Good omission as everyone was happy to use crayons and kokis to make the pull-out exciting. Of course these are ideal cards for gifts too AND quick and easy to make. Add a pretty paper cover and some ribbon and there you have a complete card (which costs much less than any card in a store).

Twirls & Swirls. Remaking Marks. 

Ever since my father read from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories and especially How the Alphabet was Made, I have been fascinated by letter shapes and forms. In this 2 session course we explore various tools and sticks to create a background for shapes and letter forms. A loose and creative way to place strokes in a more formal manner to create a personal alphabet. 

Holidays in the Air.

Always fun to create cards and book marks for friends using strips of paper, colour and collage.

Again use up paper left over from a larger project. Experiment with brush lettering. Use colour. 
In other words, just have a little fun.

Perhaps ask a friend what her favourite quote is and write it out. Use various techniques.

Enjoy the tips and ideas. 

Till next time.

Remember there are no mistakes in your creative endeavours. 

Anne-Marie

Another Test Post

 Hello there (this is a test)

Another lovely morning filled with ideas and delightful chuckles.

What I got out of our chat:

1. We meet twice a month (generally at my studio or Zoom if easier for you).
2. First session: Friday 21 July. 9h45. Refreshments available.
3. A-M to start the 'editing' process using Microsoft tracker
4. SLM to pull July '22 to July 23 off the computer (or was that A-MM? (Please confirm). We will then merge the documents and proceed with adding chapters etc
5. We may find that the chapter headings open to us during this process
6. We should aim to have 2 retreats in 2024 (if I haven't 'popped' by then: 1 Dullstroom, the other perhaps Emoyeni?
7. A-M to restart/setup Blog. Perhaps DH could access that too (or not) in future?
8. Thanks for the book which as you will have seen is paid for and which I shall start this afternoon. I feel like being 'Gothic' today in the light of my 'considerably diminished hearing' and scrape down the side of my car.
9. Suggestion: that you join online Creative Calligraphy online from Thursday 3 August to Thursday 31 August. 17h30 - 19h00. (my Rosh Hashanah gift to you - or something).

I will communicate with you before I leave. Have a good meal with your mother.

As always. thank you.

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Prompts & Notes-A weekly Write

 I have so enjoyed the Natalie Goldberg workshops I attended in May and June and met some great people during the reading and writing sessions. Since then we formed a group: Writing Around the World and meet every Wednesday evening SA time and various other times as the group comprises people from around the world-France, SA, US and Canada so we have a wonderful and eclectic group of people.

Because (in a way) it is 'my' group I get to host the one hour sessions more often than not which was initially quote daunting, but (obviously) becomes easier the more often I do it. The session is an hour long and the 'host' generally has a quote and 2 prompts for each session with writing ideas for the week.

We don't discuss much, but do sit quietly for about 5minutes before we start the writing and then the 'host' leads the session keeping pace and time. So far it works extremely well and we all enjoy a quick 'hello' before we move into writing. What I do find is that the writing time stimulates my own writing and I really enjoy the variety and silent times.

Here is an example of tonight's session:

9 June Session:

Quote: Winter Solitude: In a world of one colour, the sound of the wind. Basho

Writing prompts:

10 minutes

1) A broken window

15 minutes:

2) The last autumn leaf on the tree

Writing prompts for the week:

1) A storm in a forest

2) A concert

3) A shooting star

4) Yellow lemons in a blue bowl

Quote: 'Each moment is a place you’ve never been’. Mark Strand

Take care all. It is very cold in SA at the moment (0 degrees early morning and night. COLD in the day). I hope you are all enjoying your summer.

By all means use the prompts and enjoy the quiet time. 

Looking to the Mountains

 It's been a day of reminiscing and remembering travels to Kashmir due to the fact that I have embarked on a journey to learn and write Sanskrit. 

I have a wonderful Sanskrit teacher who has been attempting to teach me to read and write in Sanskrit for a while. Gillian has a gift for teaching. She encourages, repeats and encourages again and I simply enjoy every moment of the time spent in lessons.

When we were visiting Leh in Kashmir we came upon some intriguing Gompas (monasteries) where we observed monks and participated in pujas and became immersed in the local culture. Such a privilege to experience the cracking silence of the Himalayas and the vast and never-ending icy crags. 

From the Bhagavad Gita

Carved stones in Kashmir

I am also working on poems for a journal of photographs which a woman has compiled over the past few years. We use her images as inspiration and it is another great initiative brought about by the pandemic. It is a wonderful creative initiative and I am in the process of working though some short poems, prose to describe some images. The photographs are taken along the Ou Kaapse Weg in Cape Town and are very beautiful.

Here are a few pieces written so far: 

So many blessings in the golden light of dawn.

Rainy day puddles dance differently in early morning light. No footprints to fill.

In the meantime I continue to work on calligraphy and Sanskrit and writing with a group from around the world every Wednesday evening. So satisfying as we are all so different in cultures and writing techniques. 

Just a little book, some palettes of paint a brush and a pen

Time to be Aware

 I don't know where I've been over the past years, but obviously very absent from this blog. 

I haven't been lolling in bed in a haze of 'not wanting to do anything'. In fact I've been extremely busy being busy. Teaching and staying at home mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic but I think that too has become my excuse for not 'going out' as I used to. 

I've kept a diary, done many courses and created a calligraphy piece a day for over a year. Written poetry, gained 2 new grandchildren and quite frankly simply enjoyed my new contained studio space upstairs.

My visual diary has over 400 calligraphy pieces in it and I have written a few poems and prose pieces which I have worked on from time to time. 

A walk along the sea shore

I also started a correspondence with my friend Paddy in the deepest days of the first Lockdown which kept both of us sane over a few weeks and I need to relook at the writing to see if it worth keeping, or whether it was just something to do' in a crazy world. 

I still continue writing with prompts and with a friend. This time Sam. She and I Zoom almost weekly to chat about a writing group we've joined and how our personal writing continues as well as books to read. So we are busy and focussed. 

I'm also writing words for a project which a young girl has managed the past year. Photographs taken from a similar spot for two years. She's requested that various authors and poets write about the images. Which is a beautiful way to write - from images not words.

Now that I have re-discovered this page. I shall certainly keep it going. 

Time and Creativity

There is never 'no time' to add a colour or quote to a creative page. Sitting chatting to a friend [not face to face] but at home is a great way to 'doodle' a design. While you wait to have coffee with a friend, take out your note pad and scribble.

Just as many people I know have nut and sweet bowls scattered around the house, I have several 'creative stations'. One next to my bed, another in the studio, one more on my mother's desk and another in the computer room.

My absolute essential tools are: pencils, anything from HB to 4B, pencil crayons: GOOD pencil crayons, Karisma and Derwent are just two of my favorite colour pencil crayons sets. Black fine-liners and fountain pens I find are useful for out lining and creating lines on which to write, curl and flourish. At some of the 'creative stations' I have scissors, glue and beautiful scraps of paper, fabric and even felt. Watercolours also beckon, especially in my studio. I also have several rolls of pens, pencils and colors which I can pop into my handbag with a small notebook in case I need to write or draw a quick figure or highlight a colour. I discovered wonderful pen rolls at my local art store and I bought a number which had nasty paint brushes which are good for mixing colours and some even for glue. I turf out the brushes I don't need and use the rolls for my own bits creative bits and pieces.

My two granddaughters have no trouble finding paper, scissors and colour to create a card or simple concertina book. They simply gather up what they need, sit down and make.

So I really have no excuse for adding a quote or line to my creative diary. Why not set up your creative stations as soon as possible, you will find them much more useful than nuts and raisins. In fact they will become your essential 'nuts and raisin' necessity and help you become creative in both writing and drawing.

Happy creating.

A few 'nuts & raisins' for the girls