"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home" (Twyla Tharp)

Life goes on ....




 I wanted to send a big thank you to all my friends on FB and here supporting my blog.  When you know so many are thinking of you and hoping things get better each day it helps us to look towards the future.  Our family is gaining confidence each day and in complete admiration of our son for his strength, wisdom and incredibly positive attitude.  One of my friends posted this quote which I would like to share:


"Look for the dream that keeps coming back.  It is your destiny."  
- Orison S. Marde





 A lovely surprise came in the mail ... my invitation to the Society of Botanical Artists Botanical Celebration - the Annual Open Exhibition being held at Westminster Central Hall in London.  This event coincides with the annual Mid-Course Seminar being held for international students of the Distance Learning Diploma Course.   Many plans have been made towards attending this event and the seminar - and we are keeping fingers crossed that we can still make it.  One of my artworks - Assignment 5:  Composition -  has been selected to be shown in the DLDC exhibit and it would be quite a moment for me to see my first piece on display!  The link below takes you to further details about Botanical Celebration 2012 ...



The artwork chosen to be shown


If I have any chance of getting there I will be working well ahead both with business and all the usual household responsibilities.  However the SBA still requires the next assignment - the Botanical Illustration - to be produced on time - exhibitions, seminars, anniversaries, notwithstanding!    I have no clue how I will manage  - there is not enough time before I leave, and too little on my return ... so I am doing it in chunks to try and make it happen.   I have chosen a Protea to make life a little easier as these flowering plants don't move and change too quickly and hopefully will be kind to me so I can do all the stages of sketches, composition, colour studies and dissections and then somehow manage to bring it all together ...


My Protea being set up

What a production!

In the meantime I pray health and happiness to everyone and especially within this family as it's been a tough road lately.  We could do with some magical moments and I know there will be plenty up ahead.  Another quote to end on .. so many wise words out there!

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy" 
- Leo Buscaglia

Thank you everyone for your support, love and good wishes and prayers.



The best laid plans ....



No greater bond xx


Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you have to have a contingency plan.  Either you duck and get out of the way, keep it in your focus and have it land where you need it – or you get smacked in the face.
I am an optimist – a dreamer.  My husband often calls me  'dream maker' – because I try to find ways to inspire and uplift those closest to me, my mind never stops reinventing our path of life ... making lifestyle and career changes, travelling, embarking on inspiring projects ....


That’s also how I came to botanical art.  Mind you it was always there somewhere inside me to explore a path surrounded by a natural world  – as a child I was glued to the sacred beauty of nature and less inclined to follow the crowd.  But my own voice got drowned out as a young woman and for a while I did do what I was expected to ... until I became a mother – and then it didn’t matter what anybody else said or did – this family is my life and they come first.

However there would be nothing I could dream up that could avoid the worst feared reality – that your beloved child has a life threatening illness.    I thought when my beautiful daughter was terribly ill a year ago we were lucky she pulled through and in time became well again ... it was a shock to see her so sick and struggling to get back to normal health.   After that worrying time we all breathed a sigh of relief and slowly moved forward.


So many heart-shaped leaves ...
Would give my heart to you ...

Mine too .....

Nothing could prepare me for the shock of discovering my fit, strong nineteen year old son collapsed, unconscious and barely breathing .     He had been unwell the week prior with a flu, I kept an eye on him and he was feeling much better the night before.  He had the adult responsibilities of university, work, sport and friends - and had managed to get through the week okay - but not on this day ....
After calling the ambulance and racing to hospital with him, the next week was a nightmare - once at the hospital they rushed him through to the coronary care unit where we were eventually told he had complete heart block – and that it may be congenital. Complete heart block occurs when the electrical signal can't pass normally from the atria, the heart's upper chambers, to the ventricles, or lower chambers.  For days he was pumped with drugs to keep his heart beating in the hope the electrical signals would return.  They did not – and he became progressively worse before the cardiac team performed surgery and implanted a permanent pacemaker in his chest wall.  At last we breathed a sigh of relief that his heart was beating regularly – however after MRI's and testing the cardiologist explained he may have a cardiac disease which could affect his heart muscle as well.   He begins a plan of treatment and testing to protect his heart and we have great hopes for success.  As I have seen many times ... miracles can and often do happen.  Our son is an unusual case as he is young and strong - and the hospital see him as something of a medical marvel due to his ability to function with great strength during  the worst scenario.

Ready when you are ...

 Now he is recuperating and trying to get back to some normality, as are the rest of the family.  One of the most restorative things I can do for myself  is to connect with nature ...  plants and animals and music have a way of healing the soul and encouraging hope ...    I don’t want to live in fear of what could happen but to embrace each day as a gift and live it well.   Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring so we resume our hopes and dreams for the future and try to lead by example.  It's difficult to be positive and uplifting when your heart is breaking but as my daughter says "fake it til you make it".  Gratitude is a good place to start and I am so very grateful for the little miracles that happened along the way.

And never forget that anything is possible - dream big!






SBA Distance Course - Vegetable Study ...






Vegetable Assignment - Turnips

 
 This assignment is well and truly finished -  I'm not a fan of vegetable paintings but this project has helped me to see them through different eyes ...

More washes going on ...


What I did enjoy was painting a subject that lasted a long time ... really helped with the observation process rather than a plant or flower which changes before your eyes and makes the process a lot more tricky.



Taking shape with the cut stems ...

The real ones starting to deteriorate ...

I also enjoyed using a limited palette -  Quinacridrone Violet and Winsor Violet for the purples, Naples Yellow and Sepia for the dirty bits and then Cadmium Lemon and Cerulean or French Ultramarine for the greens.


Getting bolder ....


I was quite surprised how many washes it took to create the depth  to show the form and tone of these turnips ... they are heavy  with a grubby, irregular form but yet I also see the magnificent colour and flamboyant display of stems ... disappointing not to have the leaves but there were none at the grocery store ... in the end I quite liked the stems the way they are.  Maybe I will paint more vegetables ..... for now happy to send this trio on their way!

© Vicki Lee Johnston

My trio of tumbling turnips!

Time flies ....


I can't believe it's March already!  End of summer  and Perth has endured the second hottest summer on record and the temperatures this weekend are still really hot - even though we're supposedly in autumn, no wonder my poor garden gets confused.  Meanwhile on the east coast of Australia many are being flooded out of their homes ....  my thoughts are with loved ones and hoping they stay safe and dry.

Hibiscus thrives in our hot  summer weather

I have been a busy girl working on the latest assignment - as I posted before - it's the vegetable study.  I ended up deciding to paint the turnips .... basically because nothing else looked appealing in our heat wave conditions and the turnips seemed pretty forgiving.  After all they are grubby and uneven - and I don't mind that.





Setting up and using the sketch book for a trial run with the turnips.

Happy with the colour and texture options and feel satisfied we will get along together.

It's also nice to work with a subject that lasts longer than a day or two!



 With the last artwork I forgot to tape it to my plexiglass board and rushed into it ...

First washes going on ...
This time I set myself up properly - paper taped down, plus two sheets of tracing paper covering the artwork when I'm not working on it .. or to use under my arm in the warm conditions ....



  I keep getting reminded of deadlines and timelines .... in six weeks we leave for London so I can attend the mid-course seminar for the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course.  I am so excited because it's also a very special wedding anniversary and after the seminar my husband and I will be travelling to France to take a well earned holiday. 

I really have to get a move on with these turnips .... I want to finish early as I lose a month in my timeline for the coursework and need to work fast.  Our business is also increasing in leaps and bounds so between the office and the studio is a well worn path!  If only I had time to take a leaf out of Gracie's book and relax a little more ...