Withering Heights

Imagined bird head doodle

After a couple of appointments we sat sipping Hamiltinis on the balcony. I said, “by the way, I’ve started reading Wuthering Heights by one of the Bronte sisters. It’s on Amazon Prime books, free stuff, classics. I saw the movie decades ago, I love Kate Bush singing, ‘Heathcliff, it’s me a Kathy, come home now, oh oh oh oh ah oh a’”.

I vaguely knew the story as being written in the eighteenth century, people running around on t’ Yorkshire moors.

My husband enquired, “how did she know about the deep south, back then?”

My mind jumped to, being asked a question, need to please; I answered, “astonishing how at a young age, in a remote location, a knowledge of depths of human relationship.”

He persisted, “You know, French and Saunders did a sketch.”

“Ah, you’re thinking about, fiddly de mamie, Gone With the Wind“, I replied.

Much belly laughing followed.

“Well, they were well read”, he responded. “Hm, I agreed”.

Lost in ……

Our dog, Stan appears to become obsessed with licking the same spot on his leg, paw, side, unmentionables.

Telling myself I’m relaxing after a workday, I find myself mindlessly scrolling downwards on Insta and FB. At a breakneck velocity.

When I stop myself to doodle instead, creations appear. Some or parts of them may serve as inspiration for future paintings.

Previously, in an attempt to get things right, I sketched and refined in pencil then inked in. This is a valid approach when drawing something specific.

Most of the time I have no idea what to produce. Sketching with ink and trying not to judge the process or outcome frees my mind to wander. It has built my self confidence in using ink.

More fiddling needed?

IMG_0517
Most of the time I haven’t the faintest idea of what I will create using ArtStudio for iPad; pictures evolve. A few squiggles, layered and filtered result in depth and movement.

I have a tendency to fiddle too much, does it need anything else? What do you think?