Drawing at 'The Big Draw' and...vintage finds

 Venue: Essex University Gallery building.

Emma Cameron was our tutor, she took us on an exploration of 'our art' and 'ourselves as artists'.  Emma had bought some objects in with her... watch, a clock, plastic children's toys, shells, keys..etc. We were asked to choose one of them and draw it very carefully,  looking at perspective and texture...

For my first drawing, I chose a watch, which started off very nicely, using charcoal... as it progressed and got smudged..as charcoal does, the drawing deteriorated and the numbers which were very neat and in the right order, started to... escape.. If you understand my meaning... Boredom was setting in.

Emma analyzed our work and getting us to 'see' what our drawing was saying,  Emma suggested that, "I might be sub-consciously worried about time"... My age I suggested?  "May be" she gently said.  

I had to choose another object... A child's toy, a plastic warrior on horseback, he had lost his sword but he still had his shield... he is in the center of the page above, charging out towards you, with his shadow looking as if it is off in another direction... What is that saying about me??  The watch is still in the foreground, with numerals escaping, and in no particular order "as if time was now irrelevant..", Emma suggested.  The bird at the top of the picture was a shell which took my eye.. that became a bird... Another flight/escape perhaps...   

 

My third and final piece...  What had this morning been all about?? Analyzing myself, my art, my sub-conscious... ?

Penny's dropping... clang, clang!... I was now in full flow...   I found a plastic sheep... and a light bulb goes on!.....  

D'oh!    Take a look in the mirror Julie... !   You always look as if you've been out on a windy day however neat and tidy you try to be....Hedge and backwards also come to mind.  Nature v nurture, was I born like this, or was it taught... I am now laughing...

Had I ever fitted in?????  At school.. Only in the art/needle work rooms? At work.. only with a few of my fellow workers? At home - unbelievable relationship with my father... still on going and not good?....  Luckily I had an amazing mother and have a wonderfully understanding husband and have had three beautiful children.. Who have coped/pulled up, with me.

Now I'm talking to myself.... What is this woman bring out in me.... Asking myself questions...Aaah...

Back to the sheep.. I have never wanted to be a sheep, a follower, one that... 
   
  ...Definition: a docile and vulnerable person who would rather follow than make an independent decision; "his students followed him like sheep" 

That is not me, I don't want to be one of those..when all around me are 'beige sheep' (It's an age thing) I want to wear 'red' and 'Burnt Orange' be 'me' and go in the opposite direction to all the others, complete with messy hair and untidy cupboards, the same goes for my work ~ Admittedly some of it is very neat but there is always an element of the me within...... going the wrong way, looking at things from another angle.. Well at least I hope that I am otherwise I'd better give up now!....    I'm sure a lot could be read into that, but hey that's for someone else...who is far cleverer than me.

Back to the drawing, it wasn't until the drawings went up on the wall did I realise that the shadow of the red sheep was of a Unicorn... Now I want it to be analysed.. 

And the spoon...  Time still popping in to my drawing through another metaphor.. 

What happened to the first drawing, one of the ladies loved it, so she now has it at home... Maybe she could use it to start a bonfire... It was not one of my best...

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Now for my vintage finds... An old wooden box with inlay, and two wonderful metal boxes, one for Milk of Magnesia tablets, in wonderful condition complete with the 'felt' or cotton wool pad to keep the indigestion tablets dry... it's got to be over 50 years old. If it's a day.

The little metal powder box, in nigh perfect condition except for a little dust between the raised lettering, I have no idea how old it could be.. Or what type of powder it was used for?

I now have to decide what to do with the little tins, incorporate them into a doll maybe or sell them on?