Time for new art supplies, old dresses and autumn resolutions

Today was the first time I bought something other than food or newspapers in weeks. After a long lazy summer my financial situation was rather dire, and I am fond of the idea of living simply (I'm trying to implement it). I also tend to get panicky in shops. But I do treat myself regularly. To books, CDs, clothes, ...and of course art supplies. The back-to-school vibes at this time of the year are contagious, so I decided it was time to stock up on a few things...I started small, though. With
Coloured pencils
While I will never tire of using pencil and charcoal and the like, I also love drawing with coloured pencils. I have a soft spot for the Faber Castell Polychromos range - they're oil-based with high-density pigments, so smooth, and they come in great colours. Today I got these four:

The colours are much nicer in real life! Left to right: Helio Turquoise, Burnt Carmine, Cinnamon (perfect name!), Pompeian Red. I could eat them! Hopefully they will be put to use soon.

I also thrifted this dress, which I thought was a skirt and cost 5 euros.


The bit sticking out on the right is the strap of the vest I couldn't be bothered to take off and not some weird anatomy!
I try to buy at least 90% of my clothes second-hand, as there is way too much stuff being produced, and the throw-away mentality is so scarily prevalent. We should try to recycle and reuse as much as possible. I don't meant to come across all preachy; I am not a green goddess - I mean, I drive a car, for one thing. But I try to be mindful of how my life affects the planet and make positive changes where I can.

I made a new resolution recently (I make resolutions throughout the year, mainly because I never keep them): To stop buying bread and instead make my own (or buy it in the market). I had attempted that numerous times before, but fate must have been against my humble wish, as in the past year my oven broke three times. I now have a new oven, and we seem to get on so far... I find baking very relaxing, and it doesn't take up much time at all. Unless something goes wrong. Which it does quite often, but that doesn't deter me :-).

Para los espanoles entre vosotros (= la mayoría): gracias por visitar! Habrá algo espanol aquí pronto, pero temo que mi espanol sea demasiado malo.. A lo mejor voy a hacer este blog bilingüe. Qué pensáis? O poner algo en espanol regularmente. A ver.
Marina x

Work in progress

This is the first sketch for a little series I am planning. I only have a few vague ideas at the moment and am just going to see what happens. Often this approach works out much better than too much thinking and theorizing.
The picture above was inspired by a recent trip to the market -my little friend ended up crawling into a box, and I took a few photos, which now form the basis for these drawings.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I spent mine relaxing at home, as I was extremely tired - only left the house to get the papers and to go for walks...
Marina x

P.S.: I joined flickr and have put up some of my work there -check the sidebar!

Neruda

This is one of my favourite poems by Pablo Neruda.

Note: I wasn't able to get the Spanish "n" with the tilde. I tried copying and pasting from WORD, but that didn't work. So instead I used "nh"

Te recuerdo como eras en el último otonho.
Eras la boina gris y el corazón en calma.
En tus ojos peleaban las llamas del crepúsculo.
Y las hojas caían en el agua de tu alma.

Apegada a mis brazos como una enredadera,
las hojas recogían tu voz lenta y en calma.
Hoguera de estupor en que mi sed ardía.
Dulce jacinto azul torcido sobre mi alma.

Siento viajar tus ojos y es distante el otonho:
boina gris, voz de pájaro y corazón de casa
hacia donde emigraban mis profundos anhelos
y caían mis besos alegres como brasas.

Cielo desde un navío. Campo desde los cerros.
Tu recuerdo es de luz, de humo, de estanque en calma!
Más allá de tus ojos ardían los crepúsculos.
Hojas secas de otonho giraban en tu alma.

Pablo Neruda, "Poema VI", Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada


I remember you as you were that last autumn.
You were a grey beret and a calm heart.
In your eyes the flames of twilight were fighting.
And the leaves were falling in the waters of your soul.

You were clinging to my arms like a climbing plant.
The leaves gathered your voice, slow and calm.
Bonfire of awe, in which my thirst was burning.
Sweet blue hyacinth twisted over my soul.

I feel your eyes travelling, and autumn is far away:
Grey beret, voice of a bird, and a heart like a house
Toward which my deepest yearning migrated
And my kisses were falling like hot embers.

The sky from a ship. The field from the hills.
Your memory is of light, of smoke, of a still pool.
Beyond your eyes the twilight was burning.
Dry autumn leaves were whirling in your soul.

(my own translation)

The need to document

This week has been very busy. I am back teaching, and the first week is always quite hectic (mainly because I worry a lot; the actual teaching is very enjoyable).
So I haven't had the time or energy to be very active in blogland, but I am hoping to get into the swing of things soon.
I realised today that one of the reasons I love blogging is that it gives me the opportunity to document things that would otherwise be ephemeral. I have been keeping various journals for a long time, and I have boxes and folders full of stuff, but a lot of things just slip through my fingers. And I know that's ok. I once lost everything that was on my laptop -writings, music, photos-, and while I was upset at first, it wasn't the end of the world. I am not too attached to material things. But of course a lot of things have sentimental value -photographs, books, artwork, heirlooms, etc.....

I was never one for taking lots of photographs, as I store and treasure memories in my head, but lately I have felt the need to do some more documenting.
There are periods of my life that I have absolutely no physical records of. They are like blank, empty spaces. And I somehow wish there was something tangible left of those times.

I went through one of my boxes of cuttings recently and came across images and articles that I cut out years ago, and I loved finding them again and being reminded of why they had been so important to me. Having said that, I also realised that I keep stuff I probably shouldn't. I love decluttering, yet I am also a collector...

Today I took a picture of this (please ignore the bad quality of the photo):


These three sketches somehow ended up together on my little table easel, and they have been sitting there for weeks now, as I like looking at them when at my desk. They probably wouldn't mean anything to anyone else, and they don't really go together, but there is something about this little group that I really like, and I couldn't bring myself to separate them... But now that I have posted them here, I can make space for new things.
Apologies for this rambling, incoherent post...

Ten years ago...

...I drew this. I just found it in a folder on my computer that was hidden in another folder.
I was 16 years old. I was drawing (and painting) a lot at the time. Much more than now...
This was our tomcat Franz. He's long dead. He was a real character - among his many talents was playing the piano. Preferably at night.
I was still at school, and my dad was still alive. I had met the guy who would be my boyfriend for the following five years, but we hadn't started going out yet.
All that is gone...
I can't believe an entire decade has gone by. It freaks me out. Life is so short.

I didn't want this post to be all depressing. But this just came up when I looked at the date on the drawing. I was also startled by my rather awkward signature -it looks so familiar, yet strange at the same time, as if it weren't really mine. I am trying to remember the teenager I was (awkward also...).

the little things

Here's what happens to my tiny spare room on a sunny afternoon or evening:


It makes me ridiculously happy.

My neighbourhood!

I love the ever-changing colours in this part of the world. My house overlooks the bay, and I have seen the latter in so many different lights -all the nuances of blue, purple, violet, grey, pink...It is truly spectacular, and I never tire of looking at it. Unfortunately, in my moments of staring in amazement I rarely think of taking photographs... But here's a glimpse of what I am surrounded by:

early morning sky

stone walls
cows

donkeys

strolling down to the sea

These pictures were taken in February of this year. Right now, there is a storm raging, and I can see my flower pots flying past the window. A world in grey. But I love that, too.

Marina x