Category: ART A – Z

Things visual

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Painting

16 Comments

painting

no drying time

Art – you either love it or hate it, want to hang it on your wall or throw it in the dustbin, mortgage your house because you absolutely have to have it or wonder why someone would pay a nickel for it. It’s all a matter of taste… Our first round of post secondary studies at art school were spent with the idea that the milieu itself would drive us to create works of such beauty and resonance that the critics would fall swooning at our feet. The reality was somewhat colder – yes, we did produce a few good pieces but truth was, at that time, most of the really good artists we saw were young and starving, or old and starving, and the thought of spending the next 20 years following in their footsteps paled to the opportunities presenting themselves in the wonderful world of advertising. So off we went and putting our visions on canvas became a hobby rather than a career.

The years passed and so did our focus.  Today those projects which would have taken days, if not weeks, of toiling away can be accomplished in far less than an afternoon, sometimes instantaneously. We have the luxury of technology at our fingertips and switch with ease from one editing application to another, a few swipes and saves here, erase there, rework, restore, recombine and voila, we are very pleased indeed. Our masterpieces may never hang in the Met but we should at least get bonus points for creating them in less time than it takes to properly wash a good set of brushes…

From fingers to spatulas, the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge knows that everyone everywhere has, at one point or another, tried –  Painting. 

“What does painting represent for you?” – Graffiti on a wall, framed flowers in the hall, a masterpiece old or abstract bold, the sides of a house, finish on a car, commercial or couture …

We would love to see your vision.

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary on a random topic that pops into my head (such as the above) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Please, don’t just link to an old post… challenge yourself.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

 SO – Create your Two Cents Tuesday Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “Two Cents Tuesday Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Two Cents Tuesday” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge page
  5. Remember to Follow My Blog to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

 

Travel Theme: Illuminated

9 Comments

illuminated

colour therapy

Long winter evenings of late have been spent in some rather trivial (but always constructive) pursuits – Across the Bored likes to multitask when faced with sitting through a less than riveting televised programme, so we do little repairs, hand sewing long neglected (we tried needlepoint but counting stitches was problematic), trash useless emails or clean the phone. It was while busy with this last task that we discovered over 300 apps all nicely tucked into categories on 4 home screens…. What? Perhaps this was the reason for our poor phone’s weakened state, rapidly draining battery and dwindling memory: that and the over 2000 photos we just can’t seem to part with.

6 hours later with a good number of lame apps gone and the camera roll reduced by half (it’s a start and yes, they are backed up in 2 different places), we had made a lovely reacquaintance with some of the nifty photo-editors that had been dormant for awhile.

We have been illuminated.

💡

See the light in the entries of Where’s my backpack?’s Travel Theme: Illuminated.

Fiction in 50: Reflections

9 Comments

reflections

Hmmphh, Calipha they say… those brilliant ideas, where does he think they come from –  Divine Inspiration? They don’t waft in like the desert breeze – it is my soft voice in his ear while he sleeps that changes the course of time. If I wore a turban instead of a shawl…

The Bookshelf Gargoyle curates a Fiction in 50 mini-narrative challenge – the current theme is Reflections! Throw it back, ruminate upon it or look into it  – but do sit down and write a piece of short, short fiction, send it in and go and have a peek at the other entries – GargoyleBruce writes wonderful reviews on all sorts of kid lit (big and small) with a cheeky tone guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Wander through the stacks, you are sure to find something you’ll like.

Click on the icon in the sidebar for previous entries…

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Writing

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writingthe long slow death of penmanship

✍

Those who have been following will know of Across the Bored’s continuing saga of the great thirty year triage project. Last weekend found us sifting through a banker’s box filled with birthday and christmas cards, letters from childhood pen pals long lost and the occasional unsent missive.  It was heartbreaking – not as the poignant reminder of those who had sent us these paper mementoes gone on to a better place, faces disappeared in the stretch of time between childhood and adolescence to their own worlds or friends just dropped off the face of the map but because of the sad realization that no one really writes anymore.

Our post box is filled with bills and flyers urging us to consume. The only time something comes in a lovely envelope is for an occasion and even then older family members have to be reminded to send something along so their grandchildren won’t be peeved. Our circle of acquaintances that are able to put pen to paper, don’t. They text, tweet or Facebook. We can’t remember the last time we got a letter on crisp vellum recounting the events of the year, the weddings, births, deaths, milestones of a life lived. We are not blameless either – we get on the phone to bring those closest to us up to date or pop off a funny card when the mood strikes, but it isn’t really the same. We miss getting mail….

Perhaps our blogs have replaced this gentle art – they have become our virtual diaries, daily journals, the place where we expose our secret thoughts and that which we sometimes wouldn’t dare to expose to the light of day otherwise. The code that brings our words to life and sends them off to those who love, appreciate and yes, even wait for, them is both a blessing and a curse. This week, the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge puts it in – Writing.

“What form does writing take for you?” – Feather and quill, a typewriter still, texts and tweets, parking tickets in the street, a child’s first scrawl or graffiti on the wall …

We would love to see your vision…. write something today!

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary on a random topic that pops into my head (such as the above) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Please, don’t just link to an old post… challenge yourself.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

 SO – Create your Two Cents Tuesday Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “Two Cents Tuesday Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Two Cents Tuesday” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge page
  5. Remember to Follow My Blog to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

 

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Birthday

9 Comments

birthday

happy birthday baby
❄︎

When Across the Bored began this challenge it was on a bit of a whim and as much for our own pleasure, the thought of forcing ourselves to come up with a response to a random subject in both words and images at an appointed time, as it was to inspire our faithful readers. Imagine our surprise when we realized it has been a little over a year since we first started to give our two cents on pretty much everything and anything that crossed our mind – some weeks were easier and some less so, depending on which way the wind was blowing…

 

The passage of time itself has been a bit like that as well –  rough, placid, rock ‘n roll, some hours and days so filled with change that we thought things would never be the same and indeed, they haven’t. But on the whole, we can’t complain – like our mantra, “it could be worse” and without divine inspiration and the support and encouragement of our virtual brethren, it might very well have been. Who would have thought that we could last this long? This week, the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge, like our own Miss Z, is celebrating a milestone – Birthday.

“How do you envision birthday?” – With cake and candles, far from home, by the light of a fire with an ancient tome, kiddie balloons or grown-up winks, doggie treats or a nice cold  drink …

We would love to see your vision…. and have a slice of something sweet to help us celebrate!

For all those who are new readers to Across the Bored, here are some guidelines for the challenge: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1.  I will post some commentary on a random topic that pops into my head (such as the above) and then ask you to respond on the same.
  2. Your point of view on the current week’s challenge can take any form: a quote, a motto or saying, an essay, poem or opinion of yours or attributed to someone else, a piece of music, a song, a video, a work of art, photograph, graffiti, drawing or scribble – but it has to be about the topic!
  3. Please, don’t just link to an old post… challenge yourself.
  4. The Challenge will be open for 14 days (there will be a reminder post at the 7 day mark) after which I will post another.
  5. ENJOY, have FUN and TELL your friends and fellow bloggers.

 SO – Create your Two Cents Tuesday Challenge post

  1. Then add a link to your blog in my comment box.
  2. To make it easy for others to check out your post, title your blog post “Two Cents Tuesday Challenge” and add the same as a tag.
  3. If you would like your reader to see what others are presenting for the same challenge, add a link to the “Two Cents Tuesday” challenge on your own blog.
  4. Feel free to pick up your badge on the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge page
  5. Remember to Follow My Blog to get your weekly (hopefully) reminders.

 

Fiction in 50: Monumentally Awkward

4 Comments

monumentally awkward

I’m sure that’s his wife out there… Nevermind, hurry up, how long does it take for the last rites? What good will holy water do now? Wait – wait!! Too late, he’s slipping – It’s not like we can haul him back up… Whose idea was this, anyways? Hhmmph, burial at sea…

The Bookshelf Gargoyle curates a Fiction in 50 mini-narrative challenge – this month’s theme is Monumentally Awkward! Ever had one of those moments? Turn it into a kicking piece of short, short fiction, send it in and go and have a peek at the other entries – GargoyleBruce writes wonderful reviews on all sorts of kid lit (big and small) with a cheeky tone guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Wander through the stacks, you are sure to find something you’ll like.

Click on the icon in the sidebar for previous entries…

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Hue of You

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the hue of you

We are
all the colours of the universe
sometimes the red
of a toreador’s flashing cape
or blue
as the infinite sky that washes over us
our hope
is green
like the promise of spring
and golden
as the breath of summer sun
that hovers
over your soft skin
even black and white
have their place
in our palette
for without them
everything else
would have no hue

⩶

Get an idea of how others see themselves in the entries of
the Weekly Photo Challenge: The Hue of You.

Everything is Peachy

2 Comments

nem painterly 6

Across the Bored was diagnosed as myopic quite early in life – not because we were unable or unwilling to act prudently or exhibited that nasty trait of lacking tolerance and understanding but rather in the opthalmological sense  – we were a small, curious child with the distinct inability to see distant objects clearly. Anyone who wore glasses in school in the 1960s clearly remembers the agony of choosing one of four available frame shapes in either black or brown and the horror of knowing the coke bottle lenses placed therein would bring taunts, cruel rhymes or worse. Like most things, we suffered through it and to this day are still plagued by less than perfect vision.

Some recommend laser surgery which seems like a fate worse than death due to the underlying fear of having needles and sharp scalpels placed anywhere in the vicinity of our eyes. So we stick to a regular prescription for just being able to get about, reading glasses for computer work and contact lens for vanity’s sake. All those people you notice taking their glasses off in the grocery store to read the fine print on the label? We are now one of them…

An odd realization struck recently, that being nearsighted had coloured the way we view the world – that we tend to see the beauty of things up close, focusing on the small details and often breaking down the larger picture into components that stand alone on their own merit. Across the Bored has written previously of the multitude of photographers and artists to be found on EyeEm – a fast scroll through our own gallery proved that indeed there were quite a few close-ups of our favourite subjects, including the one below.

peaches

Photo notes: iPhone 5 native camera, snapseed, camera awesome, glazed, and distressed fx

It was selected to appear in NEM Painterly – Featured Art 6 curated by MaryJane Sarvis – NEM, the New ERA Museum, “takes shape mainly to spread the concept of pristine Art, affordable and available to everyone by potentially forging new artists to new techniques of digital mobile processing.” What a thrill to be included among this group of talented and groundbreaking photographers.

If you would like to see more in our gallery, click on the EyEm icon in the sidebar. The bounty of autumn’s harvest only begins…

Becoming a Painter again

6 Comments

NEM Painterly

Across the Bored has written previously of the inspiration to be found on EyeEm, the global photosharing community where one can find a wide range of styles and genres by artists and photographers of all levels. It gives people a chance to get more exposure for their work and also gets one interested in playing around with some of the nifty apps that are available for smartphones. Many offer filters and effects that, if executed by traditional means on canvas with paint and brush, would take considerably longer. Applied to photography, their application is relatively fast, the possibilities for correction forgiving and the creative permutations endless.

That said, we uploaded the photo below.

tomatoe series IIPhoto notes: iPhone 5 native camera, snapseed, camera awesome, glazed, and distressed fx

It was selected to appear in NEM Painterly – Featured Art 4 curated by MaryJane Sarvis – NEM, the New ERA Museum, “takes shape mainly to spread the concept of pristine Art, affordable and available to everyone by potentially forging new artists to new techniques of digital mobile processing.” We are truly honoured to be included amongst this group of talented and groundbreaking photographers.

If you would like to see more in our gallery, click on the EyEm icon in the sidebar. The fruit of summer is sweet indeed…