Wordless Wednesday

Martha Stewart 'n Me

No I'm not claiming to be the Cookie Monster, well not THE cookie Monster anyway!
I've entered a competition to be Blogged about by Martha Stewart, it would be something like Martha Stewart and the Messy monster.
But seriously how cool would that be, a living legend blogging about a living leprechaun!

Thematic Photographic 'Nature'

I'm taking part in Thematic Photographic, where a topic is posted every Wednesday evening.
This week it's 'Nature'
Well this little Ring tailed lemur is living, not quite as nature intended, on Fota Wild Life Park.
He's obviously missing his native Madagascar sun, or else he's been reading the tabloids where everybody seems to be using the sunbeds!

I'm not one for zoos myself but Fota Wild Life Park is exceptional and the only thing the animals complain about is the weather, but then so do the rest of the Irish population!

These Madagascar lemurs are my favourites, they're so full of character and mischief. They are an endless source of inspiration

Wordless Wednesday

Tuning into the tranny

Thematic Photographic post's a new topic every Wednesday evening.
This weeks is 'Close-up'
So here's a close-up of my transistor radio or tranny as we call it.
It belonged to my partner's Granny.
It's a Granny Tranny!
But in this day and age of ipods and mp3 players I still love my Granny Tranny.
There's something very comforting and companionable about taking your radio with you around the house.
Especially listening to it while gardening, it always reminds me of my teenage summers spent potato picking for pocket money.
The tinny sound of the tranny blaring out the 'Top Ten' hits of the day and the smell of warm freshly turned earth.
Ah yes those were the days my friend....

Island

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Island'
This is an old acrylic on board that I revamped in photoshop.
Below is an edgier version.
I think the top one has a sort of dreamy oasis feeling whereas the second one is like the aftermath of over population and pollution!

Wordless Wednesday/Thematic Photographic

Faded.

Rooks on the brain

Crows are my passion at the moment.
Rooks in particular, they're so charismatic.
The juveniles strut around in gangs, squabbling and squawking and throwing shapes, just like teenagers!
I've been taking lots of photographs and now I've finally started to sketch from them.
I did these two with my Inktense watersoluble pencils and then finished them off in photoshop by posterizing them.
I think it gives the sketches a more dynamic look.

Have a look at the cutest odd couple, it's like something Walt Disney would have made a movie out of:)

Clutter

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Clutter'
Something I do very well, this is just a small area of my desk.
From left to right we have Dinosaur Dave, Froggy, Doggy, Pink Monster and Martin.

Jim Henson, My Hero

The first time I went to the cinema, I was nine years old and the film was The Muppet Movie by Jim Henson
I was enthralled and still am:)




I had a trip down memory lane last night, watching all the Muppet Show clips on youtube.
It was a family ritual (the only one that nobody objected to) that on a sunday night everybody sat down together and part took in the crazy zaniness that was The Muppet Show.
As far as I remember there was only the one channel on RTE but had there been a choice the vote would have been unanimously in favour of Kermie and the gang.

PJ Lynch's slant on Vermeer's 'girl with the pearl earing'

'Boy with the blue base ball cap'




I came across this Irish Illustrator, P J Lynch, today at scamp

I'm in awe of his work and I can't wait to have my own copy of the book 'The Bee Man of Orn' which he has illustrated.
It looks so rich and intriguing, I just know I'll be sucked right in.
His youtube video is very interesting and he has a few others well worth watching too.
They take you right through his creative process, amazing stuff.