Janice Sheen

New Facebook Page

Janice — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:24:23 +0000

Just for fun, I now have a Facebook page.

Misty afternoon in the highlands

Janice — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 02:54:10 +0000

I love having friends from overseas to visit, it is such a wonderful excuse to go see new places or old favorites.

A friend from Scotland visited recently, so of course, we had to go and see a bit of the Tasmanian Highlands. It was a beautiful clear day for a drive… but you can’t have highlands without mist! We made it nearly all the way to the Great Lake before the mist came down, or perhaps it was us rising up into the clouds. Either way, the place became a magical land of wonder.

It was bitterly cold, with a sharp southerly wind cutting across the open ground…. the type of weather that makes you feel oh so alive. With fingers and ears and noses complaining of exposure, we braved a quick 20 min walk at Pine Lake to see the pencil pines in the mist.

It was definitely worth it.

A week at Mum’s

Janice — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:51:13 +0000

House sat for my mother last week. Her place is a quiet little haven down in the south of Tasmania where Autumn is already showing its colours. She keeps chooks (Chickens) and loves having a broody with chicks around. For the last few years I have managed to miss all the broods while they were in the cute stage – before their grown up feathers start to come through and they just look a mess. Not this time though. This time they were still little cute balls of fluff…

I didn’t get up to much, just read, provided a warm lap for the cat to sit on, fed the chooks, and generally de-stressed. There was one day of chaos though – My brother and a friend turned up and we ripped up the old rickety living room floor and put a new flat one down so it can be tiled. I mostly made tea, gave moral support, pulled nails out of the old timber and took photos.

So here is my week in photos and colours:

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Burnt Paint

Janice — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:51:38 +0000

Went into Hobart yesterday to go to Salamanca Market. Parked in one of the multi-level car parks in town and, as usual, used that stairs. Last time I was there I had noticed that a pipe in the stairwell that had been painted white, had, near the top, heated up enough (no idea what the pipe caries) that the paint had burnt off and at the change zone, where it goes from Paint to plain metal, the blistered paint has a rather lovely look to it (when taken out of context). Fortunately I had my camera this time, or I would be kicking myself again!

Color by COLOURlovers

Late summer grass

Janice — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:49:22 +0000

Driving down the Midlands highway the other day, glancing at the view out the window along the way, wondering how many people stop to see it and how many just drive on by, rushing rushing to get where ever they are going… Like I have every time before.

How much do we miss in life, while we rush from A to B, mistaking the destination for the thing that is important, forgetting the joys that the journey can bring if we let it.

Color by COLOURlovers

Wet Day Grungy stuff

Janice — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:54:15 +0000

It rained at work the other day. The forest is always so beautiful in the wet, Wet Eucalyptus forest is meant to be rained on… mmm and the smell of first rain after a dry patch…

But you know what I really noticed this time? Water droplets on the perspex start-gate with all the muck and green funk growing in behind the metal cross-bar.

Funny what you see when you start looking at all the wonders out there.

Today I think happiness is seeing and wondering and questioning…. and strangely, the answers are not always necessary.

What a week!

Janice — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:07:19 +0000

Have had a wonderful week… even though the weather has been beautiful and I have been stuck indoors all day at work editing guest’s DVD’s. I have not had the energy to create any new work in the evenings, but, I have managed to get some work I did last year finished off and uploaded to Redbubble. Finally!

_____

Yes, I was a little obsessed with gum leaves last winter, still am I have to admit. leaves in general really, in fact I just love looking at the small things, but gum leaves…. somehow that long gentle curve is so elegant don’t you think?

There are a couple more to come in this gum leave series. They need a little more work yet though.

I have also had the news that my mug press is fixed and back in town. Yay! however it is stuck with Star track, the package delivery people, and I won’t get it till Monday. Oh well. At least I can start dreaming again. Not having the means to print mugs put a bit of a lid on the creative juices in that direction.

Tomorrow I will see it. And hopefully it is fixed. Please please please let it be fixed…..

Solitude

Janice — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 21:18:07 +0000

Had some fun late last night…
An old photo of a single bird on a wire, a scan or a collection of old dead gum leaves, a few textures and my latest doodle pattern and here we are.

Whats more, when I made a colourlovers pallet out of the colours in the leaves, every single colour I chose was a new one, so I named the colours as a poem… an ode to a gum leaf:

Color by COLOURlovers

Blue Sky for the sunday market

Janice — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 07:35:06 +0000

Went to the Evandale Market today. It was a perfect day for an outing. The warm summer light and perfect blue sky filled with great big puffy clouds that just never seemed to get in the way of the sun.

Found some unscented goat milk soap, a lovely wicker basket to use as a shopping basket, and some cherries, apricots and blueberries. mmm. I love summer.

Driving home I noticed that the blue of the sky was not the same all over. I have never really noticed this before. It is interesting how it is a paler blue near the horizon, than it is up high…..

Color by COLOURlovers

Colour Quotes

Janice — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:42:39 +0000

“Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I see before me, I make more arbitary use of colour to express myself more forcefully … To express the love of two lovers by the marriage of two complementary colours … To express the thought of a brow by the radiance of a light tone against a dark background. To express hope by some star. Someone’s passion by the radiance of the setting sun.” – Vincent van Gogh, 1888.

“Colour is fun, colour is just plain gorgeous, a gourmet meal for the eye, the window of the soul.” – Rachel Wolf.

“Like emotions, colours are a reflection of life.” – Janice Glennaway

“Above all keep your colours fresh!” – Edouard Manet (1832 – 83)

“They’ll sell you thousands of greens. Veronese green and emerald green and cadmium green and any sort of green you like; but that particular green, never.”
Pablo Picasso, 1966.