Advent 2016 - 12th December, Day 16

Advent Day 16

Having had a glimpse recently of just how our Catholic Diocese of Southwark operates behind closed doors, thanks to the Data Protection Act, these words from the Advent Carol O Come, O Come Emmanuel seemed appropriate! Of course, also on a local, national and international level. This image, for me, best summed up how destructive humans can be, and how we long to escape from whatever 'sad division' is affecting us.

For some, if we close our eyes and pretend it doesn't exist that's enough. For others, covering our eyes temporarily, to gather strength, but then pressing forward to make happen the change we want to see is the way to go! If we only supported each other, communicated more, whatever our outlook and way of working, along our path through this life, that would be a good start, it seems to me, to building that peace we all wish for.
TFL!
Bernie x

Take Me Deeper - October Week 1

Running a little behind thanks to get so ill, but am hopefully on the mend now!

October Week 1 
I had a hard time with the prompt for this week! I kept reading and re-reading but, and I'm sure it's a result of the hassles at Church, the disbelief that Clergy from priest to Archbishop can act the way they are, and me then getting ill, there was just this huge disconnect between my heart, my head and my hands!

In the end I didn't even read other Bible passages,  and just opened up Photoshop with the idea of creating something that had been inspired by a picture online I'd seen. Utter fail! I knew I should be able to technically create the piece but it just would not work; no way, no how!

So I just stopped and thought about the beginning of the year. I remembered my piece which came about as the result of a disastrous walk in the forest, where we got lost, were out walking through forest and muddy field after dark, with no idea where we were and only moonlight to guide us. I remembered the butterflies, dozens of them, that I used in that piece. So I decided to start from there with one large butterfly.

It seems to me that looking back over the year in art so far, that has been a transformation in itself! I've found a new style, tried different things, and developed more trust in what I do - not least because of all you lovely people at HKC! My faith has been undergoing one huge transformation, still not finished of course, and this has been pretty traumatic at times.

So rather than only small butterflies I wanted the huge one, prominent and I felt drawn to use the digital painting I did of my youngest daughter 

So I clipped her to the butterfly brushed shape and duplicated and changed blend modes. I also used a photo of mine of the sunrise to add the colour. I then had a happy accident! The abstract tree shapes are actually a photo of the sea here turned on its side. Changing the blend modes, this effect happened and it just smacked me in the face how the look of this echoed the trees of the forest idea!

I then just added some small but various-sized butterflies representing the ongoing transformation of myself, my faith..life even! Plus some border work and grassy stuff at the bottom!

It's different to what I'd usually produce and I have no idea how I'm going to follow this for the rest of the month lol, but this is all I have and I'm pretty happy with it!

My own photos, CU brushes and texture and my own digital painting.
TFL!
Bernie x