Artful Readers Club - January Read

This is the first monthly post for the Artful Readers Club, run and organized by the very talented Darcy of Art N' Sole .  Each month we read a book (see bookshelf in sidebar) and then do a short review and some artwork that was inspired by our read.  I am well out of my comfort zone here as I am no longer a regular reader and I am going to try to draw and paint as much as I can for the artwork.  I normally rely on rubber stamping for my artistic release but for this challenge I am trying to extend my horizons.

My book for January is The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This book was first published in 1903 and came into my possession,  via  a sale at our local health centre, as I wanted to alter it to make a photo album of our two German Shepherd bitches Heidi and Lottie whom we bought as 13 week old pups in October 2011.

I loved this story.   It is about a dog called Buck who is stolen  from his comfortable southern home and sent north to Canada/Alaska, during the gold rush, to work as a sledge dog.  Jack London truly understood the hierarchical structure of a canine pack and how they fitted in to the different environments in which they found themselves.  I could relate my dogs' behaviour to the descriptions he gave in his narrative and it has helped me to appreciate the complexity of their interaction with humans. I chose this story for my first read as it is really only a long short story but I found myself page turning to find out what was going to happen next.  If you like nature, the outdoors and dogs then this is a story for you.

"Here a yellow stream flows from rotted moose-hide sacks and sinks into the ground, with long grasses growing through it and vegetable mould over running it and hiding its yellow from the sun."

My painting, in acrylics, is of the gold panners' river.  I have used gold leaf in between the boulders.  Apologies for the large crease in the mixed media paper I used.  It wasn't there when I started but appeared later when I had applied the paint.  Does anyone know why this should happen?

Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 52 Mexico

Very sore and recovering from his trip to the vets, Roland Poland finally receives his mail - ALL the letters he wrote to Carmen have been returned unopened, in a bundle wrapped in brown string.  It is accompanied by a postcard from Carmen, who is in Mexico with her sister, Maria.

Here is the travel page we made for him.

She writes,

Bye Poland

It would never have worked.

Carmen

The next thing our hero knows is when he is woken up by a comforting paw around his shoulders and gently shaking him, Malcolm asks "Are you alright?  You were sobbing in your sleep".
Roland Poland, very bemused says "Then all this was just a dream?"
"Let's go and find some breakfast says Malcolm and as the two trot down Botchergate, Roland Poland thinks that Carlisle has never looked so beautiful.

                                                                    THE  END


Thank you to Darcy at Art and Sole for organizing this most wonderful challenge.  I have 'grown' so much from the experience and thank you to all my visitors who have commented on this year long quest.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 51 Greenland

In the penultimate episode of Roland Poland's world tour,
The Xong family have travelled to Nuuk, Greenland for a pre Christmas mini-break and to meet Father Christmas in his workshop.

Roland Poland writes to his half-brother Malcolm,

Hi Malcolm,
Been to see Santa and the elves.
Returning home today and can't wait to
pick up my mail from Carmen, then I'm
off to the vets.  I don't know why
because I am feeling fine.
RP

Here are the pages we made in his travel book.

We have included views of the spectacular scenery, including the iconic painted houses and the polar bear coat of arms and very stylish flag.
My postcard Arctic scene is one I have been saving all year for such a destination.  It is a free image from The Graphics Fairy.  I have given it a Christmas feel using Craft Artist2.

A big thank you to all my loyal supporters and hope you will tune in next week for the final instalment in Roland Poland's year long adventure around the world.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!

CD Sunday Challenge - Teddy Bears

This is my favourite image on the Meadow Cottage Bears CD by Christine Howarth.  How could you fail to feel better ?  Unfortunately this year, I have had to sent quite a few get well cards so I am getting in front for next time!  I have done some background stamping with tiny text and flourish stamps in Memento Desert Sand  to give it more depth and interest.  The sentiment is from Joanna Sheen.  The backing paper is from a pad of writing paper bought at the local Pound Shop.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment, I very much appreciate them.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 50 Hawaii

Roland Poland is still waiting the arrival of his beloved Carmen and also keeping a lookout for any letters she may have sent him.  He is passing time watching old episodes of Hawaii Five-O on the television.

He writes to half-brother Malcolm,

Hi Malcolm,
Spending all my time waiting for the postman
and then it's a race to get to the door before the
Missus.  She tripped over me this morning and
said to Xui, "I am fed up of falling over this 
lovesick dog - make sure he has no nuts for 
Christmas".
What could she mean!!

RP

The postcard is my interpretation -  with brayer, stamp and copic markers of a photograph of Coconut Grove Beach at sunset.

This link will get you in the Hawaiian mood and is one of Roland Poland's favourites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkzdq-ktLws

Here are the pages we made in his travel book.

 We have included a scene of one of the lovely beaches, this time, not one of the imported golden sands but the natural black lava sand found all over these volcanic islands, a conch shell being sounded and a painting of King Kamehameha.  Obviously Jack Lord and Hawaii Five -O feature, as I was brought up on this series when I was growing up in Australia and have many happy memories.

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and I do hope you will visit the other intrepid travellers who are still travelling the world. (link in sidebar).

CD Sunday Challenge - Frosty Day

My image and backing papers are from DebbeesCD's Waterside Watercolours - Winter's Sleep.  The sentiment is from Ezybelles, and the snowflakes are glittered with Stardust Stickles.  The lace is from my huge 'bag of bits'.

Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment, all are much appreciated.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 49 Sweden

The Xong family have decided to adopt the stray pug known as Carmen as our hero is so smitten with her.  She is having the necessary injections in order that she can join them at their next destination.

He writes to his brother Malcolm,

Hi Malcolm,
We are in Sweden, the land of Abba and I can't help
thinking about Carmen, she's my Dancing Queen.
I have written to her every day but have not yet
received a reply.  I expect it is the post.
Can't wait for her to join me.

RP

Here are the pages in his travel book.

Apart from Abba, of course, we have included the Oresund Bridge between Malmo and Copenhagen, Denmark in tribute to the excellent crime thriller series The Bridge  I watched recently on tv and thoroughly enjoyed.  Also included is a photo of Albert Nobel and an iconic red house at Kullaberg Skane.

The postcard is a photograph of Sodermalarstrand that has been converted to a pencil sketch and coloured in with copic markers.

Thank you for stopping by and all your comments are greatly appreciated.  I do hope you will also visit our fellow travellers on this year long journey (see sidebar for link.)

Apologies for the blue tinted photos but  that is how the natural light is up here in the north of Scotland.