Friday, March 13, 2015

Easter chicken cards

  I made these cards
 to celebrate Easter
 for my column
 in the Rotorua Daily Post


And believe me, a good piece of chicken can make anybody

believe in the existence of God.” 
 
 Sherman Alexie
,

Lake Te Ko Utu Adventure taking texture photos

I went for a quick adventure out of town to Cambridge with my husband for a walk and photo shoot around Lake Te Ko Utu
We also went out for lunch to a fabulous cafe called Onyx Restaurant and i had pate. The service was efficient, the  food good quality and the coffee nice. The decor was sophisticated but not intimidating. I want to go again soon.
 
Little moments can have a feeling and a texture that is very real.



Within two hours of where I live, you have mountains and desert as location. I like the natural elements that abstract into light, texture, shape and shadow.








Writing nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing. Novels are like paintings, specifically watercolors. Every stroke you put down you have to go with. Of course you can rewrite, but the original strokes are still there in the texture of the thing.



Writing a tribe is fun. They have their own language, their own slang; they repeat it, and it becomes part of the texture of the play. For a writer, that's thrilling. That's when my pen flies.

I love playing with words and texture.


Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote, the average book fits into the human hand with a seductive nestling, a kiss of texture, whether of cover cloth, glazed jacket, or flexible paperback.












Creative Quotes about Texture

I search for the realness, the real feeling of a subject, all the 
texture around it... I always want to see the third dimension 
of something... I want to come alive with the object.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Creative pupils of Janet Keen Creativity Queen





         Patrick and his lion

Patrick and his truck 

 Patrick and his Lion 



Rya and her cat drawing
 
 Rya and her cat watercolour painting

Classes are small so pupils have plenty of attention and peace. 
All pupils have their own programme to work towards so that their individuality and creativity is encouraged
We have fun and happy times together. 
Relaxing and being creative is as important for the mind and soul as is working hard at school. 
Creativity can be used in other areas of their lives. 
It's a student centred approach which is empowering for the student 
I suggest examples and they come up with their own programme. There are plenty of examples on the wall for people to be inspired by and plenty of books
Pupils love it because they get to make their own decisions rather than me ordering them around and making them do something that is in my head not theirs. 
It is a collaborative and facilitating  approach and very much in the forefront of teaching practise
Schools are now only just moving more into this approach. 



Spaces available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday after school for an hour. 

Acrylic and mixed media painting
Mosaics
Drawing
Sculpture
Re-cycled art
Water colour
Children's book illustration
Pen and ink drawing Stamping
Card making
Doodling

Phone 346-3435 or email jkeen@clear.net.nz to book your child or young adult in. 



Monday, February 16, 2015

True, unrequieted love, stays pure and delicious because it never becomes sullied by reality





“To be deeply loved, means a willingness to cut yourself wide open, exposing your vulnerabilities... hopes, hurts, fears and flaws. Hiding behind the highlight reel of who you are, is the real you and that person is just as worthy of love. There is nothing more terrifying or fulfilling, than complete love, it's worth the risk... reach for it.”
Jaeda DeWalt



“I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.”
Candace Bushnell,
Summer and the City



“Let no one who loves be called altogether unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow.”
J.M. Barrie,
The Little Minister





“Love is a word that is overused these days, due to other lesser feelings often being mistaken for it. Infatuation, admiration, and attraction can pose as love, and can sometimes overwhelm us and fool us into thinking that we have found the real thing when we haven't. Those other feelings may be pleasant for a time, but they are not real love. Real love is rare. It's something that, quite honestly, I believe very few people ever truly experience.”
― Marian VereOnce Upon A Second Chance






“Real love is always chaotic. You lose control; you lose perspective. You lose the ability to protect yourself. The greater the love, the greater the chaos. It’s a given and that’s the secret.”
― Jonathan Carroll
White Apples









Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentines Day

 





I made three double sided hearts for my article in Saturdays Daily Post.
 They are on the lines of  the conversation heart lollies we used to buy as kids. 
These spiral in the wind and they are hung in a tree outside my studio. 
When I see them I will always feel loved and they will greet visitors and pupils and hopefully make them feel happy. 
They are sort of trite and definitely retro and they make you smile with nostalgia. 




 
I like them so much I'm going to make some more




 



For my Valentines present Graham bought me a Fitbit Flex three weeks ago
 I am in love with it, so it's a pretty good present. 

I bought him a small coffee plunger so he can have a nice tasting cup of coffee every morning in it, he really liked it


My friend Mirna from El Salvador bought me this gorgeous little hand made book from the TRADE AID shop. 
It has blank pages and I'm going to do a small illustration in it about love every day. 

I bought myself this cup because it has beautiful birds on it and a neat message which is "The world is but canvas to our imagination".





It came in this cute box and also with ts own little coaster.

Graham took me out to Skyline Skyrides restaurant  Stratosfare for dinner.








It was more for the ride up in the gondola than the food. 
I'm not usually a fan of smorgasbords. 

I rang and booked and asked for a window seat but they said you couldn't book for this.
 So we were in amongst noisy people with a kid playing on a smart phone, surrounded by people all on their cell phones. 
 It drives me nuts people being out and checking their cell phones all the time I think it's rude and if I'm with someone who does it I feel like screaming at them, put that thing away when you are in my company. 
You are being so rude. 
The food was ok, not brilliant. 
The decor is nice. 
The view is superb. 
The waiters and waitresses are lovely. 
The seafood chowder was great.
I broke my fitbit diet and had some dessert which was a merange, icecream, black jellibeans, a brandy snap and some chocolate mousse. 
It was nice but I was so aware of all the fat and sugar. 
So you can imagine my fitbit calorie intake was way over what I had expended. 
But I thought,  I've written it down and not to worry about it and just have a nice time. 

Well I wanted to shift to a window seat but Graham didn't so I  was a bit grumpy to tell you the truth.
 It was not the most romantic dinner I have ever had.
 But I was grateful for having an experience and that he actually suggested it.
 You need to let men have some suggestions about romantic dates because it encourages them to plan more. 
The ride back down on the gondola was very lovely and silent. 
 

Creative Quotes of the Day


There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.





Kiss me and you will see how important I am.
Sylvia Plath



When you look at me, when you think of me, I am in paradise.



So Happy Valentines Day everyone and remember it's never too late to book an art of being lovely mosaic class with me. 
Email jkeen@clear.net.nz for  details.