Friday, June 18, 2010

Birds of the Gulf

I honestly think that if I couldn't connect with the blogging art world, I would be lost.  And lost I was for over a week when my computer totally died.  Dead.  No more.  And with it went all my information; email addresses, pictures, photographs, documents - ja, well, no, fine!!

So a new pc has been purchased, new (updated!) programmes installed and I am now trying to find my way around them!  My gosh, but the latest Microsoft Office is complicated!

So dear friends, that is why I have been missing in action!  I now have a lot of catching up to do and will eventually get to read all those back posts that I've missed.

And because it's been quite cold here, plus the week at Kirstenbosch and the touch of 'flu, my painting has been curtailed.  The World Cup has also run interference - tonight England is playing here in Cape Town and the town is full of Barmy Army people.  Our own Bafana Bafana didn't do too well the other night and probably won't qualify, but we're enjoying having the world in our little corner of Africa.  Who are you supporting??

So, the last thing I painted during my 'down' time, was this heron and it is part of the tribute to the Gulf Crisis Challenge that Suzanne McDermott has started.  Read all about what she is doing on her blog.  She is a truly wonderful person who cares totally about the environment and what we are doing to it.  Bless you Suzanne.




35 comments:

Anthony Duce said...

Wonderful paintings. Glad you are up and running again.

JeMA said...

Sorry about your computer, and your information that was lost. You have a calming painting style, always enjoy your pieces.

Saundra Lane Galloway said...

Oh Liz...so beautiful! I love the softness of it!...and hope that this brings awareness! I can't see one of those oil soaked babies without crying...and then getting mad! and...so glad to have you back with us!

Manuel CasaBranca said...

great work Liz, may be the bird represents the "spirit" of your PC flying simbolically :-)
Thanks for your comment about my plein air.
best regards from Portugal

Charlene Brown said...

Your splendid heron is softly reassuring -- as is your story of your recovery from a computer crash. Thank you for both, and thanks for highlighting Suzanne McDermott's wonderful Spirit of the Gulf Challenge.

Crystal Cook said...

Sometimes I think that computers are the foul little denizens of Hades that have snuck out to torment us. Okay, kidding. . . kinda. But glad you're back :)

I love that you did this painting for the Gulf Challenge. Your bird is beautiful, I love that I feel optimistic looking at it, watching him with his wings raised.

Becky said...

Beautiful heron! The damage that the oil spill is doing just breaks my heart. I read where workers in Louisiana trampled a brown pelican nest, squashing eggs and killing young hatchlings. Were they blind? Angers me to no end. Glad you're back in bloggyland, sorry about the computer.

Marian Fortunati said...

Honestly, Liz...
This heron is absolutely wonderful. So full of action of life... just beautiful.
We all need to help our poor world survive what we do it it.

I'm glad you're feeling better and that you have managed to recover after a PC crash. It's amazing how debilitating that can seem. did you have off-site storage for your photos and files??
I keep toying with the idea, but haven't done it. Although I'm not sure why.

Anonymous said...

Glad you are back in the blogosphere. Your heron has such grace and you have captured it's movement so beautifully.
Jean

Diana said...

Your painting is splendid. May you have many trouble free years with your new PC.

padmaja said...

There is so much of movement in those flapping wings and the splash of the water.. Elizabeth,lovely work with a feel of the vast atmosphere around..hope you could put all the lost info back. that can be really tiring:-)

Marty said...

la panne de ton pc était l'occasion
pour réaliser cette magnifique
aquarelle - j'aime ton travail,
cette transparence ! c'est beau !
bon week end
bisous de france

Autumn Leaves said...

This is gorgeous, Liz! Beautiful palette, so muted and soft. I am so glad you got a new computer. I try so hard to keep them virus free but internet access seems to bring them on, don't they? They always manage to muck up the works no matter how careful I am! Anyway, so glad to see you posting and hoping and praying that the flu is well and gone.

Maree Clarkson said...

Beautifully done Liz! And I'm also glad your computer is back on track, that's one of the most awful experiences anybody can go through! I'm a back-up freak, but there's always still something one loses!

Ramesh Jhawar said...

So that explains your absence Liz! I was missing your comments :)
This is a nice piece you've created as a tribute for those poor birds caught in that nasty oil spill. Bravo!
Take care!

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Oh my gosh
your heron painting is splendorious

tweedles

Art with Liz said...

Hi there Tony - thank you so much!


Dear JeMa, what a nice thing to say! Thank you - and I think I'm starting to make friends with the new computer!

Art with Liz said...

I so agree Saundra! Big business has a lot to answer for, but I guess we are at fault for buying into the whole oil/petrol thing. Your beautiful Gulf belongs to the world and I believe we should all care. Hopefully many of those sea creatures can still be saved. Bless you.


Hi Manuel - never thought about the heron and the pc - very symbolic!

Art with Liz said...

Thank you Charlene! I'm very philosophical about things like computers - if we rely on them, we must expect things to go wrong sometime, don't you think? My fault for not backing up, but it's a lesson learnt. I hope you also do a painting in that wonderful style of yours for Suzanne's challenge. That would be great.


Hi Crystal and thank you! Hopefully all is not lost in the Gulf! As for computers and Hades - I think that's where my last one is!

Art with Liz said...

Hello dear Becky - thank you for this visit and all the other lovely stuff you send me! You are so close to the Gulf Crisis - we don't get as much info as you, but I feel for you when things like this happen.


Hi Marian and firstly no, I didn't have a file for my photos - only some very old ones were saved. So back up now CG - even now I'm going through the 'darn, that's gone' process! And thank you for the great compliment!

Art with Liz said...

I, too, am glad to be back Jean! It's amazing how much you miss when you can't get online! Thank you kind lady!


Dear Diana, thank you so much, for both your kind words and your wishes.

Art with Liz said...

Hi Padmaja - thank you so much and no, I lost it all so have to start my computer life over again! Maybe one needs to do that every now and then??


Dear Marty, Merci for a wonderful compliment and I hope you weekend was wonderful.

Art with Liz said...

Wow Sherry, thank you! As you know, watercolour I still battle with, but am slowly improving! As for the computer - I guess I opened a file that I shouldn't have (and probably knew I was doing it as well!) I quite like this new computer now!


There's always a lesson to be learned somewhere Maree! I will be backing up regularly as well from now on, especially my pics!

Art with Liz said...

Hi Ramesh, yes I'm here again, but boy, did I miss you guys.


Dear Tweedles, I hope you will let me borrow that wonderful word 'splendorious' sometime! Thank you!

Ajay Patil said...

What different can I comment, I jsut second all the good things written

Marie Theron said...

Hi Liz, the heron gives the impression of flight, which is very much in tune with the plight of the birds in the Gulf area.

pc said...

What a majestic stance ! well captured Liz. You are doing a great job sending the message across.

About the painting, liked the way you have added a warm tone to compensate the blues.

enjoy football and keep posting. It's great to see your work.

susan hong-sammons said...

fantastic. I can just feel his power

Melanie Statnick said...

Thank you for drooping into Free Wing, I have enjoyed your work. I'm looking into taking part in your online venture. Dont forget to dropp in again after the weekend so you can see how the Art-A-Thon for the GOC went.

Elizabeth Anderson said...

Glad you're back Liz! I thought maybe you were caught up in the World Cup. Sorry to hear that your computer left you. I guess the hard drive was totally fried since you couldn't retrieve anything.I think we're lulled into thinking the computer has eternal life.
The Heron portrays the delicate balance of life - the feet touching the water creating a small splash, the diagonal of the wings ready to take flight.
Last thing, I'd be very lonely without the artists I meet through their blogs.

laura said...

Nice to see you back, Liz. Is there anything more frustrating than computer troubles?!
Your painting is just right--it tells a story too: is he about to set down, or has he touched the water with his foot and decided to fly away?

Unknown said...

Really well done Liz, wonderful painting full of movement, and a good cause.

martinealison said...

Plein de légèreté et à la fois tant de puissance...

Cathy Gatland said...

Hi Liz, I have been slack in the blogoshere lately, glad you've recovered now from a horrible computer crash. This is a beautiful contribution to Suzanne's Challenge, the heron so poignantly poised on the water - if only heartache could heal the damage, it would be fixed by now.
I'm still not sure who to support now that Bafana are out... Ghana for sure, our last African hope, but otherwise - like you, I'm just enjoying the whole thing.

Cathy Gatland said...

Hi Liz, I have been slack in the blogoshere lately, glad you've recovered now from a horrible computer crash. This is a beautiful contribution to Suzanne's Challenge, the heron so poignantly poised on the water - if only heartache could heal the damage, it would be fixed by now.
I'm still not sure who to support now that Bafana are out... Ghana for sure, our last African hope, but otherwise - like you, I'm just enjoying the whole thing.