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Happy Holidays

18/12/2013

This is now the holiday season so I have decided to spend this time with my family. There is a lot going on in my life at the moment so I really could do with focusing my energy, so I am going to stop blogging until the new year. I will be back hopefully with lots of inspiration and new paintings.

I wish everyone lots and lots of love, and I hope you also get time to spend with your loved ones. Over the years I have realised that we must appreciate each other more as we are on this planet for a short time, so lets make the most of it while we are here.

Here is a painting that I made a few years ago. I gave it to my sister- in- law as a birthday present. It represents the unknown, beyond this realm. I just loved the idea of using different coloured clouds or energies to represent movement and change, something to look forward to. The light at the end of the great expanse shows creation being formed once more. This painting was done using my fingers. I thoroughly recommend it, after all these are natural tools that we are gifted with so why not use them.

Finally I think to carry on the theme of the beyond, I would like to introduce you to this film 'Made in Heaven.' released in 1987 shows how love transcends through time and space.

On that note love and peace to all, enjoy life to the max and have a fantastic Christmas and a awesome New Year.

Love

Samira :)

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Summer Holiday at Cornwall

12/12/2013

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Getting back to the point, this time we went right down south all the way to Lands End. We were not disappointed as the weather was glorious and the scenery was too. So in this photo I am sat at the very end of England looking at the Atlantic ocean. The water was a beautiful blue green colour, and as clear as glass, as you can see here. It looked as though it was the Mediterranean, I really wanted to take a dip in it, but I cannot swim so I would be paddling whilst watching my husband swimming.

You may have seen this picture before. Let me tell you about it. For our summer vacation, two years ago, my husband and I decided to go to Cornwall. I always wanted to visit the Eden Project, so finally we got the chance. Usually our summer vacations were spent in the Highlands of Scotland. We all feel a connection to Scotland, not sure why, but we love it especially the wilderness of the of the area, with the high mountains and vast open spaces. I may show you some pictures on another blog.

A little further up from this place we saw a lady picking flowers that looked like jelly beans. I had to ask what she was doing as I am fascinated with foraging and the abundance of food available to us in the wilderness. She said that she was picking them to eat later. We tasted some and it was good, although a little salty. I do not remember the name of the plant, all I know is that they grew on the hillside overlooking the sea.

They are gigantic in size and are dedicated to different environments. For instance in one dome you will find a tropical environment whilst another would be more Mediterranean. The picture on the right was taken on the Mediterranean side. I loved the vivid colours of this flower, it reminded me of a clown.

The tropical side was very green and luscious and in contrast the Mediterranean was very colourful and a lot more comfortable to navigate as the humidity was good.

The flowers were amazing so of course I had to get the camera out and get busy snapping away. You will find some of these pictures in my flower power gallery.

My final journey was to Lands End, the most southern tip of England. Here is the proof. :) :)

By the way John O'Groats is the most northern tip of the UK, which is in Scotland.

For more info on the Eden Project click on the link....

http://www.edenproject.com/

Moving on, we went to the Eden Project the following day. It was again sunny and warm. I was so excited as this was one of the places I have always wanted to see. Here are some of the photos I took that day. The photo on the left is the outside of the domes which are basically large greenhouses.

This picture was the tropical side and is the top of the dome. As you can see there are steps leading upwards. You have to have a strong disposition to go up there. They did have warning signs as the heat and humidity at the top was extreme. The staircase was scary, as I am afraid of heights. Nevertheless it was worth the trip as the view from the top was spectacular, shown in the picture below.

To see the full gallery please click on the button below....

Flower Power

To purchase a print of the flower picture, click the photo, thanks.

Well another blog over and done with. Wish you all the best.

With love

Samira :)

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Computer Art

9/12/2013

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It is amazing how art has developed over the years. Look at the use of computer art for example, graphics have transformed the film and marketing industry to name a few. I know very little if anything about computer art. However my eldest son studied graphics design and animation for four years and is an expert. I am proud to say that he is now a teaching assistant studying to be a qualified teacher, and in charge of the graphics and media studio at his school. As a hobby, to help friends out, he has created amazing posters like this one for instance, that he made for me in minutes. I would not know where to begin with this, but he put layer upon layer and came up with this beautiful poster with the 'Inspired by essence' slogan. Simple yet effective.

Even my husband teaches, from time to time, students basic computer graphics using a specialist computer software. So you can see that computers have a big influence in our household.

Me on the other hand, I look forward to holding a brush in my hand and standing in front of a canvas waiting to swish my arm around and see what comes of it. On many occasions I have spent hours creating a painting, looked at it , said 'nah don't like it' and then painted right over it. If I had a computer then all I would have to do is press the 'delete' key. I still prefer to use my friends the brushes, rather than the keyboard. Having said that I really rate people who create art using computers. Some are extreeeeeemely amazing, and take a long time to create.

Anyway, my husband strongly suggested that I get with the times and try. So I reluctantly got on the computer and opened up 'Microsoft Paint'. You should have seen the looks and heard the comments from my kids when they were watching me use it. I can relate to the woman in this video.

It was soooooo complicated, I did not know where to begin. I could not get my hand eye co-ordination with the mouse, (why is it called a mouse anyway). Well it did seem like it had a life of its own, because it was going in directions I did not want it to. I had problems mixing the colours to my taste, but I managed by some miracle to produce two images. Here is my attempt. I don't know maybe I should auction them off, I bet I could make a mint, what do you think?

he, he, he ....... wink, wink.

The picture above is lovingly called 'My first sunset on computer'.

This totally awesome piece of art work on the right is called ' Through the forest'.

Do you think I have a future in computer art?

With love

Samira

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The Art of Healthy Eating

6/12/2013

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Just sat down with my family and started talking about what is going on in the world. One thing led to another and we got onto the subject of eating. Well we watched Jamie Oliver discussing health issues affecting the people of this planet. The main culprit being the fast food industry. You can watch his talk here.

We are living in fast era where time is of the essence or should I say time is money. No one has time to prepare meals, sit down with family and friends on a regular basis and enjoy a home cooked meal, full of wholesome goodness. Instead we have microwave meals full of god knows what, packed with mostly additives, sugar, preservatives, colour the list can go on and on.... Basically what I am saying is we need to think about the future of our children and their health.

I am a great believer in cooking from fresh and like growing my own fruits and vegetables, when I can. I have taught all three of my boys to cook, because it is a life skill and will serve them well. I believe that even cooking is an Art form. If you go to a restaurant you will notice the presentation of the food is of great importance, because you eat with your eyes first. If the food is attractive you will want to sample it. Sometimes when I am preparing a salad I like to add colour to it as I would one of my paintings. I also love experimenting by mixing fruit and vegetables together in the salad, just as I would use different media in my pictures.

I have an Elder tree in my garden and this year I decided to use its bounty to produce my very own elder flower cordial. This went down well with friends and family, who suggested I should bottle it and sell it. I produced so much I had to share it with everyone, even my neighbours loved it. I felt so proud of myself using a resource that most people would have ignored and seen as a weed. If I were to buy this from the local supermarket it would have cost quite a lot of money and would have had preservative in it too. Mine was just the cost of sugar and a couple of other cheap ingredients. I made this cordial within a day, the drink was extra healthy as the pollen from it was present too. Here is a video with the recipe. Try it you will love it.

I also have a little cherry tree, that produces lots of cherries every year. I had so many this year that I made jam out of them and a cherry pie. Here is a picture (not a very good one sorry).

If you have read my previous blogs you will know that I love trees. My dream is to own land where I can grow my own fruit and vegetables. I think I would probably cover it with fruit trees of all varieties, so that I can pick and eat them fresh every day. Can you imagine how healthy people would be if everyone could do this?

On this note here is a painting of a blossom tree, I did a year ago. Blossom trees are revered in the Japanese culture, the Cherry blossom represents splendour and the delicateness of life. When the blossom blows in the wind, it reminds me of coloured light floating around painting the landscape with its petals.

Finally why not try your own hand at the art of healthy eating. Here is a video to put a smile on your face. Look after yourselves.

With love

Samira :)

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A Day at Chatsworth House

2/12/2013

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This stately home is famous for being featured in 'Pride and Prejudice' staring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. On this occasion we did not go to the gardens, but instead rambled around the grounds, something we have not done for a while.

Whilst exploring the area we discovered lots of old trees, some of them hollowed out by animals. I would envision that they would still be living inside of them. These areas are popular with badgers, rabbits, squirrels and foxes. However the estate have their own animals too like sheep, cows and deer.

I imagined it as an elderly person, wise, full of stories of past times offering comfort and warmth to everyone around.

There were trees that had long died and looked like natural sculptures as you can see in the next photo. The deep crevices and weathering added another dimension to the original bark. These trees enhanced the character of the surroundings.

Later on during our walk we discovered a water fall, which was directed onto an old viaduct bridge. The area was called 'The Dell', situated near the top overlooking the estate and gardens. A charming, quiet area, to just sit and daydream.

I could visualise myself sitting among the trees communing with nature. Just as I would at Chatsworth House.

We stayed there until sunset and were rewarded for the wait with a beautiful sunset as you can see.

Saturday was a beautiful crisp autumn day, with the sun shining bright and the skies clear as crystal.

We decided to go to Chatsworth House, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, situated in the Peak District in Derbyshire. This is one of my favourite places to visit, especially the gardens.

I saw a very old tree and instantly fell in love with it. I wondered how it would have seen the world change over the years. The trunk was really wide as you can see in this picture with me leaning against it, yet part of it was hollowed out.

This reminded me of one of my watercolour paintings of an arched bridge, which was inspired by a photograph given to me by a family member. The painting is called 'Golden Arch' as shown here.

Overall a magical day giving me inspiration for future projects. I hope this journey was enjoyable for you too.

With love

Samira :)

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Happy Holidays

Summer Holiday at Cornwall

Computer Art

The Art of Healthy Eating

A Day at Chatsworth House

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Happy Holidays

Summer Holiday at Cornwall

Computer Art

The Art of Healthy Eating

A Day at Chatsworth House

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