Something soft

I am celebrating 12 months of belonging to Everydaymatters. What an extraordinary journey it has been. So full of surprises with my art work, developing friends, being inspired and even thinking of exhibiting first little piece. Thanks so much to all of you for making it one of the best groups to belong to and helping me so much in so many ways.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
srhosken.blogspot.com
susanhosken.blogspot.com

Floral grid

One of my favourite occupations on the phone doing my doodling. This was delightful to do because of the fine detail.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Salad challenge

This was interesting to do. After the initial shock of all the detail once I started it wasn't as bad as I thought. I am trying to do the challenge each week as it stretches me into unfamiliar territory and things I wouldn't choose to do myself.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Challenge 134 - a different view

Dear friends,
I bought this little figure for Christmas 2006. I live alone and I wanted someone to keep me company while I put the decorations up, etc.
She has the most wonderful smile and cheeky face.
She is in my kitchen and gives me so much joy.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
PS I suppose I could do a front view so you can share her smile

A peach

Peaches aren't in season at the moment in Australia so I did the drawing from memory. i love peaches. I used to have a tree at home as a child but it died . I always wanted a peach tree and finally planted fruit trees at my old house.
My first peach for the season off the tree was my greatest joy. A friend watched me once and couldn't believe how ecstatic i got.
Now I have moved I still love selecting my first peach from the fruit man.
I love the white peaches best. I love the fluffy velvety skin and the juicy taste is splendid. It delights the child in me.
I'd love to find someone in the area who grows peaches so I could once again pick my first peach for the season straight from a tree. Until I do I have sweet memories literally.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Another doodle

Loving doing my doodles. Hopefully I can get back into doing other drawings as well. I guess a lot of us go through phases.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Clothes sketches

I have kept sketches of my clothes and outfits. Recently I have started to do sketches of myself in the clothes in the mirror and find the results interesting as compared to my naive people drawings in the post for July 31st.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Grid doodle

Decided to muck around and do doodling in a grid. Rather restrained but I still loved doing the doodling.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Doodling

At the moment I have a doodle page with my journal and daily timetable and I doodle every chance I get. I absolutely love it. The freedom to put the lines wherever I like. I am hoping in the future to express the challenges as doodling rather than realistic drawings. I like the way I can put the lines anywhere I want rather than being dicated to by the object I am drawing in a realistic drawing. All in the journey of discovering my style of drawing and furthering my creative expression.
Enjoy the journey. Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Naive figure drawing

I keep a memory sketchbook of what happens on my daily walks. I often do little naive drawings of people and thought I needed to learn how to draw them properly. Then I realised I love the naive quality and look forward to seeing more of them in my walking journal. Thought I'd share them as they will remind some of the professional figure drawers where they possibly started!!!
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Corn

I used to have a large garden and grew lots of corn each year. When I down sized into a small home and garden I never imagined I'd grop a little crop of corn in a corner of the garden. I did this sketch last Summer and don't know if it will be the last crop or the beginning of many more. We had drought conditions last Summer so difficult to do the watering. I hope to do another crop this Summer. I love the taste of fresh corn. I eat it straight off the plant and no cooking...yummo.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Floral oracle

I enjoy using runes to give me inspiration for living my life. I have used a floral oracle for quite a few years where flowers give meaning and direction to your life. I am making my first deck of flower oracle cards and this winter sweet is my first one. My second card is a violet where I used a lovely piece of cross stitch I did.


I believe in God or a Divine energy and take the flower oracle quite seriously.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia
PS I'll post my other cards as I make them. I am doing it slowly.

Colored doodle

I love doodling while I am on the phone. With this doodle I decided to use water color. I was astonished at all the conflicting colors I used. I usually like painting with nice contrasting colors. Still thought I'd share the results. I am working on some flower doodles at the moment.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Third book

This is my third book and I learnt how to do a basic pamplet stitch. It is a journal celebrating the death of my cat Sooty and it has my journaling and emails sent by many from Ever Day Matters and other friends. I knitted the cover and then embellished with beads. It means a lot to me. I have already chosen my next book binding project...now how to find time to do it.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Bell challenge

This is a little china bell with two figures on it that an old friend gave me many years ago. We are in contact on birthdays and Christmas but we used to see each other every week. It is interesting how friends come and go and are here often then only occasionally. I love the bell because it reminds me of her and our wonderful times together. When I moved house I made it a point to only bring things with me that had special meaning and value. The bell was one of them.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Bird challenge

I did these little bird drawings of my favourite black and white magpies and seagulls in my travel journal. A few of the birds are like children's drawings and I can see I haven't drawn them accurately.
I love the magpies where I live as they are on the nature strips in groups of 3 birds and peck around for food and play around the nature strip. I can get within a few feet of them. Some people tame them by giving them pieces of meat.
I like the seagulls too although they aren't a favourite of a lot of people because of their scavanger behaviour. I love walking along the beach with all the birds.
My favourite bird was my budgerigar Tiger. He used to fly around the room when I was a kid and he would run up and down the shelf whistling and fly on top of my head. He would sit on my hands and whistle away and chat to me. He only lived a few years. I have happy memories of him.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

First book

My first book I now realise is an artist's journal and a healing journal. I made it while I was in hospital in the art room. I painted and collaged various pages torn from magazines and then sewed them together with string and grasses. I made it 4 years ago and only rediscovered it this year when I read about artist's journals and healing journals. I still have a great affection for the little book and it has lots of memories.
As a few people in the Everydaymatters yahoo group also mention bookmaking I thought I would post this photo. I'll post another one next week of a healing journal I made when my cat died.
There is nothing like doing something for the first time. I'm loving my new adventures into book making. As a librarian books are a passion for me.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Memory journal

Green grocer

Favourite foods

Favourite old bags

I go to a music appreciation class and while the lecturer plays pieces of music I do sketches in my memory journal. I am doing things like my favourite bags, favourite foods, my local green grocer, and other things that spring to mind. Next to the sketches I write about the memories as well. I am loving doing it. It interests me how the memory alters things and is often not very accurate.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

DOTRSOTB

Some more drawings from "Drawing on the right side of the brain". I am really pleased with my progress and I am enjoying the various exercises. I don't do as much drawing as I would like as I have lots of other commitments but I enjoy what I do.
There was an Everyday matters challenge of drawing something in the shade but I don't have the skills for it yet. i hope to do it in the future.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia

Bird bath

This is another attempt at doing some watercolor that isn't precise detail. I enjoy doing this sort of painting but still need to learn how much to put in and how much to leave out.
The bird bath is in my very small courtyard. It was surrounded by pumpkins and zucchinis and petunias. It makes for some nice memories. i love seeing the birds having their baths. When I moved here from my old house where hundreds of birds visited over the years no birds came. Over the months birds finally discovered the bird bath and I am thrilled about it. i have planted some ranunculas around the bird bath so I have the flowers to look forward to.
Lots of love from Susan in Australia