So for Bootcamp this month our mini assignment is all about tea. Yup, anything and everything and if you love tea like me then that equals quite a lot of fun. Since I love history too I have been digging around and discovered that tea was actually bought to England in about 1662 by Queen Catherine of Braganza, the wife of Kind Charles II. It was initially extremely expensive and so only the elite classes could afford it but as time went by it became more affordable and therefore accessible to ordinary people. The little poem around the top of the painting that I've written reads: 'Queen Catherine of Braganza was rather partial to her tea. She said it kept her calm and restored her sanity. The King did, the Queen did and then the Court did too. Until the whole of England enjoyed a daily brew'.
Ode to Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf the great lover of words and considered a prominent author in modernist writing during the 20th Century. She's attributed to being one of the pioneers in the narrative mode of writing known as 'Stream of Consciousness', a style we're quite used to reading in today but utterly groundbreaking at the turn of the 20th Century.
There is a nod in the background of my portrait to Bloomsbury, a group of intellectuals and artists of which Virginia was a key member. I am just embarking upon reading the beautiful Penguin Clothbound edition of 'Orlando', written in 1928 and one of her lighter novels intended as a portrait of her enigmatic lover Vita Sackville West.
Sadly, Woolf suffered with mental illness throughout her life and committed suicide in 1941 at the age of just 59. But she lives on inspiring others through her brilliant works which have been translated into over 50 languages.
MATS Bootcamp - Aretha Franklin & Her Bag of Bling
And the bag belongs to ... Aretha Franklin! It's a bag full of opulence and glamour fit for the Queen of Soul herself! I have to confess, this is an updated version, as I did repaint Aretha after I submitted my piece, because I was in such a rush to finish in time I really wasn't happy with the way she came out originally!
So, the first month of Bootcamp is a wrap and as usual I have learnt an absolute tonne. There's something about having a deadline to meet and actually posting your work into a gallery that pushes you beyond all your expectations. Not to mention everything you learn from the Facebook community where fellow Matsians generously share their tips and knowledge. On Monday our next mini assignment will be revealed, which I wait for with great curiosity and anticipation.
In the meantime why not check out the marvellously inspiring Gallery of Bootcamp Art, I think there's over 600 pieces of work to view. It always amazes me how different everyones interpretation of the assignment is!
Mats Bootcamp 2018 - Who's Bag Is This?
Throughout January I have been working away on the first Bootcamp Assignment of the year. Having illustrated the contents of my own bag, we were then asked to imagine and illustrate what we thought might be in the bag of someone famous. In hindsight, perhaps I should have added a few more things to make it a little more obvious, since my bag of contents definitely had a large dose of creative license. But for now, can you guess whose bag I had to illustrate?
Folk Style Tea Tin
Molly Mouse is the central feature of my folk inspired tea tin.
A Few Moments of Peace and Quiet!
My goodness life is moving at a fast pace at the moment and I'm trying to cram so much in. Those moments of peace and quiet are rare and golden! Molly Mouse knows all about that, she's grabbing 5 minutes of calm to drink her tea in peaceful serenity before the children arrive home from school and chaos ensues!
