Down in the Dumps

[Former-Member]

I love illustrator @MoonGal but I'm not great at drawing or painting so ive mostly played and made patterns and things. I learned it at uni and did a few pieces for assignmenments. I can trace and put things together to create something new but I can't start from scratch and just draw. I love the lion, would dearly love to be able to draw. I'm so pleased your excited about rediscovering things. Good luck😊💜

[Appleblossom]

I am always in awe of artists @MoonGal

you achieved a lot settling your mum and facing the abuser. It has to take energy ... and yes I get that somehow we might know more than some of the counsellors ... just keep looking. 

I know the same old same old thing.

I am actually finally taking my counseling into my own management.

I have 2 lines of authentic free counselling without touching the mental health plan ... I am setting the agenda ... its long term and I researched their interests and am fitting their profile to my needed tasks.

1) Family relationships

2) My deep personal feelings re creativity and sexuality etc etc ... from the sex assault offence which will come to the Royal Commission next year.

They are both psychologists and older women and know about each other. no double dipping here ...

I also still have my psychiatrist referral but havent made appointment .. too busy trying to figure the best way to set it up so that it works best for me and son.

So thats me ... this sending people off before they are ready ... seems problematic.

I second @Kurra's encouragement re your art.

Can you mix something in it ... to get some use out of or extend the enamels ... google ???

True confession - last month I sorted out all my shoe polishes and chemicals from the garage ... and added water ... oil ... whatever ... playing chemistry games that they now put into primary school books ... but was nt the fashion when I was a kid ... or mum ... didnt know or approve ... I do remember one conversation with dad just before he died about me reading about Madame Curie .. being a woman in science and all that ...

bla bla ... thats me

I do hope you come good ... keep posting ... next week when partner is away ... does she make you feel guilty about her work or do you just feel it ... can you talk about with her.

its a little like the old fashioned way men and women contributed to their partnerships ... doesnt matter whether its gay or not .. you make a home ... with your arty side .. I bet it is beautiful and homely.

You are part of why I stay on forum though I dont always interact with you ... we have so many quality people here .. it is good.

Take care Apple

[Faith-and-Hope]

Hi @MoonGal

I ❤️❤️❤️ your art ....

Mine has been on the back-burner too long and I am having to work out how to get my wings back on with it.  

I am still painting the odd large piece.  Oils are my forte .... but I branched into acrylics on watercolour paper last year, just to make painting more user-friendly and accessible.

I have made a commitment to taking myself off to local art galleries more often.  Have yet to act on that ....

Can you use the virtual painting as a template for real-time artwork pieces ?  I have started toying with that idea on an iPad ap called Drawing Desk .... I can import images then "draw" into them or completely overwrite them, keeping only the basic form.  I will copy one in here:

I can use this as a basis to paint on canvas.   It is helping me to explore colour in a way that would be an expensive trial and error in real paint ....

A visual diary is also a good idea.  Take a pack of text as and pencils, water-colour pencils, leads, pastels, whatever, and explore still life drawing anywhere and everywhere ... an interesting leaf or flower, an image from a magazine, your coffee cup and breakfast dishes .... and these drawings might inspire paintings too.

Happy artistry explorations ...... 🎨🌈

[utopia]

@MoonGal. So much going on all at once.
Y Your doggy daughter is in good hands. Does she come home tomorrow from the vets? Bet she will be happy to lie on your lap all day without moving. Might not get house work done today. And you can snuggle up with your doggie daughter when your girlfriend is away.
Do you have any plans on how to keep yourself busy when she's gone? Do you have a friend or two that you can invite over for a nice dinner one night?
Activities you enjoy doing.
I'm sure you will also have long night calls with her. So you can snuggle into your warm bed with your dog and hear her voice. It's not the same I know.
Do you have a group session or a psychologist appointment while she is away? That may help.
What about spending time sorting out y I u family photo album - of the three of you. I'm sure you have sone good photos in your phone you can print out. It might be a nice surprise for her when she comes home.
I know it's hard when you are not working. I'mthere now. The guilt is there, but we havecto fight it.
Think of all those things you do for your partner. I'm sure she would be lost without your imput and your love.
I hope the week away goes quickly for you. Maybe others on this forum have some better ideas to helpvyou along.
Good luck

[MoonGal]

Hey @Appleblossom - lovely to hear from you. I can just picture you as Madame Curie... 

I am so push me-pull yu about Counselling really - I have had ONE good Psychologist in all my years of threrapy and I miss her. I could go back to her and now you have pushed me on it a bit, next time I see my GP I will ask for a Mental Health Care Plan again, it is one of the very few subsidies I CAN get - as I am not registered with Centrelink at all... That brings me to your next question

" does she make you feel guilty about her work or do you just feel it ... can you talk about with her.?"

Oh, No she is 100% supportive and wonderful - the guilt is MY guilt, particualalry as she has struggled so much these past weeks wsince her dental work and having to get upa nd go to work with a very sore mouth and ill-fitting new dentures. My deep shame is that someohow it is all my fault that I did my back in, have the head-wrack that I do - she is so supportive and lovely and yes actually works very well with her havoing a wife at home to take care of house, hearth and the day to day management stuff. It works, but Before this I was earning a really GOOD wage and th two of us were equal partners int hat regard.

Thanks @Kurra - Yeah I might have to get the ladder out! 

So today when I woke up - my head wanted to take me down into the pit and I resisted that. I do need to be careful not to LAUNCH into Moongal Artist or I will end up manic. Balance is everything!

Great to hear from you all and thank you. 

[MoonGal]

@utopia - what great suggestions. My doggie-daughter came home yesterday afternoon. She has one tooth remeoved and the rest scaled, she has a very sore mouth but will feel better for it I am sure eventually. She is a 'screamer' when frightened and she was very leary of being touched at all last night. My partner and I had to steel ourselves, I held her and Partner removed the banadage from her foreleg where the drip had been. And Yes she screamed blue murder! Poor girlie.

I created a photo gallery in real space in my dining room - so much of our photos are digital these days - so I got good portraints all our dogs past and present printed up and I framed them. I buy second hand frames from Saint Vinnies and sometimes paint them to make them funky and bright. I started another gallery in our lounge room (where we live our lives) and do need to get a few more prints - specially of our wedding ceremony overseas printed.  That will be a nice thing to do - thanks you for the suggestion I will go through the wedding photos (all digital) and choose a couple for frames I get them printed at an online print shop. We also have a video of our wedding made by professioanl videogrpahers which I have not watched in a very long time so will do that as well!

I have one appointment with the Psychologist I saw who said we didn't need any more sessions, to be fair to her -I agreed (in my hypomanic state) that I didn;lt need to seeher anymore. Since then I called her back and made another appointment. 

I think I will make a plan for next week while she is away -

One day. Go visit Mum on one day and start watching DownTon Abbey with her. She can;t remember how to use her DVD player - I bought the entire Downton Series to share time with her as an "inactivity". 🙂

Another Day. catch the train into town and go to the art gallery (depending how well my back and legs are)

Another day... perhaps a good idea would be to go and buy a canvas so i have it as a PROMPT to start!

Thanks for your encouragement.  

[MoonGal]

Hey @Faith-and-Hope - we must be psychic! You said "Can you use the virtual painting as a template for real-time artwork pieces ?" After sharing the virtual lion 'painting' I did I realised that I could actually copy that using paint and brushes on canvas. So it is a real painting. (I might not make it 2 metres tall though @Kurra!)


I have never used oils - i think I am leary of all the clean up and having to use turpentine etc. 

I love the siamese and I absolutely get what you mean about using these as templates for brush on canvas work. I would love to see your work if you decide to use this as a template for a real-life painting. it is good because it shows WHERE the light/dark shadow and what colours to use to match to.  And yes it will save on the expensive peripherals needed for painting in real life. Great Idea!

I am not a very good drawer at all, I have a very wierd sense of perspective. I went to drawing classes for a while and also did some life drawing classes - I do good nudes but terrible vases and flowers. I quail at the thought of going about with a pad and sketch pencils!

What happens if someone looks over my shoulder - I am looking at sheep in a foeld and my drawing of them looks like THIS! .... 

[Rexy]

Hi MoonGal, I agree with Teej you are inspiring and I feel you need to be told you are special and I am sure the people around you know that. where I live we are having a miserable cold, wet and very windy winter and it gives me the feeling that I should just stay in bed.

I don't think anyone has the magic cure but I can say that we all know to some degree what you are going through and we care and these are not just words WE DO CARE and we only want the best outcome for you and your partner.

What works for me in your situation is to play and reward my Fur Daughter, I tend to forget about other things and animals love you with no conditions.

Hope that things become mor cheery for you

Kind Regards Rexy

[Bimby2]

Love the Siamese cat. Bimby2

[utopia]

@MoonGal. I'm glad my suggestions help. I can't believe your dog is a big sook. lol. Poor thing. Your planning days sound great. Glad you have made a new appointment. You will get through next week.