Wallander

This is the second time I've drawn from the TV series Wallander, but this time it's from the original Swedish series. Kenneth Brannagh's portrayal of Wallander was so good I didn't think I was going to enjoy this one so much but it's the one show I don't want to miss each week. It must be because the characters are so well written. The Swedish version has a lot more humour in it and Wallander is very much part of a team, his character doesn't dominate at the expense of the others. Also, Mark speaks fluent Norwegian, and I know a little, so we have fun listening to the language - especially all the swear words! Here I have drawn 'Stefan', top, a character who is quite intense and aggressive but often in inappropriate situations which makes it funny, Wallander, centre, and his daughter 'Linda' below, who has an on-off relationship with Stefan.

Sadly, not many series were made and I learned recently that the actress who plays Linda, Johanna Sällström, is now dead, having committed suicide a couple of years ago. I don't know anything about her except that she was in her 30's, obviously very attractive, and had received awards and recognition for her acting. She left behind a young daughter. She seemed to have everything going for her and it did make me wonder what strange creatures we are, that our perception of our lives can override the reality of it. There was something quite melancholic about her and I tried to capture that in the drawing.

I've started yet another sketchbook with these three drawings - I'm now putting the TV sketches in a rectangular Winsor & Newton journal (similar to these) so I can spread out a bit and work slightly bigger. I have sketchbooks all over the place so I'm now losing track of where everything is! Oh, and I should say, these were intended to be quick sketches to get warmed up for a larger drawing I'm going to do, but I got a bit carried away with the shading! They were a lot of fun to do, so I guess that extended break from drawing had the desired effect!

Drat!

And double drat! I pressed one of these keys and lost almost all my blog links! I've no idea how that happened. And because I couldn't decide which links go here or on my other blog, I opted to put them all here so I can't copy across either. And because I'm so scatty, some I subscribe to on Bloglines and some I check for updates here ( it's quicker and I like the little colour pictures!). And, to make matters worse, they were all the lovely bloggers who have been kind enough to link me! So please bear with me, I'll try and put them all back, but it's going to take a bit of time...

Oh well, as I'm here I should just say that I've been taking a break from the drawing. I've done this before, when the time spent on the PC starts getting too much, but this time I think a much longer break was necessary. It seems as if I'm swimming against the tide because most artists are branching out into Facebook and Twitter and here I am struggling with one or two posts a week on a blog! The last portrait I did was a disaster but I scrapped it and started again, only for the next attempt to fail. That's never happened before so I took that as a sign to stop and recharge. Time too, to let a realisation sink in - just as I allowed myself to feel comfortable with calling myself an artist, I came to the conclusion that the word doesn't amount to a whole hill of beans! Sad to think that the art world I so wanted to be a part of for so many years doesn't actually exist and it seems so obvious in hindsight. On the positive side, it does allow me throw out some ballast and concentrate on other more important things.

To start with, though, that will be restoring my blog links! Hopefully, after that, a somewhat normal blog service will be resumed!

Geneva this week

My brother popped over this week which gave me a great excuse to act like a tourist and do things I don't normally do. I read an online article a few months ago detailing the more unusual things to see and do in European cities and I clicked Geneva in anticipation - maybe it's not so boring after all, maybe it's just that I haven't explored it enough -but no, the same old places! So we did the boat trips, the chocolatiers, the Old Town etc. I still manage to get lost in the Old Town, which isn't a bad thing because there is always something new and interesting to discover. Probably the one thing you have to do in Geneva is climb to the top of Cathédrale St-Pierre to see the views across the city and the lake (above).

You can take little boat trips across the lake using the same ticket for the buses and trams so instead of walking along the jetty where the Jet d'Eau is (it was too cold to get near that spray!) we took the boat to see the view from the opposite bank. As we stood admiring the view, shivering in our winter woolies, I was amazed to see this couple pass us -




















Yikes, some people are hardy, aren't they? They looked like they were enjoying themselves too!
















I see these little gulls all the time but it was only when we stopped to look at the views that I noticed how cute they are!

Capsule of a Sunday morning

Ikea bed Ikea pillow Migro sheets bright yellow cup tap water Liz Earle Orange Flower Hand Wash Tweezerman tweezers Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth cleanser Eve Lom face cloth Elvive Full Restore Replenishing Shampoo Liz Earle Energising Body Wash Wilkinson Sword M&S face cloth 100% cotton towel bought in Kuwait Liz Earle Botanical Body Cream No.7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum N0.7 Protect and Perfect Day Cream Schwarzkopt Taft Volume Power Styling Mousse Elizabeth Arden Green Tea deodorant Sloggi undies M&S bra M&S grey joggers M&S grey cashmere jumper Per Una Faux Fur Boot Slippers Braun hairdryer Baby Coque eggs bought in France Coop Perla tomatoes Doppelrahm de la Gruyere Denby plate Victorinox knife Jura Sel Jamie Oliver peppercorns Rosalp Gezalzene butter ID Design leather sofa M&S cushions M&S throw Chanel reading glasses JVC remote JVC flatscreen TV Andrew Marr Show Joan Bakewell papers Sting's beard Kleenex tissue Dell Inspiron BBC Online Telegraph Times Online Stephen Fry leaving/back on Twitter Jeremy Clarkson on rainforests AA Gill on Emma Sky News Adam Boulton Jon Bon Jovi's expressions Steve Redgraves's book Bosch dishwasher Denby plates and cups Tefal saucepan Braun kettle Lipton Yellow Label Tea Coop Drink 2.5% milk Miele tumbledryer from Norway Miele washing machine Le Chat washing powder bought in France called Persil here Coop washing up liquid Hawking wok M&S thermal vest M&S thermal socks M&S red fleece A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi The Ideal Guide to Acting Sounding and Shrugging Like the French by Charles Timoney...


I borrowed this idea from a page in The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher. It was called Capsule of a Spent Day and written by Marina Warner. Basically it's a description of her day by listing all the brands she uses (and a couple of extra thoughts here and there). I found it really fascinating although she is a working woman and describes her day from the moment she wakes up to the moment she gets back into bed - I've described only a very lazy Sunday morning! (It would be twice as long, methinks, if I'd put some make-up on!) She put in a random scattering of commas and I left them out completely as I quite liked having to decipher her list.

Back from Blighty

I should have known better than to promise photos from London. As usual it was a mad rush from start to finish. Paul and I went out for the first few days to do some shopping and then on Sunday he flew back for the start of school and Mark flew out and I joined him to stay at the Millennium Hotel on Sloane St.

The first time it occurred to me to take out my camera was when this dessert arrived - but I should have take the shot before I smudged the sauce, not after!




















The view from the bedroom window wasn't what you'd describe as beautiful, but it was fascinating. We could see all the way from Harrods and the V&A on the left to the skyline of the city and St.Paul's to the right. ( The tower in the photo above is the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane.) Right opposite us, in what must be very expensive apartments, we had a nightly show by one of the residents who was fond of walking around in front of the window in his birthday suit, but I was more interested in trying to spot if Louis Vuitton actually had any customers (none that I saw), or if the traffic jams ever eased on Sloane St (only late at night/early in the morning).




















The last day, when I took this photo, was a bit grey and damp, but the whole week was amazingly mild, certainly much milder than Geneva.

The best thing about the hotel was it's location. Between Fendi and Gucci at the top end of the street opposite Harvey Nichols and a short distance from Harrods. Not that I bought anything from these shops - I found almost everything I was looking for in Marks and Sparks in Marble Arch! But it was lovely to 'step out' in the evenings for a stroll and take in the sights and the atmosphere around Knightsbridge.

Mark thought the hotel was disappointing - and I admit it wasn't as 'swanky' as I'd imagined for somewhere in that location - but I liked it better for that. I didn't feel at all out of place - no-one on the door looking you up and down! -the atmosphere was very relaxed and welcoming and it was certainly handy for dropping bags off and starting again! I had to be careful not to be lulled into a false sense of security though with the lovely weather, because really I was out to buy some serious winter woolies as I think we're in for a very cold winter here this year.

It was a mad rush during the week because of course I was there to see Mum too, but getting to and from the nursing home took up the best part of the day. Still, she was looking well and Paul was happy to explore places on his own that he hadn't been to before and I had the weekend to relax and do my own thing so there was no stress. But I have to say, from a nursing home to a Knightsbridge hotel, this trip was a bit surreal.