A for Ability.

A for Ability.

Hi there.
Had a goodday?
Mine’s been absolutely brilliant.
We had such a good, productive, pleasant day today at the retreat.
It was tops. 

So two more to go…

But the Blogathon continues!
Aren’t Team GB doing amazingly?!
I don’t think I’ve ever been so attached 
to the Olympics as this time. 

Something which has really struck me is that these young people who are representing us over in Rio are just regular 
neighbourhood kids.
Not from privileged backgrounds,
or from that elite echelon of society which rules the world. 
Nope.
These are in the main, just normal, working class people,
who are Olympians purely because of their abilities.
Because they can run fast, cycle fast, row fast;
and because they can work as a team.

I see their Mums and Dads and siblings bursting with pride 
and excitement on the sidelines.
And you know they have been taxi-ing them to and from training for years, have been wiping away the tears of disappointment, have been shouting and cheering and encouraging the whole long time.
You know they have sat for hours, days, weeks and months watching games, competitions.
They have dedicated their lives to their kids’s passion. 
That’s not unusual. 
I also see that as soon as those kids win a medal, 
they run straight over to their parents to hug them. 
Or they look at the camera and mouth 
“I love you Mum”.

At long last, we as a nation are actually nurturing them and supporting them as athletes too,
so that they can move towards excellence. 
And just look what happens when you give them a helping hand,
a financial lift.
A M A Z I N G.

So this little piece of artwork is dedicated to the working class kid,
who dreamt all his young life of being a supreme athlete.

Ready?

Smeared a little A6 canvas board with Grunge Paste randomly, 
and let it dry.

Brushed 2 new colours over the Grunge Paste:
Morning Dew and Ocean Reef

Sanded the rough parts a little, dusted off and inked again.

Have you seen our Wheelie Stencils?
They are blimming excellent too.
I really must get them out of the cupboard again!

Here’s the Boys and Men one…
Wheelie wheelie clever!

You simply swivel the upper wheel 
to expose the stencil you want to use.
Man in the rain?
Farmer leaning on a spade?

 Charlie Chaplin?

Father and Son?

Young Lad?

Aha! I KNEW he was there somewhere!

We’ll use a Black Archival through the aperture.
Then out with the Rooftops mask.
For me, this symbolises the working class roots…
Use a make-up sponge and black Archival
 to create a silhouette of the rooftops.
Remove the mask, and sand out an area,
ready for stamping. Needs smoothing out a little. 

Stain it again with the Morning Dew Ink pad

and stamp MAGICAL into place.
Go round the edges with a bold black Sharpie Pen.

Attach to a larger canvas board to frame.
Done.

Bit grungy,
bit rough round the edges.
Just needed a little smoothing out and attention

But there you have it.
When you have great natural ability,
passion and drive in your DNA,
a family to back you,
a great coach AND financial support,
the sky’s the limit – whoever you are. 

Love & Hugs,
Barb

70 thoughts on “A for Ability.

  1. Evening Barbara wow a stunning canvas ,dedication love and surportive people makes wonderful people succeed that shows in our GB team and in others we meet too .

    1. Evening dear family of blog friends sending heartfelt hugs to you all hugs to all on this wonderful blog xxx
      I did some colouring today on one of my bookmarks the owl one looking forward to doing some more tomorrow I did some groovi tyding too now I've got my next Groovi project planed xxxx

    2. Forgot to say how much I enjoyed Maria on hochanda I watched both shows today so much inspiration beautiful samples from the brilliant design team crafting hugs xxx

    3. Hi Sheila, what was your blood results, any improvement in your liver function levels? Glad you're still managing to craft despite coming off your steroids xx

    4. Hi Brenda my bloods where back today but dr hadn't opened them so I've got to ring in morning I'm still on my steroids low dose now but dropping dose each week pains in my fingers wrist elbow are comming back more painful but if I can still craft a little I can cope with that I'm due to see my consultant in August or September but they are running behind so I'm looking more October thank you for thinking of me bless you for been so thoughtful xxx

    5. Hi Sheila – I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying your colouring, and your Groovi tidying and planning! So sorry to hear that your pains are returning though – I do hope that you will continue to be able to do some craft! I agree that Maria's shows were great yesterday – some more temptation for us again! Take care my lovely, love and hugs Gilly xxx

    6. Hi Sheila,
      Great that you have been doing some crafting today – aren't those owls gorgeous? Sorry to hear though that your pains are coming back. I really do hope they can do something for you. Love and hugs Alison xx

    7. Hi Sheila, pleased to hear that you are still able to craft. I haven't seen Maria's shows yet but I did have a peak at the new stuff on the website so must try and watch catch up.

  2. Hi Barbara. You are so right about the Olympics! I watched the triathlon today….swim then cycle then run….and all without a stop! And two of our lads took gold and silver. Brothers from Yorkshire. Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee. Then I watched the badminton and our lads took bronze and were so proud they had got the medal! It brings a tear to my eye when I see these athletes working so hard and sometimes not getting anywhere but they still give their best! For the sake of the nation. So it's only right that the nation should help and support them as much as they need!
    Love your art work. You have the knack of seeing something in most splodges of ink or grunge paste and turn it into a thing of beauty! You too deserve a medal!
    Love and hugs! Xxxx

  3. Hi Barbara. You are so right about the Olympics! I watched the triathlon today….swim then cycle then run….and all without a stop! And two of our lads took gold and silver. Brothers from Yorkshire. Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee. Then I watched the badminton and our lads took bronze and were so proud they had got the medal! It brings a tear to my eye when I see these athletes working so hard and sometimes not getting anywhere but they still give their best! For the sake of the nation. So it's only right that the nation should help and support them as much as they need!
    Love your art work. You have the knack of seeing something in most splodges of ink or grunge paste and turn it into a thing of beauty! You too deserve a medal!
    Love and hugs! Xxxx

  4. A fantastic picture, and blog. Your right about the parents playing a big part. I spent many hours with mum or dad, watching two of my grandchildren in California doing gymnastic, going to practice, and the many competitions, so have been watching and remembering. They both gave up last year, sadly. Cameron moved on to drama. Enjoyed yesterday's show with Maria. Love your blog. Thank you xx

  5. Barbara, The enjoyment and excitement of the 2016 olympics has been wonderful; fascinating and so watchable. The olympics has shown us so many great GB sports people working together and supported by their nearest and dearest. Great to see so many siblings competing together too. Your artwork captures the essence of movement, challenge and home. Love your enthusiasm and empathy with what the parents have given for their children to succeed! Cheers Marian x

  6. I really like this canvas. Love the grungy look! Just chilling out in my room at The Spa Hotel and looking forward to the next two days of crafting…….maybe a little shopping too!

    1. I know just how you feel, Lynne. I could quite happily do the whole retreat all over again. Look forward to seeing your projects on Sunday. xxx Maggie
      PS I shall not have to hide things like a secret agent by then. There might be an explosion of retreat projects flying all over Facebook and the blogs on Sunday when everyone has finished.

  7. Hi Barbara, well what a wonderful blog today. your words say it all it has been a special couple of weeks.
    Looks like all the days this week at the retreat has gone well and all have had a brilliant time.
    Lynn xx

  8. Glad you all had a good day was bit cooler this morning better for working, love the canvas I had forgot about the wheelie stencils have to get mine out for play have a great last two days of retreat looking forward to seeing what everyone has done xxx

  9. Hi Barbara, your canvas is amazing too. Thanks for sharing. Love those colours. Glad you've had a good day.8

    I hope Chris has internet as I know she's been waiting for this one. The Craft Room Triple Jump today. I craft on the floor… Need I say anything else as to why me and Daisy are needing to triple jump to get to the other side of the room! I've not even managed much successful craft, most of it just now is wee piles of abandoned, or in progress craft projects!!!

    Hope tomorrow is at least as good, if not more so, for you Barbara. Love Brenda xx

    1. Evening Brenda wow a triple craft room jump and lots of craft projects in progress hope wee daisy is putting her paws to good use happy crafting hugs xxx

    2. Brenda, I also have a mounting pile of unfinished projects. Once I have finished my clear out, I am going to spend a month finishing things. At least, that is the theory. I hope you are having a good day, but be careful of your landing after your craft room triple jump. xxx Maggie

    3. Hi Brenda I can imagine this one too, was it a gold or silver today? I did change the bed hurdle today, Emma joined in to help and it ended up as teaquando and that was just putting on the new mattress protector! We did laugh. Sending hugs to you and Daisy xxx

    4. Hi Brenda – you have really upped the Olympic stakes today – TRIPLE craft room jump – I am in awe of both you and Daisy! I hope that all of your landings have been soft ones! Love Gilly xx

    5. Thank you everyone xx

      Daisy thinks the rules are to jump from craft pile to craft pile, much to my dismay. And my loud "no" got met with a look that said "what's your problem". And, "I wouldn't need to do this if you didn't make so much mess"!!! Fortunately no claw marks or creases in anything. Daisy has been doing pricking long before Groovi was even invented!!! It's not all my mess, some of it is Daisy's, but it's only her stuff when she's playing, it's my responsibility at all other times! Guess I better have a wee tidy up tomorrow, or build the piles higher to make some more space.

      I got your reply Sheila, let me know when you get the results. Finger's crossed xx

      Dot, are you going to say hi to us, please, I'm worrying about you xx

  10. It was an amazing day at the retreat today I really enjoyed all the projects and techniques that I have learnt. Sad that my two days have finished but hopefully will be back next year. Thank-you for so much inspiration. I agree our athletes are doing an amazing job out in Rio. So proud of them all. xxx

  11. I love how all the competitors are supporting each other regardless of which sport they are doing. We were taxi driving parents for many years. Friends laugh at me as most people navigate by pubs while I navigated by swimming pools. We spent hours in the hot chlorine laden atmosphere, not just watching but training and acting as officials to keep things going, and even becoming part of the teaching and coaching team. We made many very good friends during this time as did our children, friendships that have stood the test of time. So I can relate to all those parents of our Olympic competitors. They deserve medals too. I love your creation today, the light is beautiful. xxx Maggie

  12. Hi Barbara – I totally agree with everything that you have said about the Olympics, I didn't think that I would be as keen to watch so much this year, as I had enjoyed the London Games so very much – but in some ways this year has been even better! Fantastic art project again today – Hugs Gilly x

    1. Hi to all of my lovely blog friends – I hope that you have had a good day and the weather has been kind to you! Neill and I went to Truro today to do a little shopping, and the weather was good, until just after we had got into the car to come home and then the mist came down a little. More rain forecast from tomorrow I'm afraid! Feeling tired now, so I'm off to bed and planning a rest day tomorrow – love and hugs, Gilly xxx

  13. Hi Barbara
    This is beautiful, really sums up the determination and roots of the amazing team GB. It's such good viewing isn't it and it's lovely to see all the family there supporting them, that's the bit the always brings tears to my eyes. We worked with a lovely chap who was part of the Olympic relay team many years ago, he had to work part time to be able to live whilst he trained. Work let him have time off for races and the Olympics but he did struggle. It's great that funding is now available so they can concentrate on their training and of course good old mum and dad getting up at all hours and driving miles. Have a lovely evening.
    Love Diane xxx

    1. Hello my lovely blog friends hope everyone is ok. Weather has been sunny and warm here today so sat in the garden again with my book. I get eaten alive whilst I'm out there but it's so relaxing. Rain is forecast for tomorrow so I might get groovi. Sending hugs xxx

    2. Hi Diane – pleased to hear that you have had some good weather – shame out being eaten alive though! Yes, we have got rain for tomorrow and Saturday. Enjoy your Groovi tomorrow, Hugs Gilly xxx

    3. Hi Diane,
      You sound as though you've had a good day ( apart from being eaten alive that is!) .We are forecast for rain and the blinking winds will be back! Love and hugs Alison xx

    4. Hi Diana we are forecast rain good for the garden planters and baskets and I like the cool weather better so good for me too sad I know hugs xxx

    5. Hi Diane, we are still hanging on to the good weather up here and tomorrow is still supposed to be good. You'll be glad to here that my ironing is now up to date. The only problem now is that I put everything in piles on the kitchen table so I can have a sort out of my clothes whilst putting them away so that still has to be done.

  14. What a gorgeous canvas Barbara and the colours are beautiful. I love the grunge paste for texture too. Team GB have certainly been doing fantastically and your interpretation sums it up perfectly. Glad the retreats have all been such a success too. x

  15. Hi Barb,
    What a lovely atmospheric canvas. Love the colours you've chose. I was just looking at my wheelie stencils this morning. I agree with you that the Olympics have been fantastic and I'm incredibly proud of all of our athletes. I was chuffed to bits for young Amy Tinkler yesterday. – she trains 3 miles from me and lives about 6 miles away so that was great to have someone from our neck of the woods getting a medal and at such a young age. The Brownlees were awesome in the triathlon today as well. Pleased that the retreat has gone so well – you certainly sound as though you loved it. Love and hugs Alison xx

    1. Hi bloggy friends,
      Hope you're all ok and that you've had a good day. I decided against going up to school to practise on my bike after I was so tired yesterday. I did though do half an hour on the turbo just to keep my hand in! Was tired, but felt good. Weather forecast not good for the next couple of days, so it might have to be crafting instead of cycling. Have a good night's rest everyone, love and hugs Alison xxx

  16. I shall have to try that grunge paste technique so effective. Yes Brenda I have Internet today I hope you cleared the craft materials! Love to all the blog crew I'll try to comment individually if I get more time and less weary xx

  17. I shall have to try that grunge paste technique so effective. Yes Brenda I have Internet today I hope you cleared the craft materials! Love to all the blog crew I'll try to comment individually if I get more time and less weary xx

  18. I love today's project. I have to admit that I have hardly seen any of the olympics but of the little I have see there has been so much camaraderie amongst competitors. A very friendly games.

  19. Great project and fab colours. You're right, the olympics have been so inspiring and heart-warming in equal measure. Go team GB (and also team Brenda M and Daisy) x

  20. Hello Barb, we can all be proud of our Team GB participants, for taking part, whether they win or lose, just having the motivation and drive to go up against others. They are doing brilliantly. Love the image you have created. Take care. Bx

  21. I love all the comments and camaraderie on here – by the time I get to the bottom to comment, I've forgotten what the blog was about!

    Very beautiful piece today (yesterday) Barbara. Lovely how you get all the shades of colour with the texture and sanding. Very fitting for our wonderful team GB.

    Enjoy the last retreat group for the year. Seems such a long time ago already since I was down in Crowborough. Roll on next year!!

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