Month: July 2025

Foraminifera: Kick-About #137

~ Ashley ~ 33 Comments

What are Foraminifera?  I had to look them up only to discover that there are thousands of them living in or on the seafloor.  I’m not a scientist so my understanding of them is minimal but they are single-celled organisms; tiny seashells.

Here is a link to the Kick-About organised by Phil.  Head on over there and discover the wonderful interpretations of others who also took up the challenge of the prompt:

The Kick-About #137 ‘Foraminifera’

And just as a bit of fun, the same image but upside down:

I’m not sure that this was a success for me as I struggled with the practical skills of making a mobile with such fine materials.  Doing it again, I would use wood for the Forams and cord to hang them.  My fingers just aren’t as flexible as they used to be.

Having my work displayed in the Kick-About’s is a delight and seeing it alongside such talented artists is a real driver to improving my own artwork.

Ashley

Sputnik: Kick-About #135

~ Ashley ~ 34 Comments

This Kick-About nearly didn’t come to anything as I became so frustrated with my attempts of portraying the Sputnik satellite!  Then, I remembered Laika, the first living creature sent into space.

Head on over to Phil’s blog and see what others have presented there; here is the link:

https://wordpress.com/reader/feeds/105453159/posts/5720829722

 

Here are a few of my scruffy sketches:

I must have binned more than 50 such drawings before realising that there was another story to tell, one about a dog called Laika: the real Dog Star! She must have died in so much pain and for what? Why do we treat animals, sentient beings, in such an exploitive way?

Ashley

Lammas 2025

~ Ashley ~ 10 Comments
Red Admiral on Buddleia


Butterflies,
Flitting from flower to flower;
Peace.

 

The end of July and the beginning of August, is the traditional festival of Lammas, a time of abundance and in the pagan calendar, seen as the beginning of autumn.  There are so many flowers in our tiny garden but this Buddleia, a dwarf variety, is a favourite.  Known as the butterfly bush or shrub, we can see why it is so called. I didn’t manage to capture on camera the other butterflies in the garden but I am working on a further linked post with some artwork which I shall publish shortly. 🤞🤞

Ashley