Christmas is here...

Hello everyone,
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
I'm looking forward to this every year. I've done no painting, but had been looking for new ideas everywhere. I think I might be onto something....wait and see.
So much light around and joy, hard not to want to paint or draw. Something.....anything.......

Long recovery

Sadly I haven't worked for a while. Still recovering after pneumonia. I'm trying to find ground under my feet. I hope with the beautiful autumn which is almost here I'll be able to clear my head and work. I have seen so many wonderful paintings and drawings for the past week, and it made me feel so very lazy.
Tomorrow is another day.....

A story from a book....

Here is a story I came across in a book not long ago. I really like it and thought I need to share it with you.

The Giant.
Once upon a time there stood a poverty-stricken village at the foot of a mountain. On top of the mountain was some hidden treasure, which would solve all the villagers' problems, but the treasure was guarded by an enormous giant, who bellowed so ferociously at anyone who climbed the mountain that no villager dared to do so. The villagers remained poor, existing on what little they could grow in the mountain's shadow.
Then one year, disaster struck - the harvest failed. The villagers turned to their king for help. Unless the king could bring back the treasure they would all starve to death. With trepidation in his heart and the last loaf of bread in his knapsack, the king set off up the mountain. As he climbed, the giant suddenly pounced from behind a huge boulder. Sure enough he was enormous, he roared horribly and tried to terrify the king out of his wits. He nearly succeeded, but instead of running away, the king braced himself and took one tiny step towards the giant. Was it his imagination, or had the giant shrunk an inch? He took another step forward and the giant seemed to shrink a little more. This diminution continued until the king, upon reaching the giant, was able to hold him in the palm of his hand. 'You don't look much like a giant now', said the king. 'We'll have to call you something else. What is your name anyway?' In a weak and feeble voice the giant replied, 'My name is....Terror!'

This wonderful story shows that fear in our minds stopping us from doing things and living our lives. If we face our fears, we are half way towards living the life we are so scared to live.

I hope you will like this story and maybe it will help some of you.

@ohavarouskaya

Today I joined the world of Twitter. I have no idea how it works yet, but you can follow me @ohavarouskaya and read how I find my way around it as well as all the updates of my work.

Art installation...

This is my first art installation. It was done last year and has been displayed at the annual art exhibition at the Royal Brompton Hospital where it got me second prize by most popular vote.

During an exhibition people left many positive comments and I’m very grateful to everyone who took their time to write something. The fact that people wanted to see this art installation on a bigger scale made me very happy. Thank you

A little bit about work and how it came to life…….

Installation has been made out of my recycled oxygen tubing and intravenous infusion sets. All of it was disinfected few times, washed and dried. Some of the tubing was soaked in vinegar and food colouring to give it a slight shade of colour.
No glue was used in the making of the fish and butterfly, only scissors and weaving using Chinese knots.
Food jelly was used to show the liquid instead of a medication.
Glue was used to assemble ready prepared parts for the bed and to put all of the composition into place.
Frame is an IKEA shelf which was the best visible thing to represent hospital room.
Each person who was on the ward during the time of my stay was kind enough to write personal message regarding Cystic Fibrosis on the wristbands for you to read.
Each fish took two to three IV’s sets to make and in total there are 21 fish. All in all, the entire piece is a three weeks’ worth of intravenous treatment.

 In spring 2011, I have had a huge bleeding from my lungs. I was rushed to hospital and as I had nothing with me, playing with IV’s set trying to remember how I use to make a fish as a child seemed like a natural thing to do. After ideas just came flooding and so the butterfly and hospital bed were born. I still have more of what I want to make, but at this point had to stop somewhere as not much can fit in a small space.

This work represents weeks of me being ill in hospital and I hope in some way it represents people with Cystic Fibrosis.

Drawings....

Collection of drawings which have no order……

Sad...

Inktense blocks & pencils on paper

Still life

Old man's walk in a park

Soft pastels on paper

Pencil on paper

Study of a cat

Soft pastels on coloured paper

Drawing from my imagination

Pencil on paper

Nude study

Watercolour pencils on paper

Hiking

Watercolour pencils on paper

Study of a poppy

Inktense pencils on paper

Memories

Coloured pencils on paper

Portraits

I started to draw portraits without much learning about human body at the time. I worked by observation and just enjoyed the process of the drawing. I love different stages of shading and how it brings drawing to life. Something so amazing….

This was my first ever portrait of a friend.

Of course it doesn't do justice to his handsome Sicilian looks,

but it did help me to overcome my fear of drawing people.

HB pencil on paper

Soft pastels on grey paper

Sister

Soft pastels on coloured paper

Father

Soft pastels on grey paper

Mother

Soft pastels on grey paper

Pastels on coloured paper