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Dancing Her Black Bones Home

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

This is from one of my own, as yet unpublished, stories (it nearly made it, nearly earned its keep, but the journal folded before publication so Rats!). It’s called Black Bones after the story’s title, Dancing her Black Bones Home, which is about a young deaf woman who is treated as stupid by her small community and eventually finds herself on a pebbly beach trying to work out her place in the world and her relationship with the religion she’s grown up with.   Acrylics on 8×10 canvas board with a cut out figure in silhouette at the bottom. That … Continue reading Dancing Her Black Bones Home

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Eight Stranded Whales

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Not long after surprising myself with the painting drawn from Oonah Joslin’s poem, I was struck by a whole bunch of images coming from a poem by Marianne Moore that I heard on Radio Four’s Poetry Please (I’m laughing at myself here because goodness knows how I stumbled over that – I’m a proper BBC6Music kinda girl! It is Roger McGough though). It’s called The Steeple-Jack and I was reeled in and landed by the first verse: Dürer would have seen a reason for living in a town like this, with eight stranded whales to look at; with the sweet … Continue reading Eight Stranded Whales

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Crazy Diamond

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

 Crazy Diamond. I’m not a good reader of poetry, I do far better if I hear it read, but this one – From Crazy Diamond to Borrowed Light by Oonah Joslin – made me think because of her comment about how it came about. She tells me it was something her mentor said when she was struggling to believe in herself as a poet; he told her that diamonds don’t shine on their own, they borrow light from those who do. Turning the Pink Floyd reference on its head, the imagery that came from this, finding your own light instead of reflecting that … Continue reading Crazy Diamond

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Still wrestling with Part 2

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

It’s not immediately obvious but these are shells! One would make a passable hedgehog. Trying for clean lines with fineliner but somehow losing perspective along the way. This is dated 14th December, the next two are dated the 22nd, the intervening time being occupied by other activities, it being the season it is, and some rather poorly directed searches for still life images that might help. I’ll come to these later. Not exactly a bird’s nest but close. I filled a small wicker basket with pebbles, a plant pot, and watercress in a glass then, as a reaction to the … Continue reading Still wrestling with Part 2

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Getting all sheepish at the Basement

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Joining the flock at The Basement93 tomorrow, and giving those cats a run for their money, Her Royal Woolliness of the House of the Red Wellies. The print is from an original pencil drawing coloured digitally in Rebelle software made by Escapemotions. Her Woolliness appeared originally in Not Being First Fish and other diary dramas as an adjunct to a Michael Fish anecdote (obviously), and if the wind’s in the right direction, there’ll be a copy nearby for a browse and possibly for sale. Several other illustrations are also available as prints so if you see one in the book … Continue reading Getting all sheepish at the Basement

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Penny Rowe

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Beginning to find my way around OCA resources and this came up; a review of Penny’s Drawing1, Assignment 3 preparatory work. As I’m on Assignment 2 of the same course, have yet to receive feedback on Assignment 1, and still feel somewhat directionless, this is both terrifying and invaluable. Can I do this? Can I do my own version of this? Can I find what I thought was ‘my style’ and apply it to this? Do I even have a style or, if I do, do I want to keep it? Big questions and, recognisably, the start of the deconstruction … Continue reading Penny Rowe

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Drawing drawing drawing

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

I’m familiar with the deconstruction process that happens when I embark on a course designed to develop what I believe to be my existing skills and extend them, but it doesn’t make it any less alarming or uncomfortable! It seems to me that two weeks ago I could draw and now I can’t, so I’m going back to some ways of drawing that worked for me while I figure out how to advance. Small and contained, one item at a time for now. Teapot. As always, I struggle with handles and spouts although this time I reckon that spout isn’t … Continue reading Drawing drawing drawing