'PAINTING IS THE GOOD LIFE' BY GILLIAN NIX

This month's submission is a self portrait painted with oil on A3 board.  For me, the simple and joyful act of painting has been the epitome of the Good Life this month.  I have had very little experience with oil paints and just last week I attended an oil painting session for teachers who want to work with oil paints in the classroom.  It sort of gave me the urge to do a little bit more, and this week I have had a go at a quick self portrait.  This took me about an hour.  It was a lovely hour and I enjoyed every minute of the time.  My dream of 'The Good Life' would be all day, every day making Art and being creative.

Hope you like it!

Gillian 

 I've given myself a very long nose and a strangely large eye on one side...

I love the colour and texture of oil paint...

'HIGH LIFE COPYRIGHT' BY MICHAEL JOHNSTON

Thanks to Michael Johnston for his submission under 'The Good Life' theme......

High Life Copyright by Michael Johnston, made with grey lead pencil on A4 paper.

"This piece is a little play on the theme of the good life using well know copy rights and themes. Who knew Micky would end end up with such a fab rack! Enjoy, hahah!"

THE WEB OF A GOOD LIFE BY ANNA DIXON

Thank you to the lovely Anna Dixon for her first ever Art Club submission.  And to think, this amazing lady is currently studying for exams at Uni!  

My contribution is a photograph and a caption.

• "The web of a good life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together. We all know this, though Shakespeare said it most prettily. We know it by the stories we read - who ever enjoyed a book devoid of failure or toil or frustration? Most of all, though, I think we know it when we feel that fearsome fragility – that strangely heavy joy - of loving with our whole beings.

  I can see how this photo would fit in someone’s picture perfect version of the good life. Through another’s eyes, it’s a shot of carefree summer days, to be included in a montage involving beaches and vegetable gardens.

  The photo also epitomises the good life to me. But it’s more than that: it’s the good, perilous, aching, precarious life. The best umbrella term might be “the wholehearted life” -- something beyond contentment. So it goes with real families I guess."

THE GOOD LIFE....MONTH 15

Dear Art Clubbers,

For this month's theme I have decided to jump in and decide on the theme myself!  Here goes....

Ronald Fischer, Bee Keeper, 1981

A few months ago I caught up briefly with a colleague at work over a cup of tea in between parent-teacher interviews.  She was telling me about how she is studying for a masters course at nights and weekends on top of her regular, full time teaching load (wowzas!).  For one of her assignments she had been asked to write a response to the question, 'What is the Good Life?'.  The colleague gave me a very brief description of what she wrote and about how a large part (about 50% - there were figures and %s but I have no idea as to how they were achieved) of leading a happy life was acceptance of what you have and of who you are.  She had researched different cultures across the globe and throughout history and we chatted about different situations and different people, and how often it seems to be people with very little that say they are happy.  Why then, in our Western and very lucky world are we all not happier?  This conversation all happened in under 5 minutes but the theme has really stayed in my mind over the last few months and I have been thinking about acceptance a lot.  

So, creative people, your challenge this month is 'The Good Life'.  Please interpret and create as your imagination and talents see fit!  Due date is the 19th of November.

Gillian x