I'm Azizla Swiftwind - nonbinary Authr and lightship captain. Boosty has some troubles with transactions lately, so ~ To purchase tutorial PDFs, proceed to my PATREON shop! If you have any issues or questions — email [email protected] :3

SOLD Graphite on Paper. There's something about these cropped half face close ups that I keep coming back to.

A celebrated painting JW Waterhouse has been removed from display at the Manchester Art Gallery, in an act the museum says aims to "challenge this Victorian fantasy" of "the female body as either a 'passive decorative form' or a 'femme fatale'".

I keep a reading journal throughout the year, which is a good thing if one wants to remember what they read. The past year was different than my usual reading because of eyesight issues the last half of the year. Which is why I read very little fiction last year even though I have a stack of books to be read. Yes, my eyes are better although my right eye is still not back to normal. The world is a little fuzzy when looking just through that eye. However, I'm better and I'm still getting monthly injections of medicine in each eye. So... here are my favorite books read last year in no particular order (and only choosing from first time read books). It includes two fiction books and two books by Sally Clarkson. I didn't include them because I was on the launch team for both, they were just that good. The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera There was a lot of buzz about this novel from people whose taste I admire so I decided it was a "must read". How could I not love a novel about people who love books and a magical little village? The only issue with the book that I had was the ending. It left us not quite clear about what Prudencia Prim was actually going to do. However, it doesn't ruin the book for me and it does leave one hoping for a sequel. Soon. As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Eugene Peterson This last book by Eugene Peterson was a surprise Top 10 book from last year. I knew I wanted to review it because I find much of his writing interesting. What I didn't plan on was keeping it on my shelf to come back to and read chapters over. The book contains his favorite sermons he preached over a very long pastoral career. It may sound boring but if you love good writing like I do, there is nothing boring about it. Peterson was called "the pastor's pastor" but I'd say he could teach a layperson a whole lot of Truth. As with all theologians, you may not agree with everything written but you will find enough to desire a stronger walk with God. The Turquoise Table by Kristen Schell This was another surprise Top 10 book for normally a book about a hospitality ministry would be interesting but not make the list. This book is different not only because the concept is brilliant and would be easy for many to incorporate in their lives but it is full of stories from people who have used their own turquoise table. There is a Turquoise Table community online and I still receive emails even though I live in the country where such a ministry would not work in the same way. However, she does offer options for those who need to tweak the concept for their own circumstances. At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider I followed Tsh's family in their travels around the world so I knew I would be interested in reading the book. I just wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it because I am not the traveling sort of person. Even before developing a chronic illness, I dreaded upcoming trips even though I loved the experience once I was home and it was tucked away in my memories. Having said that, I absolutely loved this book. It is written in such a way that you can easily read one chapter, set it aside, and come back to it later. Tsh is a good writer so you feel as if you are experiencing their travels along with them. As I read the book, I kept thinking of those I know who would also love it... which is a sign of a good read. Unseen by Sara Hagerty I have read a lot of Christian Living books to review that have disappointed me but I chose this one because it also had a lot of buzz among readers. It not only did not disappoint but I found myself shaking my head and agreeing with so much of Sara's story for I also have been in both paid and unpaid positions where I felt God was really using my talents and then found myself... home and unseen. The subtitle of this book is "The Gift of Being Hidden in a World that Loves to be Noticed" and Sara's writing about God seeing us in "the secret places" can be a life changer to anyone who feels their best days are behind them. This is one book I wish I could put in the hands of every Christian who desires to "do great things for God". Really good. Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors I didn't think it possible I could enjoy the new book by Katie as much as I did Kisses For Katie, the story of a teenage Katie Davis who goes to Uganda for a short term mission trip and ends up starting a ministry and adopting a bunch of girls. However, I enjoyed this book just as much or more for we find out what has happened in the years since that book. Both the good days and bad days, the joy and the pain, and how she met her husband. There are many reasons for reading this book. It reminds us that God uses average people to accomplish a great deal when they submit to His will for their life. The stories will help build your faith and honestly... if nothing else it is an interesting read that is real life. They Came For Freedom by Jay Milbrandt I agreed to review this book when I read that it was about the real story of the Pilgrims. I love to read American history, especially from the early settlers through the American Revolution. The author answers questions I have long had about the pilgrims, including why they are so associated with the founding of the country when in fact there were other people here already. We find out what happened in Europe leading up to the pilgrims leaving for America and what happened to them in further generations. This book is my favorite kind of history book and the style I used when we were homeschooling. It reads like a novel but has plenty of material to back up what is written. Different by Sally Clarkson and Nathan Clarkson This book by Sally and her son, Nathan (her "different" child), should be required reading for anyone who has a "different" child, whether they are mildly ADHD or have a significant mental illness that affects every part of their life. One thing I loved about this book is that their experiences are told from a mom's perspective as well as the child's perspective. We homeschooled our son because he was ADHD and had challenges in the public school. Sally's book shares how being "different" is both difficult and a blessing. (Many severely ADHD kids are often gifted and above average in intelligence.) Sally covers many aspects from the more common condition of ADHD to children dealing with more significant forms of mental illness. I know of so many families who would benefit from this book. It truly is important to read to know you are not alone. The Life Giving Table by Sally Clarkson This is the book I've been hoping Sally would write since I first started reading her books in the 1990s (we were both much younger, then). She continues to be one of my favorite writers. Sally shares how they incorporated hospitality in their family and ministry, most of which takes place around the table. From tea time to their annual Christmas Eve shepherd's dinner, from dinner time conversations to special occasions, this book is fun to read and full of valuable information... and recipes. It is the kind of book that is enjoyable to read but will also find a place on the shelf as a reference book to come back to over and over. Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs I love Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries so much that when a hurricane was once heading for Charleston, South Carolina... I found myself praying for the safety of Theodosia and her staff before I remembered they were not real! Although they are very real to her readers. In this story, Theodosia is catering a special event when a thief crashes in (literally) and the fiance of her friend's niece is killed... this is in the first few pages. The rest of the book is full of Theodosia and her staff trying to solve the mystery in between working in her tea room. I read every book that comes out but I thought the previous two weren't quite as good as her earlier books. However, Devonshire Scream was so good! I enjoy this series so much that I have some of them on my bookshelf and reread them every year or two... even knowing "who done it". If you are new to the Tea Shop Mysteries, her first three books in the series are available in one edition called Tea For Three. I will include the link to that book below, too. It is an excellent introduction to the series. Books Mentioned in this Blog Post: The Awakening of Miss Prim... here. As Kingfishers Catch Fire... here The Turquoise Table... here. At Home in the World... here. Unseen... here. Daring to Hope... here. They Came For Freedom... here. Different... here. The Life Giving Table... here. Devonshire Scream... here. Tea for Three... here. Disclaimer: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate Links Image: Artist, Duncan Grant

The balance of life as an artist and writer living and working in Wales: or, how to ignore housework.

Qui ne s’est jamais fait avoir par le lait qui prend un malin plaisir à bouillir et se faire la malle, le seul moment où nous avons le dos tourné? Les conséquences: une casserole toute cramé…

ITA Una sera, seguendo una conferenza di uno psicoanalista italiano sento una sua frase che dice: cosa vuol dire essere donna? Una domanda alla quale non si può rispondere. Troppo profonda per essere risolta. La donna come enigma, essere sfuggente. Ho voluto rappresentare le donne attraverso gli elementi più semplici: l’acqua e il carbonio. Gli stessi materiali di cui è composto in nostro corpo. Volti, espressioni e sguardi arrivano dai social, in parallelo con la ricerca stessa di ogni donna nell’osservare altri riferimenti femminili nel tentativo di comprendere qualcosa in più di se stessa. Come una raccolta di riferimenti che aiutino a tracciare la propria immagine partendo dalla figura, l’altra. ENG One evening, following a lecture by an Italian psychoanalyst I hear this sentence: what it means to be woman? A question that cannot be answered: too deep to be solved. Women are elusive enigma. I wanted portrait women through the simplest elements: water and carbon. The same materials of which it is composed in our body. Faces, expressions and looks come from social media, a long side with the research of every woman in observing other female references in an attempt to understand something more than herself. Like a collection of references that help to trace the self-image begging from the figure, the other. About this artwork: Classification, Techniques & Styles Figurative Figurative and colorful painting having taken the liberty of including all forms of art without border of cultural genre and geographic origin, without hierarchy of values between high and subculture. Technic Painting Painting is an art form of painting on a surface by aesthetically applying colored fluids. Painters represent a very personal expression on supports such as paper, rock, canvas, wood, bark, glass, concrete and many other substrates. Work of representation or invention, painting can be naturalistic and figurative, or abstract. It can have narrative, descriptive, symbolic, spiritual, or philosophical content. Related themes WomanPortrait View less

About the Book From the co-author of the bestselling "The Last Lecture" comes a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of 11 girls and the women they become. Book Synopsis The instant New York Times bestseller, now in paperback: a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of eleven girls and the ten women they became, from the coauthor of the million-copy bestseller The Last Lecture As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eighth different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, the death of a child, and the mysterious death of the eleventh member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the enduring, deep bonds of women as they experience life's challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds. The girls, now in their forties, have a lifetime of memories in common, some evocative of their generation and some that will resonate with any woman who has ever had a friend. The Girls from Ames demonstrates how close female relationships can shape every aspect of women's lives-their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters-and reveals how such friendships thrive, rewarding those who have committed to them. With both universal events and deeply personal moments, it's a book that every woman will relate to and be inspired by. Review Quotes About the Author Jeffrey Zaslow is a Wall Street Journal columnist and, with Randy Pausch, coauthor of The Last Lecture, the #1 New York Times bestseller now translated into forty-one languages. Zaslow attended Dr. Pausch's famous lecture and wrote the story that sparked worldwide interest in it. The Girls from Ames also grew out of one of Zaslow's columns. He lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, Sherry, and daughters Jordan, Alex, and Eden.