We’ve been living comfortably in our lovely home for two years after the renovation was completed but never had the time to photograph the final results, until now. I remember moving in and sleeping on an old mattress in the living room, possessions in boxes, no internet for ages & wearing many layers of clothing because the entire house needed central heating, partial double glazing, plumbing & damp proofing. The owner before us did a quick, shoddy paint job to make it look reasonably livable and then rented it out to students before selling it. So we also had to rebuild and plaster walls, used a wall steamer to help us peel off the years of old wallpaper and layers of paint on the walls & period features.

I remember the time when Jon managed to sand all floorboards in the house by himself, over an entire week with a hired industrial sanding machine. I remember sanding down the banister by hand and feeling my finger tips going numb from the cold and I remember it being a time of financial strain and barely affording to buy decent food because everything Jon earned went into this renovation project and I was looking for employment (I eventually got a part time retail job which covered food costs); but we were happy. This was Jon’s big art project so to speak and he did most of the work you see in these photos (with the exception of getting in professionals to do work we were unqualified to do) and I assisted in many late night wall paper pasting, stripping walls & sanding down skirting boards. This renovation project was hard work but we’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Living room:
This room was outdated, had a damp problem and needed a wall rebuilt. We sanded and varnished the floor boards,had the walls plastered and added classic, soothing grey & white tones to the space. Making the room feel airy, modern and cosy. Most of the furnishings were either brought with us, given to us for free or bought cheaply off gumtree. If you want to learn how Jon built the new fire place on a cheap budget, click here.

Dining room:
This room didn’t need too much doing to it. This was also completely stripped and plastered and the space has been left as a multi use room. It currently acts as an unused dining room or potential rental room if we decided to bring in another lodger but now Jon is considering clearing the space to turn it into an office/storage room for his photography equipment plus floor space for my yoga & dance practice.

Hallway:
Probably one of the darkest areas of the house because there are no windows in the enclosed space, we decided to lighten it up by painting it completely white with only a blue toned striped carpet runner which adds a touch of colour and leads the eyes to the open kitchen and the light streaming in from the new back door. A new front door was also added, again to bring in more light and now this area feels more open and fresh.

Kitchen:
The kitchen was originally going to be left as it was but Jon decided to go ahead with renovating it. We moved the backdoor from just outside the kitchen (at the side of the house) to the back of the kitchen so it leads straight out into the garden, we had to knock down an exterior wall to do this and we had a little toilet built where the old backdoor used to be so that space didn’t go unused. The new backdoor leading out into the garden, lets even more light flood into the house and it is my favourite part of our home and I love sitting on the floor in a sun spot just watching the bees play with the flowers whilst I sip my tea. We also have a downstairs shower where an old pantry cupboard used to be but it’s a difficult space to photograph. Most of the original kitchen cupboards and counter tops were kept and reused to keep costs low and we bought a few more cupboards to make sure the entire space was utilized well. The entire kitchen now looks and feels both elegant and practical.

Third Bedroom:
This was originally a very small box room situated next to the bathroom with a good sized separate landing shared between the two. Bringing in professionals we had the bathroom door frame moved and a new wall built which turned the mini landing into more floor space for this bedroom, making it feel and look adequate. There was also a mysterious leak coming through the wall from the bathroom and even our plumber was confused, we did find out where it came from in the end and it was quickly fixed. Floorboards in this room were bleached to make the room look lighter and feel spacious. A turquoise blue hue was painted on one wall to be a feature colour and soft baby blue tones were added to feel breezy with a light feeling when entering the space.

Second Bedroom:
This room sits on top of the dining room and is pretty much the same so we continued using the same biscuit colourings for a warm atmosphere but added red furnishings for a bit of a pop. This room was pretty easy to renovate, other than the damp problem it had around the window. It is the quietest and receives a good amount of light in the early mornings and is now occupied by our lodger.

Master Bedroom:
We decided early on that we wanted a white bedroom with a light green, botanical features. We will be adding more house plants and green cushions and other accessories to give it that fresh spring feeling. This room was one of the first rooms we began to work on and I remember stripping the wall paper until 2am! The only issue with this room were the floorboards, the lead stain was original to the house, back from when it was built & first lived in during the Victorian period. They were a nightmare to sand down because the friction of the sand machine would only melt the lead paint and made it tacky like treacle, Jon very nearly gave up to re-stain it mahogany.

Upstairs Bathroom:
I chose the new bathroom layout and Jon agreed it was the best use of space, now the room is easier to maneuver round and doesn’t feel claustrophobic and narrow. The size of the bath, coupled with the angle of the door meant you had to swivel your entire body between door frame and corner of the bath before you could shut the door. Now with no overtly large bath in the way and nothing underneath the window, gives the illusion that the bathroom is bigger than it actually is. This is one tip I learned from my mum (who is a retired manager of a furniture store and loves renovating properties): Never put furniture under a window area, it makes a room feel smaller. People have this weird habit of unnecessarily NEEDING to fill every single wall space and sometimes it’s best to leave a wall free to just be a wall, it really does add space to a room and prevents clutter.

Over all not bad for first time buyers! We’ve got bundles of style (if I do say so myself) and we did it all on such a small budget. The trick to making a house look classy & classic is to paint all rooms muted tones (avoid magnolia at all costs) and then add furnishings and accessories to heighten a feature colour. This makes it easier to change your mind at a later date, instead of having to re-paint entire walls because you don’t like the colour anymore, all you have to do is change the colour of your furnishings! I am pretty proud of what we achieved and now we are thinking about what we’d like to do next, either another property in Devon or an abode abroad!

Our cute Mediterranean court yard garden is our next project, we have ideas already, take a peak at this blog post and Pinterest Board.

This is my interpretation of Sophie’s Tree Drawing:
Looking at a tree as a symbol of life, one should ask If the tree is balanced, i.e. it gives an impression of how balance/unbalanced an individual’s life is.

At first glance we notice that the big apple is practically in the centre of Sophie’s tree and is the only apple present. This implies either a core problem in Sophie’s life or something that is truly important to her that she is trying to attain?
The ‘scar’ or ‘knot’ on the trunk of the tree indicates a traumatic event that happened to Sophie around the age of 15, something that left emotional hurt during her mid-teens. The hand that is reaching for the apple is excessively large in comparison to the other hand, this further emphasizes her want and need to successfully grab the apple, however one of the fingers of this hand is not drawn attached to the arm, this could imply she realizes at the moment there are obstacles in her way that are slowing down her progress.

Within the tree there are ‘squiggles’ that represent leaves; there are 6 squiggles. 6 in numerology is considered to be feminine and extrovert. There is an innate desire within the 6 to bring harmony, peace, justice and truth to all experiences in life. There is a perfected sense of balance with the 6 vibration. 6 thrives on beauty and needs to be comfortable in all areas of their lives – emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Looking at Sophie’s feet in the picture we notice they are ‘edging’ off the paper. This implies there is something Sophie is partially involved with but not being fully committed. It is her way of saying ‘I am being present, yet remaining on the outside.’

Words in drawing: apart from what I told her to write she also wrote “Sophie reaches up to pick the big red juicy apple” So when words are added to a drawing this needs special attention as the individual may not feel like the drawing clearly conveys the point of the message. Words are a definition or a statement, thus reducing the chance for the drawing to be misinterpreted. It is asks the question as to whether Sophie has trust issues with verbal and non verbal communication in her life. Alongside the words plus the big red apple this could also simply mean, as an artist she has big dreams to perhaps one day live & work in New York or even temporarily visit ‘The Big Apple” as one of her life ambitions for her bucket list. This is clearly a very strong desire whatever the ‘Big Apple’ means to Sophie.

The lack of roots or ground for the tree & Sophie to stand on meaning the tree trunk edges off the paper suggests perhaps Sophie grew up in an environment as a child that perhaps didn’t lay solid foundations to nurture her full potential, I feel that Sophie may perhaps have struggled with little or no emotional support from one or both parents or care giver, either that or it was simply a turbulent childhood/family life and a number of factors could cause this such as financial issues, psychological stress, being in a big family or parents arguing. Whatever the cause, it is implied in the picture that Sophie didn’t quite get the solid grounding or foundations she needed, every child needs these rooted deep into the earth in order to encourage them & help them blossom. The fact that Sophie mentions she was happy wearing a skirt might imply also she has had to appear ‘masculine’ and put on a brave face for most of her life, wearing a skirt shows deep down sometimes all she wants is to show her softer, feminine side without getting hurt.

Over all Sophie is shown as a high achiever and a very positive and proactive person regardless of past and/or present issues. She draws herself smiling and happily reaching for her dreams. This young woman will go far because she won’t stop reaching for the big juice apple, even if it means extending the length of her arm and making her hand bigger to get it. She is a force to be reckoned with, highly ambitious but playful with it at the same time.

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified Arts Therapist as of yet, this is merely just for fun and for me to practice deepening my knowledge for when I do my Masters. I have an Arts degree and an Art Therapy Foundation Diploma alongside a number of mental health & psychology based training & certificates. I am currently training & learning about Dance & Movement Therapy (this also includes the movement of Yoga). If anyone is interested in me interpreting their apple tree drawing, send me a picture of your drawing to Katie(at)sunflowerteeth.com

Here is a link to other participants drawings (currently not interpreted).

I adore art installations that are centered on the mind, performance, psychology, the brain, emotions and water. Lisa Park manages to bring all these subjects together creating a mandala-like structure using bowels filled with water which are then wired up to sensors and a monitor that reads Lisa’s brain waves as she provokes emotion with her mind. This is truly beautiful to watch as Lisa combines EEG scanning with speakers and pools of water to visualize her thoughts and emotions; placing five water-filled metal plates atop speakers designed to respond to her real-time brain data.

Water since ancient civilizations and in modern psychology have linked it with emotion and the subconscious and so we are given a beautiful visual of her exploration into the depths of her emotions. In the video below there is an element of peace as she sets up her installation and sits in the middle in concentration to encourage the water in the bowls to vibrate. Park is literally putting her inner struggles on display, and the whole show depends on how she deals with her feelings. This is a very meditative performance piece that gives the viewer a glimpse into Lisa’s sacred, emotional minscape.

Eunoia from Lisa Park on Vimeo.

You can visit Lisa’s website here to see more of her work: Lisa Parks

I discovered Art Journalling when I learned about Dan Eldon & his Art Journals.
In the past I have included my Journal pages in mixed media illustrations, publications & performance art pieces but they are also an excellent therapeutic activity especially for those who feel like they can not draw or paint and the idea of creating a piece of art is a bit scary for them. Collage making & Art Journalling is a form of Spontaneous art where the individual can literally just go wild and make a beautiful mess that represents how they feel that day or perhaps document their daily activities without needing the so-called artistic skills.

Art Journalling & Collage making have been creative activities I have used to run mini group workshops at arts centres & I have inspired 3 friends to take up Art Journalling as a hobby. I hope to continue facilitating workshops that revolving around mixed media, collage & ‘How to start up your own Art Journal’ in the near future as it is an activity that people of all ages can enjoy & it is a great form of cathartic release.

One day I would love to make huge room installations in an exhibition space with video projections & collages surrounding the viewers, almost like they are walking into a labyrinth of textured imagery, or perhaps a collage waterfall cascading out of a wall? it would be a multi-sensory experience into my mind-scape.

© 2013 sunflowerteeth. all rights reserved. you may not take images or content from this site without written permission.

All of these samples were drawn for me by friends acting as case studies for my Art Therapy Foundation Diploma, all of these drawings are beautiful & sweet. They have all given me permission to showcase them on this blog.
I am nearly finished with my 3rd module and due to start the 4th. I am really interested in drawing tests, the symbolism of objects and placement of things in dreams & drawings and of cultural archetypal imagery.

I would love to continue my collection of “Draw yourself Picking an Apple from a Tree Test.” So if you would like to have a go please submit your drawing to: Katie(at)sunflowerteeth.com.
I love that something so simple can become so varied, you’d assume that most people would draw pretty much in the same way or using the same shapes and angles but they don’t, each drawing is different and each drawing can tap into basic personality traits, thoughts and feelings. I aim to do mini interpretations of these drawings as practise for my course and for fun considering I am not a qualified art therapist, I am merely developing my knowledge at this point in my life.

Curious about how you make decisions? I know I am! That’s where the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) drawing assessment comes in handy. The artist is asked to draw a person picking an apple from a tree in anyway they want using shape, line and colour (the artist is provided with a drawing medium like markers, pastels or coloured pencils). The drawing can then be assessed for prominence of colour and colour choice, developmental level, energy, line-quality, realism, logic, detail, and problem-solving. Someone with depression might have low prominence of color, detail and may show some difficulty with problem-solving to pick the apple.
* Materials in this case were lacking for some of my friends and only had a Biro pen and a bit of paper to use.

How would you draw someone picking an apple from a tree?

Korean Artist Transforms Her Small Studio Into Dreamlike Worlds Without Photoshop

Source: opiomgallery.com

This young woman is absolutely incredible, her talent & art installations are so magical, I am in awe of what she has created. My personal favourite image is the garden with Lee sat in a Lotus flower, I guess because it resonates with how I feel about myself right now “Like a lotus flower that grows out of the mud and blossoms above the muddy water surface, we can rise above our defilements and sufferings of life”-Buddhism. The Lotus Flower portrait Lee created has an element of sadness to it (based on my own interpretation), it reminds me of my own battle to fully blossom, to truly find myself as an artist and rise up against negativity. Even my Indian name “Kusuma” means “Little bud” or “Pretty flower not fully bloomed”. The Lotus Flower portrait to me is the most powerful & symbolic, I would love a print of it to frame in my home.

“For weeks , sometimes months, she creates the fabric of a universe born from her mind within the confines of her 3 x 6 m studio. She does so with infinite minutiae and extraordinary patience, in order to exclude any ulterior photographic alteration. Thus materialised, these worlds turn real and concretise : imagination reverts to the tangible and the photo imagery of such fiction testify as to their reality. In the midst of each of these sets stands the artist : those self-portraits however are never frontal, since it is never her visual aspect she shows, but rather her quest for an identity, her desires and her frame of mind.”-Opiom Gallery.

Jee Young Lee’s highly beautiful photographs are a mixture of spectacular self portraits & theatrical performances/room installation pieces that conjure up aspects of the artist’s mind, heart, soul, her dreams and her memory. It is so amazing to know she created these spaces herself with absolutely no help from Photoshop. This young woman is so inspiring, I would love to visit an exhibition of hers and I would love to meet her one day and chat for hours about Art, Life & Dreams whilst sipping Matcha Tea.

For my own degree exhibition in Fine Art I also concentrated on room installation, performance art, dreams, magical realism and the mind. I came up with an alter-ego who lives in a desert like space within my psyche and I used projectors, screens, veils, sand, cushions, music and rose petals to bring this character within me to life. I created a sensual & sensory space for the viewers to interact with her and unlike Jee Young Lee’s images, you could see my face but you couldn’t hear my voice, akin to dreams where something is so close but so far away, my character danced in front of viewers but you couldn’t hear what she wanted to say to you, she had no voice. You can check out a short clip of my installation here. I kind of miss creating fantastical room installations and performances peices, Jee Young Lee has inspired me to perhaps plan a future project.

These images belong to Jee Young Lee. I am merely wanting to show how much her work inspires me.

Wonderland – ‘Gaia, The Birth Of An End’ – Kirsty Mitchell Photography from FX Films on Vimeo.

This video show cases the beautiful Fine Art Photography by Kirstie Mitchell. I truly love artists like this who encourage a deeper meaning to their work and build their own sets, props and costuming. Kirstie does just that, not only is she a photographer but she created the massive headdress and ethnic necklace herself. She is currently Inspired by tribal cultures, specifically the Tibetan culture.

This behind the scenes video depicts how a model is transformed into Gaia, the Greek equivalent to ‘Mother Earth’. I was so moved by the clip that is 3 minutes into the video because it showed that it was more than just a ‘making of’ process, Kirstie brought a Goddess to life enveloped in a magnitude of emotions. This entire project is so inspiring to me as an Artist and Tribal Dancer and I am just so lost for words. All I can say is….Breath taking.

To view more of Kirstie’s work & read her blog click here.

”I love imagination and humour, people who have their feet on the ground whilst dreaming, the poetry in everyday life. I like a certain vulnerability whilst standing strong, 1930’s cabaret, dark shiny and mad, and silent films. I like the circus, the colours when the lights go down, the trapeze artist making an entrance. I like it behind the scenes, there are stories there too, and toys and childhood and history on our doorstep.” -Alice Mary Lynch

Growing up in Somerset with artist parents, Kate and James Lynch, Alice scoured fleamarkets with a magpie’s instinct for curiosities to inhabit her fairytale world.
She trained in Fashion Design at Kingston University, London, then worked as a designer in Paris for John Galliano, Christian Dior and Sonia Rykiel. She honed her craft in their studios full of stitching, beading and embellishment and thrived in the theatre of their catwalk shows.

After nine years in Paris, Alice recently moved back to Somerset, where she now lives with her Japanese husband and their two small children.

I adore her animal dolls so much. They are a mixture of Vintage 1920’s Cabaret meets Alice in Wonder Land meets Native American animal symbolism and totems! There is a lot for the eyes to take in with all the detailed buttons, ruffled fabric, beads, crystals, patterns, layers, glass and talismen. These whimsical creatures have an air of magic about them and with every stitch and sew Alice breathes life and personality into each individual doll. Even though these Animal dolls have a very vintage, British feel to them (I can imagine them having a tea party in a garden somewhere) to me they are more reminiscent of Native American Indian dolls that are hand crafted to encase an animal spirit guide (or power animal) inside to protect the child as it grows into an adult (These animal spirits stay with a person for life) it is the same with dream catchers and tribal hand crafted Jewellery, each piece has a specific meaning to the Apache as they use protective stones or writing to ward off evil.

I feel like these are little warrior dolls Alice has created to watch over the person the doll is given to. They really are such lovely little beings! I WANT ONE!

If you would like to see more of Alice’s work pop over to her lovely website: Alice Mary Lynch
Or her facebook page: Alice Mary lynch Dollmaker

© 2013 Alice Mary Lynch. all rights reserved