63 Comments

How creative .. thanks for sharing

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Thank you so much for reading, Lakshmi! 😊

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Who'd have thought? Creating rocks? And they look wonderful. I rather like the swimwear too - very pretty. I'd wear them!

Do I see rocks with holes in them as well? Did you know they're called Hag stones and are reputed to have magical properties.

Such creative artwork as always.

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I had such fun, Prue, and I’m very fond of my new friend Rocky! 🤣

Yes, I love stones with holes in them! We always had a mission whenever we went to the beach to find stones with holes in for Mum to use as spindle whorls (she’s a spinner and weaver). I’m still in the habit of picking them up. Most I leave behind, but I’ll admit to having a coughs small collection of pretty rocks at home… 🤫

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Jul 27Liked by Rebecca Holden

I love the beach hut (I'd like one, please) and all the rock art and processes. Your pet rock is fantastic, and when I first saw the rock cut-outs, I thought you had painted those, too. Love the light and dark contrasts in them. The strawberry swim wear is good enough for Fashion Week!! https://thesocietyfashionweek.com/fashion-week-dates/new-york-september/. I can see model s skipping down the runway, not with pouty looks as is so common, but joyful, happy, exuberant smiles. So happy you had a great time at the sea!

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Wearing a strawberry swimsuit is something I’m going to have to do, Mary!

While I was drawing the impressions of limbs on the strawberry prints I thought of you and thought ‘how would Mary do this?’ and then ‘I’ll bet she’d be confident enough to draw a whole person, not just a few lines to suggest form!’

I love making collages out of newspaper I’ve painted - I was so happy that I'd kept the leftover pages from that last project! I’ve done quite a few collages now for this series - I think they’re a really fun form of art - I use a brayer (roller) to spread out random blobs of paint which I’d dabbed onto the paper straight from the tube, and that creates repeating patterns of colour, and then I have a look at what’s landed on the page and choose my shapes accordingly. Playful - and VERY MESSY - seems to be my style right now!

😁

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Jul 28Liked by Rebecca Holden

Awww, I'm honored you thought of me while thinking about limbs. 😄 I love your collage work. I've not done much of it, but would love to give it a go. I think I would have to practice at "abandon" but it would be fun leaning toward the Rebecca-ness of a project. I love the sound of brayers. That sound adds so much intangible fun to an art piece. "Playful" and "messy" are good inspirations for drawing a self portrait, RH!

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LOL - I love using my brayer! I just squeeze a tiny blob of paint of each colour I’m using onto a sheet of newspaper and get rolling! A single blob ends up arriving in lots of different places, and it’s really fun to then work out which bits - containing which colours and shapes - that I want to include in my collage. 🤣 It’s very messy, but soooo worth it!

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Wonderfully creative 😍

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Thank you so much! I had a blast with this project - I really enjoyed myself! 😊

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Incredible. Your rocks are so different to our Aussie ones! You did a great job reproducing them. A windy, rocky, interesting beach. Very cool strawberry ‘swimsuits’ too! You’re an artistic soul. Such a pleasure. Thanks so much.

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Awwww, thanks, Beth! You've got me wondering what Aussie rocks look like now - that's really interesting!

Looking at my photos of the beach there are lots of brown rocks, and black ones too - but I'm most drawn to the grey-and-white flints. It was fun to brighten up the post with the swimsuits, though! 🍓🤣

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I’ve never seen anything like the grey-and-white flints. I can see why they attract you. Very different.

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Jul 27Liked by Rebecca Holden

As always, a sheer delight. I feel as if I have spent a day at the beach with you. I adore the resulting artwork, but love even more just following along with your creative process, hearing how you think and visualize. Thanks for letting us be a part of it Rebecca. As for the strawberry swimsuits: I see the attraction! But could you possibly fashion one from a giant pumpkin for me?

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Oh Sharron, thank you so very much! I wonder what your beaches are like in Santa Cruz - I’ve never been to the Pacific coast. Are they sand, or do you have rocks as well?

And LOL - a pumpkin would make a delicious outfit - the colours would be glorious!

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Jul 27Liked by Rebecca Holden

I absurd love this!!!!! You rock!!! (Pun intended) Love it all!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

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LOL!!!!!! ‘You rock’!!!!!!! 🤣 Thank you soooo much, Sue! 😘

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Love the swimsuits!

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Thanks, Margreet! Once Jim had said ‘those look like swimsuits’ I just couldn’t get them out of my head! 🤣

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Jul 27Liked by Rebecca Holden

Such clever projects you come up with!

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So kind, Ms. Writer - thank you! I’m really enjoying being playful with my art! And if it means I get to spend time at the beach, well, even MORE fun! 😁

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Jul 27Liked by Rebecca Holden

Great rocks Rebeeca!

When I clicked on the link for mermaids purse, I said "eesh" and said I wished I hadn't clicked on it. It's kind of creepy.

It's cool that art you create can look like other things. It happens all the time in my art.

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Thank you so much, Matt. And yes, definitely creepy! 🤣 Not as pretty as the name, right?!

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What a delightful, beachy post Rebecca! It's so inspiring listening to your process and following your artistic journey as you experiment with these cool projects. It feels like I'm sitting right on your shoulder getting a zoomed in view. Awesome job on your rocks! Way to go! And oh my goodness those strawberry swimsuits---so fun!

We just came out of a major heatwave, so I too spent a few days at the beach. I love the freedom felt at and all the treasures found! At one of our favorite beaches, it gets deep really quickly, so it's easy to get ducked without hesitation. lol Nothing as refreshing as a good swim at the beach! So happy you had such a wonderful day with friends at the beach---love the little huts. Thanks for sharing all your artistic experiments Rebecca...so fun following along! xx

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Gosh Debbie, thank you so much for these very kind words! I’m really enjoying getting experimental with crazy projects like these - I'd been putting myself under a bit too much pressure with creativity, focusing too much on the end result rather than the process, when of course it's the process I enjoy the most! LOL re swimsuits - at first I couldn't see what Jim had seen in those paint prints I'd made from the strawberries, but when I had a closer look I could see exactly what he'd meant! 🤣

I love that you've been feeling such freedom at the beach! How lovely to have been able to escape the heat with dips in the sea.

The beach huts are cute, aren't they? Lots of beaches have them - in many places they are white, but there are plenty in bright colours, too. Some are owned outright, but more often they are on long leases. Essentially they're just sheds at the beach, but they're really useful as a base camp for the day - and of course you can use them to store all your beach stuff in between visits. They don't have running water or sanitation (but there are such facilities within walking distance), but nevertheless add a great deal of convenience and pleasure (not to mention shelter from the weather) to a day at the beach.

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Jul 28Liked by Rebecca Holden

Thanks so much for the mention, Rebecca. I love this post! So vivid and full of beautiful work 🍓

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Such a pleasure, Nat! 😊 And thank you so much! 😘

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Jul 28Liked by Rebecca Holden

A mermaid’s purse and strawberry swimsuits. What a perfect summer wardrobe!

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LOL - thanks, Amie!

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Everything is defused with such joyful creative energy. Rocky looks fantastic 🥰

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Awww, thanks, Bryn! Rocky and I are great friends already. I might need to make HIM a pet rock next! 🤣

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Jul 28Liked by Rebecca Holden

Rocky Holden has a great ring to it. What a fun afternoon and clearly inspired you xxx

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Rocky Holden! 😂

It was absolutely gorgeous to see you! Next time we’ll risk a paddle! 😊

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How fun is this!!! Love what you did to create 'rocks'. We are big rock people here, and rarely is there a visit anywhere new without a rock of some kind coming home in our pockets.

But as much as I love rocks, I was absolutely delighted to see how you created the merest impression of stylish ladies in their strawberry cozzies ! Vogue will be calling you soon!

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Vogue! 😂 Oh, Sabrina! I had such fun with those strawberry swimsuits! 🍓

I’ve always got rocks in my pocket, too! If I had any sense I’d have catalogued my 49-year-old collection according to where I picked up each specimen and what I’d felt at the time!

Rocks are very special - they’re jewels when they’re wet, and have understated elegance when dry. Always lovely to touch and to hold.

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Ah! What a great idea to have catalogued all the rocks. A few I can remember, but fewer over the years…and you are so right. Rocks hold our souls to a specific place and time in a most visceral way.

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You’re so right, Sabrina - it’s visceral!

There are so many things I wish I’d kept track of over the years - old letters, drawings, diaries, that rock collection. sighs

Shame that life ain’t a dress rehearsal - I’d do soooo many things differently if I had my time again! 🤣

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It is an interesting question that: how would you spend your time differently if you got a "do-over"? I guess it all depends if we could take some of our learnings from THIS round with us. 😄 At any rate, for now I'll just enjoy the rocks on my desk and bookshelves and window ledges, feeling their textures and matt colours and remember that they are there because they came from someplace special, even if I can't remember exactly where!

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Gosh, that question’s a really good one! Might take me a long while to work out how I might address it!

I love how you’ve expressed your ‘for now’ thoughts. Absolutely gorgeous! xxx

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Thanks 🤗

I started to think about how I would answer and realised I couldn't possibly!

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