Scrapiteria - Time Machine

Am off on a holiday... hooray... and will be missing the Scrapiteria weekly theme for a couple of weeks. 

This week the theme is 'Time Machine'....

Style -bot

  Weird... but I think it fits the bill.

Moving To Abstract - Reposted

Seth at The Altered Page  has decided to make today a 'Buried Treasure' day and has invited bloggers to choose a post from their past that they particularly liked, repost it, and link it to his site.

I've chosen this one from April as it reminds me of how far I've come, and where I think I'm heading....

After years of being hindered by traditional ideas of painting I seem to be leaping off into the unknown world of abstract. I feel free at last! It seems many artists begin with traditional works, then progress to the abstract.

I used to paint like this... (and sometimes still do)

The Valley

My latest abstracts bear little resemblance to the above landscape.

Blue Squares

Noughts And Crosses

While many casual viewers might think this is a step backwards, for me it is an enormous progression. The same rules apply to these works as to a more realist painting. It is all about shapes, colours, tones, mark making, etc. In my new, enlightened, view my abstract paintings have more going for them than previous works.


I would love to hear your views on this.

Tea... Inspired

Inspiration Avenue time again.... this week it's 'Tea'.  For a potter, not too hard as I am known for my 'funky' teapots and love making them.  Some are functional, but most are just 'fun'. 

Naturally I must promote my country to all those who live elesewhere...

Australia Teapot

... and my most ridiculous non-functional teapot...

Hullo Sailor

... and one I love ....

The Ritual Of Tea



My first love tho' is painting...

Coffee (or perhaps tea?) In The Square

... and mixed media/collage...

Black Tea

Cold drink anyone?

Summer Of Colour - Purple

Kristin has made this week's colour 'PURPLE'... sometimes not easy to work with, but I've given it a go. As I often begin with a photograph, let's not change anything...

A gorgeous Iris in a beautiful bouquet, a gift, not from my garden this time...

...then perhaps a very small painting inspired by an Australian jazz singer, although only a little purple.

Emma Sings The Blues

That made me think of digital portraits, perhaps with a view to a later painting?

Collaboration Or Conspiracy?

Similar palette as 'Emma'.  I guess I really like those colours together.

Of course a little beading is my relaxation, and I'm forever making earrings and stuff.  I need to have jewels to match ALL my clothes, and love making for friends too. Guess this fulfils Kristin's  'bling' bonus requirement too.

Amethyst... a favourite

Glass pearls.. they come in such great colours.

I love these 'angels'

I'm all purpled out!!!!

The Beach

Living on the coast I am greatly influenced by the beach.  I love the sun, the salt air, and the sound of waves.  Of course visiting the beach is a wonderful way to 'people-watch' too.  Who knows what you're looking at behind those huge sunnies? 

Am in the process of painting some beach-related works for an exhibition in October.  They are small, 45 x 45 cm, and am trying to keep the detail to a minimum.  It's difficult to keep the story evident, without the detail, but I'm in there trying.



Sunrise Surfer



Follow Me

Paddling

Challenge - Wings

The team at Inspiration Avenue have made this week's theme 'Wings'.  Easy for me, I'm a bird lover... AND I have a garden full of delightful feathered friends I'd like to share with you. The following three are photographed in my back yard.

Corella

Kookaburra



King Parrot

Then, of course, I take photos of birds wherever I go...


Peacocks in Macintosh Park, Surfers Paradise

An attempt to photograph a seagull in flight at our local beach. I think the slight blur gives it a soft focus so is not all that bad.  Hard to capture flying birds on a small digital.

Naturally, if I photograph birds, it is compulsory to paint them... in various styles.
Semi real...

Soaring

... or totally abstract (mixed media, triptych)


Les Oiseaux

Any jewellery I make with 'wings' belongs in my Xmas collection.  I make them for friends, and for myself.



Couldn't have enjoyed this one more, and it's great to be able to share my passion for 'wings'.

Summer Of Colours - RED

Who doesn't love red?  Bet everyone at Twinkle, Twinkle does amazing work this week.

Firstly, my Adobe image... I asked myself what comes to mind associated with red?   Of course...

The (Very) Red Sea

My painting is a little 'whimsical' too. It came about by painting over another abstract work with lots of red... interesting what appeared.

Come Away With Me

I am still making my own jewellery and wanted something to really make a statement.  This is rather bold if I say so myself.

Coral, Onyx, and Howlite Necklace

Looks great on black, or white.

The trusty camera has been searching for red too, and I found a beaut sign on an awning while visiting Brisbane.

How red can you get?  It's been fun.

Weekly Collage - STEAMPUNK

'Steampunk'... that's a new word for this age.   Of course English is a 'living' language but it's growing so fast!!! 

As an 'oldie' I like to take words literally.  I mean 'gay' is 'happy' right?  Mmmmm perhaps not anymore.

Anyway Scrapiteria has decreed that the theme is something that I do understand in today's context, but choose not to...

Steampunk

... and it's a free country (or is it?)

Inspiration - Picasso

Well, you would think that with a challenge like 'Picasso' Inspiration Avenue would have provided us with endless opportunities for creativity.  Picasso was one of the world's most prolific painters, and a favourite of mine.  I feel a certain amount of awe and reverence for his work, and have struggled with either copying or 'taking off' any of his paintings.

I have bitten the bullet however to produce one submission for the challenge this week, but am still a little uncomfortable with it.  My Adobe image is a compilation of one of my local beach photos and Picasso's "The Sisters"

A Cold Day At The Beach

Sorry Maestro, hope you are not offended by my satire.

Summer Of Colour - Brown

Brown is not really a favourite colour of mine, tho' I guess it  IS sort of 'summery'.  Tanned skin, dry grasses, iced tea.... there are many summer images come to mind.  Kristin has chosen brown for this week's challenge so I'll kick off with, not my own work, a painting I have on my wall by Aboriginal artist Yondee  just to get myself into a brown mood.

Witchetty Grubs, 90 x 90 cm

 Then perhaps a photo from my morning walk...

Scribbly Gum bark

... and while I'm at it, perhaps an altered image.  I love Photoshop!

Leaves

Have managed to get a little pink and green in there.

Of course wooden beads are gorgeous too... perhaps with a fragment of shell attached?

This is an asymmetrical necklace, with white and brown wooden beads. The largest white bead is actually polished bone.

I am so looking forward to next week... RED!  Who doesn't love that colour?

Weekly Collage - Television

Scrapiteria has made 'TV' the theme for this week. So, here goes.

One of my favourite shows on TV is 'House', and we've just had the finale of season 7  in Australia.  As the show ends, House is in some unknown place with little possibility of returning to his former life. Some net research has found that there IS to be  a season 8 (Hooray),  but in the meantime... where's House?

Where's House?

Legend... A Poem By Judith Wright

This week Inspiration Avenue has a theme that is dear to my heart... poetry.

Judith Wright (1915 -2000) is one of Australia's most famous poets, and this is a favourite.  I have highlighted the phrases on which I have based my painting.

LEGEND

The blacksmith's boy went out with a rifle
and a black dog running behind.
Cobwebs snatched at his feet,
rivers hindered him,
thorn branches caught at his eyes to make him blind
and the sky turned into an unlucky opal,
but he didn't mind.
I can break branches, I can swim rivers, I can stare out any spider I meet,
said he to his dog and rifle.

The blacksmith's boy went over the paddocks
with his old black hat on his head.
Mountains jumped in his way,
rocks rolled down on him, and the old crow cried, you'll soon be dead.
And the rain came down like mattocks.
But he only said
I can climb mountains, I can dodge rocks, I can shoot
an old crow any day,
and he went on over the paddocks.

When he came to the end of the day the sun began falling.
Up came the night ready to swallow him,
like the barrel of a gun, like an old black hat,
like a black dog hungry to follow him.
Then the pigeon. the magpie, and the dove began wailing
and the grass lay down to pillow him.
His rifle broke, his hat blew away, and his dog was gone
and the sun was falling.

But in front of the night the rainbow stood on the mountain,
just as heart foretold.
He ran like a hare,
he climbed like a fox,
he caught it in his hands, the colour and the cold -
like a bar of ice, like the column of a fountain,
like a ring of gold.
The pigeon. the magpie, and the dove flew up to stare,
and the grass stood up again on the mountain.

The blacksmith's boy hung the rainbow on his shoulder
instead of his broken gun.
Lizards ran out to see,
snakes made way for him,
and the rainbow shone brightly as the sun.
All the world said, nobody is braver, nobody is bolder,
nobody else has done
anything to equal it. He went home as bold as he could be
with the swinging rainbow on his shoulder.

I Can Swim Rivers

I feel that this is a poem about facing fears and adversities, and overcoming them.

Thanks Inspiration Avenue for the opportunity to share this.

Visiting Kim Schoenberger

What an exciting day I had on Thursday!  I visited my blogging friend, and sculptor extraordinaire, Kim Schoenberger.  I had won her blog giveaway, so used it as an excellent excuse to go see her 'studio' and pick up my prize.

It was a lovely sunny day on the Sunshine Coast so the drive to her country hideaway was an absolute delight.  After meandering up into the mountains I found her little cottage tucked away in a serene pastoral setting, quiet and VERY picturesque. 

Of course I had to have the grand tour of workshops etc. and see all her 'stuff'. Oh joy!!!

Kim's 'stash'

Rusty old bits of metal are transformed by Kim into gorgeous sculptures, both tiny and HUGE.... and she is sooooo organised.  All her stuff is cut and sorted according to size and shape, ready for inspiration to strike (and it does... often).

Personality dog 'Max' explains Kim's sculptures

We wandered around her fabulous country garden looking at totems, some of which were slightly out of kilter and required Kim to dash into the grasses (at great risk, as snakes are often seen around the place) to straighten them before they came into camera view.

At the bottom of the garden is a huge two bay shed where her pottery workshop resides, along with a fabulous gallery of her pottery.

Just a small part of Kim's work

Some exquisite porcelain pieces

The range of her skills is mind-blowing, and her work practice makes me feel downright lazy.

Tiny totems, only a couple of inches high

I came home full of joie de vivre, and creative enthusiasm, accompanied by some lovely pieces to remind me of the adventure.

My prize - the prototype for a larger piece

A little totem - with movable 'bits'

A gorgeous plate that Kim regarded as a second?

All round it was an absolutely perfect day.... thanks Kim.