FUN WITH MONA

One of my ATC trading groups, ATCs For All,  has set a challenge to 'alter' the Mona Lisa.  How I LOVE a challenge. This one has set me off on a mad whimsical whirl.  Hope they make you smile.

Moaner Lisa - collage

Mona Pizza - collage

Mono Lisa - collage

Winona Lisa - collage

Mona Freezer - digital manipulation

Mona - Lisa - collage

Ki - Mono Lisa - collage

It's Not Easy Being Breen - collage

We were meant to do only three....but I can't seem to stop!

Help!!!!!!!!

Exhibitions Galore!

This has been a mad month for me... I have had work everywhere.  A piece in The Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, is part of the Lethbridge 10000 finalists. I actually sold one before the opening.

My miniature, Yellow Sky, won First Prize at the Lions Art For Leukaemia exhibition... yippee... more art supplies.

My mixed media work, Demesne, won Second Prize in it's section at the same show.

I have four collages in the online Artist Table exhibition.  Didn't win a prize, but you can VOTE for People's Choice  HERE.  Just find the work you like and click on it, the vote button is below the image.

I also have entered a collage in the 18th International Mini-Art Exchange in Brazil

C Is For Concept

Apart from all that I've been involved in collage ATC trading..... but I'll save that for another day.



Apology to Liz

In my post about workshop participants I wrongly ascribed the first work to Manon Boisvert when in fact it was a work by Liz Thoresen.  Sorry Liz, I've since fixed that but, in the interests of variety, here is one of Manon's works.

Manon  Boisvert

Great tone and depth to this piece...and sooo different to the other participant's works.

Hope this clears up my error.

BURIED TREASURE

Seth Apter has called upon his followers to re-post some of their favourite 'posts from the past'.  I've chosen one from my first year of blogging, 2011.  It's a subject that many 'purist' art practitioners pooh pooh but, to me, painting from photos certainly has it's place.

My style has changed since then...but I still use photos as reference when painting abstract works.


From Photo to Easel - 26th March 2011

 

These days most of my work is done in the studio. Trekking around the countryside carrying masses of heavy art stuff is physically much too difficult.  Drawing al fresco is something that can be continued, and should be, ad infinitum.

Painting inspiration is sourced from the many 1000's of photos I take.  Not all of them are good, but even bad photos might just contain something catchy.... a composition, a range of colours, a connection between people. Like this shot, a snap taken at a birthday party.

A little alteration here and there, a little more expressive colour, and hey presto!



Of course many 'artists' pooh-pooh working from photos, but you still have to make lots of informed decisions to translate a photo to canvas with any degree of individuality.

I regard this as successful as it sold within a few hours of exhibiting, so someone liked it enough to open their wallet.

Workshop Participants

I did promise to show some of the other artists in Jane Davies' workshop, and here they are......



Liz Thoreson

Linda Coppens

Liz  Thoresen



Marcia Vogler

 

Joanne S.

Dorothy Wheeler

This is only a sample of some of the class members.  There were many more worthy pieces, so almost impossible to choose a few to show you.

Each person had his/her own style, but all blossomed under Jane's instruction.  Later in the year I might have to do another class.

Final class with Jane

It's been a long few weeks but now I'll miss having homework to do.   Jane Davies workshop has been so inspiring for me.  I feel as if I've really leapt forward under her instruction. The final class was a doozie.  We were to take a piece from an earlier class and turn it into a series of works.

This was one of my pieces from Lesson 2.  If I was to consider it a painting I'd call it 'Chain Of Events'

We were, under no circumstances, to simply cut it into pieces to make the series. We had to do at least three more works using the elements in the original, and make them different formats. I did one square, one long vertical, and one oblong.

Can't say I've ever done this before, but I should have.  It makes you really analyse your painting and see what makes it work.

It has been a very rewarding journey, and wonderful that we all used our own imagination to produce some fabulous pieces.  If I can get permission from some of the other 'students' I'll post some of their results.