A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!

 

It's been a while since I posted. Christmas started early. It made me review the various things I'd made over the previous Christmases...cards, digital images, calendars, ceramic angels, jewellery. The above is a Photoshopped image of Richard and me for my 2016 e-card (rapidly replacing snail mail due to postage costs).

The sentiments are extended to all my e-friends for the 2016/17 Festive Season.  May it be happy and bright.

Some years ago, when I was a potter, I made gold ceramic angels that sold like hot cakes. I kept a couple for myself, and am often asked if I have more for sale.  Sorry, am past that stage of my creative path.



Angels are about 4" high (10cm)

I've often used digitally manipulated images for cards:

There have always been some friends for whom I actually make 'real' cards.  These are my arty mates from years ago, and my closest local friends.

This year I did some Gelli prints, and a few collaged cut-out arrangements.

Of course it wouldn't be Xmas without angel earrings would it?  I must've made dozens of pairs, both for sale and to wear myself.

Each year my local art group has a 'Secret Santa' .  We decide early in the year what the project will be.  It began as a small painting or collage but, this year, has progressed to a decorated silk fan.

Here is my effort:

The list could go on ad infinitum....but enough is enough. Just pointing out that having Xmas begin in October real for me. Am already thinking about next year's 'Secret Santa'....a tissue box.  Hmmmmm... collaged, beaded, or painted...or a combination of all?

But first....on the easel is a large painting for my first exhibition next year, at the end of January.  More about that later.

See you in 2017 !!!  Have a wonderful celebration and stay safe, healthy, and happy.






Hooked on paper....

Often I go into my studio planning to paint, but then I catch sight of a piece of interesting paper.  That's it for the day! I just love moving bits of paper around to make an interesting (I hope) collage.



FIVE



CONTRAST



PASSION



REMEMBER

Mind you, I do get as far as the easel occasionally and have been working on a painting of a friend's dogs.  Here is the work in progress......still on the easel.

 

Rejected...but not dejected...

If you can't handle rejection, for heaven's sake give up art!  I have had many works rejected for shows in the past, but not so much lately. This painting was not accepted for the local Regional Gallery 'Local Artist Local Content' show last week.


Tooway After The Rain
60 x 60 cm on canvas

I think I've been off my best game this year, for various reasons. Usually tho' there are better artists than I am in the 'rejected' pile...so it's hard to feel too bad about it.

With every downer, there is usually an upper.... as in this case. The day after this event I sold TWO works privately.



Investigation
Mixed media on Canvas





Eight
Mixed media on paper

It's not all bad.

 

Playing with paper.....

It's been a while since I spent much time playing in my studio with bits of paper.  I need to do many exercises before I get back into the 'swing'. So, each day I grab an assortment of scraps and try to arrange them in some sort of order.

Sometimes they work...sometimes not... but it's the 'doing' that  matters.

 





AIY- MIxed Media Art Retreat

It's been a while since I returned from the AIY mixed media retreat at Noosa.  While I don't generally do my best work in workshops, the opportunity to try new techniques, and materials, is not to be missed.

 

Brick By Brick

The above is a collage from Seth Apter's workshop 'Brick By Brick'.  I pulled the original (on 12" x 12" canvas") to bits and started again on 10" x 10" board.  The canvas made it difficult to glue the bricks evenly due to its flexibility.  I was happier with this version.  Don't know why I chose green...it seems to be coming up a lot lately.

I had two days painting with Kecia Deveney, a full-on experimental mark-making experience. Of course I'm not all that happy with the result, but it's a work in progress and will change dramatically before it's done.

A multitude of techniques here, on 36" x 36" canvas.  I now know why the workshop was called 'Art Brut'.  It's raw, rough, aggressive, and totally unrefined.  Perhaps I was channelling Basquiat.

By the last day I was quite unwell, having caught a 'bug' on the first day and despite masses of cold/flu medication.  I was glad I'd chosen a wind-down class with the lovely Linda Lucas.  I sat down to make some greeting cards using all sorts of techniques and tools that I'm not usually familiar with.

Making cards is fiddly at the best of times, but it's certainly made easier with an assortment of cut-outs, and stamps. FUN!

The whole four days was full of the wonderful enthusiasm engendered by large groups of creative people.  Definitely not to be missed.  Wonder woman Sallianne McClelland , who is the driving force behind AIY retreats here, and in the USA, has ensured that each AIY retreat is absolutely full of experiences, excitement, and the opportunity to make lasting friendships.

Remember I said I totally dismantled my original 'Brick By Brick' on canvas?  Well, after tearing off the bricks, I had such a great surface for another kind of work, that I added some rust-dyed muslin, ink, and porcupine quills.  Now I have a piece that is more 'me'.

This....and that

I seem to be running from project to project lately. The most recent being painting an apron for a charity auction:

The 2015 Apron Project was designed to unite Artists across Australia and the rest of the world to highlight the need to care for women in crisis. 

From 25 – 31 August 2016 The Apron Project returns to St Ives Shopping Village.
Artists from across Australia and overseas unite to create works of art on aprons to support organisations serving women in crisis.

Last year 40 artists presented 50 aprons and raised $10,000 which was part of $85,000 raised in one night for the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter.  Importantly they also raised awareness of the growing epidemic of Domestic Violence.
The aprons will be displayed at St Ives Shopping Village and you will be able to place bids on your favourites.
If you would like to help out at this event, please sign up here: http://signup.com/go/dKmHAa

For the next few days I'll be at Noosa for the ART IS YOU mixed media retreat.

The car is packed, and I'm ready to go.

 

(You can never take too much)

 

 

 

How time flies.....

....but only because I've been doing this!

An assortment of collage papers that were the beginning of a 'monoprint collage' workshop with Jane Davies. 

It's a six week full-on course that I can highly recommend.  I've found it challenging, frustrating, but ultimately satisfying.

We are only at week five, and I can't wait to see what the final week has in store.  Here are a few of my images from this week.

 

 

There's always more to learn.

That said, I have again had a painting accepted as a finalist in the Lethbridge 10,000, and one in the online gallery for the duration.  SIXTH year in a row.  I certainly get a gold star for trying.

AS IF THERE WAS NO SKY
acrylics on wide-edged, gallery-wrapped, stretched canvas, unframed  56CM X 60 CM
(in the gallery)

THE WATCHERS  

acrylics on wide-edged, gallery- wrapped, stretched canvas, unframed  45cm x 45 cm

(in the online gallery)

Seems like the blog is last on the to-do list when paint and paper are calling.

 

Tiny collages

One of my international swap groups (Paper Traders) has set a cut and paste collage challenge.  Just my cup of tea, or so I thought, but the size was set at 3" x 5".  SO small.

The images used were to be cut from magazines.  That's fine, tho' I'm concerned about copyright of anything recognisable. I tried to make sure that wasn't a problem.

DRESSED TO KILL

A TOAST

 

THE SCIENTIST

LIPPY



I'M LATE, I'M LATE

Fussy cutting small images is not as easy as it used to be.  I think I need glasses for this.....but the process is such fun.  I love choosing odd pictures to go together.



On Show at Noosa

Am honoured to  be part of the Taste Of Art exhibition at Noosa Regional Gallery, with my painting "Noosa River Mouth"

How my palette has changed since moving from Sydney! My work now reflects the colours of the coast.

Still hobbling around in a moonboot, with a walking stick, but soon I'll be free!

GET REAL

GET REAL is the title of a new online exhibition at Virtual Tart NZ, in which I have three works. It is a collaboration of 30 artists from around the world.

My slant on the title is "Get Real.....why?  From my point of view, art is more interesting the less real it is.  I like to stretch the interpretation of my subject just a little"

For instance:



TWO KOOKAS - acrylics 10" x 10" on wide-edge stretched canvas

There is such a diversity of work in this show, it is DEFINITELY worth a look....AND many are for sale.

Click  HERE.

INTERNATIONAL COLLAGE EXCHANGE

It's that time again...ICE time.  I've sent my collages to NZ already, but perhaps will give you a preview of some.



MAPPING THE GALAXY

DESOLATION

THE X FACTOR

DENIAL

ENCHANTRESS

 It's been a little difficult to get stuff done.  A week before Xmas I tripped and, presumably, sprained my ankle.  Had an Xray at the local hospital which was inconclusive.  After walking around (painfully) for a month an ultrasound and MRI revealed that I had a fracture.  Silly me.

Am now in a moonboot....clumsy, but safe.  Still not too good at being on my feet for long, but getting there....AND am painting again....hoo-bloody-ray!