In The Studio

Believe it or not I AM working....on lots of projects at a time.  This is one of them.  As you can see my studio is full of stuff...too much in fact...but it's where I feel most comfortable.

On the easel is my painting 'Firefront'..a heavily impastoed surface.  Detail below:

I'll have to take a better photo.

The GBSPS

This is my postcard for the Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap.  It is now on its way to Judith Dziadosz in the USA. It had to contain fabric, stitching and text.

Stencilled on text, with rust-dyed fabric, burnt paper and gold thread, this postcard is but one of the smaller works that occupy me while I'm resting between large paintings.

Other smaller works that keep me amused are ATCs that I swap with all sorts of people...mostly on Paper Traders.  They set themes that occasionally grab me , some of which I've illustrated below.

When Granny Joined The Circus - for Oddball Ancestors

Guilt Free Pleasure - for My Wish For You

This Ol' House - for Postage Stamp People

These are usually collaged using images from various sources, sometimes digitally altered.

These projects have enabled me to collect quite an accumulation of tiny art pieces from all over the world.

A GIFT

The Gift

My friend Danni, a fellow artist, is 'scaling down'.  This gentle euphemism denies the heart-wrenching truth of leaving a well-loved home, and all the space and storage previously had to practice her art.

From a purpose-built free-standing (and gorgeous) studio, Danni is now reduced to a small space in her new retirement village home.  Mind you, the house is an average three-bedroom sized house, so to many it would be quite adequate.  It's just that, after her beloved studio, well... it's not the same.

In the process Danni has been divesting herself of the accumulated 'bits and pieces' previously collected, or made, to enhance her art practice.  The lucky recipient of a box of these treasures was ME!!!!!

Above is a collage in which I've used some of Danni's 'bits'....the 'robe' (stained tissue on a wooden skewer), and a rusted piece from an old café umbrella.  I've added some handwriting that accompanied a gift to me from a fellow blogger, and some copper paint.

This collage is now framed and is intended as a housewarming and thank you gift for her new home. Her box of 'bits' is busily inspiring my collages...and will do so for quite a while.

THANK YOU DANNI!

On The Easel

Where is the time going?  I've been distracted from my blog by domestic happenings, and only managed to find a few moments here and there in peace and quiet.

I've been working on a larger collage (for me) and am up to the 'tweaking' stage...the hardest bit.  Should I or shouldn't I? That is the question that confronts us all at some stage.



The collage is 14" x 14", made of painted papers, acrylics, crayon, teabags, and distressed magazine pages.

Do I press on...or stop?

Of course the next question is, what do I call it?  Transfigured?  Lot's Wife?  The Moon Is Down?  All these have crossed my mind...but I'm open to suggestion.

Meanwhile nothing terribly important will be happening in my studio until all these chattering workman depart.  I do like a little quiet when I'm thinking.

Talented Friends

 

 

A huge number of very talented artists live in this area of Australia.  I'm so lucky we moved here 14 years ago, and fortunate to count some of these people as friends.  Kim Schoenberger   is one of them ...previously a potter, now sculptor and installation artist.

For instance, if you like the above image of parasol and gloves made from recycled, used, teabags, then you must see Kim's latest exhibition 'Expressions Of Love II' at the Noosa Regional Gallery.

Thousands of teabags, collected from all over Australia by her friends, Have been emptied and sewn, or woven, into  items evoking the nostalgia of the work and companionship of women over the centuries.

Kim is nothing if not totally focussed on her objective to shed a light on the history of 'women's work', and has had several exhibitions leading up to this outstanding show.

It opened on Friday evening last, to a huge crowd.

Here I am toasting Kim with my obligatory glass of champagne (photo courtesy of Glen Jeavons)

Do visit her site HERE to see the complete show.  Better still, if you are in the vicinity, visit the gallery...it's well worth it.

STILL COLLAGING

Am still working on collages for the International Collage Exchange (ICE).  It's so much fun and I recommend it to anyone who loves to exchange work with other artists.

Here are a few I'm considering adding to the mix:

LEGS ELEVEN - painted paper, printed packing tape, paper domino. found image

YESTERDAY'S NEWS - newspaper, my own linocut, microfiche, rusty key

RELIC - painted and found papers, altered and painted teabags, twigs, old drawer fitting.

THREE TO THE BAR - painted and printed paper, bottletops, sheet music



SWITCH- vintage and painted papers, string, electrical component

Hope to see some of you participating this year.  For details click HERE

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS POST FOR A GIVEAWAY!



Pay It Forward 2014

Every so often I am inspired to send out a few RAKs (for those not into acronyms...random acts of kindness).  This time Kate Palmer was my prompt. ...and it's about time.

SO....to take the words right out of Kate's mouth so to speak:

The first five people to comment on this post on my blog, that they want to play, will receive, from me sometime in this calendar year, a random gift...it could be craft or stationery related...but who knows what?!?!

 

There will be NO warning, and it will be sent to you whenever the mood strikes me!  

 

So what's the catch?

If you decide to participate, you MUST make this same offer on your blog, facebook page  or other social media and randomly send a gift to five other people.

• If you are one of my  first five commenters, I will need to ask for your postal address - I will post the list of my 5 people as soon as I have them.
• If you are on the list you will need to email me your address -  please DO NOT post it here on my blog for the world to see. 
• If you're not going to follow through and send five gifts of your own, then please don't comment as it's not fair to others.  
• This is supposed to be fun, and give us a treat in the mailbox instead of just bills and junk mail.
• No I am NOT collecting your email and postal address for evil purposes, I will ONLY be using the information to post your surprise!

Surprise me...a comment from someone I haven't heard from for a while will do so.