Artists Blog

Having a play with my pan paints today, and this bird appeared:

Quite a change from my usual bird paintings!

It rather matches some of the paintings and drawings I did for the Rainbow Catcher (see last 2 posts)

Lots of critters hiding everywhere in my house!

Following on from my last post about the Rainbow Catcher, I’ve included some of the black and white images that were colouring pages in the package. I remember seeing a photo of a classroom where all the children had coloured the same image, but no two were even remotely the same. Imaginations are carefree when you’re young (and hopefully when you’re older too!)

This “Values” package was essentially about 20 creatures who each represented a value. Each creature had their own story to tell and asociated workshop/exercises to accompany it.

It was a lot of work ( 20 x everything), but such a joy to collaborate with such creative people.

These are just a few of the mutlitudes of black and white images. There are just as many images in colour, so when time permits, I’ll scan and upload some more.

Rainbows

Rainbows

Rainbows.

They seem to be everywhere in my life this week.

This is the interactive CD cover of a project I worked on a while back. I came across the original artwork whilst clearing out the Studio. More about that later. A couple of days ago I was driving home from Drawing Class when I saw this out the side window.

I told Jez to grab a few photos.

After 5 minutes it slowly vaporized.

With not a single drop of rain to tone down this excessive heat.

Back to the Rainbow Catcher. It was a collaboration between a few of us  (writers, artist & musician) to create a “Values” package for Early Childhood. A lot of work but a lot of fun. There is a heap of artwork that was associated with this, when I get the time I’ll scan and post them. The ship is called The Rainbow Catcher and is home to 20 creatures that each represent  a Value (eg Love, Courage etc).

I had a lot of fun with watercolours, metallic inks and holographic glitters.

I’m off for a swim now as I’ve melted all over the computer chair…….”Cooling down” to only the high 30’sC tomorrow!

Life sure gets in the way of all those best laid plans and all.

New jobs, old jobs, long term visitors, Christmas, New Year, Starting Senior School, the list is endless! All I can say is that I’m here now and am planning on hanging around for a goodly while.

It was a hearty farewell to 2009, and man was I glad to see the backend of that year. We calculated that our car has done so many more ‘000’s of kms on the back of a transporter than it has actually ever driven under it’s own steam. I’ve lost count of the moves we’ve had, I think people have given up writing in ink in their address books - one good friend confessed that she’s only used pencil for our address changes since 1990!

And wasn’t the start to 2010 spectacular - a Blue Moon AND eclipse all rolled into one.

I must admit that I didn’t know at the time it was a partial eclipse - I thought my eyes were a bit worse for wear with the evening’s celebrations. Luckily I was still awake (just) at about 3.30am to take the photo.

It’s been a big weekend for all of us, especially our son Jez. The Wanneroo City Council recently built and opened a spectacular Cultural and Exhibition Centre, and hosted their Art Awards Friday Evening. Jez had entered the Youth Category with a potrait drawing of His Mate Max. When they anounced the 3 youth winners and Jez wasn’t one of them, we all felt a little disappointed. Then the Open adult awards were announced. Jez was declared winner of the Works on Paper category, blowing us all away. Photographs with the Mayor, shaking of hands and presentations of certificates (and cheque!) all followed in a blur. We are all still stunned.

He’s had his work shown in a shop window recently, and thinks that there maybe a future in art after all. (If he needs something to fall back on after skateboarding you understand)

Can you tell I’m a proud parent?

Thank you to you all who have taken the time to read and comment. I promise to catch up on all the news.

And yes, the mystery of The Fish Skull has finally been resolved with the help of our Marine Research friends at Murdoch University. All will be revealed shortly…

And lastly,

Kung Hei Fat Choi - Happy Chinese New Year of  the Tiger

Image courtesy of the Bureau of Meteorology

Cyclone Hamish could be here as early as tomorrow night/saturday morning. There goes the weekend plans of exploring the Tablelands. Still, might be less crowded at the Coffee Plantation.

Thanks for all your lovely comments on the last post. I was hoping to be able to get a lot of painting done, but the Evil Taxation Return had other plans for me. It’s still not completed, and it’s like an infected thorn sticking in my toe. I was wading waist deep in papers, some going back to the 90’s, which thankfully are on their way to a new life in the reincarnation recycling bin. You know what it’s like, once I get bitten by the Purge Bug, I keep doggedly on, ripping up old bank statments with maniacal glee. Tax returns from the 80’s (just how did we survive on incomes so low?) even surfaced. I used to keep everything. Just in case. (Margie I can hear you laughing from here you know…)

Anyway, in an effort to tear myself away from all things mind numbing and soul destroying, I unwrapped a beautiful new Italian sketchbook (The Moleskine) this evening, and felt quite inspired admiring it’s creamy blank pages. Elli commented on linework in the last post, and linework is just what I need right now. There is an exhibition entitled “Line” closing soon, so I need to get a wriggle on. The lovely Elli also commented on museums being the source/inspiration for good work, and I do sadly miss them living up here. One of my favourite was the London Natural History Museum. I could live there and never ever get bored. The moment you set foot in that wonderous building you feel awe (and that Harry Potter might appear any minute). When I was there a while back I took so many (poor) photos. (This was still the age of film). I really think it inspired me to build my own naturalist’s collection, which I have been doing since I was a wee thing, much to my mother’s disdain. A decomposing red-bellied black snakes’s skin was binned whilst I was at school one day.

Everything was just so beautifully presented in polished timber cases. Did  anyone see the ABC’s recent series on the London Museum? How pedantic were they with dust getting into displays? Amazing dedication.

And the organisation - oh! It made me want to swoon.

So once back in Perth I built up a collection, mainly of beachy things, as we lived on the coast. After winter storms were the best time for finding unusual things, when the sea bed was trawled up and dumped on the sand. A lot of it stunk to high heaven, even after lots of bleach was involved. An outside collection was the best place until the smell disappeared.

When I proposed a piece for a Royal Show exhibition, I turned to my collection. I was able to use my finds, and gathered knowledge to put together a huge body of work, which won the Blue Ribbon at the Show. It met an untimely demise which I haven’t written about, but I did post some better photos under a post (click) HERE.

Below are some really bad photos from the film days.

So now I’m really keen to get some of my Tropical finds down on paper, captured in lines. Maybe even a splash of colour as well.

The Tax can wait.

Whilst visiting another lovely blog by Doda, I found myself getting that adrenlin rush from 2 loves of mine - collections and their boxes. I am a Hopeless Beachcomber. I can wander for hours with my eyes fixed on the minutae in the sand. Others dash into the sea and surf, watch the skies, sunbathe. I fill my pockets and hands with sandy (often smelly) treasures.

The absolute best time to beachcomb in Perth was after a wild winter storm - what bounty was thrown up on shore! Each beach along the coast had it’s own special secrets to throw up - the beach north of Hillarys Marina speacialised in sea urchin tests of all colours ad sizes. Mullaloo, Ram’s Horn spirals. North Cottesloe has violet shells, which in ancient times was the only source of the colour purple for royalty.

I once completed a Calligraphy piece for the Royal Show which was centered on my beachcombing expeditions. It allowed me to “use” up some of my huge collection.

The finished piece was many, many metres long, but came to an untimely and soggy end whilst I was photographing it late last year. I think there’s a whole other post that needs to be devoted to it’s demise….

Anyway, getting back to my other love/addiction are the boxes that houses these collections. Wooden display/museum boxes. I go weak at the knees when I see them. I have a secret desire to be a Natural History Museum Curator I’m sure. I have quite a few of these wooden boxes. And some Perspex ones as well. They are filled with all sorts of treasures - nests, skeletons, seeds, shells, fossils, feathers, skins, eggshells, nuts, bark. You name it, if it’s been on the ground, fallen off a creature, or just plain smelly, I’ve got it in a box.

Getting back to Doda, she has some exquisite paintings of Collection Boxes. Hailing form Scotland, I told her of my beachcombing finds on a shoally beach at St Andrews that now reside in one of my boxes.

Jez entertained Moss and Jem (Border Collies that couldn’t get enough of the frigid waters) whilst I searched the shoreline. Apart from the beautiful sea glass, tiny crabs and unusual northen hemisphere shells, I found a piece of old china that made my heart skip a beat. Rubbing away the grime from the crest, I read my family name printed there. Amazes me to this day.

I do apologise for the bad scan of this illo - it was done some years back for an interactive CD package for schools. The original watercolour had rainbow holographic glitter featured all over the sail.

It ended up on the DVD cover (I apologise again, when I resized this the text Drop Shadows went wild!):

The illustration for the first story (of 20), featured the Woodlum (the animal’s “ark”) in the background. Not such a fantastic scan either!

I’m just in the door from the movies - we saw “Wanted”, with Angelina Jolie at her gun totin’ best. I had planned to do a watercolour of a big & beautiful sail fish for this week’s topic, but the movie won out over sitting at the drawing desk!

Lots of work to do before painting class tomorrow, I believe I’m to be introduced to oil paints - very exciting!

I’ve had such a busy week that I’ve only just sat down to read Wednesday’s paper (and the rest!) this evening. What a nice surprise to see one of my photos being used in the paper:

The original photo and story behind this OCD Sunbird and it’s pooping ways all over my car can be found by clicking here.

I’ve had a few emails asking for some “behind the scenes of the kingfisher painting. Everything I’ve learnt regarding this method has been taught to me by a wonderful bird artist, Paul Margocsy.

I’ve used Clayboard for this piece, but any illustration board (smooth or toothed), and even Matt board (for framing) is OK.

Step1 - After sketching onto my clayboard, I mask the birds and foliage. Using my airbrush, I lay down washes of background colour. I have the board tilted up at an angle, which is better for airbrushing, but not so good for wayward drips!

Airbrushing is really forgiving, I made a heap of mistakes here. The consequence is that the background gets darker and darker. I need to adjust the pressure to a lower setting so that it’s not like a rifle going off!

I use a finger or eraser to gently peel off the dried masking fluid. I’ve used a water soluable wash pencil for the sketch. I touched up some of the birds with the same pencil at this stage.

Time to block in rough areas of colour with a big brush. After this step, I go over and lay in the fine details with a tiny brush. Good eyes and a steady hand an advantage - I don’t have either! I wouldn’t call this method “over-the-top-difficult”, but more “methodical”. I find the feathers/foliage gets rather tedious after a while, but a quick walk or cuppa soon revives my momentum.

And the finished peice you saw 2 posts back. No 8 in using this method, not that I’m counting!

Did anyone sit through the whole Opening Ceremony last night? I admit I flagged after 12.30, but was able to catch the replay this morning. I think of all the artists involved in so many aspects, the costumes, the calligraphy, the lighting, the props, the digital art (stupendous!) and the list goes on. Just FABULOUS!

So what do I have to show for a week’s intensive tuition? Raised blood pressure I’m sure! Cursing fickle feathers and my own inadequacies went hand in hand with my small successes. I completed some new pieces, as well as administering plastic surgery to 2 paintings from last year.

I used  the photo below for reference. Now that it’s Dry Season, our resident pair of Forest Kingfishers patrol our yard for breakfast.

The next painting was also from photos taken in the yard. I can’t tell male from female.

I’ll going to paint in a few water droplets on the front kingfisher. Haven’t tried that before so will study up first.

A “28″ parrot from WA, so called for it’s screeching “28! 28!”

So where to from here? For all the agony, stress and heart palpitations painting gives me, it is a compulsion to finish once I start. Hence, over the years I have learnt not to start! 

How to swap Procrastination with Motivation? Anyone have any suggestions?

Last day, Friday. What a wonderful week of observing and absorbing, learning and trying, becoming full to overflowing with inspiration and enthusiam.

Many chose to spend the better part of the day wandering through the Tanks, looking at what all the other groups have been creating.

This is Mike, he was tutoring big brush watercolours, concentrating on flowers and cyrstal.

He wore the most fabulous shirts and cowboy boots each day. You could hear the “clip clop” of those Texan boots a mile off.

The beginning of his gorgeously coloured piece.

Finished demo.

Mike is also an accomplished bird and water artist. This is a full size sheet painting. Big. Scary big.

This is the wall where he and his students displayed their finished work. I think I’ll be signing up for his class next year. After straining over miniscule paintings using brushes  only a few hairs wide, I’m needing something big & loose!

This is Naomi, she is in my photography class at Uni. She is trying oil painting for thr first time. The subject matter was a still life I put together for photography last semester - my chillies, boar jawbone, cocky feathers, split nautilus shell etc.

This is Helen, with her oil on paper Bromeliad painting. The photo does not do it justice.

Other beautiful broms were painted.

I think this was done by Clare. You can almost dip your fingers into that pooled water.

The exhibition was smoothed along with glasses of good wine and plenty of delicious foods.

The following are some of Paul’s work.

He is just so quick, it’s sickening.

I asked on the last day if he could do a demo showing outstretched wings. He bashed these quackers out in next to no time at all. Maybe an hour and a half? 30 years of experience certainly makes a difference. I agonise over a single feather for hours.

A kooka appeared before our very eyes like magic. He is a true talent.

No more room in this post - I’ll sort out my paintings and put them up in another post, as far away from Paul’s painting s as possible!