Artists Blog

I mentioned last week that I was going out at night to “Paint with Light”. This is essentially photography in the dark using only a flash/torch and loooooong exposures, to bathe large areas in even light.

I went out with a couple of gurus in this genre, one the head of forensics photography and the other a prof with a penchant for slide film captures. (His Nikon from yesteryear weighed the same as a bowling ball!)

Setting up in the dark (Lit from my camera flash).

How the Police record an crime/accident scene at night is the technique we employed here. Firstly, you mark out the area you wish to photograph. In our case it was around 100m deep, and about 40m across. You need to have your camera on a sturdy tripod and set on “BULB”, with a remote shutter release attached. A small sheet of black cardboard is also required.

Two or more people are needed for this exercise, and even then, a large accident scene may take well over 2 hours to record thoroughly, I was told.

When ready, release the shutter and lock in the open position. As the setting is BULB it will stay open indefinately. The person operating the hand held flash will let off the first burst of light. Quickly place the black card in front of the lens to prevent further image burn. The Flash person will then walk down the left or right hand side of the area you wish to photograph for about 20m. They’ll yell out “Ready?” You yell “Yup!”, take away the black card, wait for the Flash and then pop the card back over the lens again. Repeat this 5 times down either side, being careful not to be in the field of view if you are the Flash person.

The pitch black pathway was transformed into the scene below with an exposure time of about 6 mins.

That blue light on the right is the Flash person being caught in the field of view.

The Full Moon was rising over the lake now, so we used plain old long expsures (around 30 secs) to capture the following images:

With the Moon’s reflection…

…and without.

And the gorgeous Golden Girl herself. With this one you need a really fast shutter speed (this was around 1/1600 if I remember), as the the moon is such a bright light source.

So go out and play with your camera at night - great fun!

I’VE FINISHED!

You don’t know how good it is too be able to say that!

2 paintings delivered to the Tanks Art Centre with almost half an hour to spare. Mind you, I had to skip Uni today, had no weekend, and didn’t even get any photos of the Tree Loppers who took out the 4 huge coconut palms on our fenceline today. I’m not even going to mention the evil tap that spouted water all over the insides of my kitchen cupboards….

Even though one painting had to be substituted with an old one (due to airbrushing disaster last week), I’m kinda glad. I now have one “Representational” piece, and one “Contemporary” piece in the same exhibition. Interesting to see the results. Opening night Friday, will let you know how it goes.

My eyes have given up focusing. Must be because the bags underneath them are so HUGE. I’ll report back on the “Painting with Light” excursion tomorrow - it was wonderful. And I promise to catch up with all your lovely blogs. Thanks again for all your kind comments - just the motivation I need!

“Found My Bliss”    Watercolour on Illustration Board

(not a very good image of the painting I’m sorry, scanner was having an ”off” day.  Even though you may not be able to see them, I can assure you there are thousands of tiny brushstrokes, each one contributing to my current state of blindness….

This is a picture taken in more serene times. Isn’t pink supposed to be calming? I need a lot of calming right now.

I’m so cross. I’ve been battling my airbrush for the past 2 hours, and I lost.

Firstly, no ink would come out. Plenty of pressurised air, but nothing else. After fiddling with every knob with no success, I finally consulted the Manual. Yes, this was dire.

Half an hour later, with the whole thing in pieces, I saw the problem - a build up of dried ink along the needle length. Cleaning it was easy, getting the thing back together was TOUGH!

So, airbrush, compressor and inks at the ready, I let fire at 2 pieces I had prepared earlier. “Prepared” meaning sketched out, gessoed and masked - a 3 hour feat in itself.

What a disaster. Blobs, splotches, spatters everywhere. Plan B - switch to cheap and nasty airbrush from car parts store. Hose burst. Found the spare hose which held.Throw in 2 phone calls and the dog chasing cockies around me and I could feel my blood pressure just about to blow.

So my total output for the day is one semi-passable airbrushed background. One for the bin.

Thankfully to get my mind off airbrushing disasters, I am going out tonight to do some night photography with a forensic specialist. “Painting with Light” is how they record crime scenes. Sounds intriguing….

Last week (seems like an age ago), I mentioned that I was going to visit a working Artist’s Studio with a view to joining them in their space. A vacancy had arisen within their building, and the invitation to work amongst them seemed serendipitious. Four well known established and emerging artists that share a great industrial building in the heart of town. They are there each day, some starting at 5.30 am, some not finishing their work till the sun rises. They all treat it not only as a “job”, but as a passion.

Some are screen printers, on paper, fabric and plastics.

Some work with sculptural forms and installations.

Some are painters, and a studio floor is meant to have paint all over it.

The Studio was large, airy and well set up, with drying racks, an air conditioned storage room, even a lounge area where they stop for lunch each day and discuss their works progress. I spoke at length with each of them and couldn’t help but be inspired and motivated. They all agree that they urge and “feed” off each other’s enthusiasm, which has other benefits as well. When gallery curators come to see a particular artist, the others are seen as well. As a result, some are hung in galleries all over the country, including the National.

Unfortunately I could not justify joining them at this time. I explained that I would LOVE to work amongst them, but being at Uni full time doesn’t allow much devotion to a studio. However, I did mention the vacancy to an emerging artist I know, and he seems really keen to take it on.

**Sigh**,  maybe next year…

6.50am, my phone rings, waking me from a restless few hours of tossing and turning (finally got to bed at 2.30am after thinking, thinking and more thinking…)

“Get here quick if you want to see a huge python with a big belly” Jeff told me.

Now if I’m going to jump outa bed, into the car, with my hair only getting a look from a brush, a big python is going to do it.

Only about a km away, I arrived at Jeff’s work, where one big slithery friend was making it’s way across the road.

See where it’s headed?

Spot the problem yet?

It tried for a while, but breakfast was just too big.

Once it reversed a bit, the gate was swung back to let it go on it’s way.

Can you see the next problem about to happen?

I think a lot of us suffer from the same issue…

We just don’t think we’re that fat….

even though we can’t seem to fit into anything ‘cos it’s such a tight squeeze…

It seemed a bit stumped, so curled up for a think.

All the while flickering that forked tongue.

We left him on his own to work out where he was headed, and not long afterwards, he was gone.

No one has seen Reg, the resident rooster. But I think we have a pretty good idea where he is.

So long Reg.

Reg and Scrub Turkey friend in happier days…

At last! My folio of images has been safely deposited into the University electronic “Drop Box”. Time to catch my breath.

This subject has been one of slooooow absorption. Anyone that has tasted Photoshop will understand.

Our task was to build 3 composite images, either on Decay or Scale. Each one made up of 3 source images. As I’d tackled Decay previously, I thought Scale would provide some levity. It did, along with buckets of frustration. And that was without the 20 page accompanying written report, complete with screen grabs to prove we actually did the work ourselves.

Jez was the (un)willing model for some of the source images. Tying them all together was the tricky bit. Anyway, this is where I’ve been for most of the week…

COMPOSITE IMAGE ONE - “Indy’s Footsteps”

Source Images

COMPOSITE IMAGE TWO “I Believe”

That’s a book on Dragons Jez is reading. Make the connection?

Source Images

COMPOSITE IMAGE THREE - ” Ready for Takeoff”

Source images

I’m looking forward to getting some real sleep tonight. Another exciting day tomorrow as one of my uni lecturers has invited me to share her Studio, which is shared by 3 other prominent artists. Bugger, I bet the excitment keeps me awake!

I will be so so glad when this semester is over. The work load is just something else, and I feel like I’m drowning in the details. I know I go O.T.T. with assignments and folios, but that’s just how I am. Anything less and I feel like I haven’t really tried. I’m almost done with my second photoshop folio of images, now it’s the huge accompanying report (with screen grabs) that needs to be written.  Of course it’s all due Monday - nothing like leaving things until the last minute to get the adreneain going.

So of course when a deadline is fast approaching, there’s nothing like shopping to feel procrastination is justified. I have 4 paintings to complete by next Friday, so a trip to the Art Supplies store was a rationalised diversion. It’s like Christmas every day in that place. I challenge anyone to walk out the door without buying something.

Just let me tell you that I really don’t have a desperate need for anything art related. Especially brushes. However, I was totally mesmerised this visit. And having a fabulous, shiny display of pristine brushes was just not fair.

I chose 2 to come home with me,

with wonderful names - “Cat’s tongue” and “The Albino”. There was a  brushes book giveaway as well, 40 fabulous full colour pages to fuel the fire already burning out of control. Ask me any question on brush construction!

Meanwhile in the backyard that never sleeps, I was scared witless by the Lace Monitor again.  He hightailed it up the coconut palms to get away from my shrieking no doubt.

New visitors to the new blossoms, totally unconcerned with my camera snapping away. What a fantastic diet - sugar all day every day. It’s what makes Rainbow Lorikeets such superhero fast flyers I’m thinking. Maybe I should start nibbling on gum blossoms….

I’m so lucky to be living where I do. In our last home we had “delightful” children living behind us that hurled rocks into our pool. Surburbia at it’s most uninspiring.

Living here, I sometimes take the bush for granted, and forget that a whole other world exists beyond the wooden palings. This morning a tiny movement caught my eye. Can you see it?

Moving through the dappled sunlight two brand new babies moved with their mum and dad.

During the day these Bush Stone Curlews (or Thick Knees) are usually very, very   q-u-i-e-t.   At night it’s totally another matter. They are screaming, wailing banshees, with blood curdling cries of ear drum piercing proportions.

Those great golden eyes don’t miss much. Spot one of the chicks?

Just gorgeous! And they don’t throw rocks.

Since moving into our new home 10 months ago, we haven’t had much spare time to devote to the garden. Normally a Perth spring would see me going wild at the Garden Nursery, bringing home punnets of seedlings by the barrow load.

Today I made my inaugural visit to a new nursery in the area, with the intention only to buy sphagnum moss for epiphytic orchids my greenthumb neighbour kindly gave me. However, I was a lost cause once I spied the shiny oh-so colourful images on all the enticing labels. The Promise of armfuls of fragrant blooms filled my head, and then my shopping trolley. 

Now the garden beds are not quite so bare. We will have stands of tall swaying lilac salvias, drifts of deep purple petunias, carpets of double impatiens,… fingers crossed!

We’ve been invaded by birds. Lots and lots and LOTS of birds! Spring has sprung big time.

My first birds for Show and Tell are the ones that just made it (with 18 minutes to spare) into the preliminary judging for the upcoming Regional Exhibition. They may not make the final cut, but here’s hoping for a spot in my second exhibiton.

I’ll always have the Clowns in my backyard regardless.

The Butcher bird (also known as The Singing Assassin), has been singing his heart out to me, inviting me to swing. Take that however you wish!

This guy is a teenager, but there’s been an adult (fully black) hanging around as well.

Parent or potential partner?

The Pied Imperial Pigeons  (or Torres Strait Pigeon) have flown all the way back from New Guinea. They have been “Coo-Cooing” their heads off above our deck.

But the most delightful feathered tenants have been the Wee Willy Wagtails, chittering their crossness at me for daring to watch them build their nest.

Who needs a big house anyway?