I've been kindly asked to be this years guest artist at Strathdon community's art show.  I would love all my friends who love & support me, to come along and see my work all in one place. 

Trying to paint a picture a month, and apart from choosing a colour scheme, I'm not choosing a style, I haven't thought it through, I've just painted on a whim. Maybe a bad thing. This was from a photo of Bridal scene where the wedding cars stopped and the bridesmaids got out for some fresh air, and one was putting on her lippy ! It was just such a fun picture, I had to have a go.

Long time between posts, but that doesn't mean to say that I've been tardy by any means. I've done a couple of portraits lately, and have forgotten to post them on here. So here is a concerted effort. I painted a portrait of someones ninety two year old nanna, they liked it so much, that I was asked to paint a portrait of the brother. So here tis. Although, we can all see clearly, that he wears a uniform, I've purposely only suggested the badge on the cap and the checks on the band. I wanted him to shine through as a person, not just an officer.

This was my xmas gift to my oldest and goldest friend. She asked for something with wavy lines to put on her wall. I really felt out of my comfort zone, as I "DRAW". And here she had asked for something , well, abstract.
So, I calmed myself down, after she told me she would be so proud to tell her friends that I had painted it for her. I freaked out, because, I paint pretty pics, not uncontrolled lines. So, I did paint wavy lines, But in my mind it is the waves that she loves to look at. She of course can see anything that she wants to.
She tells me she loves it.

Hi all. Today I've added a work in progress. I'm still in my oriental phase as you can tell. I sketched up my idea of Quan Yin, who is a goddess of woman, and health and all things good. I wanted a lot of movement, and etheral colours and serenity, and Instead, I've thrown in orange and mauve and turquoise, and its NOT what I wanted. So many things going around in my head, I cant settle on one thing. My artistic planner in my head is like a washing machine its freaky in there, water going one way, soap powder the other, socks have been mixed in with tea towels........, so is it any wonder this piece is Not serene, and not calming. Whinge, whinge, bloody whinge. I think I need to get a dose of sweetmango's blog and use " calm" as my mantra.

Thursday arvo is art day...........lurrrve art day. Today grasshoppers..........the lesson consists of-- no structure. You are to paint a fantasy creature with no reference material, just from your own heads.
So it was with those words, that my mind freed up, and my colour palette decided to have NO inhibitions....like I would never normally pick up bright green.!! I had a ball. I just played. For two hours, I couldn't make a mistake cos I was on a journey...........with NO rules. And so, now I would like to introduce......"Mango"

Finished, at last, I've been able to work my way through this painting to a satisfactory finish, I think. And just in the nick of time as its being picked up tomorrow night. Now I just hold my breath until, its viewed by the new owner, and feedback is received. Now.......a much earned contemporary piece is awaiting me, as a reward for slogging away over these dogs.

Stage two, and the montage is coming along nicely. I'm happy with it. But must admit the black dog is frustrating, as its features aren't many, and unless, I sketch a pile of fluff, with a few highlights on the fur, it makes for a boring life on Oh well, The bottom right of the pic needs a bit of help. And that is a bit of a quandary, I didn't want to overdo it with the silky, as he is the one who is passed on,and I already have two of him on the page, But I do have 3 each of the others...........and I do feel in my heart that the silky needs to be balanced, so..........looks like I get to do another one ( or painting of one, anyway.

You may remember the dogs I painted for my friends 50th birthday. Well, they were such a hit, Her friend always admired them, and now it is the friends 50th birthday. So my friend Nise, and her other friends, have commisioned me to paint this 'girls' dogs. She has two little dogs, so I've been given the photos of those two. VEry fluffly......please read........OMG, where are the eyes, how on earth do I find a personality, with no eyes ??
She also has the Love for a little terrior, that passed on last year ( passed on, I sound like a spirit reader don't I ??)
I was trying to work out, how I would place them on the paper. My original thought was that, I would paint the two Live dogs, in the foreground and then in the back, have the little terrior, floating with a little halo on its head.
Nah, Not working.
so,......my end decision was to paint the dogs, as many sketches as I could of them. and intersperse the " dead" dog, thru oat.
This is a work in progress as I will try and breathe some life into this painting.

How wonderful a model was George. A very pleasant man, who gave two consecutive weeks of his time, to model for our art class. I love portraiture. It is such a challenge to get a likeness, but that is not enough in my books, I try for a personality likeness also. I chose the side view, primarily because everyone had crammed in on the frontal area and I like my elbow space. And I was so glad I had moved. The light skimmed his nose and caught on the philtrum underneath. I would have quite happily kept painting george, he has an interesting profile. And I suspect George loved the attention he recieved.

I've used a different colour palette, than usual. This piece is titled " Throwing out emotional baggage" or something along those lines. It follows on from my empty nest piece. I've dealt with that one, and now, I think, others may relate, that, there comes a time, when you need to let go of the old baggage, before you can continue on. Sorry about the dodgy photo. I took 3, but, they are all blurry. thats what happens when you multi task at the same time.

Gifts for friends are probably one of the hardest things to paint. Instead of just getting in the zone, you dont seem to relax into the painting, because, it has to be special. Instead of just evolving on the paper, this piece has taken weeks to finish. Every time I came back to do some more on it, The more I saw. I laboured over this painting, and therefore doesn't have the flow that I imagined it would have. I will hand this piece over tomorrow, and watch my friends face, hoping upon hoping that I have captured her family as she sees them.
After speaking with my friend and mentor this arvo, I have decided to focus on what I do best instead of trying to be all things to different people. Lots of people can paint portraits and landscape, but not everyone does my whimsical look on life.
So from now on, I will be concentrating on being true to myself, just painting one style and giving it 100%.

I went to the opening night of the strathdon art show on Friday night, and met my friend Linda,( from art class) there. We had a great time walking around wine in hand critiqueing, as you do! An elderly lady was ushering an older gentleman who was assisted by a walking frame up the aisle we were in. "hurry Bob, you have to see it, its called the dinner gong or something , it is so wonderful bob, you just have to see it. !" He then protested that he was hurrying, and I watched them join a group of about 6 or 7 others, they were all huddled around my painting _ The dinner bell_.
They were laughing and identifying and pointing, and then they all declared that it had their vote.
Fast forward onto sunday, when I went to pick up my artwork, only 3 were available, and then the news. The dinner bell had sold. Story goes, one of the residents of strathdon retirement home, had said that it just made her so happy to look at it, that she would buy it and donate it to the home so they could hang it in the cafeteria, for all to enjoy. My heart was singing. My peice was going where it belonged, and it was doing what I hoped for as I created it, it made people happy.
Later on, as I was celebrating with a glass of champers, I had a call from the art committee to say that, votes had been counted, and I had WON the peoples choice award . That is better in my eyes really, than winning best painting, as that is the subjective view of one judge, this award, is the publics vote. YaY !

This is a work in progress. I'm a bit disappointed, its not at all how I wanted it to be. I wanted it to be fun and carefree and light and well, enchanting. I did have the background dark, and I just happened to have a postcard of David Chen's work near my easel, and it caught my eye.....mmmmmm, nice background David, I might just borrow your colours- half way through, i began thinking.....oh o ! But I kept going urged on by my theory, that worse things have been saved by perserverence. Not this time though, its just too......icky.......mmmm reminds me of tulle. I dont know what to do with the bottom of the page or picture. The reference photo stops at her hips. I've run out of milk, so I cant ply myself with coffee until all hours of the morning finishing. So, I may leave well alone until tommorrow.

I Picked up my latest painting from the framers today. Have I told you that I hate choosing frames. I have to be honest, its harder than painting the picture. A frame can make or break a painting, I think. Armed with good advise, I have been choosing pale mount board and frames to match. But, when I get this latest one home, I make a cuppa and stare at it. Does it do it justice.....who knows. And to top it off, I've realised that, I haven't photographed it before it went to the framers.......a huge no no on my part.
So, I've tried to get a shot now, and I feature in the glass.......grr. Oh well. Lesson, always lessons. This is a painting of one of my fellow artists a good friend of mine who goes by the name of Kris. She was having her lunch at a cafe one day, and I thought, yep. She would make a great painting. Anyway, I now have this painting in readiness for our group exhibition in march. Now I need to concentrate on some smaller more affordable paintings. I dont usually work small, so it will be good to do something different.

I recieved a first prize and a blue ribbon to boot, for my scarecrow- " first day on the job. At the lilydale show ,last weekend the 15th/16th of November. Also got a highly commended for my piece the dinner bell. Which is an acylic piece featuring senior citz off heading off to the dining room. all in all a nice surprise for the weekend.

I have just realised, that to be a successful artist , meaning to market yourself and get your name out there, is, just so exhausting, You really do have to keep at it like a dog with a bone, sometimes taking away from the calming nature of painting or drawing the actual piece.

I hope I have the stamina in me, to make it.

I've decided to do anything that take myself out of my comfort zone this year. Well, theres a drawing exhibition coming up, well the submissions are due in November. I've decided to draw and draw, and then draw a bit more, and hopefully, one of the things that I draw, will be rough copy for " that special piece".
This is my cute little granddaughter Lucy, going off to camp for the first time. Also a quick sketch of her on a toboggan.

Handed this portrait to my neighbour today. . I was minding her kids one day, and got a photo of Tara on my phone. She had this impish little smile and luckily, I captured it. Tara has cerebal palsy and has no muscle control,she isnt able to sit or eat or speak. and I noticed that they dont have many "smiling photos" of her as they do with the boys. Which is such a shame as she is the prettiest little girl. I just see past the disablement and know when I blow a blurty on her arm and she laughs, that she is just alittle girl and hopefully, my painting will show others to see her as I do.

For all of you that have been following my work, you may like to know that I have entered into an art show at Mont Albert Primary school - fri 17th,sat 18th and sun 19th of October . If you have a spare hour or so, Head down to Barloa rd Mont albert, just google maps.com.au to get the details. Fri is 7.30-10. sat is 10-5.pm and sunday is 10 am until 2 pm. There is 200 paintings so it should be a good show to view. I myself have four paintings entered. If you cant make it. Please wish me, lots of red dots !!

This has been a bit of a frustrating excercise. Normally I would be inspired by a colour to work to. This time, I am limited by the materials I have to work with. Purchased a set of wings at the 2 dollar shop, and some cheap beads all in pink. I would put pink and red flowers together, so have decided to run with the pink angel wings. I have cut them in half. Then plucked some feathers off the back, and made a feature on the left hand side. I had an old red earing- one of, so decided to put it on the righthand side of her face. I remembered that I had a pair of pink studs, that had never been worn, so one adorns her nose and the other, under her lower lip. I could keep fiddling, I could dip the ends of the feathers in a food dye to tone them down a bit. But honestly, I'm mentally exhausted tonight, and am actually over this masquerade mask by now. . As for now, its back to doing what I do best.