Its Festival Time

The Adelaide Festival of Arts is here again. Performing and visual art everywhere. In every nook and cranny, wherever there is a little space something is going on. Of course if the festival is here then so is The Fringe where the weird and the wonderful come from all over the globe to fill our little city and show us what they can do. Adelaide is alive with the buzz of performing and visual art literally everywhere. Friday night was the opening parade of The Adelaide Fringe.

80,000 people flocked to the city on a hot and balmy evening

Julia, Zoe and I were among them

descendants of the original owners of the land sang and played didgeridoo

the reason Zoe wanted to go to the opening - the roller derby girls

she wants to join roller derby when she's old enough

she practises every Saturday and keeps skating even with blisters

is she old enough yet???

big dinosaurs

a bit scary Zoe thought

is that Marilyn???

inside a bubble

disabled people joined the parade

smiling and waving and having a great time

different performers enticing you to come to their show

yes! say it with art woo!!!

oh my, their mothers must hold their breath

that was fun!

and Zoe even got a butterfly with flashing lights

Grumpy Me

There has been a lot of personal stuff still taking up my time. That means less time in the studio and less time in the studio makes for one grumpy me, ROAR!!!!! Being a Leo I feel I'm entitled to let out a 'roar' now and again hehehe. I left the story last time with a big new canvas 152.4x101.6cm (60"x40") sitting on my easel. Well its still there all blank and white. I haven't been able to get in the studio but I have however been working on the planning stages of a couple of paintings. I have been researching dilapidated buildings and have acquired a passion for ghost signs. I found some great sites that deal with documenting old hand painted signs on buildings before they are lost forever. The layers and textures are divine and I want to try to re-create these effects on my dilapidated buildings series. Its always about layers, textures and text with me. I think the layers are like history with people's personal lives and stories being added to each layer. This of course causes change with some things being covered while others are revealed thus creating a new story. And every viewer adds their own story or connotations to it so its forever evolving and changing. Gee I'm not sure I understand what I just said hehehe, but I know what I mean even if I can't put it into words. So while all this is going on inside my head I am also still trying to improve my skills with portraiture. I know in my mind what I want to achieve but the hands are a bit slow in understanding and tend to do their own thing. It will get better in time. I just have to keep going.

Art, Text and Dilapidated Buildings

My Mum always told me the older you get the quicker time goes. I remember when I was a child and my birthdays took so long to come around and Christmas felt like it came every two years instead of one. Now in my fifties whoosh another day flies by and whoosh another month, another year. So far this year has been a year of caring for others and not much time for art.

Things have to change. There are art ideas bubbling up inside me and they will explode out the top of my head if I don't get some paint on canvas soon. I did go and buy a large canvas. I have never painted one this big before. Its nearly as tall as me reaching to just under my nose from the ground 152.4x101.6cm (60"x40"). I only have a little car so getting it home was amusing. I'm still on the abandoned or run down building theme so a dilapidated door, peeling paint, padlock, keep out signs could be on the cards, watch this space hehehe.

Along with my dilapidated building series I will also continue with developing my skills in the art of portraiture. I went to an exhibition and was inspired by a portrait I saw there. Up close you could see the paint daubs that depicted the features. The shapes and light and shade that all together formed the image of a person's face. That's what I'm aspiring to. Looser shapes and experimenting with different colours and of course text, I always like to add text. I am very hopeful that we will have some cooler days in the coming week so I can spend time in my otherwise too hot studio. That big canvas is calling me .....

First for 2010

I am on top of the world tonight and all it took to lift me to such heights is a good session in my studio with my art buddy Mignon. Yes its Thursday and that means its art day hehehe. I do some art on most days but Thursday is a full day with someone who knows my art speak. I can talk textures, colours, layers, composition, concepts and Mignon talks back. Her eyes don't glaze over and she understands what I am talking about. Of course you can't have an art day with an art buddy without some girl talk as well hehehe. I have been working on a portrait. As I'm new to portraiture its been giving me some grief. Parts of it are good and working well while other parts have been worked, scrubbed back, worked again and so on and so forth. I think its really been holding me back and attacking my confidence. Well last week I decided to put it aside and start a new painting. I'm not giving up, just putting it out of the way for a little bit. I thought I would return to something a little simpler to build my confidence again. And here is my first completed painting for 2010.

Abandoned

mixed media on canvas

100x75cm (40"x30")

Commercial Galleries

We just heard the good news that Bob's son, Peter is getting married to his fiancée Alison in May. As they live in Brisbane the wedding will be there. So we are researching cheap flights and accommodation. That got me thinking. As I was going to Brisbane anyway it would be a good opportunity to check out some commercial galleries to see which I could approach for representation. Its not like I get to Brisbane very often. Anyway while I've been hours on the computer checking out gallery websites to see what kind of artwork they show I thought I might as well keep going and check out galleries in Melbourne as well. I'm not planning a trip to Melbourne but I did some networking with a fellow member of RedBubble who happens to live in Melbourne. She put me onto some great galleries. So now I have two lists of galleries to approach and fingers crossed someone will take me on. Along with entering some of the major art prizes in Australia, another step forward is to get my work interstate. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time .....

I just started reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron with my online tribe. Its not the first time but each time I read it it seems like the first. I find something new in it every time. Its this book along with the support of some wonderful women (my tribe, you know who you are) that has helped me develop my art practice. I mean I've had some wonderful teachers along the way to develop my practical art skills but this is something different. This is about confidence and building skills to dissolve the barriers that are preventing your creativity from finding expression. It helps you to start and or stay on the path of creativity. That sounds all a bit airy fairy or spaced out arty farty but it really does work.

This and That

Its the last week of the school holidays and Zoe was getting bored. She received roller skates from her Uncle Troy for Christmas and has been practising to skate. She found a coupon in the newspaper for a half price skating session and thought she was ready to strut her stuff. She put on her skating outfit (another Christmas present) and off we went. There was music and flashing lights to add to the atmosphere. Zoe has her sights set on roller derby when she's old enough.

Careful start.

And off we go!

A little bit of roller limbo.

Skating is very thirsty work.

With her mum Julia.

The music, the lights and the experienced skaters made me yearn to skate again. My knees just wouldn't take it now :(. Oh well at least I had the joy of watching Zoe skate.

Yesterday I went to Victor Harbor with my art buddy Mignon. We went to see the Victor Harbor Art show. I have heard about it over the years but never got around to going to see it. I didn't realise it was so big. When I say big I don't actually mean the size of it although there was a lot of art on display. I mean 'big' as in the number of people it attracts and the amount of sales. I also didn't realise the first prize was $10,000 with lesser prizes of $5,000 and $2,500 etc. Yep that's a 'must enter' for next year. I was also glad to see that a lot of nude life drawings and paintings sold. I've been worried that we may go down the path of the US where Doris says life drawings and paintings are not very well received. So much art, so much inspiration it was rather overwhelming. We had to have a break half way through and stop for coffee and cake to get our strength up to tackle the rest. The amount of sales really made my heart sing. People are buying art and at a good price, yay! It was a scorcher of a day in Adelaide again yesterday but Victor Harbor was very pleasant with a lovely sea breeze that kept things cool. We had fish and chips for lunch wrapped in paper and sat near the beach with the seagulls waiting for handouts.

On the way back home we dropped into McLaren Vale to see how my exhibition at Penny Hill winery is going. It finishes on the 9th February. I've had 4 sales, yay! As my sister told me yesterday, I'm doing better than Van Gogh as he only had one sale while he was alive hehehe. Yes, I know, sales don't make the artist but I've had a few lately and it does make me feel like I am really and truly a real artist lol.

Sticky Fingers

The title sticky fingers usually has connotations of theft but in the case of a mixed media artist it means she's back in her studio. Hip hip hurray! See the mess below? That's the proof ! The gentle ebb and flow of the studio rhythm is finally filtering in after the festive season break.

I've only been dabbling mind. Below is a picture of a tote bag that Julia once gave to me. It has pockets back and front for photographs but I've decided to make some little collages instead.
Now working this small is a challenge in itself. My smallest painting is 50x60cm (20"x24") and these little collages are roughly 9x10cm (3 1/2"x4"). Its a first for me but as with the felt bag I'm having fun fun fun.
There are 9 pockets each side so I have a few more to go yet.

Once finished I will knuckle down to finish that portrait I started last year. Then its more of the same until I feel confident enough to do any one's portrait. Ha! Will that ever happen? Oh well, I will just practice, practice, practice anyway and see what happens. I just hope I don't insult any of my friends when I endeavour to paint their portraits. Just remember I'm just starting out. By the way, you're next Vanita.

The Bag

I finished Zoe's bag today. I know great felters like Chrissie would probably cringe at my effort but I had so much fun. I want to make another one to correct where I went wrong with this one. Felt is a bit thin in places. Handles are too far apart so it hangs funny when you hold the handles but weeeeeeeeeeeee what fun!!!

The Call of the Studio

The call of the studio is getting very strong and still I have not got back into the rhythm of things. Bob has been home and Zoe has been staying. I suppose they are reasonable excuses for not starting my art. I did however go in the studio yesterday and start a little project that's been on the back burner. I had promised to make Zoe a felt handbag quite some time ago. I finally got out the wool and felting stuff and started that yesterday. I will continue with that today. I will take some photos to show you when there's something decent to see. I also have this clear vinyl bag that Julia once gave me. It is covered with pockets in which you are meant to put photos but instead I will do some collage and painting. These are just a few little projects to get the rhythm going. Next week Thursday art day will start up again. That will help. Maybe I will get the portrait finished that I started last year. I think I just have to resign myself to the fact that I take about a month off over the festive season. Maybe then I won't be so hard on myself and stress about getting back in the studio. Most of the time I do work hard so having a month off is not unreasonable. There is a lot of self discipline involved in being an artist. There is no one waiting for you to clock on. No boss calling the shots. Its up to you when you work and how long etc. Its taken me quite some time to acquire the skills needed to have a good working practice and I'm scared to fall into the old traps. I'm forever vigilant that I am moving forward not backwards. Forever vigilant that my inner censor, the little voice inside that tries to undermine you, doesn't gain strength. Anyway enough ramblings. I have my goals set for the year and all is right with my world.

Summer

We have been in the middle of a heat wave with nearly a week of over 40c (104F) temperatures and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. The pics on my friends blogs of snow made me wish for some cold. However, after reading a recent post by Doris on her blog about shovelling snow I gave this summer verses winter thing a lot of thought. I didn't much like the sound of shovelling snow and sore muscles. If you don't live with snow you don't realise that it will keep building up and eventually you wouldn't get out of your door! No, I thought, that's not for me. Its time I looked at the positives of summer instead of moaning about the heat. So here it goes.

THE POSITIVES OF A HOT SUMMER

Long, long days with the sun starting to rise around 6am and starting to set at 8.30pm. There's still some light at 9pm.

Going down to the beach in the evening to cool off and catch some sea breezes.

Not much laundry to do as you don't wear many clothes.

Washing dries in 15 minutes on the line.

No need to use hot water when taking a shower as the cold water in the pipes is warm enough.

Too hot to cook so a lot of fresh garden salads are on the menu.

Delicious stone fruits of peaches, apricots, nectarines etc are in glut supply. Not to mention all the cooling melons like watermelon, rock melon, honey dew etc. mmm!

Long cold drinks with the ice tinkling on the side of the glass.

Squirting people with my super pump action water gun.

School holidays so I get more time to play with Zoe.

Ice cream.

Barbecues.

Sleeping with all the windows open when there is a night breeze.

The list goes on and on. These are just some things off the top of my head. Yep I love summer even though I grumble about the heat sometimes. It is pretty special. Its like being on holiday in your own backyard. I think I would rather get up early and water the garden than shovel snow. Snow would be nice to visit but brr ...

My leg is on the mend. Thanks for all your well wishes :)

Locked Away

My leg was getting better and then it took a turn for the worst. So not only am I locked inside due to the weather with temperatures of 40c+ (104F+) but I'm also sitting/laying around trying to rest this darn leg. I do not do well when I'm incapacitated. I feel like I have my wings clipped. The good thing is (I try to look on the bright side hehehe) its too hot to work in the studio, so if I had to have a sore leg now is the perfect time. I must say though that I have a much brighter outlook today which I'm sure makes Bob's life easier hehehe.

Stirrings

I hurt my right leg somewhere between Christmas and New Year. About an hour after gym one day my knee became sore and stiff. Not sure what it is or how it happened. I'm not one to run to the doctor for every little thing and I do see improvement every day. It does however play up if I do too much.

I had some trouble with the portrait I started before Christmas. Gave my confidence a bit of a knock. I covered it up so I didn't have to look at it. I had to deal with the festive season first. Today as I wondered through the studio I took the cover off. I had stirrings. Sweet, sweet little urges to get back to it. It won't be long ...

Amendment to Post Below

Small confession. Its nearing the end of the day and not many chores were done. I'm still in holiday mode I suppose. I will try again tomorrow hehehe.

The Start of 2010

Well here we are in a new year. It slid in quite nicely. We went to a friend's farm for New Year's Eve and sat around with good food and good company until the new year was here. We slept the night and stayed most of the next day. I had forgotten how peaceful the country is. You can hear nature. The birds, the sheep or a dog barking mingled with the sound of my breathing. I don't think I hear myself breathing in the city.

The festivities are over and now its time to get back into a normal rhythm. I have my plans, I know where I am going but that first step is hard to take. I always struggle getting into the rhythm of my art making when I've had time away from it. Every morning I plan what I want to do for the day. A few chores, keep the garden cared for, some exercise and then some studio time. Well it ends up quite different. Not many chores, no gardening done and no studio time :( and another day just disappears. Oh well not to worry. In the words of Scarlet O'Hara "I will think about it tomorrow. After all tomorrow is another day." Well I am going to get off this computer right now and start some chores and see how this tomorrow pans out. I will let you know .....

Pampered Pet

When the sun went down on Christmas Eve it got a little cool and the grass had that damp feeling. So what's a pampered pet meant to do when they don't want to go inside and miss all the action??? They find a nice warm pile of used Christmas wrapping and snuggle in hehehe.

Everything is slowly getting back to normal around here. I went back to gym yesterday. I also did a little artwork. I'm still a bit slow getting back in the studio for long periods of time. I seem to have that problem when I have some time off. Its hard to get back into the rhythm of things but it will come. The weather is heating up again and that doesn't help. It gets too hot in the studio so I tend to hide inside with the air conditioner on. I will just take it nice and slow till the new year rolls in and then I will knuckle down to some serious creativity.

Happy Festive Season

Happy festive season to all of you. Thank you so much for your ongoing support and encouragement. Your support has helped me to stretch my wings, flap them a bit and fly ...

Being of European decent we keep the tradition alive by celebrating on Christmas Eve. We started as just a small migrant family missing home. Mum put real candles on the tree our first Christmas here. Its what we did at home. The extreme heat made the candles bend and the tree went up in flames. Dad had to throw the whole tree out of the door. Many of our beloved decorations were broken. I cried. Over the years we modified our traditions to suit the climate and our small family grew. In the last few years the preparations were handed to me. Mum is getting older and Dad is no longer with us so its not fair for the responsibility of the family Christmas to be on Mum's shoulders. As things go along they change and move forward. Some things stay the same and some things change. We have thrown open the doors to not just family but friends as well. We now have open house every year on Christmas Eve. Not just a small migrant family gathering any longer. Its turned into a garden party. This year we are having 18 for dinner. Drop by if you are in the neighbourhood. There's plenty to go around.

Why is it?

Why is it that we set ourselves huge tasks for Christmas. All those things you never got around to before somehow end up on the Christmas list. Why is that? Will the world stop turning if they're not done? Will Christmas stop if they're not done? Will any body care ... I mean really care??? My garden has been neglected as I have spent more time on my artwork. Fair enough. But couldn't I just have weeded the garden and given it a make over some other time. No, I seem to leave these jobs for Christmas. Why? Maybe because I know they won't get done at any other time hehehe. To make matters worse I took a spontaneous offer to go away for the weekend. Just like that I dropped everything and went away and now I have to cram, really cram, to make it look like I got everything done for Christmas. I did enjoyed the weekend away. Some much needed me time with some major girls talk was just what was needed. Its nearly 10pm. I spent a 14 hour day gardening and now I still need to put clean linen on the bed before I can fall into a coma. Is the list any shorter yet??? My studio is calling me ...

Turtles

Laura has fish on her blog that I always feed. I had to have something too. I decided on turtles. So feel free to feed them :). They are a bit slow but all three of them will appear after a while.

Garden Party

I do love Christmas with family and friends coming for our annual garden party but it seriously cuts into my art time hehehe. I'm itching to continue with the next portrait. One good studio session would finish it I reckon. Not yet. Still have a long list of things to accomplish, sigh. I can't just do art. I do need to do those ordinary everyday things too. They keep me grounded. I would just fly off into the zone and lose touch with reality if I didn't have those ordinary everyday things to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground. Yep that's what I have to remind myself as I pull yet another weed or dust places that never see a duster. It will be worth it. Good food, family and friends with the occasional glass of wine or maybe apple cider. Yep, the art can wait.

Finished My Selfy

My first portrait is finished. There's a lot that could be better but I will improve with more practice. I learnt a lot! I also know my concept works. I can't wait to start the next one and put in practice what I learnt from this one. With the holiday celebrations looming I'm not sure how much studio time I can fit in. My list is so long I really shouldn't be in the studio at all :(

the painting

the photograph

Artists Market

Phew what a long and tiring weekend. I had to take today off and just mooch around the house and recover. I met some lovely people. Both artists and the public alike. Made some new buddies and had loads of exposure. The weather was glorious and so many people attended the market. It was very busy. My stall backed onto the Port River and every now and then I'd look out for the dolphins. There were beautiful jellyfish that were delightful to watch. Their graceful movement mesmerised me at times. I would not like to be stung by one though. I loved talking to people but the whole selling thing is just not my cup of tea. The decision to go with a commercial gallery to do the selling for me was the right one for me. That's not to say I won't do the market again next year. The picture below is early in the morning when I just finished setting up my (and some of Julia's) work. The sun was shining, there was music and good food and the atmosphere was just brilliant. There was that real summer holiday feeling all weekend.

Selfy - Stage 2

Its Thursday and that means art day with my friend Mignon. A bit more done to my selfy. Some washes of colour and some stamping. I'm just slowly building up the layers. Next stage will be a little detail I think.

Art at the Hart Artists Market on this weekend at Port Adelaide. On the banks of the Port River down near the old Hart Mill. Saturday and Sunday 11am till 6pm. No studio time for me this weekend.

Award Night

Granddaughter Zoe did us all proud by receiving an award for high academic achievement. Well done Zoe woohoo! Off we went to presentation evening last night to watch her receive her certificate.

On the stage receiving her award

With Mum and Dad proudly showing off her certificate

A Tentative Start

I'm sitting here with the pics uploaded, trying to get up enough courage to post them. Deep breath in ... and out ... Its just the very start even though it took me all afternoon to do. I'm on new ground here and really don't know what I'm doing. I just have these ideas and I want to give them a try.

The first pic is the original photo cropped to get rid of some of the background. Its a photo from last year and I haven't got my new glasses yet.

In the second pic I've used the cutout filter on Photoshop to get the shapes that the shadows (and wrinkles) make. This is what I'm working from in the underpainting stage.

And the third pic is my tentative scary start. The canvas is my usual size of 60.9x50.8cm (24"x20") so its rather confronting working on my face to this scale. Deep breath and click ...

Self Portrait

With all your lovely comments I thought I'd better report on my progress of 'the selfy'. Been playing grandma all weekend so I didn't have any studio time till today. As portraiture is relatively new to me its very slow going. I still want to use text and I still want to do all my layering and of course it has to be BIG. I want to put text and stamping etc in the shapes made by shadows etc and this will be like my underpainting (if that makes sense) and then I will paint a more realistic (ha hopefully) portrait on top. Well today I played around with the shapes that fit together and make me look like me. Still not entirely happy with what I've got but its getting there. I haven't started on the canvas yet. Still experimenting and playing around. I will share more with you when I have something to share. Anyway I have made a start and its so exciting and fun and scary all at once. I just love making art **insert big cheesy grin here**

Life Happens

Phew! That's all I've got to say. Life just hit me all at once. Its just been such a busy time lately and I'm hoping its not going to get any worse as the holidays loom before me. I have the Art at the Hart Artists Market coming up next weekend so I've been busy designing business cards and working out the layout of my 3 metre x 3 metre space. Trying to work out the best way to cram in as much work as I can and it still look nice. I also had to finish off some work for the market. Below is yet another shoe painting. Its the last. I think I got them out of my system now. I am now starting to experiment with portraiture. So as not to insult any unsuspecting friends and family members I decided to try a self portrait. That way I can try out some techniques without someone waiting and looking over my shoulder to see if I have captured their likeness. Yes I'm doing a selfy and who knows I might be doing self portraits for quite some time to come. I'm totally out of my comfort zone and I'm hoping to be brave enough to show you all my progress. In saying that my progress is expected to be slow due to the holiday season and all the responsibilities that seem to connected to it. That's it for now. Got grandma duties to perform as Zoe is having a sleep over at our place. It means many cuddles but Zoe's also has control of my laptop hehehe.

Dancing Shoes

mixed media on canvas

60.9x50.8cm (24"x20")

The Opening Speech

Here's an extract from the opening speech for ‘On the Farm’ exhibition at Penny's Hill, November 15, 2009 by Leah Grace.

Welcome to Penny’s Hill Winery Complex, Red Dot Gallery and ‘On the Farm featuring Uta Mooney and Phillip Pike.

I’m Leah Grace arts and cultural development officer with Alexandrina Council and coordinator of the South Coast Regional Arts Centre at Goolwa.

May I begin by congratulating Russell Starke director of Greenhill Galleries on bringing together these two artists in what is clearly a fluid confluence of ideas, philosophies and subject matter.

On the surface it is clear how well suited these two bodies of work are but what makes this show tick and tick it does…

On the surface we have the light hearted celebration of bonhomie, chooks and kitchen paraphernalia, charmingly retro kitchen objects that speak of another time but still resonate with something that’s relevant today - what is the subtext?

Uta Mooney places no less import on the value of family, memories and domestic objects. In this body of work household objects are imbued with her own sense of family, personal history and a sense of the sacred in the every day.

Uta migrated with her family from Germany to Australia at the age of four. A trans global move of this magnitude meant that only the most precious and few of belongings could be brought to the new country. Many people would sight jewellery and more obviously valuable objects as the first choice but it is the most seemingly ordinary domestic objects that Uta values and recalls as the way points to home in whichever country she resides. Home is incredibly important to her as a migrant even at the age of four that feeling of displacement never really leaves her.

Paintings of simple poetic objects underlayed literally with text from books speak of a subtext within the work. Layers reminiscent of a lace curtain, a table cloth, a petticoat from another era have a story to tell, metaphor for a shared history and fodder for the urban archaeologist in us all.

‘Recycled table’ cloth is an image of Uta’s mother-in-law’s red checked tablecloth from her generous table. A delightful playfulness in her work shows newsprint between the checks of the cloth as she plays with the idea of recycling.

Uta is part of a lineage of South Australian women artists who elevate the every day bringing it closer to our attention and helping us to understand ourselves and our culture more clearly. She brings with her the richness of her European heritage, her life lived as a South Australian and the universality of the images before us to this beautiful body of work.

Uta attended art school as a mature aged student beginning in ceramics and glass design. In the last few years she began working in two dimension and embraced wholeheartedly the concept and practise of collage.

When asked if she would return to making three dimensional work Uta is emphatic the she has found her medium, has so much more to explore and simply “must paint”. Fortunate for the art loving public I feel, as personally I look forward to watching Uta’s creative evolution and feel she is mining a vein of gold with these works.

In conversation with Uta about her work she talked about the experience of her family’s short history in Australia and that there is not the sense of generations connected to where she now lives - no graves to visit or family objects handed down from one generation to the next which is why a solid feeling of home is incredibly important to her. The objects in her paintings are deliberately magnified to lift their status as objects of importance and affection to her.

Perhaps some of Uta’s artworks become precious family objects, sacred to her clan that will be passed from one generation to another and priceless in their storytelling of this family’s’ journey from Europe to a future in Australia replacing the objects that could not be brought on that first journey to the new country.

In closing I would like to congratulate you Uta and Phillip on this gorgeous exhibition and officially declare ‘On the Farm’ open. Thankyou.

Penny's Hill Opening

Just a few random shots from Penny's Hill Winery today. A nice little crowd braved the 40 degree heat (104 degrees F). We are into the second week of those kind of temperatures and its wearing a little thin. Relief tomorrow but by the middle of the week the temperatures are forecast to rise again. Anyway today was nice. I got a little misty eyed over the wonderful opening speech made by Leah Grace (Arts and Cultural Development Officer - Alexandrina Council & Co-ordinator of South Coast Regional Arts Centre). We stayed on after the opening and had lunch and probably a little too much wine tasting. Nice air conditioned surroundings with lovely views of the countryside baking in the searing heat. The food was divine and the wine was a lovely accompaniment.

I Braved the Heat

Its been too hot to work in the studio so not much art has been done. I was getting antsy. I needed an art fix hehehe. I've been having a slight case of cabin fever creep up on me. We've had unusually hot weather. There has been no spring! Just straight into a summer heat wave. This means you close all windows and doors and pull the drapes closed and stay indoors. I have been going to gym in the mornings but that's it. So as you can see, the cabin fever is warranted. Well this morning I said "enough is enough". I stayed home from gym so I could spend a little time in the studio before it got too hot. I have one of those old water cooled coolers in the studio. I filled it with water and put it on high. I had it blowing right on me. I got in the 'zone' really quickly. Anyway 4 hours later I finished the piece I started before the heat wave. Woo! What a buzz hehehe.

The Tiled Floor

mixed media on canvas

50.8x60.9cm (20"x24")

I'm still not over the shoe thing. Think I still have one or two more in me. Wonder what that's all about. I got this off the net - SHOES : Shoes are symbols of your own personal determination to head in a particular direction. They tend to link to a wish to put a lot of effort into achieving something immediately. Well that fits!

Sob Sob

Its too hot to paint :(

Another Painting Finished

Another one done and four to go. Well that's the goal I set myself. Like most of my work these shoes are much larger than life size. They were really fun to do!

Shoe Fetish

mixed media on canvas

50.8x60.9cm (20"x24")

Very Hectic

I have been cutting back on my computer time. Its just really hectic for me at the moment. The good thing is there isn't enough time for me to eat things I shouldn't hehehe. I'm still getting ready for the Art at the Hart Artists Market. The organisers have also offered a free business workshop to help those of us who are marketing challenged to learn how to sell our work more effectively. I most definitely WILL be attending that. I have two paintings on the go at the moment. I hope to be able to show you soon. They are both about shoes of the high heeled variety. I seem to have a thing about them at the moment. Painting them not wearing them. I can't stand the discomfort of them any more hehehe. I suppose you could say I have a shoe fetish going on.

The weather is heating up and it looks like it will be too hot to work in my studio for the next four days at least :(. I will have to bring my work inside as I just can't have a break at the moment. Nor do I want to have a break at the moment. Its nearly 9pm but I think I will still do a little bit of drawing before hitting the hay.

Goldilocks

And someone's been sleeping in my bed and HE'S STILL THERE!

Do you think Jack looks stressed? Poor little darling all tired out from guarding me. But don't be fooled. He's ready to jump should anyone threaten me. Mmm well at least I think he is ...

Latest Work

Just fresh off the easel is another new work. I'm still on schedule. There's 5 weeks till my first art market and that means I should still be able to create 5 more pieces. That will make 10 new works for the market along with some older work in a style that I don't really do anymore.

I usually paint inanimate objects but I had this idea to paint a pair of really full lips. I then decided a vintage microphone will add to the story. My goal for next year is to practice some portraiture until I'm good enough to enter the prestigious Archibald Prize. Its the biggest art prize in Australia with the winner receiving $50,000. Check out this year's finalists here. This year's winner, Guy Maestri entered 8 years in a row before getting into the final 36 and then winning. The entries for the prize have to be delivered together with the entry form the first week of February so I'm hoping I will be good enough by February 2011. You got to have goals don't you? And you also need to try new things so for me that will be portraiture. Of course all kinds of new fears are surfacing. (What if I can't do it? Is it a waste of time? Shall I just stay with what I know? etc etc) Anyway the lips are a little practice piece. Lips are a start right? hehehe

Ooh

mixed media on canvas

50.8x60.9cm (20"x24")

I got Jack to pose with the painting so you can get an idea if its size. Of course you can see my neglected weedy garden in the background. I could've found a better place for the photo hehehe.