Hello Cyber Buddies

I am still alive. I am still here. I think about you (my cyber buddies) everyday. I miss you guys. My fault I know. With things getting busier and busier on the art front I was finding myself with less and less time to fit it all in. Now that doesn't make sense as you always have the same amount of time but what you do with it changes. I was spending more time on the business and promotion side of art and my studio time was suffering. Now I couldn't have that! No point trying to get your work 'out there' if you haven't got any new work to show 'out there'. As I do the bare minimum with regards to household chores I couldn't cull any more time from there. The only thing I could glean some extra time from was the time I spent on the computer. Its not only a time waster but its addictive! I have now got into the habit of checking emails and Facebook quickly once a day and gave up all the rest until I got on top of things. That's a lie. It wasn't till I got on top of things but rather till I got in control of my computer addiction hehehe.

Work is going well. I have been trying to get my work interstate. Adelaide has a good art scene but Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are so much bigger. Its true what they say, Adelaide is like a big country town compared to them and I felt I needed to get my work out further. I didn't have any luck no matter how many galleries I contacted. No one even acknowledge that I was alive let alone an artist. Hard to keep your chin up and keep going. But I did keep going and now I have a solo exhibition opening on July 1st in Melbourne WOOHOO! I ignored the little things like how to get the work there and how to pay for it all because if you worry about these things you end up doing nothing. I had to trust that things would fall into place. So far they have. I sold some work and that covered the exhibition costs and my friend Mignon is coming on a road trip with me to deliver my work and be there for the opening. Mignon's husband, David has arranged all our travel plans so all we have to do is pack the car and go! Couldn't have done it without them and I am humbled by their willingness to help.

The other thing I have done is registered for 'open studio' through the South Australian Living Artists festival (SALA). The festival is on every year. You have probably read about me rambling on about it before. My art buddies Mignon and Mandi are joining me. The festival runs from the 5th to the 28th of August but we decided only to open for two weekends. I can't wait. It should be fun. Hopefully we will get some visitors. I had to have a big clean up of course. Re-organised the space I share with Bob (Mr Messy) and had a big, big throw out. I was ruthless! Threw out nearly everything that wasn't nailed down. WOO what a cleansing experience. Also for SALA: Mignon lives right across the road from some trendy cafes. The cafes and other tendy shops have got together and hold a street party every year to celebrate SALA. The street is closed to traffic while art, music, food, wine and feel good vibes flow easily. Mignon's front verandah is the perfect place to display some art while the street party is on. Of course we will entice people to have a look with some free wine and nibbles.

But that's not all! I recently contacted another gallery here in Adelaide. I had a meeting with the director and her assistant just before easter. And guess what??? They liked my work so much they have offered me an exhibition. And guess when??? THROUGH SALA! So as you can see, I shouldn't be sitting here on my butt in front of the computer. I should be at the easel. Busy busy busy. Am I rich and famous yet??? Maybe not but I'm living the dream :)

Time Demands

There seems to be more demand on my time than ever before. Or is it that I am getting slower and don't realise it? Is it really February already? I took some time off anyway. I went to Naracoorte for the weekend for their annual Taste Festival. And taste I did. I over indulged in food and wine and thoroughly enjoyed letting my hair down. It was good to catch up with my best buddy Vanita. Good food, good wine and good friends ... great combination. Bob stayed home. He felt he couldn't take time off work.

Now its back to business as usual with me running around like a headless chook. The Moran Portrait Prize has come around quickly. I can't believe its been a whole year since I entered it. I really wanted to enter it again this year. I have started a portrait and I will see if I can get it done in time. I only have about 10 days to do it and as I'm not very skilled in portraiture I am not sure how I will go. I'll give it a go anyway. Now how I am going to raise the entry fee and transport costs I don't know. I won't think about that yet. I will just turn up to the easel and see what happens.

SALA (South Australian Living Artist) Festival registrations opened yesterday. I am going to register and have 'open studio' this year. It has been a goal of mine since 2009 and finally this year I am going to do it! I figure if I register I will just have to be ready, no excuses. I have asked a couple of art buddies to join me so it should be fun.

I have a couple of new paintings that are nearly finished and hopefully I will remember to take some pics of them today so I can share them with you.

A full day of juggling home duties, studio time and grandma obligations today. Will I manage to do it all??? Probably not. Will I care??? Nope!

Re-Introducing Myself

Hello all. I seem to have wandered off the blogging trail. Its almost like I need to re-introduce myself. Hi my name is Uta, I live in Australia and I eat too much hehehe.

Just wanted to let you all know that the terrible flooding you would have heard about or seen on tv is not near us. It is in another state. All the loved ones in that state are ok (thank goodness) and so are their houses. Its just too horrible to talk about. I have never seen anything like it and I get really emotional when I think about all those people and animals. Zoe (granddaughter aged 9) is joining a group of friends and attempting to roller skate 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to raise money for the flood victims (through donations and sponsorship). Its on tomorrow and its forecast to be hot, poor things.

On the art front, this year has gone off with a bang!!! Last year was a bit of a fizzler. I really didn't produce much and spent too much time trying to get a hang of the business side of things. Without too much success I might add. This year however, doors are opening everywhere and I am trying to have a peek through all of them. Peek ha, I am trying to go through all of them and all at once hehehe. I had an email from a winery in the Barossa Valley asking if I would be interested in exhibiting with them during SALA (South Australian Living Artists Festival) this year. Ha ha, me??? interested???, OF COURSE I AM!!! And they asked me!!! I will find out for sure in the second week in February if I got the gig. The SALA Festival is on every year in the beginning of August. And for those of you who don't know its when the whole of South Australia turns into one big, fat, juicy art gallery. Every wall, every nook and cranny has art on display from galleries, to coffee shops, restaurants, hairdressers, boutiques AND WINERIES just to name a few. I have already decided to have an open studio sometime during SALA which will allow people to come and have a look at what I do. The street where my art buddy Mignon lives always has a street party for SALA and we decided to have some art on display on her front verandah for that event. Just before SALA I am having a solo exhibition in Melbourne (my first interstate). So that is four events (including the winery, I feel confident) that I need art for and they are all around the same time. I don't have that much art in stock. I need to work my butt off! Weeeeeeeeeee! Wish me luck. I estimated that I will need to do two paintings a week to have enough work. I can do one a week while still maintaining the household chores etc. So you know what that means? The household chores will not be done very often between now and then. Oh boohoo.

I will try to be a better blogger again and let you all know how I am doing in my frantic efforts to jump through all the doors that have opened for me. I have missed all you guys!

This Year's Goals

My goal for this year was to enter some major art competitions, experiment with new techniques and to try my hand at some portraiture. So not a great deal of finished artwork has happened but I have leant a lot both at the easel and away from it. I also have entered quite a few major art competitions but as yet I haven't got into any of' them. I am getting used to the rejection hehehe. There are always so many entries and only 30 or so places. Its really like winning the lottery.

The SALA Festival is well and truly over. Its been great seeing so much art. Some inspiring and some not so hehehe. The thing that takes most of my time is the whole promotion thing *add groan here*. I know art is meant to be made for art's sake but in order to move forward I need to continue to get my art further and further afield. Searching for the right galleries, the ones that suit your style of work, is many hours of research. Trying to get the galleries to respond to your enquiries is hard enough let alone accept your work. A simple "thank you for your enquiries but we are not accepting any new work" does not take that long to email people!!! The energy it takes to stay positive and retain confidence is really hard going. Most of the time I am ok but sometimes I slip and feel sorry for myself hehehe.

The other day I thought I'd better pull my finger out and actually finish a whole painting. I still have a passion for still life painting so more mundane everyday objects will become my models I'm sure.

Mushrooms

mixed media on canvas

50.8x60.9cm (20"x24")

Happy in my Art Space

I've been spending a lot of time staining and altering paper so I have some in stock. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of an artwork and running out of paper or not having enough to choose from. Planning to start a new piece today YAY! I still get excited about it. Also starting the next book on the Artist's Way journey today, Finding Water.

Having my first solo exhibition at Naracoorte Art Gallery as part of the SALA Festival (South Australian Living Artist Festival). Opening August 1st. It was meant to be an exhibition showcasing 3 generations of women artists, exhibiting work from my daughter, granddaughter and myself but the gallery board decided that they wanted a solo exhibition instead. So its a bit sad on one hand and exciting and scary on the other. We are still planning to have our combined exhibiton. Just looking into another venue for some time this year I hope.

Off to do some mundane chores and then off to my art space to play.