Art Business

This art business is keeping me so busy. I hope to have time to do a proper post soon. Not much time spent in the studio although I have made a good start on my retro painting. More soon .....

Studio Update

As my studio is a shared space with Bob's man cave, I had to come up with a way of hiding the man cave mess. I thought cupboards would suit Bob better than shelving to hold all his stuff. You can shut the door on cupboards and not see the disarray. I took over the whole organisation of his space much to Bob's horror hehehe. I sorted all his stuff so it is now easy to find everything. I put all the painting gear together and all the plumbing and welding stuff all have their own space. The power tools are all together etc. etc. Bob had to admit he liked it. I have put a lot of time and effort into this and it still wasn't quite right. I decided I had to make a clear division between the spaces. I plan to have open studio during the SALA Festival next year and didn't want the studio to look like a corner in a man's shed. I ended up buying some old wardrobes which I not only used to create a wall but it also gave Bob more storage space.

my space as you first walk in the door

in the distance is my desk

walk around the shelves towards the desk and this is the lounge area

the lounge area showing off my new 'wall'

beyond the wall is the man cave

the lounge area showing one doorway into the man cave

the back of wardrobes painted make a good wall to hang artwork

that's my desk looking from the lounge area

and back around to the door that leads into the garden

I still have the yard in front of the shed to clean up. That's where I have put all the things that I decided to throw out. That is my next mission.

Hip Hip Hurray

I have had to work through a few things lately and haven't been my usual happy self. I have been whiny and self doubting and in the doldrums. With recent events I just felt, regardless of my hard work, I had taken a step backwards. I had set my goals and was checking them off the list. However being an optimist I never factored in that things might go wrong and that I would find myself taking a slight detour. Things, I might add, that were out of my control. Anyway, you all will be glad to hear that I think I have stopped sulking now and seem to be back on track. I am fairly certain that the whining is over.

I had a wonderfully productive time in the studio today. A new portrait is under way. I am new to portraiture and still trying to find out what works and what doesn't. I recently painted a portrait of granddaughter Zoe which I called 'Lineage-Zoe aged 8'. That got me to thinking that I could paint more of the 'lineage' by painting a portrait of daughter Julia, my mother Rosemarie and squeeze in another selfy. That would complete the four generations of the female lineage that are still alive. Its a huge undertaking for me and fills me with lots of wonderful fear. I have started on the portrait of Julia choosing to paint in the highlights and the shadows on an already strong coloured background. The picture below is what I have done so far. Not much to see yet but I am happy with the start I've made. Like I said, its an experiment and only time will tell if its going to work or not. What is important that I am excited about my artwork again and love spending time in the studio even though its cold in there as its a particularly cold and dreary winter.

Its Thursday

Its Thursday and you know what that means ... ART DAY! A whole blissful day lost in the studio away from the outside world. Wonder what will happen to the canvas today. I have decided to paint over the painting on the large 60"x40" canvas. I just can't get it to a place that I'm happy with. You have that sometimes. It just won't work so another painting will go over the top. I have this idea for 1950's diner table and chairs. I aim to use old diner menus in my background along with my usual layers of stampings and washes. Red chairs and a chrome and laminate table. Well, as Laura would say "I'd better bust a move" and get out in the studio. If you don't hear from me don't worry. I am safe. I would just be floating in the studio somewhere. Come and join me if you want. I will warn you though. Art is addictive!

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")

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.

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 ...

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 .....

On Thursday

As you know I spend time with my good friend Mignon Voysey on Thursdays. We spend time in my studio together as arty people like us spend way too much time alone. Its nice to have someone to share with. Mignon finally agreed to let me post a couple of her paintings and I also sneaked in a photo of her while she wasn't looking hehehe. A brand new canvas and she's just pencilling in before she starts painting. Mignon is working on a body of work that relates to a great passion of mine, food ha! And how food plays such an important part of our social activities. Hopefully Mignon will let me keep you up to date with her artwork.

as yet untitled

acrylic on canvas

60x32cm (23"x 13") approx

as yet untitled

acrylic on canvas

60.9x50.8cm (24"x20")

Bliss is a Day in the Studio

I had a great studio day today. I had a few problems with my painting early on and then suddenly things started to fall into place and I just had to keep going. I worked right through dinner. I didn't stop to cook. Bob came home and sat on a chair in the studio and we talked while I worked. We decided to get take-away which meant I could finish my painting. Too dark to take a photo of it so I can't share the new work with you yet. I haven't even thought of a title for it. Maybe I'll call it 'Shall I Put the Kettle On?' Ah all is right with my world.

Art Day

Alone in the studio day after day can be very isolating. You can't surround yourself with people all the time either as it tends to be distracting and not much creating gets done. Well I seem to have found a solution. I've invited my friend Mignon to come and make art in my studio with me so we can inspire each other. Yep, every Thursday is our art day where we create and talk about secret women's business hehehe. The beauty of this arrangement is that I know I can work with Mignon. We studied art at collage and uni together so spent many years sharing studio space while we studied. Today was our third session and its a lot of fun. Its great to have someone to bounce ideas off of. Our methods are so different that we get another perspective of our work. Its helping me to get back on track too. I managed to do the first layer of a new piece today and also came up with ideas to resolve another piece that's been hanging around the studio for ages.

On the deck chair front, number two is nearly finished. I just need to attach the new canvas. Two more to go. All this creativity is making me feel normal again. I was worried that I would never get back on track.

I'm working towards a two day art market that's on at The Port in the beginning of December. You always need to be working towards something so as to keep moving forward. Its time to start planning my goals for next year and perhaps set some things in motion.

The Photo Shoot

Here's the photos from my photo shoot with Julia. I'm in my studio wearing my painting clothes.

Photography by Julia Thomas http://www.juliathomasphotography.com.au/

Sneak Peek

As promised here's a couple of pics of my studio. Like I said its not finished yet so I don't want to show you too much. Maybe once its all done Julia will take a photo with her wide angled lens so you can get a better idea of how it looks. Below is a pic of my Dad's old work bench which he made himself. Its a real treasure. To the left of the picture is a work in progress and just behind that is the door to my garden. I had it open to let a little sunshine in. In the middle of the picture is a lovely old frame I want to do something with one day. It probably held a mirror at one time.

The pic above is a close up of my Dad's bench with all those lovely dents and marks all over it. The wood has that lovely used patina which makes it very inviting to work at. I have given it a nice polish so its nice and smooth to touch as well. Below are some storage shelves. I love old suitcases and find them a nice way to store various art and craft treasures. I want to make some luggage tags and write the contents of each case. Yes I know its my German-ness coming out. Neat and in order hehehe.

I don't have time to clean out the shed any further at the moment. I only have two weeks till all my work has to be finished and photographed and ready for Greenhill Gallery to put up on their web site. I'm trying to get a few new works in this exhibition so its work, work, work from now on. I love being busy with my art :)

Routine

I'm still not back into the swing of things being back on line. Its funny how quickly you get out of routine. Haven't posted or read all my regular blogs like I did before. I have however been on Facebook way too long. That has to stop. Its just that this shiny new laptop is so inviting and its so nice to use instead of my old stone age computer hehehe. Its amazing how much I missed all you guys. You have become so much part of my daily life that I don't like it when I don't hear from you :(.

Photos of the studio are coming. It just that its not totally ready yet. There is still some of Bob's stuff (junk hehehe) in my space and I don't want to show you till its all done. Maybe I can take a photo of a section of it just to give you a taste. I have an old work bench that my Dad made. He was a carpenter and a builder and there's lots of his marks left on his old work bench. Dents, scratches and dribbles of paint. I am now adding to them with my art stuff. Another generation of marks. I gave it a good polish and it looks lovely and used. So warm and inviting to work at. Maybe I will take a photo of that today. I have the easel that Bob made for me standing next to it with some work in progress on it. We've had a bit of cold weather lately and its been so cold in the studio. I don't go back out there after dinner as I'm just too cold.

Ok I've been sitting on the computer way too long again this morning instead of working. I'm just going to do a little grocery shopping as I didn't get to the market yesterday and then its off to the studio. Blue sky and a little sunshine promising me that spring is on the way, nice.

This and That

Zoe is coming for dinner tonight. Her Mum and Dad are going out to a comedy show so Bob and I are baby sitting. We are very excited because there's no school tomorrow (pupil free day) which means Zoe can sleep over and go to the market with me tomorrow. Zoe still loves to sleep in grandmas bed. I wonder how long before its not cool to do that any more. I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

I went to Ikea today with my Mum and Julia. We had lunch there. I love those Swedish meatballs. I must confess I did buy something. I bought one of those tables specially designed to hold a laptop. Yes I'm getting ready for the new laptop. As soon as I get the money for the artwork I sold I will be off to buy me a brand spanking never been owned by anyone computer. I will be able to talk to the world from the comfort of my warm bed on a cold winter's morning or from the garden in springtime.

The big shed cleanup is finally getting closer. The holdup has been taken care of. I'm going to be ruthless and throw out everything that's not nailed down hehehe. Then I'm setting up my brand new studio. I've outgrown the corner of the bedroom and need somewhere I can make a huge mess. I say shed but its really more than that. Its quite a large workshop that my dad built complete with its own toilet. I think Bob is worried that I will never come inside again. Maybe he's right.

Full Days

I've been so busy I haven't been on the net for a few days. Number 2 grandchild, Evan had his second birthday party yesterday and number one grandchild, Zoe has chicken pox. Poor Zoe was quite upset that she couldn't go to Evan's party. She has changed schools recently and was invited to a birthday party of a new school friend but she couldn't attend that either.

I haven't had time to do a lot of artwork. My days have been very full. Going to appointments with Bob and generally helping him to recover takes more time than I imagined. Plus I'm trying to clean out the shed. We have a very large shed that's been used for storage for quite some time. It has got into a real mess and I'm trying to get a little control of the chaos in there. The aim is for me to have a real studio space and for Bob to have an organised area for his work. I say organised because Bob tends to be a bit of a mess and I'm determined to enlighten him on a tidier and more organised existence hehehe. That's a huge task in itself. I'm sure the older I get the less hours there are in a day. I don't seem to get as much done as I used to. Or is it that I'm just trying to fit too much into one day?

Julia has lent me a computer screen. Mine was getting impossible to deal with. It was so dark even on the brightest setting. Now I can see so much more and can't wait to look at every one's art. I will be able to see all the details, yay.

Well we've had our dinner so I'm going to spend some time at the easel before I get too tired.

Phew!

Its been a hectic few days of cleaning and weeding and generally getting things ready for Christmas. Some of the cleaning didn't need to be done now. However while I was at it anyway I thought I'd to do those things I neglect because its much nicer to spend the time at my easel. You know those things that make you feel guilty, the things that leave that nagging thought in the back of your mind. Well its done now YAY!!! You know what I find strange, the more you clean the more you find things that need cleaning. Maybe the clean bits make the dirty stand out more hehehe.
Tomorrow I will start preparing some of the food. Make some potato salad and some roasted pumpkin salad (the recipe I got from my friend Deb). I always ask her to make it whenever we go to her place for a barbecue. Its got roasted pumpkin (obviously) and rocket with a dressing of olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, walnuts and chives YUM!!! I might have to sample some. You know just as a taste test hehehe.
I am missing my art :(. I can't wait to get back to the easel. It seems so long since I've been there. My friend Laura has been in her studio (lucky lady). I don't know how she does it. I just don't find the time with Christmas preparation.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Spring Is My Favourite Season

The last few days have been great. I've been able to lose myself in the studio. Had cooked enough dinner for two nights so didn't even have to stop to cook last night. It was hard to come back down to earth though. Does that happen to anyone else? Hopefully I should finish the Italian piece today. I'm thinking the title will be "Tuscany Looks Nice This Time of Year".

Looks like rain today. We could use it. Garden is already dry and its just in the start of spring. So many blossoms on my peach tree and they are turning into tiny peaches (so cute). Orange tree is so full of blossoms this year. With the jasmine, orange blossoms and wisteria all blooming at the moment, the garden is so fragrant. I open the windows and let the scent inside. I love spring!

The Shed

Is it just me or is time moving more quickly than usual. Hasn't been anything on the news about this scientific phenomenon so maybe its just me that thinks so.
There's been a few family issues of late. One involving my sister Ilka and another involving my daughter Julia. Too personal to discuss here but I can feel their weight on my shoulders. I'm very worried and saddened but trying to keep positive thoughts going.
Had a couple of bouts of overeating grr! I've been doing so well and then I made chocolate chip cake for Bob's birthday. My thought patterns are this: if you are going to have a piece of chocolate cake you might as well eat chocolate and biscuits and all those other naughty things you know you should keep away from. Chocolate chip cake is all gone now and I've vowed to get back on the straight and narrow.
After gym today I'm finally going to start clearing out the shed. I need my new studio space as I've truly outgrown the space I'm using now. I know it will take some time to clear the shed properly but it will be worth it. Artwork will probably be on hold for awhile although I know I will have to spend some time on my art otherwise I'll get really grumpy. My need to create is as strong as my need to breathe sometimes.
Wish me luck as I head off into the uncharted realms of the shed. If you don't hear from me soon, send out a search party. Yes the shed is that bad. I might need to leave a trail so I can be found in case I lose my way.
Off to gym first.

Paper Work

Yesterday was a day of catching up on some paper work. The way I figure it, if there's paper work you must be going forward. I wrote the proposal for an exhibition I'm planning to have with Julia and Zoe. Three generations of women. Worked on updating my CV and making it relevant to the proposal.

I also finalised the details for the artist in residence position coming up in the end of July at Naracoorte Primary School. I'm really looking forward to this one. I will be showing 350 primary school children (ages from 5 to 12 years) how to do collage. They each will get the chance to create a collage on a stretched canvas and the school will be having an exhibition in the art gallery. What fun, getting paid to play for a whole week.

I have a weekend workshop coming up in the beginning of August and I'm nearly organised for that as well. Just need a few more supplies.

My SALA exhibition plans are all coming along too. Just need to finish off the invitation. That's today's job.

The money I will be earning is going towards reclaiming our huge shed. We had it set up as a pottery studio and when we stopped doing that it just became a dumping ground and storage facility. Well I'm getting in some very big garbage skips and am going to be ruthless and throw everything out and turn it back into a studio. I had dreams of buying a new computer with that money but decided it would come to better use cleaning out the shed. I think its the next step in becoming more serious and professional with my artwork. I need a bigger studio space. A place where I can invite people to come and play with me. Some comfy chairs in front of the fire place (yes the shed has a fire place) to have a cup of coffee surrounded by art stuff, now that's what I call bliss.