Progress Report

It's been a little while since I put up photos of my most recent painting.  It's coming along well.

New Work

I began another piece of work not long after finishing 'Curved'.  I just felt so inspired by it that I really wanted to get in and do another one.  So, I grabbed my forth piece of masonite I had laying around, sanded it down and painted it green.
I don't know what it is about that colour, but every time I've painted it a forest green, I've been able to work with it and get some great work out of it lately.  Also, since I have completed my first self-portrait, I can see newer things coming through in my work that I never saw before; and I love that.  

Great Art Opening at Barsoma's

Last night, I went out to Barsoma's in Fortitude Valley to see Geoff Treagus' art opening.  I traveled there early in the afternoon and found they hadn't arrived yet; and so the staff at Barsoma's recommended a cafe next door to them called Kerbside.  

This place looked like the owners had gone to every 1960's garage sale around Brisbane and dragged what they had bought there back to this large warehouse and placed all their purchases in a such a way that it would kinda fit... and you know it looks pretty good!  They had it all set up in sections.  I was sitting in the 'Ice Vo-Vo Lounge' area and the next one along was 'The Garden Setting' where all the garden settings were placed.  It all looked out of place; yet it all worked together really well!  So, I settled myself into the 'Ice Vo-Vo Lounge' in a nice old-style rocking chair with my latte and let the last hour of travel and walking around busy Brisbane city vanish out of my feet and legs as I dozed a little and sipped the lovely coffee milk.

By around 4:45pm, I had finished my latte and had gathered together my gear, sorted out my camera, backpack (as I was staying overnight at my friend's house after the opening) and I left.  The people at the bar of Kerbside farewelled me and I waved to them thanking them for a lovely coffee (the best thing about this place is that once you've seated yourself with your coffee and eats, the people leave you alone... you don't have to leave if you don't want to; and that's great!  You don't feel rushed to drink and eat your goods and get out - unlike some places I know).  

Geoff and Viv were on their way and I only waited outside Barsoma for a few minutes before seeing them.  We went around the back and they prepared Geoff's paintings with labels and his blurb about how he sees himself with his art.  After writing down the price list, we settled into the group setting that was reserved for his and her friends and got ourselves a drink each.  It was the first time that day they had sat down and relaxed.

Soon, their friends showed up and the pizzas were ordered (I had ordered my pizza first off because I was absolutely ravenous and when everyone saw mine, they wanted their own!).  Then, the place really began to fill up with a birthday party, diners and party-goers who were there just to hear the DJ play.  All this gradually occurred throughout the night until around 10:30pm when we all decided to take off as one by one we were beginning to feel the day catch up with us; after all, we had to catch a train to Thorneside, which was another 25 minutes away.  

This morning - after one of the coldest nights around Brisbane - I looked at my photos of the Barsoma opening and thought it was great to see all that great art there.  Congrats, Geoff for your art going public! 

Just a few of Geoff's paintings at Barsoma on Constance Street in Fortitude Valley.  They're all up for sale and are brilliantly painted.

'Curved' Finally finished!

After many different colourations and transformations of the same thing, I finally got this painting completed!  Today - of all days - I put the finishing touches on this small, yet complicated, painting I began a few weeks ago.  I knew what I wanted to do and found that it was a lot harder than I thought it would be; and yet a lot more fun too.

 So, there you have it:  a nice painting of light and shade.  Something I have never painted before; straight from my imagination and not from a book or a photograph either.  I've been told it's similar to something Jeoffery Smart paints; now that's a great compliment.  This painting (along with any others you've seen up here - excluding my self-portrait) are all for sale.  So, if you're interest, please leave a comment and we'll be able to talk more about your interest. 
Otherwise, have any of you painted something like this and amazed not only your friends but yourself too?  If so, please leave a comment and a link to a photo of it... let us know of your accomplishment.

A Lifetime of Practice

Some years back, I visited my Oma's house at Christmas-time.  She's a retired oil-painter and her studio used to have a huge amount of natural light until a church claimed that they owned the land next to hers and built a house right on the boundary blocking out the much-needed light for her work.  However, she had been painting for a long time; and she was nearing the end of her interest in it and had found the internet a lot more interesting.  But she did keep her studio exactly the way she had left it and showed me her work.  I saw one impressive piece up on her wall and asked what it was and she said it was her very first painting and she kept it to remind herself where she had begun; where she started her painting career.  She advised me to do the very same thing. 

And so, I do still have my first painting after thirteen years of painting with acrylics.  More recently, I pulled that first piece out to show one of my neighbour's kids when she said she wasn't any good at art and maybe shouldn't even try it.  When she saw it, she laugh at it saying it looked like something she'd probably do.  I said I was twenty-four when I did it; and then I pulled out my self-portrait from this year and and put it next to it.  She said that I had improved so much!  I said it's all to do with practice; the more you paint the better you'll get... like with anything (not only painting, it can be also applied to music, writing, knitting... the whole lot of things when you think about it).  I think I made her feel better about herself and what she wanted to do in high school.  

So, here are the two paintings that I showed my neighbour's daughter.  My first one from 1998 and my self-portrait from 2011; and yes, I have to also agree, it's a great improvement.

I painted this one out at a cattle station outside Roma, QLD in 1998, age: 24

I painted this one over 4 months Feb - May in 2011 here in Logan City, Brisbane, age 37.

So, when did you start out in your chosen artistic field?  How old were you?  Did you keep your first piece, or did you sell it?  If you've got your first piece still, leave a comment and a link to a photo of it so we can all see it; and a photo of your most recent piece as well so we can see how brilliant you've become.

Progress...

I'm happy with where this painting is going; even though it's my first one of a landscape that hasn't left me wondering exactly where it's going.  I love the angles and the gorgeous, solid colours that have come out in it.