Busy As Hell...

Aaaw yeah! I've been busy!

And you know something, I've finally gotten art in two art galleries this year! 

Now, this is why I haven't been in here for a long time, and I do apologise for being so slack, but I gotta say, it has been well worth being slack in here as my hard work has paid off!

Not only have I got 2 paintings in the Logan Artists Association, but I have also got my Itty-Bitty Pin Cushions in the Logan Art Gallery Pop-Up Store too... two totally different places and they're great places to start my artistic life too. 

This year, too, I was booted from my art class on Mondays by my teacher, and he got into a lot of trouble for doing that - so I moved to another day of painting. This was the Tuesday Social Class... and they're a great group of people, who are just so chilled out that I can't wait to get back there next year. 

The best thing is that on 8th, December, I had 2 morning teas to attend - or choose from - and I attended both of them that day. I went to the LAA's one and the Logan Art Gallery's one too. It was most certainly a very busy day for me, but well worth going out all day for. 

Since then, I've gone out to a break-up lunch for the Logan Artists Association at the Runcorn Tavern on 11th December where we had a ball! And then, after that? Well, we've broken up for the year. While we're away, the Association is being worked on and improved by construction workers - yep, we're getting improvements done to the place. 

Well, I've been painting more and more over the past two weeks or so, and it's been great. All of my Christmas presents are bought, wrapped and under the tree.. and I'm stoked that I'm ready for my family's time of year to get together and hang out, swap presents and enjoy being with each other and catch up with what we've all been doing. 

Well, that's what I've been doing... being very busy since November. But in the New Year, there's going to be so much more going on and I hope you all stick around. Now, I'll be uploading more photos and work onto my website for Brunswick Heads, and I hope you all go and have a look at it in the next few weeks and months to come. 

Otherwise, until then, Merry Christmas and I wish you a very happy and safe New Year. And please do keep on creating throughout this time too.

New Paintings, New Website...

Yep! That's how things go with a new phase of a life... you start something new and different in your life, you gotta do up a new website.

Now, my Crafty Pegs website will still be there with all its cute stuff on there; but 'Brunswick Heads - My Second Home' will be a new one I have to show off my paintings as I finish them and display them. 

Okay... that's the news for now, I hope you enjoy the new website... oh! You need a link to the new site!

Brunswick Heads - My Second Home

And here you have it! Go, look and enjoy. 

More Paintings, Even Faster Now...

Since changing from Aaron's big classes on Mondays, I've been working so much faster than ever before. 

And this is great!

I've enjoyed the total freedom of jumping between two paintings while at the Social Painting Day on Tuesday mornings - same place and times, but different lot of people - and with a very laid back kind of way of looking at things.

So far, since going to this new group, I've finished 'Torakina' and started another painting, and I'm halfway through 'Shoes on a Fence'... which I'm thrilled with. Once I got the perspective fixed up on the latter one, I was fine. 

And it was all set for me next week. And I'm looking forward to painting while I'm at Brunswick Heads while holidaying down there as well early December. Yep, I'll be taking my tablet down there with me to get more photos of the township and more ideas for my exhibition and I'll be also starting some paintings while I'm down there too. 

Now, I've asked my Dad if he minded if I broke out my painting kit and he said 'No, whatever you want to do... it'll be great to see you in action.' He's never seen me start a painting before, only the bits and pieces of the painting when it's almost done. I think he'll like to see the bones of how it all starts up. 

I'll be doing some en plein air while I'm there too, to get into the feel of it all while I'm at the place. I mean, why not! It's such a pretty town, and very arty, it deserves to be painted in the daylight and not just from a studio with photographs. 

Well, I'm looking forward to starting new paintings while I'm at the coast and enjoying myself completely while I'm there - painting, reading and getting in and doing some knitting too at night - all the things which relax me. And then when I get home, I'll be painting, painting, painting and getting more of my exhibition worked out for the next year or so. So exciting, right?

What have you been up to lately? Anything new? Anything old? Are you making things for loved ones for Christmas? I am, but I'm not saying who I'm making things for because they read my blogs. Well, anyway, until my next post, keep creating!

Painting Faster Than Ever!

Well, it's been a really busy few weeks - and I'm still broke from some strangely big and small expensive things.

How weird is that? 

Well, give it another month, I'll be back on track financially - I know it. How? You see, I've been through this kind of thing before with money... I think we all have. 

But the main thing is:  I'm painting faster than I ever did in Aaron's class. Now, I'm not being mean to his teaching methods - he's good at giving out information; but letting me have my own style was way out of the question.

And that's the thing with teaching, you have to know when to step back and let the student have a go and add their own style to their work. I think he had a problem letting go and didn't know that I was trying to let him know our time was through - and besides I couldn't afford his classes anyway.

Well, I've finished The Picture House - finally! After 4 1/2 months of pushing and pulling with that painting, and much arguing over what was happening with shadows and where the trees were going, how it all looked and other small details, I just took it home one day and never brought it back in. I brought in 'Torakina' and that was it... it was a quarter finished. 

Now, it's 24th, October, and just yesterday I finished it! I love it and it's just how it's supposed to look too! It's got that fresh, lovely morning appearance with a storm brewing in the back hills - as it does at Brunswick Heads some days - and the fine grasses in the foreground not taking over the whole picture... which it's supposed to do.  I signed it and it looks great!

Then, I got in and worked on 'Shoes on a Fence'... a street scape, which has gotten a little out of hand with the vanishing point, but once I used some liquin on it, and scrubbed back some layers of paint to the acrylic underneath, I found where I went wrong. I learned that on YouTube... the different ways you can use liquin! Such a great product with more than one way to use it! 

So, it's October, and the paintings finished so far are:

The Surf Beach
The Harbour Wall
The Picture House
Torakina

The one I'm working on now is:

Shoes on a Fence

Now, that's not bad if you ask me... and I'm hoping to work much faster over the next month or two and get in and make more paintings from my tablet to get together my exhibition much faster. 

So, what have you been up to lately? I'd love to know. Until my next post, keep creating!

Different Strokes

Man, this past few weeks have really been a big thing for me in the way of changes.

First, I closed down the biggest part of my life regarding my Crafty Pegs hobby business, going to my very last market I'll ever do. But I still have the props and table cloths in case there is a need for a pop-up store to make some quick cash.

Then, I bought some great shelving for my house to store anything I need from around the house. This is still a work in progress and I'm still working out the cleaning up of the art area with it all. 

Now... well, I'm changing my art lessons from a Monday morning to a Tuesday Social Day at the Logan Artists Association. This is mainly because I can't afford Aaron's classes anymore - but there is a second reason: I think I have learned so much from him, that I can wing on my own for a while without a teacher hanging out and telling me what to do. 

Besides, I scored all those great art books from Oma's estate and they are a great resource for me to study as well - which will help me if I get stuck - and there's also youtube and other art groups on Facebook I'm a member of too.

So much going on in my arty world isn't there? Well, tell me, what's been going on in your arty world? A lot, not a lot? I loved to know what you've been up to. Until my next post, keep creating!

Moving On Now...

Okay... this sounds ominous and dreadful, but really it's not. I'm closing down a part of Crafty Pegs and it's just taken me awhile to do it - and I didn't want to drag it along with you guys being bored and buried in the details of it all over the past few months.

Last weekend, I attended my very last market at the Logan Artists Association and sold as much of my stock as I could... it was great! I had so many people wonder why I was closing down my hand-stitched works and the retailing part of my works as well. But really, it's me. It's time to move on and into the next phase and next area of my art world.

Crafty Pegs will be still going as a hobby business and I will still be working on new things I've been learning at art school at the Logan Artists Association. I still have some of my stock leftover, and it's all packed away for now, or until somebody wants me to sell it to them... or if somebody wants me to make them a particular type of pin cushion or a knitted dish cloth, I'll do it; but I'll be making things on commission instead of making a huge lot of things and then trying to sell it all.

It's more cost efficient and easier to store. 

Otherwise, I've bought myself some shelving from Stratco (a company here in Australia which usually builds garages and pergolas) and put them together and now they're in my hallway holding all my art gear - and other things from around the house; helping me make space where needs be. I've found it's all been great so far.

Art school is going really great. 

I'm continuing with the series of paintings about Brunswick Heads and have decided to include the surrounding areas - like Stokers Siding and Mullumbimby - to make it more interesting. And seeing I'm enjoying this so much, I thought if it takes off, I'll paint towns which are photographed more and paint them and their quirkier sides so people see how much of a difference a painting is compared to a photo. 

Sounds like fun, right? Well, until my next post, which will be filled with even more info than this one, I promise, keep creating!

A Long Time Between Posts

First off, I'm sorry. Really, I am. I have had a personal tragedy occur where it was out of my control and out of my hands; and I was thrown for a long time - and I just stopped completely.

I stopped writing, reading, cleaning the house... the only thing I didn't stop was eating.

Yeah, I eat when I'm depressed.

Anyway, I'm back, and I'm going to fill you in on what's been going on. 

I finished my last painting of the Surf Beach. It looks great! And I'm onto my next one of The Brunswick Heads Picture House. It's looking wonderful too! I'm really putting my heart and soul into it as it's keeping me from thinking about what's happened in the past month.

What's happened?

Well, my close friend, Hannah, committed suicide in the UK. She and I were close friends and she was battling what I thought was cancer - well, she told me it was cancer. But really, it was mental illness. It came to a head in the first week of May and ...

... well, the rest, as they say, is history.

I have good days and bad... today is a good day. I can talk about it without becoming a blubbering mess. Tomorrow, I might not be so lucky. 

All I know what to do is to keep on painting landscapes and writing books to keep my brain active and off the subject of how my friend died. I'm arriving at art school earlier and earlier every Monday and have been attending a Thursday night class as well. Anyway, it's early days and I'm still hurting;  but it's a slow process.

I am very sorry for not posting as often as I promised. 

This is my fourth painting of Brunswick Heads; and The Brunswick Picture House is almost finished... I wonder which other photo will be my next one? I'll see how it goes. Until my next post, keep creating.

Winter Challenge

Being part of an online, Facebook craft group is always fun. No matter what I'm doing in my personal life in the way of painting or craft, it's always appreciated when I upload it onto that group... and this year, I've been either painting or knitting; and they love it all.

And this year, we have had challenge upon challenge thrown at us. 

But I can only do one challenge thus far: the Winter Challenge; which is great.

I'm making a scrap scarf this year. 

This is where I've gotten other knitted pieces from my past, unravelled them, balled up the yarn and made something out of that scrap leftover... not a bad thing really. 

So, what have you made from scrap yarn? A beanie? A pair of gloves or a couple of wash cloths? The smallest things are always appreciated, right?

Well, I must be going and knitting again tomorrow... I've done my knitting for today. Until my next post, keep creating!

Woah! It's Been Months!

Wow! Was my last post really in January?

I can't believe I have been that lax in writing here, but really I have been very busy in my art/craft world.

Okay... here goes!

Last year, I resigned from the Queen Beez Craft Group after around 5 years of being a member there. I have totally enjoyed being a member and have learned a lot from those lovely ladies - but it is time I moved on and really did jump into the art school thing on a more permanent basis.

And speaking of the art school thing, I'm going to the Logan Artists Association every single Monday to get in and do some serious painting. So far, I've completed 1 painting and I'm getting right into my second one... not too bad for somebody who took over 4 months to complete their first painting last year.

If you recall, last year, I started knitting a large throw rug for my bed? Well, it's coming along really well! I've completed the centre square - at long last - and am now working on the pieces I need to fit around it! I've worked through 3 cakes and am about to go onto my 4rth one.  Not bad if you ask me... and now I'm looking out for another 2 of the cakes at $2.00 stores if I can find them to work on the throw; it shouldn't take me long to get all the pieces done. And my knitting is becoming faster too!

Over the past few weeks, I've been given about 13 - 15 used canvas' to use in my next exhibition of Brunswick Heads - which ought to be great! Aaron Pocock has looked at my photos - which were taken on my phone and on the tablet - and he said that I took great care in photographing the little arty township; and my passion for my subject shines through the photos. He also has told me that I have more than enough photos to choose from - from now and the past - to pick from to make a great exhibition for myself. What I have to do is get myself to paint faster; and he's teaching me all the tricks to do that. 

The best thing is that next week, my first painting for Brunswick Heads will be going into the Logan Artists Association Members Exhibition - Part II. It's going to be 'The Harbour Wall - Brunswick Heads' and I'm putting a good price on it. The opening is on 21st, April and I hope to see some of you there. Until my next post, keep creating!

The New Year

Welcome to the new year! 

And what a great one it's going to be!

I'm already back at art school - two weeks early - and halfway through my first painting for my newest exhibition; and in a few days, I'll be getting out there and buying another canvas (hopefully) and making sure I get in and start my next painting.
I'll need around 20 paintings done this year; and I'll have to learn to paint fast and well, to get them done. With my art teacher, Aaron, working with me, I'm sure I'll be able to work well with them.

Crafty Pegs will be working a little slower than I expected it to be. I'll be doing only the markets I can get into this year as my calendar may be a bit more full than I expect - but then I'll have to wait and see what happens yet.

I'm still making pin cushions - which will be sold at my exhibition next year with my paintings and I'm hoping I'll get in and work through my own barriers of how everything works out there. 

Well, that's the news of how things are going so far. Yes, this year is looking great, isn't it? How's your year looking in the grand scheme of things? All good? I hope so. Until my next post, keep creating!