Modelling Gig on My Birthday

Last Saturday, I had my first serious modelling gig; it was also my 40th Birthday.  However, it didn't go off without a couple of hitches... but once they were out of the way, my friends and I got into it.  By this time, it was around 5pm and we had music going, the place closed up and I was posing for 20 minutes at a time.  

I did 4 poses for 20 minutes each with a break in the middle and then my birthday cake was brought out.  It was made by one of my art guests.  Candles were lit, and photos taken, then we shared the cake between us.  Before long, we were all back at it with the art and drawing; and soon afterwards, we looked at the time and found it was going onto 9pm!  What a great session.  Coffee was made, served up and we all chatted about the session after I put the furniture back into place (and made my house look like a home again and gave them somewhere to sit down and chill out).  By 10pm, my art friends paid me for my time and I had had a wonderful birthday!  

My family couldn't be here for my birthday, so I did this on my birthday... lots of fun, art and cake!  What a great day!  Until my next post, keep creating.

Apologies From Me

First of all, I must apologise for not being here.  I've been off to hospital just last week for day surgery; and am currently recovering.  It's slow-going, but I'm a hell-of-a-lot better than I was last week when I couldn't move, let alone take any stairs.

This doesn't mean I haven't been crafty or arty.  I packed up all my painting gear for a bit and pulled out my knitting and sat back did some serious knitting of a new brown, fluffy scarf I'm hoping to get finished over the next few days for myself.  It's just lovely and I'll take progress photos of it, and a finished product photo too.  However, I'll update what I've been up to next week sometime when I get home as - you see - I'm at my brother's house at Brighton, and I don't have access to my Photobucket account here, whereas I do at home.

This means, I'll be updating my photos of what the paintings look like in my now-finished bedroom.  And instead of putting them all in the bedroom, I've spread them into the hall and the bathroom... to make the feel of them change the feel of the house.  My Mum loves how they just change the entire feeling of the room completely and softens the whole look totally.

Have you ever done this to accomplish a feel or a look to a room, a hallway or any part of your own place or another place?  Have you place a piece of art somewhere and the entire feel of the place has changed completely and made it just feel good, or different, or just so totally wonderful you wondered why you never thought of it before?  I knew I could get anything happening in my house with a change over of paintings... but when I looked around, the paintings I wanted weren't in any of the shops.  So, I created my own (as you can see) and they turned out lovely.

Well, that's about all from me for now.  I have to take a rest.  I've been going for some time now and it's time to kick back rest.  Until my next post, keep creating!

All Finished!

Over the last few weeks, I've been working hard on getting some new artworks done for my bedroom and its new furnishings.  And just last night, I finished up the last two paintings!  

I'm so stoked that these two are done as there were six paintings and I painted them from photographs - which is something very new to me.  So, here's a photo of them all finished up.

Six Flower Paintings  

Necklace Wall-Hanging is Complete!

Yesterday I was at my easel working on the wall hanging for my necklaces.  I wanted to get it finished and done before Christmas; and so I could also get it all done up and complete before the New Year.

Besides, I wanted to see if it worked.

Anyway, I worked through the afternoon on it until dinner.  Then, I took an hour's break and got stuck back into it and didn't stop until it was finished completely at 10:30pm.  Wow!  What a long time to be painting!  But then, I also sat through 'The Santa Clause 2' - a funny Tim Allan movie - to help me keep going.  Well, Here are the photos to it.  Hope you like it as much as I do.

Necklace Wallhanging1 

Necklace Wallhanging2  

Necklace Wallhanging3  

Now, all I need to do is hang it up on the wall in my bedroom and put all my necklaces on it with the Alligator clips.  I'm so thrilled at how it worked out.  Until my next post - and project - keep creating!

It's Finished!

After 7 months of working on it, my self-portrait is finally finished and signed.  I sat down yesterday and did up the finishing touches on it within about an hour and a half and I'm pleased with it all!  

However, it hasn't all been plain sailing with this complex works.  I have never done a nude before and I've never painted a self-portrait of myself where I'm a full-sized figure.  So, these were the main things that threw me; and why it took so long for me to complete it.  I also enjoyed the learning experience so much I almost didn't want to finish it.  But I had other things that were on my mind, so I had to complete it.

There were other faults with it, but if I didn't sign it, I would've been picking at it until Christmas.  So, I thought to keep it the way it is now and sign it - faults and all.  Besides, it's the faults that make a painting, if nothing else.  Well, I'm happy it's finished and signed now; and I can work on something else.  Until my next post, keep creating.

Necklace Wall Hanging

As I've been talking about, I have begun my next new project.  I've been so excited about this that I started it yesterday afternoon after I returned from the doctors.  And, once I finished dinner, I set myself up in the living room and kept going for another hour or so.

Necklace Wall Hanging - Part One 

I hope this works out the way I have planned.  If so, I'll make another one for somebody in my family. 

A New Project!

As I mentioned yesterday, I have an idea for something around the house; for my bedroom actually.  So, instead of sitting on it - mentally - I thought to head out to Garden City and see what I could find at Riot Art to make my idea a reality.

They had all kinds of things there; and I'm proud to say that - after about half an hour of mulling over scrapbooking split pins and jewellery chains and alligator clips - something clicked in my head!  I'd work on the painting... make it look great!... then, I'd attach the chain to the painting in strategic places with the split pins - putting them through the chain.  Then, I'd slip an alligator clip through between each split pin.  These alligator clips will hold my necklaces nicely and securely without destroying the chains or weakening at any point because they're metal.  The way I know is because I wouldn't attach my necklaces with the teeth, I'd use the little hole left just before the teeth begin... in between the jaw of it and the teeth, there's enough space for a necklace chain to go.

I know it's all in the planning stages right now, but I can see the finished product in my head.  This is my next project.  I know it will work; and I'll let you guys know when it's finished - complete with photos of how it's going.  Until my next post, keep creating!

Designing Things

Have you ever thought of designing something that you've never seen anywhere else?  Of course you have... you're an artist. 
Over the last week or so, I've been clearing out my duchess and tidying up my jewellery boxes and finding lots of necklaces that I'd love to wear if I only had them out to see.  So, what I'm going to do is design a hanger for them.  

Tomorrow, I'm going out to Riot Art at Garden City to buy a canvas to paint a lovely design of flowers on it.  At the centre of each flower is going to be a hook so that my necklaces hang off them.  Then, I'll be hanging this art piece off the wall.

All my necklaces will be out on display for me to look at and decide upon and not cluttering up my jewellery boxes or the duchess itself; making cleaner and easier to keep tidy.  I'll be able to dust it better too.

Have you designed something that has worked for you that you've never seen anywhere else?  If so, tell us about it by leaving a comment.  I'll keep you guys up-to-date about how mine is going.  Until my next post, keep creating!

Family Photo Collection - Progress Report

I've been working hard on the family photo project.  It's hard when you're trying to surprise people in your family; and yet you need their opinion on things.  
So, over the last few fortnights, I've bought some great frames at K-Mart for well under $10 each and they're working out great!  Then, last pay, I bought the big, family-sized, multi-photo frame.  It cost me only $12 and looks great!  It fits 8 photos and I'm very pleased as it'll fit Mum, Dad, Gabe, Kat, Riley and Little Miss Stevie (my budgie) and Jay (Kat's dog); as I'm hoping to put individual photos into that one.  This photo frame will be the first one done and hung.  I've already sugar-soaped the wall (and that came up cleaner than I expected!  And seeing I've been living here for 10 years, that's something!).  I've also made it habit lately no to lean on that wall so I won't bump any of the photos once this collage is finished; so that's something sorted out.  I already have an idea of where the large picture frame will go so I can build around it with the other smaller frames with other photos of family in them.  I do look forward to doing those gradually - seeing I already have the frames; and I'll buy the Command Hooks for a couple of them every two weeks as I order in prints as well.  Then, by Christmas, a majority of the collage will have been done!  

But today, I took the usb drive to Mum and Dad's place and told them what I was planning.  You see, Dad doesn't like his face showing up on Facebook - and for a good reason.  He thinks it's not a great thing to be too public on the internet.  Being a blogger, I'm a public person, but he's not so public with the net like I am.  So, I thought to make sure I don't put up too many photos of him on the net and this year, I did a Christmas present the whole family can enjoy whenever they want at my place.  And when I miss my niece (who lives about 2 hours away from me), I have all these photos on the wall to make me happy.
Well, I plugged the usb drive into the dvd player while we were sitting having something to eat and a cuppa.  Well, the giggles and laughs I got out of Mum and Dad were great!  They told me which photos were good and which ones for me to remove - and I will - and we ended up watching all 30-something photos twice over for another laugh.  There was even a funny one of my late Uncle Allan swimming with Mum in his pool where they were both pulling the same funny face and I happened to take the photo at the right time.  Mum loves it; and I think I'll give that photo to her in a nice frame separately.

Well, that's all for the family photo collection right now.  It's been hard getting the editing done online... seeing I had to put it off when my last computer broke.  I'm so glad I found time yesterday and today to get some of my family to look at the photos I've got so far.  I'm looking forward to getting something up on that wall and making it look like something of an art project in the making.  Until my next post, keep creating!

Plans September - December

I plan - like anyone does - and I hope that my plans work out.  But if I don't plan, I feel as though I have nowhere to go with my art.  And seeing the Home Festival was last weekend - and was a great success - I can work on the plans I have on for the rest of this year now.

For the last few months, I've been purchasing cheap - but nice - photo frames to make a family portraiture in my stair well.  It'll be of immediate family and pets; and so it'll take up the whole wall and consist of around 40 photographs.  Once I get the photos off the hard drive of my old computer from this year, I'll have something solid to work with and know exactly how many I'll need.  But right now, I'm looking for a retro-80's photo collage frame - one that holds a large number of smaller photos.  I hope Mum hasn't thrown hers out (I remember we had one once) and I'd be able to use it.

I also have some paintings I need to catch up on.  There's my self-portrait I need to finish the background of.  It's looking good and ought to be completed this weekend hopefully.
After that, I'm hoping to begin working on a new set of tiny paintings.  They are going to be tiny paintings of big things.  For example:  a tiny painting of the front grill of a Mac Truck... or a sky scraper of Brisbane reaching to the sky, or the Great Barrier Reef.  All on tiny, small canvas'.  So, I'll be needing to cut down some of my older brushes and getting one or two new detailing ones.  I do have photos of buildings of Brisbane... now to get them printed up at K-Mart - that won't cost much.  I'll get them done at the same time at the family photos.  I'm no in any hurry.  I'm hoping to get about 10 of these done by the end of next year and do them under a magnifying glass (I'll borrow one off my brother; as he has a few my Grandpa used to own in his older years).

Otherwise, I'm finishing up the larger blue blanket for friends who are having a baby and I'm hoping they'll like it.  So far, I've knitted up 3 little hats, 1 new-born hat, a green scarf, a red blanket and now this blue blanket... not bad for 5 months' work. 

So, what are you working on that has kept you busying this year - and will keep you busy for a while (like me?).  Until my next post, keep creating! 

Christmas Presents

Yep, you guys read right.  I'm beginning my hand-made presents now.  You see, from now until Christmas, the months seem to zoom by and I find that it's a lot easier to get in and begin my Christmas presents bought and paid for now than at any other time - plus I can sit back in December and have nothing to worry about except the grocery shopping.

This month, I've begun a set of dolly pegs for my brother and his fiance.  They're going well so far.  And I'm also knitting up a storm for a married couple I know who are having a baby in December - but their baby shower is next month - and so I must get their bits finished soon.

I'm hoping to get my niece an easel for her art works this year for Christmas to use from IKEA.  I bought one from there and I hope I can get another just like it so she can paint outside, inside or wherever she wants.

I'm not sure what to get Mum and Dad for Christmas... well, not yet anyway.  But the family gift is the family album on the wall of my home.  It's been fun to do and I hope it works.  I'll keep you all informed in how it turns out in the end - which will be closer to Christmas.  Well, until my next post, keep creating.

Melting Flowers Revamp

Since I've handed in my application for an exhibition at the Logan Art Gallery, I've been on pins and needles waiting for a reply; which I'll most probably hear about next month.  How nerve-raking!  

However, that doesn't mean I just sit around and do nothing in the artistic side of things.  I keep working on my work that will go into the exhibition I want to get in there.  And this is the painting which will be going into the exhibition - and next to the two drooping flowers further down the page.  This is the original painting which sparked off my thoughts for the retrospective of these flowers in the first place.

I have been kinda stuck with the close-up of these flowers; so I though to start fixing up this painting today.  I grabbed some music and turned it up loud.  In this heat, it was great to listen to 'Moonflower' by Santana on vinyl.  All that drumming was brilliant for my concentration... and the background looks fantastic, don't you think?

Old Work Becoming New Again.

Now, as most of you are artists yourselves, have you ever come across some of your work from the past and thought: 'I can improve on that without beginning another one.' and just worked on the painting, sculpture... or whatever piece it is; and improving it out of sight? If so, you'll understand where I'm coming from with this post.
I've picked up a couple of paintings from my past that I've done, looked at them and realised I rushed them. So, in the last week, I've sat down every afternoon and worked on them to improve on their structure and depth with wonderful results. The one I've begun on looks great! I can't wait until I finish it - which will be in a few weeks' time. Until then, I'll keep you all updated with reports on how it's going. Here's the first photo of it's improvement. First I'll put up what it looked like before I worked on it (I'm sorry I haven't got a better photo, but I forgot to take a before shot, so this one will have to do).

So, what do you reckon? Is it an improvement? Or have I made it look worse? Leave a comment and let me know.

It's Finished!

After four months of working and picking at my second attempt at my self-portrait, I'm excited to let you all know that I've finally finished it.  Yep!  I've completed the background, finished up the details and signed it!  On the back, I wrote down the music I listened to while I painted.  From the Red Hot Chili Peppers 'Mother's Milk' to The Eagles and Peter Gabriel - all on vinyl - every bit of their music has been wonderful and powerful in this piece that I've painted.

For the finishing touches, I sat outside this afternoon to make sure the colours were right and completed the background.  I tried to get the markings in the background as good as Van Gogh's; but didn't quite get them the way I wanted them.  As with anything, there's plenty to learn in the world of art.

Art In People's Homes

Last year, I did a post about artwork in my own home; and was amazed just how much I had hanging around the place.  I thought to kick off this month with the artwork I've found around one of my friends' houses last month; on Australia Day actually.  They've got great taste in it really and I wanted to share.

This painting was done by Geoff but I don't know where they got the mask.

 I really do enjoy visiting Geoff and Viv's home as he's always working on something arty... and has some paintings leaning against the back door that look great (which I didn't get a photo of as I don't know if they were finished or not).  

This one was next to the back door and above some paintings on the floor.

 I took these photos while everyone was either waking up or beginning to eat breakfast... me?  I had already scoffed down a bowl of cereal and was drinking my coffee and beginning to feel human just a little bit.

My favourite one of theirs... looks very evil in its green.

This last one is situated outside their kitchen and faces the front door; as though to welcome everyone with its happy grin - almost looking as though it's hiding a secret.  I do like this one very much for its colour and position in the house.

So, there you have it... some of the artwork in my friends' house.  They didn't mine me photographing it, and I'm sure they don't mind if it's here.  Until my next post, take care, keep knitting, painting and creating.