Baby Goodies

I've been busy over the last few months knitting baby goodies for friends of mine.  From the moment I found out, I dug out all the knitting patterns I had and found bonnets, hats and any yarn that looked lovely and tri-coloured to knit something original and useful.  

And now, I'm up to my last piece:  a second baby square.  I've knitted up one and it looks lovely and cuddly and very much something a parent would use to spread out on the ground to keep baby off the dirt for a moment to change their nappy or to put into the bottom of the pram to add a little more warmth over a cooler day before other covers over their bundle of joy with more covers to keep them warm.

I've also knitted three 6-month hats with a loop on the top so it's easy to pull the hat off if they need to.  And there's one sweet little new-born hat with a loop on it too - just in case when little baby's born, the weather is cooler than expected (as their little one's due in December; and if you remember what Christmas in Brisbane was like last year, you'd all agree it was a little on the cooler side).

I hope you guys enjoy seeing the almost completed pressie I've got for my friends.  It's taken me over three months of solid knitting at night - and during every afternoon (including weekends) to get this all done!  The baby blanket/square too me around 6 times to get started; with the stitch I wanted to use.  And it's turned out wonderful!  

Baby Pressie - 1 

Baby Pressie - 2 

Baby Pressie - 3 

Baby Pressie - 4

Fresh Paint!

Last Wednesday, I was on the bus going shopping when I spotted some new outsider art on a fence.  I was so excited that I wanted to photograph it, but the bus was traveling too fast to catch it!  Darn!

So, today, I was out taking a walk to the chemist to buy some antihistamines when I came upon and took some photos of it and some other graffiti that was behind the shops where a gate was open!  How wicked is this find of great, fresh art?  I even found a tribute a young man who died in a car crash 6 months ago that I spotted around the same area; and thought it needed to be shown.  Enjoy!

 

 

The tribute to the lost young man.

This work can be found along Kingston Road near where Pet County used to be, on the same side of the street.  It's great work.  Until my next post, keep creating!

Clean-Up Time!

Today, it was time to start cleaning up the house - as it's a long weekend with two public holidays and plenty of time to myself.  So,I got in and cleaned out my art area.  It looks a lot better don't you think? 

So, what are you doing this long weekend?  Cleaning up your art area, painting, photography?  Love to know. Until my next post, keep creating!

Back On My Feet!

Doesn't it drive you to distraction when you turn into a clutz overnight?  Well, that happened three weeks ago when I tripped down the last two steps in my house and broke one of my toes in my left foot!  Now, a day or so ago, my niece has done the very same thing to the same toe on the other foot!  However, she did it during Tae Kwon Doe.  At least she wasn't being a clutz like her Aunty.

And now, I'm able to get around my place - and go some distance - without the use of the walking cane, I'm able to do some gardening and get into the painting again.  I'm absolutely stoked to work on at my easel by the back door!  However, over the last week - while I was still resting up a bit - I sorted out my paintbrushes; and tossed out three-quarters of them!  Yes, I had that many dreadfully old ones in the containers that I didn't realise they had built up.  So, into the bin they went and the small handful I had left are the ones I have to use.  There's another five or six that are in another container of medium-sized brushes and larger brushes that are contained with the paint - and within easy reach. 

So, I've bought new brushes, sorted out old ones, started painting again and have enjoyed working on my self-portrait again.  And it's always good to have new brushes to work with when you really do need them; especially detailing brushes.  Now, it won't be long until it's finished and I can work on the next painting - which is also half finished as well.  This one is one I worked on while I was sitting in the lounge one day and I got an idea for it while I had my foot up... so I sat there with some paint, water and brushes and worked on it while watching television.  After two hours I had gotten some really great work completed.  I haven't taken a recent photo of it yet, and will upload one soon.  Until my next post, keep creating!  

Out of Action

I've been out of action this week... not in any horrible way, just a broken toe has slowed me down.  So, instead of working on my portrait (which is still sitting by the back door under an old tablecloth awaiting completion; and new detailing brushes), I've been knitting up a storm in front of the television.  

I was hoping to get a few good feet going on the scarf, but I haven't.  I have got a few inches... hehe... funny how it all goes to waste when you think you're going to get something done.  But my foot is healing well.  I have been watching some shows and movies on dvd that I have forgotten about and I've been reading as well.  So I'm glad I'm catching up with a few other things that have been neglected.  I'll soon be back working on my paintings and other arty things too. So, until my next post, keep creating!

Yarn Sale!

On Saturday, Mum took me out to Spotlight at Logan.  Now, there used to be one closer to me over near Springwood, and I could bus it there, however a big Home-maker Centre opened up about a kilometre up the road and I'm unable to get there because the buses just don't go there.  Strange but true.

Anyway, Mum phoned and offered to take me there for a look around.  So, I moved some money from one account to another and got ready to go and she picked me up.  We grabbed a trolley and started looking around this place.  
Now, for those of you who have never heard of this place, it's where you go if you want to decorate a new home with lovely things, redecorate an old home with better things or just recreate your own character with a few well-picked items.  Me?  I usually head straight for the hobby section where the tapestries, knitting needles and crochet hooks are.  Fortunately, I had a trolley with me - and not a basket - as I found a lot of knitting yarn that looked and felt gorgeous; and yet it wasn't expensive.  I grabbed a couple of 100gm balls in a lovely lavendar colour and thought that was what I could afford.  When Mum spotted them, she was astounded and asked where I had gotten them.  
That was when all sense went out the window... honestly.  We came out of Spotlight with around $70 worth of yarn (including some for her; and that was about ten 50gram balls; the rest was for me), a lounge cover for my lounge, a set of red double bed sheets and two bath towels.  Yep, we worked out her credit card, well and truly.  So, I offered her a coffee downstairs at Gloria Jeans... and she accepted.  It was a great afternoon of looking, perusing and laughing between us.  And aren't the colours of the yarn just gorgeous?  I will show you what projects will be done with each lot of colour/texture as they come up in future posts. Until my next post, keep creating. 

'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.

Local Mural Work

About two weeks ago, I was out checking the mail, and thought to take a wander down the pathway between the house and the set of shops as I had noticed a mural there for some time.  What I found there was gorgeous and suited the area well!

Behind me is a cul-d-sac and a park which leads to Park Road.  This large mural is totally suitable for the area; keeping the industrial wall from interfering with the residential feel of the area.

Update On My Work

I've been so focused on my portrait lately that every time I work on it, it changes so much.  So here are some more photos of it since the last time you saw it.

I put this outside to see what kind of light I could get on them.  And found it picked up colours in the painting!

Most recent photo of my portrait... got a long way to go.

 I'm currently working on the hair and adding more detail to the mouth, cheeks and chin; otherwise I'm hoping to get it finished in the next few weeks.

Industrial Desire

Last night, I went out to the Industrial Desire Art Opening at the Logan Art Gallery; and what an opening it was!  In the car park a whole of of hotted-up and pimped cars from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's pulled in and parked at around 5pm.  People from the public pulled out their cameras and took photos of all these old and gorgeous beauties.  There were Plymouths, Mustangs... and even a low-riding one where a few people wondered how its rear end didn't hit the road.  They were well-cared for and sounded loud and mean!  I took so many photos of them as the light disappeared on us and the temperature dropped that soon, we all went inside the art gallery and had a look at the art which was a link from the cars to what was hung on the walls; and it was all photographs and painting done by Dale Haberfield, his exhibition called 'Saints and Sinners' which took him across the globe and back to photograph all kinds of cars and people in the Rock-a-Billy lifestyle.

In the next gallery was a display of Concept Cars from Detroit.  These are from a selection of concept cars from a College of Creative Studies, which ignite a sense of imagination and possibility of where the car industry may go in the future.  The cars displayed were all quarter-sized and looked amazing!

There were two other artists in the opening.  One was of sock puppets in the Children's Gallery and the other was of a collection of contemporary jewelery and small-scale sculptural metal works of Lisa Brian-Brown, Katie Stormonth and Andrew Lowrie explore the seductive qualities of surface in the first gallery.  It was a very full night of art and people; and by the end of it, I was very tired but had a lot of photos I was proud of.

Self-Portrait

Over the Christmas/New Year period, I've been considering doing my own self-portrait.  It's not something I've sat down one day and thought on the spur of the moment about, it's been niggling at me for a while now.  However, I have the problem not knowing the first thing about how to get into it.  I don't know how to draw; and only how to paint, which isn't out of the ordinary as a lot of artists around the place are self-taught.  

I've never been to art school/college and have learned through trial and error how to paint and work with art materials... learning that a little bit goes a long way.  So, when I attended some life drawing classes, I found that the way one person drew the model wasn't the same as the next; so there's no set standard - as I thought there was - and I from there I wanted to learn as much about drawing as I could.  

The best thing came along around March last year when one of our dear family friends' moved from their home and into a retirement village. They really didn't wish to, but needed to.  They had to give some of their furniture to family and friends; and sell some of it too.  Then, the wife opened up two boxes of books - folders - of books on drawing and painting.  These were old editions from when newsagencies began selling the artists editions weekly.  There were about nine folders and they covered absolutely everything there was... and I've yet to find the sections I need on drawing a portrait in them.

So, once I get my portrait started, I'll be posting photos of it up here; to show the progress.  I hope it will be as good as - and as challenging - I hope it to be.  Have any of you done your own - or anyone else's portrait?  If so, how hard is it?  How long did it take; and what medium did you use?

Christmas Capers.

Well, it's that time of the year again where we run ourselves broke looking for the one or two pressies to give our loved ones.  This year, I stuck with nice, basic presents for everyone; things they needed and also things I needed also.  However, over the next few weeks, I'm not going away on holidays - as planned.  Seeing it's been so wet and the usual storms are coming thick'n'fast, I thought it would be safer - not to mention dryer - to stick around home and get into my paintings and collage.  So, over the next few weeks, through Christmas and New Years, I'll be putting up photos of my work as I'm working on it.

Otherwise, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very arty New Year.  I hope you all keep yourself busy at this time of the year with whatever projects you've gotten into and keep yourself safe too.

Progress - Slowly But Surely

I've been working on my 'Love, Hate and Vampires' collage and as I left it alone for a little while.  And so last night, I gave it go while watching a movie on television (my DVD player's broken).  And look how far it's come from the first photo of the first work on it.
I'll install a finished product here with all the photos of progress from beginning to end; so you can all see where it came from and how it finished up.

How I Began With the Arts

I love working with all kinds of mediums when it comes to art.  I started off being a glass painter and having to buy a mask for the toxic fumes the leading put off.  It was a fun and very addictive art form.  Then, I did glass painting again; but used different kinds of paint... it involved brushes and a very steady hand. 

This lead me to painting on canvas.  But I didn't pick it up straight away; instead I took an 8-hour bus trip out to Roma in Central Queensland and was taught to paint by a wonderful woman... my then boyfriend's mother, Gail Humphreys.  She was a great artist when I knew her; and taught me the basics.  Dan was so proud of my first painting and I still have it around here somewhere (I'll never part with it or the other three I did that week).  She was so proud of how I picked it up so quickly.

Not long after I returned from Roma, Dan suggested I try to get some work in an art gallery.  He looked around for me and said that the Logan Art Gallery was looking for volunteers... I didn't know at the time that there was an art gallery here in Logan; so I drove there and met the curator at the time (Julian Bowran).  He welcomed me with open arms and I was on the roster immediately; and it was even better that I had a car!

Years passed and I learnt more about art.  There were installation days I was allowed to walk around and watch them hang the paintings.  Sometimes, I'd even pick out a detail in something that wasn't installed right and Julian was impressed and relieved somebody had picked the mistake (it would have been embarrassing on Opening Night if the smallest thing was wrong).

My art got better and I painted more and more when I left home on my own.  It was then, in my 30's I began working with collage and mixed media.  I enjoyed the texture of it and how it conveyed more than just plain old paint.  I tried out the style of artworks where you find stuff on the side of the road, but because of the lack of space, I couldn't do it.  So, collage with little things was the best thing for me.  And those things aren't hard to find in charity stores or in Council Pick-up days.

In the last month, I've painted a Traffic Signaling Box near my house.  Mum helped me and we had a ball!  It's so much fun when you take part in a community project; and it helps make your area look better.  And I've had such great feedback about that box since it was finished; so much so, I'm determined to do another one.

Art is something I've always loved; and will probably will always do in my life - as well as writing and love books - and so since I'm in a house full of arty things, I'm sure I'll be recognised for that one day as well in some small way; even if it's just my family who loves it and nobody else.

TSB - Day Five. The Finishes Touches.

This morning, I woke up and found I was feeling very sick.  It had been a hot night and was turning out to be a sticky day.  Well, that's the beginning of Spring here in Australia for you.  But after I had some breakfast and a few glasses of water, I was well enough to get into going to finishing up the TSB across the road.

Mum and I arrived there at around 11:30am or so; and it was already a pretty hot day.  I had put on sunscreen at home,

but I could still feel myself being burnt an hour later; and the heat of the sun was really getting to both of us even though there was a nice breeze.  

But today, I had been asked to paint up the Top Hat section of the box.  This is what we left blue last time.  This is to really make sure that this box doesn't get tagged again.  so, I designed a template for a sun and some rays to come off it last night, cut them out with some small scissors.  We

had some funny times drawing on the sun as the Top Hat section is taller than both of us.  And so, when it came to me doing the main painting of it, I had to pull the paint out of the box, flip it over and stand on it (as we hadn't brought a ladder!).  The trials of being a shortie!  I tell ya!  But we had our fun with the sun on the box.

Once we had it drawn on, I cut out the circular section where the sun's centre went to draw in that area and then we were set to put on the rays and then some white birds.  We put some undercoat on before painting the sun a gorgeous orange (for the centre) and bright yellow for the rays.  So, that the orange centre wouldn't be tagged, I painted in red swirls that were visible from the road.  And once we had three coats of yellow on, I outlined the whole sun in a cool red so it stood out brilliantly.  The rays were orange and outlined in red.  Mum did some birds flying all over the blue sky and had to work on them.  She tried to make them look like Seagulls but when they looked like they had been picked off one by one(with red dots for beaks and eyes, it wasn't looking very nice), she decided to just stick with a nice white colour.  Then, to finish it off, Mum mixed a nice green together and painted the concrete underneath the TSB making it look like grass.

It was very hot work, but it's been worth it.  I do love the way it worked out; and so does Mum.  I would love to do another one next year.  Mum would be in it with me for sure!  I'll have to work on another design soon to get the wheels in motion for next Winter as today was so hot, we agreed doing this in the Summer months would be dreadful for both of us. 

TSB - Day Four!

Today, Mum and I finally finished the Traffic Signalling Box!  Yes!  After one extension, we spent all day today from 11am until 5pm applying the finishing touches.

It was a freezing cold day to get out there and do it but our last day to get into it was tomorrow, and so we made the commitment to  get it completed today.  So, once we were unpacked, we found the wind was coming from all directions and we had to hunt up some rocks from around the nearby tree to keep down the drop cloths.  All day, we were chasing down lids and plastic wrap from the brushes; it was funny, but it was freezing!  I had on both my painting shirts, a hoodie and a jumper with a cap to keep my head warm.  And I also brought along two cushions I usually use for reading outside to sit and kneel on when we had to do any painting down low on the box.

When we were wishing for a cup of coffee, Dad showed up with two drink thermos' of tea; nice and piping hot for us to drink!  He had stayed home today feeling a little under the weather and thought it would be nice to bring us something hot to drink.  What a great person to think of us out there like that.

The traffic got busier as the afternoon wore on and we felt the wind change and become cooler; but we kept on going until I put on the last bit of green paint on one of the

leaves around the back and Mum and I whooped in celebration!  It was done!  All we had to do was sign our names and date it!  Before that, though, the people who owned the house came out and had a look at our work.  An older lady - about Mum's age - told us that they were really excited that the box was finally getting painted and have been watching get better as the weeks passed and we had our days at it.  The lady said the each time they came home, something had been added to it and it looked even more lovely than before.  She was an artist herself and her granddaughter is a brilliant artist; and is still in high school.  I said that if she's great, she should look into working on one of the boxes with a family member as a practice for bigger works.

Well, as I finished the last bit of green, 5pm has just passed.  We packed up quickly and got some great photos of it as the sun went down and the temperature turned cooler.  If I had the chance to do another one, I'd definitely get in and do it!  It's a big thing to get into physically and mentally, but it's so much fun and my work is out in the public eye for a long time.  I do encourage anyone who has the patience and energy to try it out.  Urban Smart Projects' website is on the sidebar if you'd like to find out more about their work and other TSB's that have been painted around Brisbane. 

TSB - Day Three

Well, today, it warmed up fast and Mum and I were late getting to the TSB site.  So, we didn't panic; going at our own pace as it became hot really quickly.  The good this was that I knew what I wanted to do straight away:  I had to make the leaves on the stalks bigger.  And so, I did.  I drew around the ones already there and worked in the bigger - better-looking - leaves.  I painted the lighter green on first and then darkened it to a nice, darker green; which has set off the whole design really well.

Mum and I had gone out yesterday and last night; we were pretty tired from doing that.  However, seeing we took our time and kept our water up.  We were really grateful there was a lovely cool breeze as it dried the paint quickly; and kept us cool too! But the sun was really hot.

Lunch was freshly made hot chips from the fish'n'chip place across the road and I also bought some tartare sauce (home made; not store-bought) and a bottle of water for Mum. 

Later on, she drank it down.  I was thankful I got it at lunch.
During the day, the lady who lives in the house that borders this TSB came home.  She said it was nice to meet the artists who did these things.  She told us that her daughter was absolutely over the moon when she saw the the box had been painted blue and then the flowers were next.  And now, she can tell her daughter she met us. She also said it's looking lovely.  But we've got one more day to work on it; but she doesn't mind that we've parked right in front.

We began work today at 11am and came home at 3:30pm... what a long day.  But we got a lot done since Saturday; where we got a lot done then too.  Our next session will be our last seeing we have only the fiddly detailing to do and that's it.  I'll have to make sure to take detailing brushes with me; well more than one!

TSB - Day Two

It's almost been a week since Mum and I were at the Traffic Signaling Box and when we arrived at 11am this morning, we found that it hadn't been tagged. Yay!

We unpacked quickly, laid down the drop cloths and orange markers and donned our bright vests and got to work on applying the templates.  It was funny and interesting work.  Mum was really great at getting the centre of the flowers right and we got in and mixed the paints with the help of the mixing chart on the inside of the lid.  

Work was slow and as we had to put on three coats of each colour.  Dad showed up with a much-needed lunch of pies and pasties... yummo!  And he suggested we painted the rest of the flowers with a white before applying the colour.  So, we tried that and voila!  It was a lot easier. 

By the time we got most of the flowers painted white, I had drawn up the stalks in pencil; with the leaves as well.  We had taken a few breaks and found that traffic was slowing down to take a look at what we were doing; thus there were fair few people beeping horns at the lights.  And an accident nearly occurred when a tow-truck nearly rear-ended a nice white sedan.  The sedan was forced to run the red light so it wasn't destroyed.  It was scary to watch on and not be able to do anything about it.

While I went to get a drink earlier in the day, I spotted a gorgeous Thunderbird on a car trailer at the service station.  It was red and American-built!  I asked if they could stick around for a few minutes while I got my camera and took some photos of it.  They said yes and I ran back to the car and grabbed by camera.  Isn't she a beauty?  The owners had just bought her and were taking her back to Rockhampton!  What a car!

Well, we've got one more session to do on the TSB and it'll be finished.  I think I have to paint the leaves a little bigger and they'll be sweet.  Otherwise, it looks lovely and eye-catchingly pretty.   We finished the session today at 4pm... what an exhausting day!  I bet I'll be sore tomorrow!

TSB Box Arrives!

Last Wednesday afternoon - around 4:45pm - the Urban Smart Projects box arrived at my parent's house.  It showed up just fifteen minutes after Mum arrived home... how's that for good timing?  Well, I got the phone call from Mum and the next day, she arrived to find me very sick with a bad headache, but the box was in the back of her Pajero.  So, I brought it inside and opened it up.

After reading the instructions, I found there were pots of paint, three dropsheets, two vests, empty container and a other things to use while I'm at the Traffic Signaling Box.  It's all pretty straight forward.  We photocopied all the letters and printed out my acceptance letter a few times and then we were all set.  I can't wait to get into it and paint the whole

thing!

The great thing is that I've been prepared for this for the last month; buying brushes and getting things from the shop for it all.  The calendar has been kept as free as possible and I'm really looking forward to doing it; as is Mum (who is going to be there with me).  I said that to help get it done, she could paint it with me.  It's such a basic design, she could paint some of the flowers and be part of the project.  She's so excited that I asked her to help with it; and so she'll be dressed in old painting gear.  I said even if she has to be in overalls that she used to paint the house, it would be good.

Tomorrow afternoon, Mum and I are going to be heading to the Traffic Signaling Box and getting in to paint it.  I've been to it to check out what I can and can't paint, find the keyholes, numbers, hinges and other pieces I have to avoid and then there's the reflectors I've been told are on the box, but they've been painted over by other people.  So, I don't have a choice but to tell Urban Smart that that's what's happened.  Well, I'll keep you all up to date with photos of what the TSB looks like before an after we've done painted it up... it ought to look great!

Until my next post, keep creating and keep knitting.