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.

Reorganising Frenzy!

I have my first market coming up on 26th, November (in about 2 weeks this Saturday) and I've been in a frenzy of activity!

Yes, I've been organising my craft stall to go to the Logan Art Gallery. I have to be there an hour before the place opens to set up my stall and have it ready to meet the public - and the place opens at 10am. I hope so.

Anyway, I'm still working on the Book Tree painting and other craft items. I have to get in and finish up some oversized pegs and get them sprayed, glued up with magnets and packaged up and then work on more things that are just to do with image ideas for the market on that day.

Mainly I have to make sure the two new items I have planned do work out properly... well, I hope they do. I have plenty of pin cushions, plenty of picture frames, have to re-wrap my 'Adult's Lucky Dip' (I mean who doesn't love a Lucky Dip?), then I'm hoping to get in and make sure my table looks as inviting as possible; then get in and work on getting my till back up to what it was... that's not going to take long - as I don't carry that much money on me to begin with.

Anyway, that's all the news at the moment. I've updated my website, so go and have look at the new photos and blogs there for the new works I've been doing. Until my next post, keep creating! 

It's been a While

I have been busy... yep, the creative block melted away and i got busy with learning more needlepoint. 

i also got busy with creating more ideas for the markets next year... yeah my idea factory in my head never seems to run out. just when i think i haven't thought of a new thing, bang! i get a new idea for something...

so, i started collecting metal bottle caps and i asked friends to send me some too from across the world. then, i had my sun cancers removed from my arms and hands - and i got stuck with a bandaged up hand; causing me to not only be brought to the coast for a week, but to be away from my craft table too.

but the ideas have kept on flowing. i'm glad about that... and i can't wait to get home to make my ideas go from just that into things to sell next year. until my next post, keep creating!

The New Art Area

Today, I really started in on the new art area.  I went out and bought a box that is big enough for all the small stuff and will be used for the coat hangers later on when the bench is finished.  Most of the gear I have boxed up already is ready to be moved out and cleared out, but there's little things that need to be put away.  I also need to have probably two more boxes with lids for rags for cleaning brushes and another to hold all my other bits; but I'll see what I really need first.

I will be looking for a new chair next week and so will be searching the charity stores to see what's available.  It's gotta be a nice bar stool with a gas-lift style chair so I can sit on it when I really need to.  Otherwise, I'm ready to start in on this piece of work once the money is pulled together.  

I'm really looking forward to doing this bench.  I hope Dad is... it'll be fun to do.  This weekend, I'll be working on cleaning out the drawers in the wardrobe in the guest room and taking them outside to sand down and paint them up with a couple of coats of colour.  It should look good... or maybe just leave it the way it is after I clean it out and let the spots of paint I drop on it give it character.

I did some new work tonight, and really ran out of space fast... I am looking forward to getting this new work bench put together and here at my place before March.  It ought to be a good thing to have here.  Until my next post, keep creating!

A Retro Change...

This blog needed a change - a good retro one - and I think it looks great.  I love retro designs and I hope you do too.  

Well, it took me a little while to get this pulled together with the colours and style, but let me know what you think of it. 

Does it need anything? 

Until my next post, keep creating!

Working, working, working!

As you all know, I'm at The Creative Markets on the southside of Brisbane - in Logan City actually - and I'm looking forward to it!

So far, I've done a lot of work - more than I normally would have; and I'm proud of myself:

2 dozen Sprung pegs
10 Cool Pencils
12 Dolly Pegs
13 Magna-Pegs

And this is all in the last week or so... it's taken me a long time to get it all done, but I am thankful that I've had my Crafty Pegs work station all set up.  And I've also bought a Load&Go card from the post office (this is where I can load money onto it and use it online safely without accumulating debt - even though it's through VISA).  

Well, I'm going to hopefully keep myself busy throughout tomorrow and have this weekend off (as there's a party to go to of my brother's) then keep myself working on everything more!

And to make it more real, I've just paid the rent on my stall at the Creative Markets at Springwood... it's my first markets and I'm kind of excited and scared at the same time!  Woot!  I'm enjoying the fun and games of learning all of this as it comes along.  So, have you done anything like this?  If you have, let me know anything I should know... until my next post, keep creating!

My Crafty Pegs, Now On Facebook!

Yep!  I've gone and put Crafty Pegs onto Facebook as a business.  It's slow to start with, but I know it's going to be fun and I'm hoping it'll take off as something to make a little money out of for me to save up with.  

Mozette's Crafty Pegs 

So, go and have a look at the site... I hope you enjoy the photos and please do leave a comment, and I'll answer you when I'm next in.

Until my next post, keep creating!

I'm Being Interviewed!

I've got a big interview coming up next Wednesday and it's going to be with the editor of the South City Bulletin which covers Logan City.  The editor, Wendy Johnson, has asked me to write a piece about what other hobbies I do besides writing and I thought to tell her about my painting and interests in the arts.  Well, writing the article took about two days and half a day of editing.
Today, she read it and asked if I had any photos of myself and my art.  I didn't think I'd make the cut for the Bulletin; so I didn't put in any photos initially.  So, this afternoon, I spent about an hour looking for photos of my works that I had spent the last year on; then looked for my first painting I had done when I was 24 and photographed that and sent that along with the others.  
Well!  Wendy e-mailed me back and said we should get together for a coffee and she wants to see my other pieces I've been working on too.  This will be a good boost to my portfolio and profile online too.  I can't wait!  I'll keep you all posted about what happens.

Art Exhibition Application!

I'm going for it!  I'm applying for an exhibition in 2013.  I have filled out most of the application and have to get together my cd with photos of the completed pieces for the board to look at.  The gallery I'm aiming to show at is where I work:  The Logan Art Gallery.  And I am hoping to get my work into the First Gallery; this is the one which is the first room to your left when you walk through the doors.  It's got an even feel about it, a great look and I'd love to have my work in there.

I currently have about six pieces which are finished and two more that are being worked on.  So, I'll have enough to cover the walls.  Wish me luck that my application will be accepted!