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.

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?

North Side Outsider Art

For the last six months or so, Mum and I have been driving past a wall on the way to my brother's house.  Now, it had some great artwork on it by an artist going by the name of Lister.

I just Googled his name and came up with Anthony Lister from New York who has been here in Australia doing some outsider art around Brisbane; and not getting very far with it.  On his official site I have found more of his art which was removed from Fortitude Valley here in Brisbane; and when I've brought up the photos of the wall mural I took on Christmas Day, I compared the style to the work on his site and found so many similarities.

The last piece of work ( http://365project.org/loey5150/365/2010-08-13) called Mural, was demolished when a building was pulled down.  Fortunately, my Mum took a photo of it and showed me.  We both thought it looked wicked.  And this new work looks even better!  Let's hope it stays longer than the wall did.

K-Mart Wishing Tree Donation

Each year, I've been giving to the K-Mart Wishing Tree at Woodridge Central Plaza.  It's to support the Salvation Army and to give people who are less fortunate a Christmas that they normally wouldn't have.  I began giving to it about four years ago; just buying small things really and taking them in about a week before Christmas Eve.

This year, I thought to do something different.  I was low on cash and had bee knitting a lot in front of the television - working on my blanket for next year - when I thought to knit a scarf and beanie for somebody for when the weather gets cold.  And what do you know?  This Christmas hasn't been exactly textbook Australian Summer... boiling hot and all, has it?  Well, over the last month or so, I pulled down one of my tried and true beanie patterns I had grabbed off the net and used it.  But no matter what needles I used (sizes 4 or 8), the beanie came out the same size... so I had a short scarf with two small beanies.  Now,I had planned to give these to teenagers; and had to quickly change my age groups to babies.  Not a problem!  The scarf is green and the beanies are green and creme; lovely colours that really could suit a boy or a girl.

When I arrived at K-Mart, the lady at the doors saw what I had made and was amazed that I had gone to the trouble.  She took them off me and found a bag; then commented on how soft they were.  I said that I had bought the wool right there in K-Mart and thought that something hand-made would be just the thing; nobody makes things anymore, everything being so material and fake.  She smiled and said that it was wonderful I took the time to work on something that will mean so much to somebody I'll most probably never meet. 

So, whoever you are out there.  When you receive the beanies and scarf for you little one, I do hope you enjoy them.  They didn't take long to make, but I love to knit and enjoyed making them instead of knitting my blanket; as it was something for you to use in your baby's life.

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.

The Logan Art Gallery Christmas Party 2010

This year, we were off to the Gold Coast Art Gallery.  This meant we took off an hour later in the day and had a more relaxing trip because it wasn't all that far from Logan City.  

The Gold Coast Art Gallery is set on a large piece of land with plenty of parking and is close to Q1 and Broadbeach.  The exhibitions were amazing.  The first one we looked at was of graduating art students.  They had some wonderful work and I loved quite a bit of the jewelry, even if it was out of my price range.  Then, I spotted a large metal dragonfly which I really wanted to get a photo of; so I got permission.  it was until later that I found out it was a Christopher Trotter work.  Isn't it lovely? 

Outside this large gallery is a Sculpture walk which is famous.  And fortunately, the weather was good to us on this day; as it wasn't raining but it was sunny enough for us to walk around.  I found a lot of the sculptures very original in their appearance; and I had a few favourites.  I did like the bottle covered in thongs and shoes; and how people were trying to pull them off too.  And the Sculpture walk went right along the spit to the end of a parkland area where it overlooked some water/river and you could see the tallest building on the Gold Coast across the way.  

This one's called 'The Elements'

If that wasn't enough, we were shuffled off - by bus - to Jupiter's Casino for an all you could eat, buffet lunch.  We had worked up an appetite for it and so many of us went back for seconds and thirds; but I only had my lunch of a very refreshing salad and a very sweet and delicious dessert with hot chocolate.  After our lunches we were given our presents of a drink thermos.  When I opened my envelope, I found that we were all given tickets to the Australian Army Band's 'Merry Melodys' night on 14th, December.  I was given the ticket of one of my married friends as they were going to be in Tasmania at that time.  So, I'll see if Mum wants to go - or my Aunty Helen.

After we got our goodies, I took a wander around Jupiters and got a lovely photo of the staff putting up the tree in the lobby.  I also bought about 11 postcards for $5.00; and have sent off 6 so far.  Then, I sussed out the gift shop and found out why nobody buys the souvenirs from there... too darn expensive!

Well, we dozed on the way home and got our annual photo taken.  For anyone who's friends with me on Facebook, you can find my album of this on there; otherwise, I'll upload more photos as the new year comes in.  

Secretly Admiring

I've been secretly admiring art lately; in the most interesting places.  A lot of the art is on Traffic Signaling Boxes; but some of it is in our own back yards (well, okay, maybe our front yards too!).  Otherwise, there's Mother Nature's way of making art; she just as spectacular in so many ways, we just keep on forgetting how many.

And then, there's my niece who is a great artist at the young age of eleven.  Yep, I've seen some of her work recently and she's improving with every month that passes by.  I'm so proud of her and her talents.  Riley has been working on all kinds of art from her Japanese cartoon characters to Calligraphy - which she's learning at school - and she loves.  She also loves the art of writing and can't get enough of it!

In the last week, I've seen a few other pieces of work on the north side of town.  There are talented people who are going unnoticed by everyone - unless you're the mailman.  And doesn't this letterbox look very cool?  I think so.  This guy makes me want to get a house so I can create a brilliant little place for my letters like that.

Well, right now, I'm working on that larger collage you see in the post below.  It's going well; and right now, I'm getting into what colours to paint it.  Unlike 'Love, Hate and Vampires', I'm not relying on just one colour.  I have to think about what other colours to paint it and see how far I can go with it.  It ought to be fun.  I might try out gluing a big thick book cover on it yet... I'll let you know at the finishing photos.

And I'm also working on knitting a scarf too.  It's for the K-Mart Wishing Tree this Christmas.  I'll be knitting a beanie to match it for an older person; which I'm sure they'll enjoy.  It's a lovely dark green colour and beanie will be a nice creme colour with the dark green put in stripes.  Not too bad if you ask me.

Well, that's all for now.  Until my next post,  keep being creative and keep knitting.

A Bigger One Begun.

There's another one I've been looking at doing; and finally I got into it.  And here's the first photo of it.  I'm thinking of calling it 'Love of the Written Word' or 'The Written Word'... I'm not sure yet which title; but it'll  be one of those two.

Love, Hate and Vampires

As promised, I have photos of the finished product of my smaller collage for you to see.  This one is all about the love and hate of relationships in all it's shapes and sizes; from real life through to mythology.  Most of the colour of it has to do with how the human heart is involved and blood.
In love our hearts are involved and they rule most of the relationship.  However, they break and shatter so easily that it's when we see red.  Hate can also make us see red in many different ways; in revenge and murder.  Then, there's the mythology of it all where blood is the life force of all vampires.  They need it to live and have a hunger for it all the time. 

So, the colour red in this collage means a lot in it.  Yet, there's the darkness in the background that holds all meaning for everyone.  Enjoy.

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.