New Piece Has Been Started

A day after my self-portrait was finished - and the varnish was sprayed on - I pulled out a spare piece of masonite, sanded it back and used up the rest of the red, white and deep red to make the background.  This piece of masonite is much bigger than the one I painted my portrait on; and so I wanted to put something on it that wasn't complicated.  So, I'm putting up three of my four-petaled flowers and hoping to be able to find the same kind of feel I did with my last painting.  

Let's see how long this one takes me.

A Bugger to Draw!

The challenge from me to Geoff this last week was a Stink Bug.  I had photographed it just before it freaked out (without chuckin' a stinker) and running from me.  Here's my interpretation.

I was told it looked rather comical and like he was about to pick up a hat and begin dancing.  I'm not as pleased with it as I thought I'd be.

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.

Can I Draw That?

The next picture in this fun game I'm playing with my art friend, Geoff, is this man.  He's a favourite poet (I think) and Geoff thought that seeing I'm doing my own self-portrait it wouldn't hurt to get into doing another person's.

I don't like what I came up with - seeing I'm not very good with this kind of thing normally and I'm working on somethign very different at the moment.  However, Geoff seemed to like this interpretation.

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.

Can I Draw That?

One of my great friends and artists, Geoff, challenged me to a good way to keep my arty side working when I'm not.  He suggested we start sending each other photos of anything and everything and try to draw it.  So, it gave me an idea for here.  I'm going to start a section of:  "Can I Draw That?"  And this is the first installment; seeing I sent the first photo; which were a pair of my Gloxinias in bloom just over Christmas this year.  I drew them last night and the finished product may not look much; but they took an hour for me to do, which is what I'll give myself.

Self-Portrait... my second attempt!

At some point in an artist's life, we all attempt a self-portrait; how we see ourselves.  And so, this year, I thought to see if I could do it.  My first attempt wasn't very successful; I found my portrait was distant and cold.

However, my second attempt had me up close and personal and very colourful with a darker background with vibrant colours in the face, eyes and skin.

As I did with my portrait with the Jim Morrison portrait, I didn't paint this one true-to-life.  I painted it with colours that would express my personality and feelings so I didn't look like a porcelain doll or too posed.

 

And instead of getting a pencil out, I used a white on green outline with a paintbrush - something I've never done before. From there, it kind of worked itself out; seeing my last portrait had so many mistakes in it, I found this one was one where I saw those ones coming and fixed them on the way through.

The nose was one thing that was worrying me - as I mess them up usually.  But this time, I didn't and I love it.  The eyes still need a lot of work as does the mouth, but otherwise it's looking good so far.  

Most of what's left on this is just detail work on the face and the hair to be fixed up along with the background.  Otherwise, I'm happy with the last week's work I've put into it; and would love to do another one in a few years' time.

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.

New Decore for a New Library

I went out to the new Logan Central Library today with my Mum and we found that place was amazing.  Firstly, we were there to see Annette Sims talk about her recipe books and how she went from rock bottom to success through them.  But for me, it was not only meeting her that was great (as I'm a writer and love to meet fellow writers no matter who they are), but the library has turned out to be brilliant too!