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.

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.

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!

Pop-Up Musem Found On A Fellow Blog!

About a week ago, I was thrilled to have found a photo or two of the Pop-Up Museum on a fellow Blogger's site.  And I haven't had time until this week to post about it!  

Take Me Home

My book is the third or fourth photo down... and well-photographed I think.

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! 

The Home Festival

What a day it was yesterday!  I was up by 7am and out the door by 9:30am.  All my gear fitted in my bag and my little blue trolley.  The day was nice, clear and fine - just as we had hoped it would be.  And it wasn't a scorching hot day either.  

The Art Installation was called 'The Pop-Up Museum' (I didn't know it was called that until yesterday afternoon) and it attracted a lot of attention from the public. People were reading my book and enjoying the pages in the trees as well as the other artist's collections.  It turned out to be a great hang-out spot for a lot of people.  And as the day wore on, and the sun moved, there was plenty of shade thrown by our tree and it was used by the performance poets and community choirs.  People enjoyed the shade and basked in the sun as well; lazing about under the tree with the extra plastic leaves, reading my pink/red leaves and the larger ones of green that Doug Cartwright had put up.  

Too soon, though, it had all had to come down.  We were all tired from the day, eating and laughing.  I had gone to the jumble sale and bought myself plenty of goodies to add to my various collections and scored myself a first edition of an American poet from 1968 - which stunned my fellow collectors - for only $2.  My brother, his fiance and my niece were there to see the installation; only to unfortunately take off and not able to see the rest of the festival.  Oh well, there's always next year's.  I hope you enjoy the photos below I've put together.

The Home Festival 2012 

Jumble Sale Scores 

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.