Glandular Fever

I've been away for a short while...I have Glandular Fever and I feel yucky, sore all over, achey, miserable, and soooo sooooo tired. I've decided that...

Please Santa...

Newton Faulkner - YUMMMMM!

"Take Me Home"

The initial idea for this piece was born in the early hours of the morning. I want to get something down to record these images I have, flashing through my mind in the small hours. This is the beginning of an inkling...something to do with being lost and found at the same time.

I don't want to offend anyone, but I have to say that if you come here to read my blog, thinking it will be only peaches and cream, you are mistaken. I am putting together a body of work which may be upsetting to my extended family. Oh well...that is all I have to say...oh well. I'm sorry if it upsets and causes distress. This is my story...I need to put it down on canvas.

When I was a child; for a period of time, I was unhappy. This painting is dedicated to those feelings of wanting to be taken home, back to God.

"Ink Plate"

"Rhapsody In Blue No 2"

"Rhapsody In Blue"

"The Sands"

Self Portrait

This drawing was done in the wee small hours of the night, earlier this week. I was having some trouble, sleeping. I drew myself as I looked into my bedroom mirror with only the living room light, shining through and lighting up sections of my face; distorting my features. My frame of mind, being one of frustration from lack of sleep, comes through quite strongly, I feel.

"Homage in Oxide and Scarlet"...

I LOVE THIS PIECE!!! I don't know if I can sell it...it's too beautiful. I love the colour clash, the vibrancy - and it IS vibrant...it sings to me. I love the dis-order of it...the "Here it is", about it. Sometimes, I just get it right : ) Chaos is me.

Home Sweet Home...

My husband and I are about to build a new home. It will be our second time around with building from scratch - yes; we ARE crazy!!! We've spent months, years even...looking for a new home. Our dilemna being that we have a large family; there are six of us in total. Myself, my husband and four children. Our eldest son is 18, and he takes up ALOT of room!!! Grrrrr. Trying to find a pre-existing home large enough but without the huge price tag has been our issue. So, we're building again. Okay...and also; I am VERY choosy! Here are a couple of shots of our block...

I really should have used the wide angle lense on these shots as I was unable to get the entire frontage in...our block is so beautiful and in a gorgeous spot - I can't wait to begin building. As the weeks pass, I will update our progress with the house. Right now, our council application has gone in for tree removal. The one thing I really can't wait for is my studio!!! ; )

Something Inspiring...

My husband and I were out together, shopping for a new sofa suite a few weeks ago and oooh; we came across the most delish cupboard. It was very rustic, and it had what I like to call, Urban Grunge, written all over it. Colourful, layered and patterned...just beautiful.

Within moments, out came my husband's camera and he was snapping away furiously. As a result, I know I will have a new, "inspired" piece of furniture. Whether it be a book case, cupboard, table or picture frame...my husband has found his inspiration and I look forward to owning the outcome. Chris is very creative and his pieces lie around our home; well loved and appreciated. The picture above is a snippet from the door panel on the cupboard we found. I'll post the pictures of Chris' work when he has made the piece. I can't wait...bring it!!!

"and in the midst of it all, there was this..."

Today, I had my dreaded and yet simultaneously anticipated endoscopy surgery. Unfortunately, I awoke from my surgery to the news that a biopsy had been taken and we will know more in two weeks time...so, there is more waiting ahead - blech!

Before my surgery though, there was this wonderful, and quite surreal moment. I wanted to share it with you...

As I lay on the gurney, waiting nervously and feeling quite alone outside the operating theatre, I began to hear the faint sounds of a baby crying. It was coming from a room somewhere behind me. I listened and wondered if a woman had just given birth to the ever strengthening wail. Within minutes, two nurses appeared; one holding a tiny bundle wrapped in pink and blue. All along, at the foot of my gurney, there had been a crib...waiting for the arrival of this new born baby - I just hadn't realised it. As she came closer, I asked the nurse for a "peek", and while I looked into his small wrinkled face and at his perfectly formed fingers, I realised I was the first person, other than medical staff and his parents to have ever layed eyes on him...and in that moment, I felt blessed.

He was wheeled away to his destiny and I was wheeled to mine moments later. It was one of those moments...I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Just 'cause I liked the first one...

I decided to paint a complimentary painting to 38th Inning, as pictured below. They're both for me to keep and once varnished, will hang beautifully in my family room.

"38th Inning"

Love the warm colours, love the texture, love the composition...and as I'm keeping it; I've put each of my children's and my husband's names into the piece. They're etched in and hard to find, sort of like a "Where's Wally", but I like it that way and each of my children KNOW their names are there...with love xx. It's titled, 38th Inning as I painted it for my own 38th birthday yesterday ; ) Pressie to me, from me...hehehe.

"..."

...but somehow, I don't think it's ever going to be possible. Perhaps, living with them (mistakes), is the only way forward...

"It's the Little Things, Dad"

...just start there.

Or, do your eyes ache when you look at me?

"Pillars"

While I like my colour choices in this piece, I don't much care for the subject matter. I REALLY REALLY REALLY am aware that I do not like the confines of "shape", whilst painting. Representational painting is not my thing. I enjoy the freedom of using paint in a subconscious manner...with little concern for subject. Having said that though, I do love to draw and sketch, representational subjects; especially still life and portraits. Weird, huh! It MUST have something to do with ''colouring between the lines" and my dislike of "rules"!

Un-titled Collage Piece...

Here is a piece I have just completed for my good friend, Scott. It will be hung in his Melbourne home's dining room. Scott wanted blue's and green's and a geometrical style of work. It doesn't seem to matter with what intentions I set out; expressive textures seep from me. I was working with the knowledge that Scott wanted a clean piece. Lucky for me, Scott loves the work regardless of my drips, splatters and spills. I guess it's just the way I work ; )

Paper Love...

Whenever I'm feeling a pick me up is on the cards, I head straight for the art supply store. We have a fantastic little shop in Bowral, called; "The Bowral Paper Place". I LOVE IT as they carry the most gorgeous paper's, including Stonehenge; which I adore for charcoal figurative's. This week, I bought some beautiful 100% recycled cotton fibre, all hand made. It is absolutely divine. I can't wait to dive in to doing SoMeThInG with it ??? Or, maybe I will just keep it all around me and touch it every once in a while as I purrr with glee at such a beautiful thing : ) Today, I am thanking God for natural fibres...how yummy! At $7.00 per sheet, I only bought four...but I'm thinking I will be needing ALOT more ; )

Out of Sorts...

It's been a few days since my last post as I have been sick. Although I have seen my Doctor, it may be a few weeks until we know exactly, the cause of my illness. To date, I have had blood tests and we are awaiting the results. Next, will come scans. The worst part is in the waiting I suppose, as the symptoms are not always too terrible. I'm sure to be back to my usual self soon and I am looking forward to painting again. Right now, I am off colour and concentration is limited.

I hope my reader's are finding themselves in good health. Until I return to painting, quick sketches and short prose will be the way to go...so, I will post as I can : ) Take care. xx.

In the Pipeworks...

Here is a portion of my latest piece. I'm loving it as I'v done it almost completely as a finger painting up to this point. It has been very tactile to paint and I have been in my element : ) The colours are beautiful together...so far, it's a lovely piece.

"Blood Sweat & Tears"

"Twenty Three Defining Moments"...

This triptych was done in one session and took only around an hour from start to finish - the spontaneity gave me a beautiful end result. I set out with only the notion of "defining moments".

I've been thinking about my defining moments lately. We all have them, the moments that shape us, and set in motion who we will become. I get to around 23 when I count mine up. Some are "maybe's", some are "definite's"...so, I painted my defining moments as brown/black squares, to represent "blocks" of time. Some of the blocks are clear, and well defined while some are less developed and hazy, almost washed out.

A defining moment I had when I was around 6 or 7, was my Aunty Kerry taking me to her High School to watch Snoopy and while we were there, we browsed at the art student's work. I remember being soooo taken with the work, I could hardly care about the movie we were there to see. I just wanted to look at the art and I remember thinking, "when I grow up, I'm going to be an artist!" : )

"Our Friendship Is Swift Like A Galloping Horse"...

This painting is soooo delicious in person, full of texture and vibrant colour. A good friend of mine, Darren; asked me to paint him something "happy", for his home. Well, I went ahead and realised toward the end that an image of a horse had emerged. After the last years, painting from the sub-conscious, I was not at all surprised to see this connection although, I was quite excited as Darren is a horse fanatic, and has two horses of his own.

This is a close up of one area, showing detail in the layers.

Vibrant Colour...

Yummy, scrummy texture and vibrant colour...heaven! I am always searching for inspiration...this image, which I found on vi.sualise.us has most certainly been filed under "I" for Inspiration!!! Now...how to utilise it...hmmmmm ; )

Quick Sketch

Here is a quick sketch I did this afternoon of my 9 year old son, Ben. It was a cold, winter's day today, and I love nothing better than to sit down with my sketch pad to do studies of my children in a cozy warm room. This one took around 20 minutes.

Today's Little Snippet...

This is a section from one of the paintings I am currently working on. The painting is an abstraction of some earthenware pots. I am in one of the numerous "drying" stages right now. Perhaps the last...we'll see how it goes. Anyhow, wanted to share this with you as I am enjoying the colour mix.

Another Lust...

I like to document my work in progress at times, especially when I am trying out a different technique. I really wish I had taken more pictures along the way with this one...it was interesting to paint. I decided to photograph a couple of stages during the making of this work as this piece did not get the same ground as I would usually put down. Most times, I apply gesso and any other medium I desire in order to aid the anticipated background. This time, I wanted a non textured ground...so, I opted to apply a gesso wash.

The Magnificent Margaret Woodward...

Last winter, on one of my gallery outings, I ventured across town to The Belle Gallery at Berrima. There, for the first time, I came across the works of Sydney born artist, Margaret Woodward. Spellbound by the sumptuous lines, I found myself having a moment with the gorgeous fluidity of Woodward's work.

"Tiger at Rest", Mixed Media on Paper on Canvas. 120 x 150cm's.

"The Greeting", Mixed Media on Paper on Canvas. 93cm x 93cm.

I just love the line work...I can imagine Woodward at work; her hand gliding across the paper in seemingly effortless style. My eye is relaxed and my senses are hightened as I look at the depth created by what seems a simple gesture. The two works above were exhibited at The Belle Gallery last winter. The works below are currently available to view and/or purchase at the Gomboc Gallery in Western Australia.

"Reaching Towards The Light", Oil on Flax Canvas. 123cm x 123cm.

"The Romance of the Deep Pond", Oil on Flax Canvas. 120cm x 120cm.

Margaret Woodward studied at the National Art School between 1956 - 1960, via a special Government Scholarship. She has won many art prizes over the years, including the prestigious Wynne Prize in 1971.

Woodward's works vary from oils on canvas to mixed media and pastel on paper. Her use of colour is gorgous. I, for one LOVE her pieces and I am now in the quest to become a collector of her work.