Using coloured pencils – I have been using Caran D’Ache Luminance coloured pencils for some time now. I love the intense colours that the waxiness of pencils can produce. It has been fun drawing flowers and selecting colours both for the flowers and the surrounding areas. With oil painting, layering is important to me and I love using these pencils in thhe same way. I have been working on a number of flower drawings, mostly flowers I have always loved and have included them in my series ‘in the garden’ – here is my link. Succulents are a new favorite for me – sometimes their colours are striking but other times more subtle shades of pink, mauve and grey. I have been planting more succulents in pots and I love the plump shapes – like jade, crown-of-thorns, aeonium. I often take photos of small patches of succulents I find, often in someone else’s garden – it reminds me of my intrigue with moss along the edges of a pathway when I was a child.
studio blog
Sending love to Lismore
Sending love to Lismore – The devastating floods in Lismore and the effect on the community has been enormous. People have lost homes, businesses and ,very sadly, loved ones. Amongst the memorable have been the heroes who saved lives and risked their own. People needed to be boated, helicoptered and some swam to safety. The high bridge crossing the Wilsons river was crossed with boats of people. The centre of Lismore has a heart sculpture to welcome people to the CBD and the hands and heart of the sculpture sitting in flood waters has become an iconic image. As a result, red hearts to show love for Lismore have sprung up everywhere – as though planted and growing – this is the inspiration for this series.
I have begun to use gouache as a medium and have been enjoying the new approach which it has given to me. Being mostly opaque, water -based and fast drying gives me the immediacy of inks which I have used in other mixed media works – but allows a more graphic approach which I am finding a lot of fun.
I began with a small art work (called ‘Sending love to Lismore’) inspired by a Domestika learning module with Cagla Zimmermann. I find messages from other artists help me to think in different directions – it’s good to have diversity of process to think about when creating. My next one is called ‘Growing hearts’ and makes me think of all the hearts which have been popping up in Lismore.
New ideas about water lilies
My environment is a source of inspiration for art.
There is a dam fed by an underground spring – it has fish, eels, tortoises and lots of ducks and water hens.
The water hens have just had babies.
There is an azure kingfisher which lives there as well.
My next mixed media will be the kingfisher, water lilies and dragonflies.
It reminds me of Monet’s water garden – I would love to visit there and is ‘on the list’!
Growing sunflowers
Sunflowers are blooming again – inspired me with mixed media with spotted pardolotes
Spotted pardolotes – mixed media series
I have been making mixed media art with papers and ink. I love mixed media – it is a lot of fun. Four of them featured spotted pardolotes which are a small bird but my interests in them goes back to primary school. I was living in Victoria, Australia. I think it was the Gould League and I drew a spotted pardolote for a competition – I was happy with the result but unfortunately I don’t have the drawing. I love spots on birds – pardolotes, brown pigeons, guinea fowls and so on.
I created 4 mixed media pieces – Bush Pocket, Chance for a birdsong, Morning Light and Special Haven.
another beautiful day for painting
I think ‘the smell of rain’ is finished – in time for the Ocean Shores art expo. Now need to continue on with ‘Treasured’, a painting of a dog who I saw one day when I was out and he was a very special and ‘treasured’ dog with a beautiful garland of flowers. These works are for the art expo with the theme ‘treasures’.
such a beautiful day
It was a beautiful day on the North Coast – the dappled light drifted in and helped with the painting. Not very good photos, wrong direction but I wanted to capture the light in the trees.
the smell of rain progressing
Getting the colours right and letting the light drift through the painting – still is work in progress
the smell of rain
New painting has begun – inspired by the fragrance of ‘the smell of rain’
the white rose
Drawing with Katka Adams and other like-minded artists is inspiring and stimulating, not to forget lots of fun. Then there is coffee, tea, cake and conversation. The group is having an exhibition at Northern Rivers Community Gallery. Opening night 5.30pm on Thursday 8 February 2018.
