Evolution of "Cuckoo Dove" Painting

 Mixed media on paper (collage & acrylic). 24" x 12"

The placement of collage materials on hotpressed watercolour paper. - some of the collage are pieces of 'failed'prints.

The Finished Painting

S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g!

  No, nothing quite so frightening as excersise, or even torture (are the two one and the same?).
Spent my time in the studio stretching and gesso-ing some canvasses which I am ready to paint nowassoonasIgetthetime!

 

Wood Engraving

Finally put my fairy wren on the block ready to cut. Here you see the sanded maple block, wiped with a layer of gouache with the design pencilled in.

By the end of the evening, I have inked in most of the design where I will not cut. The large uninked area in the top left will be carved freehand. This design was tricky, I plan to have two blocks - similar to what I have done in the past  ("Currawong" pictured), so I have to work out what will be white, brown and black before I start carving. - the Brown block will be traced, drawn and carved after this one.

Have spend hours (days actually, this is afterwards!) playing with a program called "Tile Creator" , putting in scans of my paintings, learning the program and coming up with very nifty grids. The downside is that this is not for traditional mosaic, more for small squares of tiles in a grid that makes the pattern. I still hope to cut some tiles - especially for areas like tree trunks, but this way is probably quicker and easier for people to help me glue the tiles.

Part of my painting in grid form.

I also had to cut down the amount of colours to use (which was hard for me). I managed to get it down to 60 different colours.I still wanted to use as many possible!

As of today I have ordered my tiles from 3 different stockists. I LOVE Bisazza glass tiles, but to save some money, needed to get mostly the cheaper Asian tiles. Am still getting some Bisazza.

Where am I getting the tiles from? All over Australia it seems: Sydney supplier All Boxed Up,  Melbourne supplier Mosaic Matters, and Canberra supplier Mosaic Tiles 4 U. One of them (Melbourne) needed direct deposit instead the brilliantly convenient Paypal, so I have only managed to pay it now, but they all have been very helpful, and the Canberra people have already sent part of their order!

Mosaic Mural

Since the Health Retreat is overlooking the Hawkesbury River, I decided not to go the traditional 'pool/water theme' (as the mural is in the indoor pool house); rather I wanted to bring some of the local beauty in.

Looking over the river to Sackville

It works out nicely that the works I am painting for my exhibition are of the local landscape. So with the two projects in mind I set out and painted two large canvases of the river view.

These will form the basis for the mural.

The pool has a great wall - behind which the change rooms will be; I plan 6 panels, each 190cm High x 90cm wide. I have the cement sheeting, I have ordered the tiles, I have use of an air conditioned office (most important!) and I have a supply of willing? hands to help out. So looking forward to this.

Thought I would put the Blog to good use and chronicle the highs and lows of a few important projects I am embarking on. Could get confusing (will give you some idea of my many works in 'on the go'); I may just whinge on how hard it all is, but right now, I'm excited. Here is what I have to do:

Solo Exhibition: Deadline April 4, Washhouse Gallery, Rozelle (Opening 8th April - please come!)
Mosaic Mural: Deadline ASAP - new Health Retreat opening sometime in Feb/March.

Will take lots of pictures, and hope that you will enjoy the journey.