Artists Diary week ending March 30 2014

"Home-acre"
6"x 4"

"Usurper"
6" x 4"

2 Prints, 2 Paintings, 1 Portrait, A meeting, A movie, 2 Deliveries and an award.

I started and ended the week with linocuts. One that will go to Ferry Artists Gallery for their "Artistic Heritage of the Hawkesbury" exhibition, and the other to The Royal Art Society NSW for their interiors exhibition.

 A meeting was attended. The Hawkesbury Artists & Artisan's Trail has been running annually for several years now with an Open Studio Weekend in August. Due to a race being held on the river near me, it is never worth me opening my studio then, but I have a couple of venues to hang out at - Ill keep you posted.

Paintings were delivered to the Sydney Royal Easter Show and the Parramatta Art Society Show at Winston Hills Shopping Centre; and I was very pleased to hear I got a Highly Commended for a drawing at the Castle Hill Show.

Portrait Day at Community Arts Workshop, Richmond was an enjoyable one with Rachel of the beautiful red hair. I did end up with a sketch I pleased with , but I am afraid my Rachel was but a pale imitation of life.

This week's movie was "Noah". I was looking forward to a more gritty & realistic version of Sunday School's happy animal couples and their keepers. Some moments of brilliance - always love Rusty and Mr Anthony Hopkins, but I was a little perplexed at some of the story line. I feel like the way out concepts were cut down so as to not antagonise the good people of faith, but was it too much of trying to please everyone?.  As a person of faith myself, I did enjoy references to biblical content that dont usually get mentioned; there were a lot of "green" messages- vegetarians should also be happy, and the perpetual dilemma of mankind's dark side brought up some good philosphical questions.

2 Paintings finished this week!

"Nouvelle Cuisine"
20"x16"
on exhibition at Ferry Artists Gallery

"Times of Abundance"
30" square
Held for  future exhibition

 And here is a  pic of a new piece on the easel. See if you can guess what it might become.

Coming up next week:

Winston Hills Shopping Centre Exhibition
Talk on Social Media (with Julie Simmons) at Castle Hill Art Society
Opening of Interiors Exhibition, Royal Art Society NSW
Opening of Exhibition Ferry Artists Gallery

www.ferryartists.org.au

http://www.royalart.com.au/

Artist's Week ending 23 March 2014

Movies

Went to see "The Monuments Men"with my husband the other day. What a great combination of art and military - something for both of us! Great cast - also a couple of non American heros, Jean Dujardin being my favourite; and Cate Blanchet being brilliant as usual. It didn't rate well with the review but I thought it an enjoyable movie nonetheless.






Had a bit of a problem with work being couriered to a show (Port Stephens) this week. Lesson learnt: LABEL EVERYTHING! Oh well, the wasted entry fee can go into promoting art in the local community.

I delivered my work to Castle Hill Showgrounds for their Agricultural Show next week. And then I when to visit the artisans at Oakhill College for the annual "Art in the Hills". I was most chuffed to find that all three of my paintings had sold.







Garden Study 1, 23cm sq


Went photographing some gardens after church on Sunday - still lots to paint and print before my solo show end of May - the theme is "Gardens".

3 Paintings finished this week, and a linocut proofed and ready to edition after a bit more cutting.



Garden Study 2, 23cm sq



"Puparazzi" 92cm sq
Special exhibition at 19 Karen Gallery
"Tribute to MJ's 10 Best Filmclips"

1000 Woodcuts Updates: Announcing the FIRST! Puzzle Prints Solo

1000 Woodcuts Updates: Announcing the FIRST! Puzzle Prints Solo: Puzzle Prints in the Gallery Wonderful venue, large, well lit The show was up on Thursday and I visited both Friday and Saturday and I...

Artist's week ending 16th March 2014

The week started very well - with a visit from a lovely couple who came to view some paintings in my studio. Visits are always welcome - it gives me a very good  incentive to clean up!

One class for the disabled - continuing the clay platters started last week, a delivery to Woollahra Art Removals, a visit to Breathing Colours Gallery to pick up work & The Art Scene for framing & supplies.

Stan Stevens Room, Deerubbin Centre, Windsor NSW

Friends of the Hawkesbury Art Community & Regional Gallery (FoHACrg) held their Acquisitive Exhibition over the weekend in Windsor. Some very nice pieces there, (including 3 of mine!). I am please to say my friend and mentor Judy Brownlie's work won the prize and the acquisition.






2 paintings worked on this week, and I drew up a couple of linos ready for cutting. - These are going to be more in my wood engraving style, so I hope my eyes and hand are ready for the challenge!

The weekend was an indulgence. A clay sculpting workshop with Alan Somerville. Everyone worked on their own project so it was great to watch a  hare, horse, rabbits, cats, figures & torsos emerge from coils of clay. I finished a bust I designed my name in mind (Melissa means "honeybee"). I hope she is made well enough to survive the kiln in a few weeks time!

Lady with Beehive

Next week is the opening of the Port Stephens Art Prize, and "Art in the Hills" at Oakhill College, Castle Hill.

Artist week ending March 9 2014

Spent the Monday driving back from Queensland so the rest of my week has sort of been a 'catch up' after the holiday. Lots of paperwork to do, not to mention household chores - which I valiantly ignored as much as possible.

Thursday was well spent teaching a clay workshop with lovely people from Flintwood. We embossed &
 made marks on slabs then cut them into tiles for a future project. I have inherited this project from a previous teacher, and it is a bit of a challenge to take on someone elses vision. But one that I look forward to nevertheless.

"Cockatoo"

Next week will be a show run by the Friends of the Hawkesbury Art Collection. Called "Acquisitive", it is held at the Stan Stevens Studio at the Deerrubbin Centre, Windsor. 14 - 16 March I will have 3 works there.

I am also looking forward to a weekend clay sculpting workshop tutored by Alan Somerville, amazing artist and sculptor.

WORK IN PROGRESS 

Anyway, the new week has well and truly started, so I will leave this post with a piece I am still in the process of painting.

Artists Week ending 3rd March 2014

Stanthorpe Regional Gallery

"Sanctuary", my entry at the Art Prize

It was a holiday week this week! I had the opportunity to meet my husband in Brisbane and travel to Stanthorpe for the Opening of the Stanthorpe Arts Festival - the forerunner of the Apple & Grape Harvest Festival.




What a great opening, lots of beautiful entries from many different disciplines - painting, printmaking, crochet, photography, textiles, metal fabrication. Congratulations to all involved.

"Plan B" by Donna Davis

I enjoyed my visit to Stanthorpe very much. We stayed at Girraween Environmental Lodge at Ballandean - lots of lovely bush walks full of my favourite painting subjects - trees, rocks, birds. Visited artisans of other forms - cheese, wine, soap, wood.

I may be taking part in painting & drawing workshops held at the Lodge later in the year, feel free to let me know if you are interested and I will put you on my mailing list.

Before I headed inland, I visited 19 Karen Contemporary Art Space at the Gold Coast to swap some paintings over. I had a preview of their current set of solo shows that opened on Saturday - Auguste Blackman, Hugh Ford, Liesa Russell & Ray Paul. View images here

I am looking forward the their next show - Tribute to MJ's Best Film Clips, opening 2nd May at Sofitel Broadbeach. Here is a preview of one of my paintings that I finished this week for the show

"Stop Doggin Me Around" Acrylic on Canvas, 92cm sq

The Stanthorpe Art Festival can be seen at the Regional Gallery until April 13th.

Another show I have work this coming week  is at the Royal Art Society Autumn Exhibition, 7 March - 27 April