Where did 2012 go?

Highlights of my creative year...

Exhibitions

• Vintage Soul - Group Exhibition
• Redcliffe Art Society Members Exhibition: First Prize - Abstract; Commended - Still Life
• Samford Show:2 x First Prize and a Highly Commended
• Arts Alliance Pine Rivers: Highly Commended - Landscape
• Eckersleys' Creative Canvas - "Grey, Silver & Lime" - Winner

Limited edition Sketchbook Project - completed and posted by the January deadline!

Workshops

The Workshop component of my teaching was extremely fulfilling with the following topics covered:

• Discover Drawing;
• Colour - going back to basics;
• Abstract Art;
• Composition,
• Line & Colour with Derwent

2013 will see these workshops continue. I plan to include more topics and offer some one day workshops in my studio each term.

Commissions

2012 has been a very good year for commissioned paintings:

April - Memory Wall

Memory Wall - oil on canvas - 40 x 8" x 8"

May - Paintings for city apartment in Brisbane

September - Deja Bru Cafe

Paris - Deja Bru Cafe - acrylic on linen - 3 x 144" x 144"

October - Wearable Art Hairdressing

Pink Roses with Mirrors - oil on canvas - 1000mm x 1000mm

Plans for 2013

Now that my teaching studio has become more established, I can turn to my personal creative development. Drawing has become part of my artistic practice. I intend using my journals to experiment with mixed media and develop new ways to express ideas and themes that are important to me.

Moving out of the studio is something I would like to do. I need to plan how and where to paint so that is first on my list. Initially, with the heat of Brisbane summer at its highest, I might need to search out a couple of cooler places! (But at least I don't have to contend with snow!)

To my readers in all parts of the world - thank you for visiting Art Matters, it's so encouraging to see the number of visitors growing.

My wish for you this coming year is that you will have happy times with family and friends, good health, and may the creative muse remain by your side all year long...

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Picking a winner!

I nominated a winner! I am absolutely delighted that my nomination for Getting out of the Studio Making a Mark Awards is the winner.

I nominated Haidee-Jo Summers artist -ma vie en Couleurs because I was so impressed with her plein air paintings in all kinds of weather. Her paintings are fresh, vibrant and of a very high standard. I first came across her work at the time of the Diamond Jubilee from a link on Making a Mark. She was one of a number of artists selected to paint the 60^th Jubilee River Pageant. She persevered when others were forced to abandon wet paintings.

Please go to the link here to read more about this award and do check Haidee-Jo’s blog posts about her very busy and successful painting year.

I have tremendous admiration for plein air painters. It’s something that was, unfortunately, not feasible in South Africa due to security concerns but certainly possible now that I am living in Australia. Reading Haidee-Jo’s posts has encouraged me to make the effort to get out of the studio with my easel and paints in 2013.

Congratulations Haidee-Jo on this well-deserved award!

Sketching out and about in Noosa

I've learnt a couple of things in the last few days. I need to be better organised to sketch...

Sketching at Organika

• My lovely Lamy Safari pen has just run out of ink and the bottle is sitting back at home :(
• I forgot to pack clips to hold the pages when it gets windy;
• I forgot that my Moleskin sketchbook is lovely for pencil and ink but doesn't like watercolour at all.

I did learn, however, that Inktense pencils are great on the Moleskin paper so I will continue to use the sketchbook.
I discovered Organika five minutes down the road for delicious coffee....

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Seasons Greetings

I'd like to thank all my readers for your interest and support, it is much appreciated.

This comes with my good wishes at this holiday time. I hope you all have an opportunity to rest and relax.

 

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Blogsy - holiday blogging made easier

 

Study for Drakensberg Mountains - graphite (imported from Flickr)

Blogsy is an app which makes blogging from an iPad more streamlined. I found out about the app through Mario Caoile's blog. It allows you to drag photos and videos from a number of different sources - Camera roll, Flickr, Picassa, You Tube etc. possible.

There are many other features which I have yet to explore - slowly, slowly!

 

Royal Doulton teacup & saucer - pen & ink

Christmas is around the corner and a week's holiday at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast lies ahead. A holiday unit on the river, a beautiful deck, the boat moored nearby - its a perfect opportunity to read, relax and maybe do some drawing.

Oh and perhaps some blogging too...

 

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Blog love

As the year gallops to a close, time has run away with me taking all my good intentions with it, mainly the plan to post at least once a week. (Don't even talk to me about a daily post - it's never going to happen!)

Well, I haven't done that lately. A commission that has been in the works for a while came to life and although I’d love to finish the painting before the Christmas holidays it’s unlikely that will happen.

I've been doing quite a bit of drawing having fallen in love with the Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook. (More about that later)

Seed Pods - graphite on Fabriano

So, I want to share a few links to blogs I have been following for a while. When you kick back and relax you will have something to browse through…

Wonderful photographs and gentle Irish words from FoxgloveLane…

Mattias Adolfsson does intricately detailed pen drawings with a hint of watercolour - he has more than a fair share of imagination…

Paper Ponderings has talk about books, paper, calligraphy and wonderful photographs (and Fiona's a seriously nice person - I met her on a recent studio visit) 

I first read Euan Craig’s blog just after the Japanese Tsunami - he writes so eloquently. He is an Australian potter living in Japan. Do yourself a favour and scroll back and start reading the posts from March 2011 - this is the link

Finally, if you have a severe case of wanderlust but no travel fairy to buy your tickets then you will enjoy reading Hecktic Travels - exquisite photographs and good writing - it will make you want to pack your bags and go somewhere...

Do let me know how you get on - there'll be more another time.