Sktchy Retrospective

The Sktchy online community is one of the best - everyone is so supportive, generous with encouragement as well as sharing tips and techniques. One artist posted a collection of her portraits starting with her very first ever and then one from each subsequent year. She invited us to do the same. It’s really interesting to see the development of the artists and their wide range of styles and techniques. 

 Here are a few portraits from the past five years that I have been part of Sktchy. 

This portrait using graphite combined with watercolour is a favourite. I have

also used the image as a collage element in another painting - see below.

This Mixed Media painting incorporates a couple of portraits, stencils and collage.

As I scrolled through my gallery of portraits I came across all the ones that had been chosen as Sktchy “Picks” over the years. ‘Picks’ are chosen as featured portraits and are rewarded with a star. 

These three portraits show the dramatic use of vibrant watercolour with ink - the combination works really well. 

Nundah Village Art Exhibition

The annual Nundah Art Exhibition will be on  Saturday and Sunday 7th - 8th September. The Nundah Now Village Street Festival is held on Sunday from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm with live music, street entertainers as well as the usual street stalls.

It’s a great show in an unusual venue - the Northside Honda workshop. A few vehicles are raised up out of the way on hoists, and screens are set up to display the paintings. There is always a wide variety of excellent work. As a bonus, the opening soiree on Saturday evening  is a lot of fun.  

I will have four paintings on the show. 

The Wind Scatters the golden leaves - oil on canvas 610 mm x 610 mm. 

Wild weather - Tasman Peninsula - oil and cold wax on panel 610 mm x 610 mm

Still Beautiful  - watercolour on paper 

Proteas with a jug - oil and cold wax on paper.

Nine years later

Nine years seems to be a long time, but, honestly the last nine have gone by in a flash. On 24th August 2010, I wrote the first post for Art Matters. Today’s post is something of an anniversary celebration. 

The posts haven’t always been regular but I have kept to my original aim - I would publish when I had something to say, and in that I am pleased with the way the blog has evolved.

Wild Weather, Tasman Peninsula - 610 mm x 610 mm oil and cold wax on panel 

The first post - A new beginning, marked the beginning of a new stage in my life as I prepared to emigrate to Australia. My words went out into cyberspace and I had no idea if anyone noticed or if they even read the posts. For quite a while there was no response, and no comments. To be honest, in the beginning I had no clue about how to find the blog analytics to see how many readers there had been! Eventually, in September, a couple of comments started to appear. There was someone out there after all.

Even though the reader numbers were modest, I persevered and continued to document the packing up of my old life and preparation for a new life in a new country. The blog proved to be good therapy for these rather scary times. Over the years I've enjoyed writing the posts. It's been a vehicle where I can show and document my work.

During the first years I had to be patient and wait for the phone to ring or a query arrive in my inbox. Now I am in the pleasurable situation where work and opportunities come to me. 

My life in Brisbane is full and happy. I have a group of wonderful artists attending classes in my Studio. I have had some success with paintings, commissions and art exhibition entries.

Frequently I sit back and reflect on just how amazing my life is here. Hard as it was to leave family and friends behind in South Africa, I am so grateful for the opportunities I have enjoyed in Australia.

Riverside Trees - oil on linen 

This painting was the winner of the Grand Prize at the Nundah Village Art Show in September 2015.

A couple of years later, this portrait came second at the same show. It’s a special feeling to have one’s work honoured in the way.

Dan - watercolour on Ampersand clayboard. 

Frequently I sit back and reflect on just how amazing my life is here. Hard as it was to leave family and friends behind in South Africa, I am so grateful for the opportunities I have enjoyed in Australia.