hmmmm?

where did the chooks come from?

aargh they're multiplying

I can't do anymore on this piece. I don't know yet if I like it or not...it was more like hard work than fun. I have had such an unproductive week, I must have jinxed myself when I set those stupid goals. Oh yes, and remember why I set those goals? A solo exhibition planned that was many months away...well, I just got a call from 'Genesis Vegetarian Restaurant' where they host a new lovely exhibition every month. Someone dropped out of their slot and to cut a long story short I am now holding my first solo exhibition in LATE MAY!

So I am excited and terrified and happy...now back to the studio :)

The Adjustment Bureau strikes again

work in progress sort of

The engineers have been at it again - move this, make this longer, shorter taller ---aaargh. I can feel this piece getting tighter and tighter...why did I try to paint a dog that everyone in my family knows? Why did I try to paint a brindle dog lying in midday sun? Why would a dog lie in midday sun in Australia? These are all big questions. This is where I am at today - I am hoping this is just a temporary ugly stage and I can bring some freshness back into it. The only part I really like is the white patch on her chest and her right back paw, the rest is blah. :(

busy, busy, busy

Progress shots 1. sketch 2. block in 3. alcohol wash

I spent a pile of time drawing a grid on my photo for this one, then couldn't be bothered drawing another up for my large sheet so I just sketched her highness in with charcoal - I think I am actually more comfortable with this. I feel like I get a bit of a warm up for the next step and it just feels a lot more natural. So the sketch isn't perfect, but who cares - I am not really a photorealist anyway. This is going to be big - 1metre by 70cm, my favourite size sheet. The only down side of using this size paper is that I can only seem to get them in white, which means I need to wash in with alcohol. When I paint landscapes I love using that technique, but for animals I prefer coloured paper - I have no idea why :) I am already enjoying this one though so thats a good thing! I just sold 'The Watcher' and 'Fecundity' on the weekend :) at an exhibition so I need to restock on large pieces. The lovely full figured model in this one is my own dog, you may remember her from a previous post where she decided 'Fecundity' made a nice pillow.

Vanner

'Vanner'
24cm x 32 cm
pastel on paper

Well I certainly have gotten the daily bug :) These horses look like something from a fantasy movie, really they do!

Rocks, rocks and more rocks...and some water

'Gravity'
20cm x 30cm
Pastel on Colourfix

Having done a bit of a clean out of my storage, I have found lots of small size offcuts of colourfix - a few months ago I would have used them to test colours or something, but now I have discovered the joys of painting small pieces. Yay, I won't run out of paper for the next ten years :) Just goes to show, you should change things up every now and then. I still need lots of practice going smaller - I have found my palette needs to be a bit more subdued and getting composition right is a lot trickier. I want to try to do three or four of these a week,one large pastel and one large acrylic or oil. Nothing like having unrealistic goals right? My goal has a purpose - I want to hold a joint exhibition and then a solo one towards the end of the year :)

'Speedy'

'Speedy'
20cm x 30cm
soft pastel on Colourfix

The name speaks for itself, this giant Galapogos Tortoise has been at our zoo since I was a kid, probably longer! This was a quick sketch about 20 mins I think. :)

'Once Upon a Time'

'Once Upon a Time'
50cm x 70cm
Soft Pastel on Aubergine Colourfix

So this one might look familiar - I have painted a small and a large version of this same house, so I though why not paint a middle size one as well...and film it for Youtube. I love it when this happens, sometimes I start a video and have to scrap the painting half way through because I find it hard to concentrate or I am just not in the zone, but the Art Fairies where on my side today. This one only took about an hour so it shouldn't take a normal person long to edit the video - but me it might take ME a while. Hopefully it will be up on Youtube by the weekend if I can con someone into helping me :) Do you like the title? I have been trying to tone down my palette lately but it doesn't seem to be working and this one turned out like something out of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale - oh well :)