'Drift Away'

These paintings were made after my Mum died last November - a bit of Art Therapy, but I have recently reworked them, adding the blocks of brown rust paint - I love the bold contrasts and of course the serendipity of the rust.

'Drift Away' 1 and detail,

'Drift Away 2' and detail

'Drift Away 3' and detail

These paintings are only 300 x 300mm each, and are for sale through me or through Maleny Arts Retreat
They work as a triptych or individually.

Another Still Life

I am really enjoying getting back to painting.
Another Still Life - this one has had a couple of previous lives - great textures appear when I start to sand back. I am using a builder's filler for the texture medium - easily available, cheaper and in larger quantities than the artist's equivalent.

Open studios weekend

It has been a busy weekend on the Range - open studios for about 30 artists and community activities in the park as part of the 'Festival of Walks'.

As part of our art4place activities, I helped make 'cairns' from collected sticks in Pecan Park. Children and adults wrote wishes, hopes and dreams onto leaf shapes and placed them in the cairns for the wish fairies :)

 

 This park is a hang out for the local rebel teenagers, and overnight they must have found the temptation to have a bonfire too much - I took this photo the next afternoon.

...rather a nice 'circle of fire'.

Open Studios:

I was one of the very few local artists not open to the public for various reasons, so I enjoyed a bit of time visiting some of the studios.

Fiona Dempster:

 Barry Smith:

Ken Munsie:

Kim Schoenberger demonstrating at Main Street Gallery, Montville:

..a busy weekend and it all happens again next weekend. All feedback has been very positive - lots of interest and sales and good promotion for the Arts on the range.

Well done, gang.

I hope to get to a few more of the 30 Open Studios next weekend.

Paintings

10 days since my last post - OMG !!! Apologies for not keeping up with others' blogs - will get back to it soon.
I have been in the studio every spare moment - playing with my 'texture medium', and trying to get someway towards what I feel is a satisfactory result.
I am presently putting oxides in the medium to try to get colour, but I really want a strong colour - not just pastels.

Here is the yummy texture I achieved some weeks ago,

 

Here is the finished painting - I managed to keep the best of the texture after much layering and scrubbing back,

 

Here is the next finished painting,

 ...and details of the texture.

 I absolutely love the serendipity that is happening and am at last enjoying the journey.

Bazola in the Library

12 pairs or earrings ready to go into boxes,

display system sorted,

A4 promo sheets laminated,

...then this morning, Barry and I set up our 'Bazola' display in the library showcases,

...with my tools at the bottom of this case,

...and Barry's tools in this case.

Some pics of earrings in boxes, reflected in the glass shelving.

While we were doing this, Fiona was hanging a 'mini show' of hers and Barry's work to help promote the Open Studios. Check out her flash new app. on her phone - it's a 'builder's level' - yeah - must get me one of those...

...and then the mandatory coffee afterwards at the 'Green Kitchen' - ahhh - wouldn't be dead for quids!

Just one last thing - I am having terribly frustrating times trying to comment on lots of peoples' blogs - Google keeps asking me to sign in every time I comment, type the verification code, etc, etc. I ask my computer to 'stay signed in' but it won't cooperate. Any ideas?

BAZOLA

brooch/pin to wear on scarf

It's been a week since the last post - been busy with family, friends, mini renovations and 'other stuff' in general. However, I see that Baz has been posting on Bazola [even tho' he is out of town working!!], so I  have managed a few hours of Bazola in between other things. We have committed to a mini exhibition in the local library showcase next week, so I had better get my skates on.

These are my Bazola work spaces - a bench in the studio for drilling, hammering and messy stuff,

...and the dining room table in front of the TV for evening 'not so messy' stuff. just as well I live alone!!

This is some of the recent stash given to me by Barry-  as requested, some 'corrugated' bits...

Here are some 'before and after' developmental pics to show some of the processes.

...earrings,

brooch/pin,

I am pleased with the way I did the back - always a tricky one when I am 'fabricating' my own fingings.

On another note, I want to show off my new front door and my new deck rails - renovated by my clever friend from Beechworth, Ross Taylor...

Before and after...

I was always going to get rid of those green diamonds - only took me 15 years!!!

...and I was never overly keen on the 'cottagy look'.

Now to get a painter, a gardener, a house cleaner....one step at a time.