'Mixed Media Madness' in Ingham

I taught a workshop in Ingham [far North Queensland] a couple of weeks ago. What a fabulous few days. I was treated like royalty - great motel room, lovely meals, personal pick up and set down from Townsville airport, personal tour guide, and even a family Sunday roast lunch with champers!!
The workshop was great - mostly artists and art teachers, so we had a high standard of results, but the best for me was meeting so many amazing people - such energy and entrepreneurial spirit up there.
We played with a variety of media, techniques and tools, but the most fun was making our own horse tail brushes - thanks to the 3 horses in the front paddock who kindly donated chunks of tail hair - the joys of a country workshop.

Here are some of the results:

 Elizabeth having a go....

 ...and some matted results:

...some quick book formats to display the coloured ink paintings:

  Thanks Louise. I'll be back!!

New Paintings - working to a theme

You'd think that working to a theme would make things easy - well - not for me. I seem to be hung up on painting TO the theme, TO the gallery, TO the audience, TO the prospect of selling, and on it goes. I really need to say 'NO' to themes from now on. I am never true to ME when I paint to a theme - my problem, I know, but I am a classic 'people pleaser'!!!
I have had a struggle with these 2 paintings - for a local show at the 'Tree Frog Gallery' - based on the theme of' 'Transparency'. I must have 'nearly finished' these canvases at least 4 times over the past 4 weeks. Last night, I scrubbed the paint back yet again and scribbled some painted marks over the textured background. OK, not great, and very predictable, but definitely the best of a bad bunch. Delivered to the lovely Heather a couple of hours late, but she is very forgiving.
Does anyone else have trouble with this issue????

'Outback'  

 

'Midlands'

 

The other work I have been stressing over is a major piece for a major juried Sunshine Coast exhibition [SCAP]. Very healthy prize money involved, but I would be thrilled just to be accepted to exhibit. This was also a slow process - I fiddled around with the background for ages, but once I was happy with it, then the energy flowed easily as I added each layer of major brush mark making. I like this piece - this is my true passion and this is where I want to head in the future.

My statement....

"I enjoy the Eastern tradition of meditative mark making for its own sake - each brush has its own characteristic and creates a different mark. In this painting, the combination of painted marks tells the story of movement and energy as if being blown around by the wind. Each painted brush stroke is dancing - alive and free - a simple and noble expression of just what it is".

"East Wind"

 

 

so....what's next?? feet up for a few hours then a dinner party [at Fiona and Barry's], the exhibition opening, a Mixed Media Madness workshop at the Rosebed St Gallery, popping up the 'Pop Up Gallery' in a new shop in town, a trip to Nth Qld [Ingham] to do another MMM workshop [all in a week], then getting back to planning the next trip to Japan in 4 weeks time.

Ahhhh - the life of an artist.