Third anniversary competition

Well, it has been a very busy and successful month for me art-wise. I've been involved in three exhibitions: the Artists’ Great Garage Sale, my solo exhibition at Two Rubens, and the exhibition of work by Artists from the Freedom School at the Moore’s building. Two of these run till early January (see above for details) so try and get along to see them if you can.

This photo was taken at the opening night of my solo exhibition where I sold six paintings, and I have recently listed some of my art on artFido – an online gallery. I’m also going to create a facebook page for my art, once I work out how to do it!

Can you believe I’ve been writing this blog for just over three years? I’m also working on my 100th painting! To celebrate these milestones I’m running another competition. This time the prize is six of my cards featuring my latest abstract work, worth $20.

To enter just click on the link below, leave your details and tell me, if you were to commission me to do a painting, what would the subject be and in what medium and style. The competition will close on Monday 31 December and the winner will be announced soon afterwards. Good luck!


Click here to take survey

Robin (74)

This painting of a Robin is going to be my 2012 Christmas card image … so you’re getting a sneak preview! The picture was taken from a Christmas card my cousin in the UK sent me last year.

I originally painted the robin in record time (15 minutes) in response to a challenge from my art teacher, Brian Simmonds. I was very surprised (and happy) with the result, although I had to make the bird thinner as he looked as though he’d eaten too much Christmas pudding! Adding in the background and the post he’s sitting on took much longer to finish. The Christmas card had snow on the top of the post that I didn’t include – I did try but couldn’t get the colour of it right, that very pale icy blue.

Last weekend, I took part in the Artists’ Great Garage Sale at Freight Gallery in Fremantle, and one of the things I sold is the original of this painting. I know the person who bought it and she’s going to give it to her daughter in Canada for Christmas … so my art will be introduced to another country!

Upcoming art exhibitions & Cottesloe beach (56)

I’m excited to announce that I have two art exhibitions coming up before the end of this year. I will have different art in both exhibitions so please try and get to both if you can. Details are above.

This painting is of the Indiana Tearooms on Cottesloe beach, one of the more popular beaches in Perth and a magnet for tourists. This unusual building sits right on the beach and features in many photos. The original building on the site was built in 1910 so it has become an icon around these parts.

Iconic or not, I wouldn’t recommend eating here. Ian took me to the Indiana Tearooms for our first anniversary dinner. Although we got a stunning view of the Indian Ocean, the menu was very ordinary as was the food and the service, and the prices were extraordinary!

The dramatic sky and sea were a pleasure to paint, but I found it quite a challenge to paint the Indiana (buildings are not my strong point!) However, I quite like the quirky way it has turned out.

Simply red (88)

After the recent death of my very good friend, Jan, I decided to take a break from my usual art classes, where we had both been going for many years, and try something different. That something is abstract art classes with David Giles. Every week David chooses an artist and does a demonstration painting in their style and then we students have a go.

Shown here is my latest painting called ‘Simply red’. This was inspired by a painting of a vase of flowers by Kerri Blackman, but it looks nothing like her work. I was surprised how simplistic and naïve this work turned out as I was after a looser style … but I really like it.

Pomegranate seeds (25)

I painted this picture of pomegranate seeds during a workshop with a Thai artist (whose name escapes me at the moment) at Kidogo Arthouse. He was a fantastic artist and taught us a method of applying oil paint on top of acrylic to give a rich glowing vibrancy and deeper texture to the subject matter. This painting sold at my first solo exhibition at Zazie’s in 2007.

Paintings on display in Fremantle

Good news! Four of my paintings will be on display at Juicy Beetroot Cafe in Fremantle from tomorrow. The four are all pastels: Two Pelicans, Wyadup Rocks, Swan Valley Morning Mist, and Poppies. Try and get along to see them if you're in the area. Juicy Beetroot is open weekday lunch times and serves delicious vegetarian food.

Karri forest (76)

This picture of a Karri forest in south western Australia was done at the request of my partner, Ian, who encouraged me to do a larger than usual painting in oils. Although I have taken many photos of the forests in the south west over the years, I took this composition from a travel brochure.

It took me quite a few weeks to finish this one. Because it was a larger canvas than usual I started by applying the paint with a trowel to get a textured look, reminiscent of tree bark. Then later, when the canvas was thickly covered with paint, I started to define the individual trees.

It was an interesting experience and I would like to do more larger oil paintings, maybe using a simpler subjects. For the record, Ian likes it (though it is for sale if anyone wants to buy it!) His plan is to create a frame for it out of Karri wood to complement the subject.

Two pelicans (70)

This picture of two pelicans came from a magazine I was flicking through while waiting at the travel doctors for some jabs a few years ago. I was mesmerised by the beauty of the pelicans in the photo and asked the receptionist if I could take it.

This painting took me a few sessions to finish, but I am pleased with how it turned out. Despite their size, pelicans are very elegant looking and gracefully glide through the water. Getting the reflections in the water to look right was the greatest challenge with this picture … I think I accomplished it though.

Busselton jetty (73)

This scene of the Busselton jetty was taken from a photo in a travel brochure. The jetty stretches 1.8 kilometres across Geographe Bay, making it the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere.

Building of the jetty started in 1865 and it took 95 years to complete. Originally the jetty was used for shipping timber and local produce (mainly potatoes) and horse drawn trucks were used for loading until 1911 when the railway on the jetty became operational.

In 1972 operations stopped and the jetty quickly deteriorated due to wood borers and rot. In 1978, Cyclone Alby swept down the coast, destroying a significant amount of the jetty, and in 1999 a major fire destroyed more than 70 metres of the jetty.

In 2009 restoration of the jetty began and it reopened in February 2011. Today, the jetty attracts over 400,000 visitors a year and is the most popular tourist attraction in the south west region of Western Australia.

I loved the dramatic sky in the photo and decided to paint it in oils as a challenge. The result is a little abstract as I found the jetty difficult to paint realistically.

Wyadup Rocks (67)

This scene was taken from a photo in a travel brochure of south western WA. Wyadup Rocks is a stunning part of the coastline near Dunsborough. The rock formations right at the water’s edge make it a very popular spot with photographers.

I was drawn to paint this scene because of the strong colours, the quality of the light and the texture of the water - which although challenging was very satisfying.

Daisy (72)

I did this painting for my partner for Christmas. It’s a portrait of his dog, Daisy, who’s a spoodle (cocker spaniel x poodle).

Daisy loves water. Apparently she dived into the sea the first time she was taken to the beach as a small puppy and hasn’t looked back. She lives for her walks on the beach – at home she just sleeps all day, but when she gets to the beach she’s like a totally different dog! However, her love of water is not restricted to the sea. Once, we took her to a friend’s place and she was playing with their dogs outside when we heard a big splash … Daisy had jumped into their ornamental fountain and pond!

I decided to paint Daisy from a photo taken of her in her element. The portrait of Daisy herself came together very quickly, but I had a bit of trouble painting the sea. In the photo there was a sweeping current of water surrounding her, which I originally put in. However, it didn’t look right so I took it out again.

P.S. For the record, my partner loves the painting!