Exhibition at Juicy Beetroot in Fremantle - on now!

I'm back in Fremantle and have got an abstract art exhibition at Juicy Beetroot. I'm calling it a 'No studio sale' - as I don't have a studio at the moment. This means I have nowhere to keep my art … apart from the spare bedroom, which stops people coming to stay with me. Some might say this is a good thing, but I like seeing my far-flung friends, so I've reduced my paintings by up to 20% less than usual.   
So if you're in Fremantle on a weekday lunch time, drop into Juicy Beetroot and pick up a bargain while you can – and help me reclaim my spare bedroom!

Finger Stone (141)

I’ve recently spent six months based in the UK. I took lots of art projects to do while I was there, but never seemed to get time.

This painting of the Finger Stone, in the Staffordshire part of the Peak District National Park, is my latest art work. I actually started it a while ago on a previous visit to the UK. I painted it on black paper and thought it needed a lot more work, but when I looked at it again I realised that the black paper showing through adds to the broodiness of the subject. All it took to finish it off was to crop the bottom off as that wasn’t finished and didn’t add to the composition.

I’m happy with the result and think it’s looser than my usual work. I hope you like it too.

We belong to the earth (136)

This is my latest painting. It’s an acrylic abstract of a stylised earth containing a green heart, floating in a hot red universe. The globe came about by accident when I was messing about with primary colours on a canvas and I’m very happy with the result.

In the middle of the heart is a quote from Chief Seattle (see close up picture here), “The earth does not belong to us … we belong to the earth”. Being a pagan at heart, I have always loved that quote and it seemed to fit very well with the painting … and with these times. The extreme weather conditions we are experiencing more regularly may be indications that we’ve pushed the earth too far and that global warming is inevitable.

Spoodle to go! (103)

Happy new year to everyone - sorry for not updating the blog for a while, the silly season got in the way!

Daisy, our spoodle, loves going to the beach. As we live very close to the beach, Ian attached a basket to the back of his pushbike to transport Daisy in. We used to strap her in with a harness so she couldn’t jump out, but she took to this novel mode of transport remarkably quickly and now we don’t restrain her at all. An old hand at it now, she nonchalantly scratches herself or leans over the side so she can see around Ian and look where she’s going. It’s downhill on the way to the beach so her ears blow back in the breeze and she looks quite comical.

This painting was done from a photo of Daisy in the bike basket, taken at home before we set off for the beach. I redid the background as the garage door didn’t make a very appealing backdrop for the painting! I think Daisy’s front legs look a bit thin in the painting but that was actually how they looked in the photo!

Poppies (59)

Poppies are one of my favourite flowers - I love their bright colour and their delicate texture. This picture was painted from a photo my Mum took of poppies growing in a field in England. I liked the contrast of the bright, regular shaped poppies against the chaotic green undergrowth and poppy heads and the play of light amongst it all.

I meant post this a few days ago in time for Remembrance Day as poppies are associated with the World Wars. During the First World War, poppies were among the first plants to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium and, in soldiers' folklore, the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. A powerful symbolism became attached to the poppy – the sacrifice of shed blood.

The sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 moved Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write the poem In Flanders field:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Another exhibition

I’m excited to announce that I have another art exhibition – all pastels - up at Juicy Beetroot in Fremantle. This cute little cafe is only open weekday lunchtimes, but I hope some of you can get along to see it. Also, I still have some acrylic paintings up at Two Rubens until further notice. Details are above.

Home sweet home (29)

Having just returned home from a two month visit to the UK, I thought the title of this painting was appropriate! I painted it from a photo I took of an old cottage in Bridgetown very early in the morning. The light at that time of day gave the picture a shadowy, other-worldly feel that complements the subject matter.

A friend who lives in Bridgetown bought this painting as soon as she saw it, along with a few others!

Still life with nasturtiums (86)

Another still life - this time of a bowl of nasturtiums. This is a very sentimental painting for me because I painted it while in the company of my dear friend, Jan, three weeks before she died.

I originally met Jan when I joined her belly dance classes in 1995. Over the years we became very good friends and did many projects and classes together, including art classes with Brian Simmonds. She was a very good artist.

At the time I painted these nasturtiums, Brian was away but we were able to use the studio. A few of the others from the class had turned up and were painting on the verandah, but Jan and I went inside and sat by the heater as she was very thin from her cancer treatment and was feeling the cold.

Jan had brought the nasturtiums and bowl for us to compose, and we sat and chatted while we painted. Afterwards we had a coffee at the little café at the art centre. It was so nice to have some time together, but just before we parted she complained of a pain in her side. She was taken into hospital that night and never came out.

Every time I look at this painting I think of her.

Still life with exotic jug (102)

Sticking with the still life theme, this one of an exotic jug with fruit is my first water colour painting. Again, I painted it at my friend Sue’s house. I didn’t realise that I needed to leave blank pieces of paper for highlights as there is no white water colour paint. Despite this, I think it turned out ok, though the fruit could do with a bit more body.

I find paintings of still life compositions more difficult to paint than subjects from photographs, but they provide good practise at really seeing objects and how they relate to each other ... so I need to do more of them.

Still life with mangoes (100)

Sorry for the delay with posting painting number 100. It’s been finished for a while now but life has been busy lately! It’s a still life painting of two mangoes and a milk jug on a wooden bread board.

This is my first mixed media painting (acrylic and watercolour pencils). I painted it at my friend Sue’s house. She’s an artist and was rehearsing for a mixed media class she was going to teach and wanted a guinea pig. First we discussed the Golden Rule of Composition (the 1/3, 2/3 rule) and I drew thumbnail sketches to find the best composition of the subject matter.

Having decided on the composition, I used a weak acrylic wash to blend the subject into the background, then added stronger colour to bring the elements to life and grounded them by using the watercolour pencils to add shadow. This was a very different process to how I usually paint and I found it a refreshing change and like how it turned out.

More good news – I’ve sold another painting from the exhibition at Two Rubens, A River Runs Through It (see blog from 22 March 2011). This exhibition will be up for at least another month if you want to see it.

Redgate Beach (84)

This oil painting of Redgate Beach near Margaret River comes from a photo in a tourist brochure. I mistakenly titled the painting Redgrave Beach to begin with, and it wasn’t until I saw an article in the paper about someone who had died there that I realised my mistake.

This beach, although very beautiful, is notoriously dangerous and it’s general beach hazard rating is 8 (highly hazardous). In fact, the hull of the shipwrecked Georgette that sank in 1876 can be seen on a calm day.

I started this painting near the end of an art class, after I had finished another painting, and got most of the elements in place in a short time. The refining of the painting was an easy job after that so it came together very quickly. I find that the paintings that I finish quickly are often the best as there is less reworking and they seem fresher.

More good news - I’ve sold another 3 paintings since the last blog! Simply Red sold at the Moore’s Building exhibition, my pastel of the Cappuccino strip in Fremantle sold from the Two Rubens exhibition, and my first abstract, Urban Sprawl sold on Artfido.

Daisy in bed (99) & competition winner

This painting was a Christmas present for my partner, Ian – another portrait of his dog, Daisy. The photo that inspired this painting was taken in the winter after she had been clipped. She was shivering, so we covered her up with a blanket in her bed and she looked very cosy. It was a difficult pose to paint, and I don’t think I quite got the angle of her head right, but it seems to work anyway.

I have an admission to make … I miscounted my paintings - I thought this was number 100, but it’s only 99! I am now working on number 100 and will post it here as soon as it is finished.

Thanks to everyone who entered my third anniversary competition which closed yesterday. The winner is Paul Merrick who said: 'I would get you to do a portrait of my dog, a blue heeler cross, in charcoal. I may even get her to sit still. Oh well, I still love her.' The prize will be in the mail as soon as I find out his address.

Some good news is that my exhibition at Two Rubens is continuing until further notice, so if you haven’t had chance to see it yet you’ve still got time. Another piece of good news is that I sold another painting on Christmas Eve - the oil painting of the Karri forest with the recycled Karri frame (see the blog from 3 July 2012). I was very excited about that sale and hope that it’s a sign of things to come in the new year.

On that note, I’d like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and creative new year.

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.