Sunday, February 26, 2012

painting frenzy

I'm in the middle of a very productive painting period. I don't think I've even finished so many paintings in such a short time (two weeks) and yet feel that I'm "on the right track" and "might be getting somewhere - finally"!! It's also the first session of painting I've done since we moved and having a dedicated studio helps so much. It's great to have more than one painting on the go, and to be able to pop down the hill after dinner and work away.

I have a deadline, well two actually, so hence the frenzy! This coming Friday we are heading down to Greymouth to Art in the Park a two day art exhibition/fair. It will be the first time that I have a stand there and am a wee bit nervous about it all! Then the following week I'm having a solo exhibition in Nelson. So if I have a successful time at Art in the Park I'll have a VERY busy week getting new work completed.

Here's some close ups of four finished pieces, further details can be found on my Facebook page or my website.




Wednesday, February 22, 2012

wordless wednesday






It has rained all day - and I didn't take any photos, these are from another rainy day!

It has been a year since Christchurch was devastated by the 22-02-2011 quake. People have been throwing flowers into the Avon River and putting flowers into the cones that are all over the city. I even saw some large dahlias in cones beside some road works here today. A nice way to remember what has happened to the Garden City.

PS I've just read this blog post about a trip to Christchurch that described the post-quake city very well.

Friday, February 17, 2012

fibre art

Today I dropped off my entry (via CD) to a national fibre art exhibition that is held each year locally. It's a bit nerve wracking waiting to see if I will get accepted. I was two years ago with my wall hanging "21 Stations", which was also commended by the judges.






“21 Stations” memorialises the twenty-one stations of the Nelson railway section, which were written on the side of the “demolition train” which starting at Glenhope lifted the rails back to Nelson in 1955-56.  Eighty years of railway service in Nelson was over.  Where there once was a railway station there is now just a road sign, or nothing at all. There is a great article on the history of Nelson's railways here.

This year I am still working on vintage woollen blankets, but am cutting them also and needle felting the two pieces together.

"Chi"


"Yin and Yang"


The hardest part was writing my artist statement. How I hate doing those things! It was late last night and I was trying to watch Project Runway at the same time, thankfully the hubby was helpful! He actually helped with the naming of the two pieces - yep, I hadn't even managed that yet!

Excuse the navel gazing, but here it is:

I am currently exploring themes of structure and forces in the natural world. 

I have never been able to walk down a beach or river and not resist picking up a stone.  They can be hot or cold, smooth or rough, rounded or angular. To me they are a tangible reminder of part of the fabric of the earth. They are formed by tension and force, but eventually succumb to time and motion as they erode to smaller and smaller particles.

I enjoy playing with shapes and positive and negative space to find a balance. By cutting into woollen blankets, which have been discarded by their previous owners, I have now given them a new life.

“Yin and Yang” represents complimentary opposites that interact, as each cut out piece of fabric is retained and re-positioned.

“Chi” represents a life force that sustains, as plants grow from the earth.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

wordless wednesday





Sparrows joined us at the picnic table while we were having fish'n'chips for my birthday dinner at Mapua wharf tonight.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

hanging out


 

When I went to hang out the washing early this morning, the sunlight was just coming up over the hill, casting a golden glow. So I put my camera on macro and took some pics. Miss L asked me why I was doing it, good question..... because I saw the beauty and wanted to capture it. The leaf was caught in a spiders web, so that made it easy to catch! Also having everything on a rotary line meant I could move things to get the right angle.

It's also time to share my first painting for 2012. I'm working on a different style (again!) I love the combination of a loose background with the more graphic white ink. I've already decided I don't like the way the ink looks, so am painting my next painting with pearl white mixed with a glazing medium which is giving a softer look. I'm not 100% happy, as I did no planning I can see lots of things I'd change, so its a starting point.
Actually looking at here on the screen, it doesn't show much detail in the three trees, so maybe that's a sign I need to rework this area?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

(almost) wordless wednesday

Taking a leaf out of some other bloggers books, and trying for wordless posts - sometimes it all seems too complicated, this should be easy! (Now I really must stop talking!)










Photos of the full moon taken tonight during the ad breaks of Downton Abbey's Christmas Special!