3D Foundation Resource 10

My exercise with clay. Learning to rehydrate old clay, using different sculpting tools and learning how tomake a maquette for a larger sculpture. Learning also the coil method and the methodology of joining clay.

Sustained Drawing

An exercise from 'Drawing For All You're Worth' Foundation Resource 9. The idea being to research an idea and develop it into a completed drawing. The exercise was to take random images from magazines and arearrange them into something pleasing. The top image is my rearranged image and the bottom image is the painting that followed. The idea being that the the ability to push the boundaries and really push the idea as far as it can go or even develop a series of idea from the one thing is the difference between a serious artist and a hobbyist.

Foundation Resource 7 - Expressionism and Creating Depth

The brief for the pastel exercises were to express an emotion whilst painting then to incorporate yourself into the image...guess which one is me. I look unbelievably sad but it is more concentration than anything and rendering yourself is difficult when trying to remain objective.

The painting was an exercise in breaking down the planes of the face into blocks of colour and working quickly to retain energy in the brushstrokes.

Verona Graffiti

My finished pieces for the exhbition opening 03 August at Northart Community Centre, all inspired by the old, crusty walls inscribed with more modern graffiti that is evident around the fictitious homes of Romeo and Juliet.

Who Would Have Thought?

My first ever oil painting and it sold! With a few minor modifications when it came back from Wellington I put it into the unselected members 12" x 12" exhibition at $85 and it sold in a week! I know....by the time you take in commission and materials there is not alot left over but you have to understand the purpose of creating the painting was purely exercise....and having the courage to put yourself out there...something I will always struggle with I think. It's quite personal really whatever you create nad whatever approach you take. It's there for all the world to see what is going on in your brain and your heart....I reckon authors must feel the same.
Anyway, right now I feel validated....until next time!

Maybe whoever bought it decided it would make a good example of what not to do? Gotta do something 'bout those voices!

...and again......

Reclining Nude

The charcoal nude that I liked...especially the way the light came across her shoulder so I thought I'd take that into oils.
This is what I have so far and will probably remain so unless I paint over the whole thing and start again. The red background is infinitely better than the brown but the square frame doesn't do anything for the picture. The shadow need to be put back on the pillow too and perhaps the red graded a little to show the original blanket.

The question is whether I'm game to exhibit it in the Northart 12" x 12" canvas show or not. I will see what Jane, my mentor at The Learning Connexion, says first.

Here We Go!!

Study of light on the human form using a limited colour palette.

My facecasting result. Anna was my model and put up with plaster bandages over her face for 10-15 minutes. The plaster of paris was used in the resulting mould and when that was dry, papier mache on the top to make a finished mask. I want to do the whole family!

Unofficially we have been told that we have received $2000 towards our exhibition at Northart...very exciting. Now time has come to pull finger and do something.

Paint and more paint

The final result of Foundation Resource 2. The bottom one was done in 1/2 and hour and I call it digital painting....fingerpainting is just so last decade or 3. Thought it high time I tried a vegetable or two and it really is something I need to work on.....but the courier will be arriving soon for my portfolio's 2nd trip to Wellington for assessment and critique so time is not on my side this time. Have managed 31 hours this time when I should be aiming for 45...I suppose there are times I don't add intot he equation like taking photos of patterns and other stuff that is related....not 14 hours though! I'm not sure how important the time thing is at the end of the day.

The one above probably took an hour using bubble wrap and a plastic card....as you can guess the exercises focused on using other equipment other than brushes. If you look carefully you will notice the palette knife coming out of the side of the glass jar.....magic!!

The guy at the top was done with said bubble wrap and plastic card along with sequin waste which creates groovy patterns before becoming clogged with paint. Thoroughly enjoyed this as it had to be painted listening to 3 types of music....it was all about speed and energy and emotion.

I do need to start concentrating on the Northart exhibition.....so not in the right headspace for that.

8 Perspectives

8 of us are in the throes of organising an exhibition for Northart in August. Yesterday was our image gathering day of pieces we had all but completed. For some reason the Photoshop image that was sent to me wouldn't upload much to my despair several hours later. This one is from my wee camera and not nearly as good. But you get the general idea.

5 x 4 week old kittens arrived yesterday and need feeding 4 x a day. Not sure it was such a good idea fostering these guys.

Tonal painting

One result of experimenting with line, tone and colour. The idea being to paint something using brush lines, experimenting with width and so forth. The next was tone, using one colour and adding black to deepen the colour or white to lighten....I used only water to vary tone. The next was using the same model and using as many colours as you liked remembering essentially that warm colours come forward and cool colours recede.
This chap is from "lemonsoul". I have no idea who or what that is but it I found him on Google images. Be nice if he recognised himslef wouldn't it?

As an aside, we have successfully rehomed Bindi and Zaza.

Project Number 1 Word Patterns

Project Number 1 is asking you to generate a pattern and use it to work a finished piece. I gessoed some sheets of newsprint allowing the print to barely be seen, used one as the canvas and tore one into squares after writing word patterns in chalk pastel on it. These squares were glued down and finally stitched to echo the square pattern and the colour of the pastel. A spray of walnut ink finished it.

The ATC!

Tissue and pelmet vilene sandwich inspired by Dale Rollerson's Module 5 Playways and appeared in Quilting Arts Issue 16.

1,000 Artist Trading Cards

ATC'S and textile postcards are all the rage at present. Shore Thing responded to a challenge to create some ATC's to be published in the 'Quilting Arts' magazine a couple of years ago and several of us were successful. This book is a collection of all the ones that made it into the several issues of the magazine...I'm trying to find the magazine so I can upload mine. Stay tuned.

My Foster Kittens

Bindi and Mitsi are our Foster kittens. We look after them until Lonely Miaow can find a home for them. They are 4 months old or thereabouts and whoever gets them now will probably miss out on that cute kitten phase. So many kittens are born every year because people won't or can't have their animals desexed. Homes seem to be found for most of them eventually but if they get overrun they send them to the SPCA to be euthanased.

Very sad. Mitsi on the left is alot younger. We have had her for 3 days now. The other 2 didn't take to her very well at all so we have put her into a separate cage. If you happen to stumble by this blog and you live in Auckland, NZ and are looking for kittens I recommend you visit their website: http://www.lonelymiaow.co.nz/ You can view alot of the kittens and cats online and contact that Foster parent.

Charcoal and pastel.

Resource One and The Magic of Drawing. The tutor guarantees he can teach anyone to draw with exercises that trick the brain. Drawing upside down, drawing with the left hand, drawing without looking at the paper, drawing with white crayon then revealing the results with dye....fabulous fun. The chap on the left was a 3rd attempt at drawing from a photocopy and understanding tone, the drawing prior to this one was better except that the tone wasn't right between his head and background...this one is. The guy on the right is an exercise to use white pastel on a midtone background and supplementing with charcoal. I reckon I did it the other way around and didn't allow the brown paper to do some of the work....I still like it though and at the end of the day that's what counts. This was a 2nd attempt at doing him so I'm pleased.

I start painting exercises tomorrow, yay!

More Spirit Dolls

For want of a better name Spirit Dolls they remain. I'm hoping to have a wee collection of these for the National Rose Show in March held at the YMCA in Akoranga Drive, Northcote, Auckland this year. "Shore Thing" has been invited to have some space there to enhance the viewing pleasure of attendees and hopefully make them spend more time there and increase attendance.

All this before things get serious with The Learning Connexion.

Spirit Dolls

My friend Sheryl gave me the inspiration for these dolls. My friends are getting married this Saturday and when they've been together forever it's hard to buy the perfect gift.
So, 2 dolls representing the couple (naturally) bound together with 'tools' to help them through the rest of their lives...a chinese coin for wealth, a key to unlock their deepest desires, a clock to let them remember that life is short, a bottle of champagne and 2 glasses to celebrate their marriage and a rake and a flower to help them tend their garden...and a lock to ensure that their love is safely locked with them.
Of course, the cynical among us would probably have a completely different interpretation.....but that's up to them.
Personally I think it's a better gift than another toaster....