Lady Denman Markets 1 December

Christmas decorations - hand-cut, stamped and baked salt-dough,
finished with matt varnish $5 each

Three new wren watercolours - the middle one is sold already. $40

New dove and kingfisher suncatchers.
The kingfishers are wired in to dangle in a little loop.
All suncatchers priced from $15 to $25

Bird paperclips - felt, bead & paperclip $1 each

3 new collages 6" x 8" - paper collage,
charcoal pencil and white ink on cardboard
$25 each

I've had some more mirrors printed,
the Rose Robin and also the Blue Wren $10 

Here are some new products for the markets this weekend, December 1 - summer! 
The next market will be in a fortnight later at Pyree on Dec 16 (to be confirmed).

Illustration Friday - Whiskers

Rose Robin!

I had to post this little guy, perfect for this week's theme!

Collage

A5 Collages on cardboard $25 each

Some new things - collages utilising recycled good including notes from school, a notepad printed with the Australian $100 bill, window envelopes, and guitar string packaging. I can feel a mixed-media crush coming on!

More Gumleaves

Just some process pictures of a gum leaf painting on A4 size Arches smooth 185gsm. 
To begin I select a nice mix of leaves and lay them out. At this point if I take a photo I ask myself why I bother to paint - the leaves themselves are so interesting and vibrant there is nothing I can add. But moving forward regardless, I sketch out the shapes lightly with pencil. I work rather randomly depending what colours i have already on my palette, but generally trying to match the main colour of each leaf, wetting the section, dropping pigment in and adding soft details before the section dries. Then adding sharper details once the section is dry, and finally all the darkest little tips, stalks and marks. Very last I add a few light shadows to make the leaves look like they're actually sitting on the paper.

This painting is available on the weekend for $70 at JindyAndy Mill Christmas Market on Saturday (Nov23), and Pyree on Sunday (Nov 24).

Life Drawing

It is just fantastic that my local art supplier is now offering life drawing classes.  I'm a bit out of shape and these short poses are quite a workout for the arm and brain. I managed to make some sketches that i quite like, I have some canvases in mind down the track which involve figures and birds.
The classes are at Make Your Mark Art Supplies in Huskisson if anyone is interested.

Millhouse Gallery Summer Exhibition 2012 Dec 3 - March 2

I have submitted 8 pieces for the Millhouse Summer exhibition... I've chosen a variety of subjects and I'm not sure how well some of them will go given the popularity of landscapes at that gallery! We'll see. Anyhow here are two of the paintings which make a nice set. If you happen to be in Milton over the summer, drop in for a look as there are some very clever artists exhibiting there.

Watercolours for sale at the Millhouse Gallery in Milton
from December 3.  Framed size 400 x 325mm $190 each

Tomerong Markets 17 November

I made up a prototype "nest" ring from fencing wire & my daughter wore it all week and got a lot of comments, so I've now made some beautiful rings and pendants from proper jewellery wire which I have been assured will stay beautiful and shiny. They are very pretty with pale blue bead "eggs". 

Update: Now in matching earrings!

New Products

Adding stripes to the cuckoo

Painting the kingfisher

I had some make-up mirrors printed with a Rose Robin for the Artisan Market this weekend - they are looking very sweet! 

Also here are some new pieces - the Gumleaves is big - a little too big for my scanner, and the rest are on A5 Arches Watercolour medium surface - 300 gsm.

They'll be mounted up ready to go for saturday morning.

This morning before school, my son and I saw a cormorant swimming in a little creek not 2 metres from us. The water was so clear we could see him perfectly beneath the surface, fishing like a seal.

Yesterday in the dunes at Nelsons Beach an echidna came crashing through the bush and we were able to watch him for ages as he travelled adjacent to the track. When the dog got interested he just stopped still and curled up, and we moved on, thinking how effective his defences were that he seemed to need no stealth!

It is really a treat to see wildlife so close to people and so freely enjoying their unspoilt natural habitat.

Tiny Makeup Mirror with print of Rose Robin $10 ea

Gumleaves - mounted size 350 x 300mm $70

Shining Bronze-Cuckoo A5 Mounted on A4 $40

Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike A5 mounted on A4 $40

Scarlet Honeyeater A5 mounted on A4 $40

Azure Kingfisher A5 mounted on A4 $40

Magpie portrait A5 mounted on A4 $40

Gumleaves detail

Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike detail

Scarlet Honeyeater detail

Azure Kingfisher detail

Magpie portrait detail

Who are we to decide what is small and insignificant

Experiment today with pencil and just a light wash of watercolour. This is a slightly mangled- looking strawberry from our garden. A warm up exercise for creating some pieces to go to the Millhouse Gallery for the summer exhibition.

Shoalhaven Artisans Market 10th November

Next Saturday is the Artisans Market in Nowra again, the month has gone very quickly! Today Andy and I were set up at the Lady Denman markets and although the weather started out a bit dreary, it fined up and there was a great atmosphere and lots of out of town visitors. 

This week I framed quite a few paintings up - a set of 3 New Holland Honeyeaters - I think I'll do  few more of these sets featuring one species of bird, this was a suggestion of my friend Mickey. Thanks Mickey!

Also a fantail in a plain white frame, a White Cheeked Honeyeater in a fancy white frame, and a nest in a brown frame. I found a set of four green lime-washed frames which work nicely with botanicals as they have similar tones.

Two new paper-cuts - cut from a single sheet of white paper and framed in white. These are sandwiched between two sheets of glass, so it is possible to see through them, to the shadow they cast. I so love paper-cuts!

And lastly, the christmas cards with paper-cut ornaments strung on silver thread. They are looking very nice in their cello bags.

New Holland honeyeater 3 x A6 framed 415 x 210mm $80

Rufous Fantail A5 framed 190 x 245mm $45

White Cheeked Honeyeater A5 framed 230 x 280mm $50

Honeyeaters Nest A5 framed 245 x 335mm $50

4 botanical watercolours each on A5 and framed 250 x 305mm -
Coastal Banksia, Banksia Serrata Leaf, Wattle pod, and Spotted Leaf
$50 each

'Tea' Paper-cut framed 295 x 245mm $50

Big Dreams Paper-cut framed 210 x 160mm $30

Paper-cut Ornament Christmas cards $8