Making a start

Out of all the artforms I practise, painting is the 'holy grail'!

Recently I've been frustrated with my studio set up - the table where I paint is also our dinner table so I've had to completely pack up after every painting session. In the holidays I had a tidy up - a little desk that had been a dumping ground for half finished projects could be a work table, a place to have my paints laid out all the time ready to go. An easel I'd got just to display work at the craft fair could be set up with a decent sized canvas. Two weeks ago I got the whole thing organised - the canvas waiting. The intention there to do some serious painting!

Last Thursday morning before work I quickly laid some colour onto the canvas, adoodle of lines, anything so that I wouldn't have to sit in front of the blank canvas on Friday!

Friday morning I blocked in some ideas based on a walk down at the park.

Now that I've put in the tree and the geese, the woman in the foreground is too small, so I've painted her out. It's curious (worrying!) that the underpainting colour and mark making is much more interesting than what I've put on top. It's got too tight too early...I need bigger brushes...it's scary and invigorating to work on something this size (20x30 inch) after many tiny 4x4 and 5x7 canvases.

It's not really anything yet - and likely to be painted over several times before it is - but at least I've made a start!!

If you're in Darwin there is still time to see a lovely exhibition of paintings by Ray Hayes at DVAA, finishing this weekend,, you can see some photos at the DVAA blog.

At book group

I belong to a book group at my local library, I've been going for over a year now and have read some great books - some that I probably wouldn't have got through but I'm so glad I did, Room by Emma Donohue, The Road by Cormac McCarthy (much darker subject matter than I'd usually choose). Some that were entirely my cup of tea - All That I Am by Anna Funder, When god was a rabbit by Sarah Winman - I was shocked when I went to book group after reading that one, I absolutely loved it, and nobody else rated it at all, they thought it was odd, boring 'nothing happened' seemed to be the general opinion.

This month we read A Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling, a 500 page whopper. I gave it a good attemp and got as far as page 200 before I decided to stop. The book is very realistic, very gloomy and for me, depressing without any ray of hope it seems.When I got to book group the general consensus was that it's excellent, it got three 10 out of 10's two 9's and an 8, only one other person was like me and couldn't stomach the book.

I'd been thinking that I might come back to the book another time when I'm feeling 'tougher', but as the discussion went on and parts of the plot were revealed I know it's too sad and upsetting for me. It's odd I feel like I've failed a good book.

I'd love to hear if you're in a book group and how you're enjoying it, and what were your favourite books???

The photo is of new growth on my mango tree, this tree seems to be on a possum highway and the new leaves are often nibbled, but this time they seem to have survived. Also a photo of some new little linoprints for cards in progress!

quietly

So things are going along quietly, making cards, doing sketchbook work, I don't have any exhibitions lined up for this year, but soon enough there will be members shows and craft fairs, I do enjoy this time of year when I have time to dawdle and see where it takes me. I spent Sunday afternoon at the library ,enjoying the aircon, looking at some books on the renaissance and did a couple of sketches (madonna and child). For now, here are some sketchbook pages and hopefully more to show soon.