Park painting and some ancient history

Here are some photos of my large painting in progress. I'm not sure whether it's finished or not!

I'm so used to working on a small scale that I found it quite difficult to be consistent with this, every time I had a painting session, it seemed to come out in a different style, some parts very stylised, some parts painted loosely, some more realistic...

But by co-incidence, the first Tactile Arts members show of the year has the theme of 'Birds'. So I've put this painting in (in this possibly finished state!) along with some smaller works. The opening is next Friday 5th April, do come along if you're in Darwin!!

The painting reminds me of one - much larger - that I did at Uni back in the mid 80's. So here is the ancient history! ...I'd had a friend from my hometown to stay for the weekend, and when they left I couldn't face going to the studio, couldn't see the point of painting, I was feeling homesick and sorry for myself. So I did what I do, I went for a walk and took my sketchbook, and did some charcoal drawings in a tiny park - a square of grass surrounded by flower beds with rose bushes, a couple of bench seats, the whole thing fenced with iron railings. The drawings I did were quick, slight, but they were the start of a series of paintings.

When I read this back it doesn't sound like a significant event! But for me it was some kind of turning point, the feelings I was struggling with went into the paintings which were for me about leaving home symbolised by the relationship between mother and daughter.
(The paintings are long gone, but I might beable to copy a photo to show you another time!)

The park in my new painting is huge compared to that little city square, it has formal gardens and fountains, a community veggie garden, playgrounds, grassy areas, huge trees, a skate park... plenty of inspiration for a whole series of paintings!

I hope you're having a relaxing Easter. I had a long list of jobs to tackle in the garden, the house and arting, but have a bit of a cold, so I've been indulging in sleeping in and relaxing and my list of jobs will have to wait for another time!!

bus drawings

I have been inspired by Maureen Nathan over on flickr, to do some drawings on the bus. Her drawings are wonderful so do take a look, here here, and here. My bus ride is only 10 minutes, but the drawings only take a minute or so! I made myself a tiny sketchbook about  2 inch square, from scrap cardboard and junkmail faxes we get at work (for coffee machines and overseas holidays! blank on one side).

I draw with a biro, sometimes the vibrations of the bus leave a wobbly line. I try to hide the book in the top of my bag so people can't see what I'm doing!!

It has reminded me that I always meant to make a zine about travelling on the bus - I have heaps of bus poems - I should go and dig them out.

My big canvas is progressing slowly with things being painted in and painted out again! I hope to show you some of that next time.