Wednesday, April 30, 2014

200th blog post and a giveaway!!!

Way back in September 2009 I nervously wrote my first blogpost (after reading the whole of blogging for dummies!). I never imagined I'd plod along at this for over 4 years, or that I'd get to 200 posts.

To celebrate I have a giveaway of a trio of my lino print cards. Just leave a comment on this post to enter, I'll pick a name out of the hat on 10th May.


I had intended to write a bit more about my blogging experience, but my son's laptop is at the repair shop and I'm lucky to get 5 minutes to check my emails this week so I'm keeping it brief!

If you're in Darwin there's plenty on this Saturday. The opening of the art of tea exhibition, combined with a morning tea fundraiser for the cancer council is on at Tactile Arts. In the afternoon - and on into the evening - is my favorite little festival, the Nightcliff Sea Breeze festival. All along my regular walking track by the sea, there will be stages, an exhibition and stalls. I'm hoping to spend some time at the dance stage before I get dragged by my family past all the music stages to find the food!!

Hope you're having a great week!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

in progress

I don't have much to show you at the moment!! The lino from last week is almost ready to print, I've also started some sewing for the animal theme exhibition but I suppose I should keep them under my hat until exhibition time - late June.

I did another attempt at the horse painting and have been sitting looking at it for a couple of weeks and hate it as much as the first version!! So I'll be gessoing over it today.

A good spin off from doing the walking project is to be doing some sketching, either on the spot


or from my photos.

I'm hoping to do a lino cut based on the dog drawings and photos.
Hope you're enjoying a relaxing long weekend!!

Friday, April 11, 2014

quick walk 10/48


Last Sunday I set off towards my usual walk at the beach, but on the way spotted some horses, which you might just be able to make out in this photo. So I parked the car and walked back, by the time I got over to the Casuarina beach side they were just heading off, but I did have time to make a quick sketch - I might blog that next time. It was a glorious morning...looking forward to getting to the beach again this weekend!


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Detours

I am still getting nowhere fast with painting. So here are some drawings from recent visits to my friend Alison's studio. Often we do a lot of talking and tea drinking and not much art making - just a couple of quick line drawings and then time to go home! If nothing else I'll draw the tea things!

Last time my daughter came too so I did some sketches of her (not a great likeness!)



Last Monday I caught an exhibition of lino-prints (the day after it closed) at Framed Gallery. One artist had already packed up, but Anna Curtis's prints were gorgeous, exciting to see her new still lifes. And fascinating to see Margaret Lees work using lino but an intaglio method rather than relief print, lots of layers gave a result similar to etching but maybe softer. Very beautiful.

Inspired by those and glad to take a break from the frustrations of painting I've started chiselling a lino, here is a corner of it still in progress.