a moment in the garden

Just a brief post in the midst of my crazy couple of work weeks. A photo from my garden of a mystery plant that I first noticed a year or so ago, it's some kind of parasitic plant like mistletoe it's growing on another tree in our garden and getting more and more established.

The flowers attract lots of different birds and the last few mornings there have been some little red chested finches there, I don't fancy my chances of getting a photo!! But maybe I'll do a little painting soon...
I hope your week has got off to a good start! Best wishes.

Stepping up to September

Suddenly life has got busy!! On my table this week, some dolls in progress for a group exhibition in October. (called this way madness lies)

Hand colouring lino prints to make cards for a craft fair at the end of September - Sun 29th at the waterfront.

This painting that I started a couple of weeks ago and still needs a lot more work.

I finally finished the first volume of the Matisse biography by Hilary Spurling, completely inspired by Matisse's work I've set up this still life and have done a few drawings, I hope to have something ready to share soon.

Next week I have to work a 6 day week because of workmates on holidays, not to mention a choir performance on Saturday! so there won't be much art happening...

Good habits!!

At the craft fair last month, I was chatting to a friend about how much (or little) artwork we're getting done! And about different friends we had who were on holiday at the time, and we knew they'd come back with sketchbooks jam packed with drawings. How do they do it?

When I went on holiday to England 4 years ago, I bought myself a special little sketchbook and pen...but did almost nothing, 4 little sketches that I thought were awful at the time, but treasure now and wish I'd done so many more.

So that's the first thing for me, to stop worrying whether it looks good - whether it looks like my friend's gorgeous sketchbook, and do it for the process as much as the result.

The second thing is to make it a habit, I'm already the kind of person who takes a sketchbook everywhere! Now I have to get into the habit of using it, even if there doesn't seem to be a real subject to draw. These sketches are a start to new good habits!

If you're in Darwin I hope you're enjoying the festival, we've been to 2 events (2 more than last year!). It was so lovely last night, to be at the botanical gardens at twilight, bumping into old friends, eating yummy food, and enjoying a free percussion performance.

back to painting

So last Friday I did sit down to do some painting. A bit daunting after a break of nearly 2 months!! I started small, on some tiny 4x4 inch canvases, finishing off one that I started months ago.

On the other two I worked on, I used a foam print to stamp one of my drawings onto the canvas and used that as a basis to paint on. One of trees, here's the foam print.

and here's the painting.

And one of a woman with a bird, here's the foam print.

and here's the painting still in progress, you can see the print on the canvas isn't as clear as it is on paper, but it gives some interesting textured effects to work with!

I'm still ploughing on with the Matisse biography - which makes me want to paint all the more! I was lying in bed the other night thinking even if I do a painting a week for the next 40 years (til I'm 89!!) it's only 2000 paintings, it doesn't sound like very much...I'd better get a move on!!

At book group

Last month at book group we read Astray by Emma Donoghue, a book of short stories by the same author who wrote Room, which we read 18 months ago.

The book group were split right down the middle on this one, 3 of us loved it and 3 didn't!! The stories were all based on real people or events, little snippets from history. Many of the stories are about people who emigrated from England and Ireland to America, others are about journeys within America. My favourite story was about a woman who is on the boat to America with her 3 small children going to meet her husband who has been there for 2 years already. I loved that it used lines from real letters sent by the people the story was based on. I loved the structure, hearing her voice and then his, so many times mirroring each other. Each story is in the voice of one (or more) of the characters and really well done.

I read on the bus and in my lunch break and these stories were perfect for that,
to get a whole story in one sitting.

Not much happening artwise this week, here are photos of some felt birds in progress. The kids are back at school now, so next Friday I plan to get down to some painting!! Also planning to add a couple of items to my etsy shop this week.

A thing or two about Matisse

One of the books in my pile of half read ones - hopefully soon to be finished - is a biography of Matisse by Hilary Spurling. He's been one of my favourite artists since I was a teenager - but reading this book it seems I didn't know anything about him at all!!
- that he had no interest in art through childhood, just a vague rebellion against going into his fathers business.
- that he discovered art when he was 20 and in hospital, the man in the next bed was painting copies of prints to pass the time, and suggested that Matisse try try the same. Matisse said "Before I had no interest in anything. I felt a great indifference to everything they made me do. From the moment I held the box of colours in my hand, I knew this was my life."
- that he had the most amazing wife, Amelie Parayre!! When he was courting her he declared "Mademoiselle I love you dearly but I shall always love painting more." It seems that she embraced this idea and supported him completely, she pawned jewellery so Matisse could buy a Cezanne painting which inspired him through his life, she opened a hat shop to support the family, so that Matisse could just paint, and she adopted Matisse's illegitimate daughter Marguerite.

I'm barely halfway through the book so I may be back with more. (And I'm hoping the library has volume 2 when I finally finish this.)

Thankyou to all the people who visited my stall last Sunday, I had a lovely day. Here are some shots of my stall.

And here are some lovely prints my daughter made!

Craft fair tomorrow!!

Just a quick reminder for those in Darwin, that it's the Dragonfly craft fair tomorrow 10 til 3 down at the Museum grounds at Tactile Arts.

Here's a sneak peek at the happiness flags I've been making over the last month or so. I will try to remember my camera tomorrow and take some shots....

I hope you're having a great weekend wherever you are!