Commissions - love them!

Hi all,

I have recently been bombarded by requests for artwork, or commissions!! It is such a thrill thinking that people love your work so much that they are requesting a piece from you. Very cool!!

I love doing them as they provide a whole new set of challenges that push you as an artist and creative being. Plus there is always a time frame attached which makes a busy life, very interesting.

It's wonderful when people tell you what they would like the painting to be about and the colours they would like used. The only tricky thing is that hopefully the image you produce way exceeds the expectations that they have in their minds eye.

These are a few images from my most recent request. I thoroughly loved doing this piece...even though it took me a little while to figure out how I was going to get it to work.

This was the final piece. It was 80"x 24". Sorry it is so small, I tried for ages to make it bigger but just couldn't get it to work!!

This is a close up showing some of the detail, texture and overlapping. Even these little segments would make a wonderful artwork in itself.

Have I told you just how much I love love texture!!!!!!

I love how the material really gives the impression of moving, rippling water.

And these 4 fish in a row!!!!! Gorgeous! I love the spray paint on their gills!

Part of my love for texture is achieved by using mixed media in my work. This piece has material, paper, copper foil, spray paint, acrylic paint, water colour and doilies.

This is a lovely angle seeing the fish swim off into the distance.

Then a great friend of mine had a little play with her iphone and histomatic application and these are the resulting images. I am not too sure about the green images, but it is definitely nice to have a play and see the different effects.

This is me working on the painting.......

I am very pleased that the painting is now hanging on the wall of the owner and I hope that they enjoy it each and every time that they see it and find something new, different and interesting on each viewing!!

I keep thinking that this piece would look stunning with resin poured all over it.

Even turning it into a table top!!!

So many ideas......................................

Skye:) and Starz*

Feeling a little bit famous?!

Hi all,

I have been putting my art work into a local gallery called Latitude Gallery. It has been very exciting seeing my work, especially my lighthouses, walking out the door and hearing people talking about how they love the texture in my paintings!! It is a lovely feeling people liking what I absolutely love doing!!

I recently saw that 2 of my art works were in both of the front windows of the gallery showing 2 strong landmarks of Geraldton....the lighthouse and the leaning Greenough tree.

So I just had to take a photo because I felt a little bit famous!!!!!!

This is my feeling "a little bit famous" outside the gallery.

This is my latest lighthouse picture, titled "Sea light"

This is the amazing leaning Greenough tree that I have called "Greenough Bend"

Starzia just saw me writing my post and saw the photo's that I was uploading and she said, "You are just amazing mom and I think you look lovely with your paintings!"

I think I am feeling just a little bit famous all over again!!!!

Enjoy the day and feel special because you are.

Skye:) and Starz*

My little fashionista!

Hi all,

My little fashionista, Starzia, modelling some of our gorgeous creations.

From baby, modelling a fashionable beanie...... to gorgeous young girl, modelling pants, dresses and skirt!!

I think that she is an absolute natural in front of a camera.

Don't you just love the attitude!!!!

More gorgeous picts showing our new and exciting range of clothing to come.

Skye:) and beautiful model, Starz*

Life, love and other catastrophes!

Hi all,

Oh my gosh...where has the time gone???????

Is it now nearly May already!!!!!!????

LIFE

Well, for a quick update Starzia and I have been galavanting around the countryside again. We spent Easter in Margaret River and fell in love with the place and the amazing people down there. I have never felt so welcomed and included and supported and loved. Amazing!!!!

Starzia actually said "Mom I don't want to live in Geraldton anymore....I want to live here for ever and ever!!"

LOVE

As for love....what a complicated business!!! Or is it???

I think that life and love are meant to be simple. Should be simple.

If you come from the heart and speak with truth, respect, compassion and without fear of judgement, how can you go wrong?

I don't think you can. It doesn't mean that everyone is going to fall madly in love with you but it's a good way to be.

I think that fear, hurt, cautiousness, reluctance, hesitation, neediness, playing games and lying to yourself all create the world of "complication." Some people choose to live like that because the are too fearful of ????? whatever it may be. Sad but true.

I think that if we are true to ourselves and speak "truthfully" we radiate and glow with the warmth of being secure in who we are and what we want, no matter what our history. And I think that our warmth radiates and attracts like minded people. It's all good!!

I also think that we need to remember never to "settle" but strive for all that we dream of and want in our lives, whether it be in love, life or business.

Or all of the above!

I think that if we feel fearful of being honest and open and truthful but do it anyway, bearing our souls, self and our hearts to the world....taking risks....no matter what the outcome...... I think it is amazing and brave and how we should all live our lives.

And what a way to live!!!!!!

Then there are no regrets and no bad feelings because you did everything you could and you wouldn't change a thing because you were just being you.

You can't make anyone do anything or be anything for you. You can only be you and work out how you want to be and how you want to live.

I choose living with happiness. Living with truth and honesty with myself and with others.

I choose taking risks and making the most of right now!

(I think that it has only taken me 24 years to actually GET all that!!)

OTHER CATASTROPHES

Well where do I start!!!!????

I have a mountain of material, beautiful ribbons and embellishments, piled up on my chair just waiting to be used!!!!

The possibilities....

The designs.....

The creations......

The everything!!!!!!!!!

But I am struggling to find the time. I know it is an age old problem and one I always seem to write about.....but I am going to restructure my life to make this all work. Because my precious little business encapsulates everything that I love to do and it is an important part of my life. The one part that actually needs to take priority, after Starzia of course! And it should not be at the bottom of my list.... "If I have time I am going to cut out that dress!!!"

So I am going to leave you with this deep, and hopefully meaningful post, and go and cut out that dress!!!!!

So to leave you with a quotations to think about...............

"Feel the fear and do it anyway!"

"Just do it!"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained!"

"Seize the day!"

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do!"

Exciting and new

Hi all,

Life is becoming so exciting, busy and interesting lately!!!

I have ordered some absolutely stunning fabric from Funky Fabrics and some gorgeous flowers from Milky Designs.

I just have to show a little patience now while I wait for my orders to arrive!!!! Not very easy because I am not the world's most patient person.

I feel like I am juggling so many different elements in my life and I need 5 of me, to get everything that I want to do, done!!!!!

Starzia and I had a little play the other day with blending Art and Fashion. (Something I definitely want to keep exploring!!!)

In my paintings I absolutely love texture. It's my favourite thing!!!! So I want to keep exploring merging the two things I love doing and making them into one.

What a wonderful idea to have shirts with interesting texture for children to wear.

Walking art work.

And this is what we came up with......

This is Starzia's "mermaide with goldfish" shirt design. Bare in mind that she was only 3 when she did this amazing art work!!!!!! My clever cookie!

And this was my effort at trying to do a "kite surfer" baby jump suit!!!!!

I dabbled in kite surfing at one stage of my life (before Starzia) and the young man I did lessons with had a 4 year old son who he was starting to teach as well.

Can you imagine starting a sport like that, at that age!!!!!! How absolutely fantastic! I wish my parents had done that with me. Hence Starzia has a foamie, roller skates, skate board, guitar...............hmmmm!!!!!! Maybe too much.

I think I would like to, one day, continue with kite surfing. I think it is good to push your boundaries and do something that scares you or challenges you in some form or another. It ensures that you keep growing and living life to it's fullest. Always a good thing.

Anyway....back to business.....my 2 goals for the next 2 weeks are...........

1. My lovely friend is having another open house in Geraldton, with a group of talented ladies showing off their wares on the 10th April, me included. So I am madly trying to get some amazing creations made for that event.

2. Then I am going to be busy trying to take some more photo's of my gorgeous partner in crime, Starzia, in some of our new designs so that I can load them up onto my gallery and etsy shop.

I know that I am side tracking here...but..... I took this photo of Starzia the other day and check out those eyes!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!! Her eyes are blue and golden in colour and I always call them ocean eyes. I think you could drown in them!!

I hope you are all inspired this week to do something new and challenging. Step out of your comfort zone and enjoy!!! It will add spice to your life.

Skye:) and Starz*

Catching up!

Hi all,

I have the longest to do list at the moment!!! So I am trying to catch up.

I spoke to a dear friend the other day and she told me off for not

including pictures in my blog posts, and yes she is completely right.........A blog post without something to look at can be a bit boring, even though my topics and writing style are quite captivating!!!!!!!

So here is a catch up on some photo's related to previous blogs......

This is the completed painting I did of Starzia in the water with her purple hat on. It is a mixed media painting and it took me ages!!! But I love it.

It now hangs in my lounge room.

I bumped into a friend of mine at the wedding down south, (Grace Town) and she told me that she actually reads my blog post regularly. Oh my gosh, I thought, so there is one person reading it....WOW! not just me and my computer!! I was so excited.

She said that I never showed my final painting of Starzia. So here it is Jess!! Hope you like it!

This is the painting that I did, that made me happy to realise, that I do have a style and a process in which I work. I haven't touched it since that day and not

sure if I should try finish it or just paint over it....task accomplished!!! Goal achieved! Still deciding.

She went through quiet a few transformations and I think I actually liked her a few steps previous to this one. But still.

Next is my latest piece in progress....................the Geraldton Lighthouse.

I have done a few of these, all different, and actually love that you can paint the same thing several times and they are all unique. You decide to do a different colour or background or texture. What's really weird is that I don't get bored of doing the same subject matter. It's really quite cool. I know some artists spend their entire careers painting the same subject matter, but for me it is quite alien.

As for the clothing side of our business, it has been on hold for a little while, but I have so many new, cool and exciting ideas that will be shared with you soon.

So if you are reading this, please leave a comment, so that I can find out if more than I person is out there reading my blog.

Happy, romantic and love filled days to you all!!

Skye:)

Ah! Love is in the air!!??

Hi all,

It has been a while....and I have been putting this post off because I haven't really been sure what to write, or how to write it! But here goes.......

My daughter and I have recently been galavanting around the country side again! This time to a dear dear friends wedding held in Grace Town (or rather very near Grace Town)

And what an amazing and gorgeous and beautiful and romantic wedding it was. The bride looked absolutely radiant and glowed with love and life and happiness.

The venue was stunning and everything flowed so smoothly and beautifully.

I loved being there, sharing in the warmth and glow of all the smiles and happy faces.

Love is such a precious and gorgeous and strong thing. (if you can actually call it a thing.......and thing is such an unromantic thing to say and to call it. But I can't think of the word I want) I am babbling again!!!!!!!

My head has been in the clouds lately and I can't put two conscious thoughts together....I don't know what is wrong with me!!!!!!! (Absolutely nothing to do with a gorgeous guy I happened to meet there!) But thats another story and not one to tell:)

It just gets you thinking about the complexity of love and life and romance and actually finding the partner of your dreams! Wow! How does that happen?

I have always been a true blue romantic. Completely and utterly dippy!!!

Believing in the princess, the knight in shining armour, the happily ever after...........the one true soul mate who is out there for you. Actually like finding a needle n a hay stack. Crazy or not, who knows??

I will just have to wait and see.................

It also got me thinking about capturing "love" in a painting. Love of a daughter? A husband? A partner?

Wouldn't it be interesting to do a painting of a beloved daughter and partner/husband, capturing love in their look and then painting it back to them, the love from yourself.

What colours would be used, what technique............and would you actually be able to show them your love through your painting? Would they easily see it leaping out of the page at them, for only them????

My heart feels like its all ready to burst and explode with all the love that is around me........or so the feeling goes!!!!!!!!

Skye:)