Photo shoot

Hi all,

Starzia and I have had so much fun together today.:)

I made her a gorgeous pair of pj pants, which I am going to sell through our business. These were a mock up pair which Starzia is very happy to keep!!!!!

Then we went outside to have a photo shoot!!!

Starzia was such a professional and I must say a natural model.

We decided to market our clothing range in nature and also use the trees and the model to show off the paintings. (Also part of our business)

We love our "look" and hope you do too.

Starzia says............

I enjoyed being a model and also being with my mom.

I love my new pants and they have a gorgeous flower and sequins on them.

When we were taking photo's it rained on us and made us laugh.

What made you laugh today???

Skye and Starz:)

Update

Hi all,

This is an update on my mother and child painting so far!!!

I am really liking it now.

Still a long way to go but I am enjoying myself:)

This is part of the whole.

Skye:)

Studio time

Hi all,

Well I have spent the past 2 days both cleaning up my studio space and painting!!

Sometimes it feels strange picking up a brush again when you have had some time between "paints".

You have to remember the skill and talent you have and believe in yourself and your chosen path!!!!!

Sometimes you have to paint your mistakes out too!!!!! I have done a bit of that lately.....repainting over quite a few dismal attempts at artwork!!!!!!

This is one of my dismal attempts!!!!!! She was supposed to be a pregnant African lady but rather looks like an Egyptian mess:(

To renew my faith in myself......

I wanted to have a go at doing a small painting quickly and see what happened......

This was my attempt!!

Ballet shoes.

I am still unsure whether to work on it some more or whether I quiet like the quick and "rough" aspect of this little painting. (Don't ask me how many paintings lie underneath!!!!!)

Then I have been inspired by David Bromley's work lately. Especially his figures and portraits of women's faces.

I decided that I just wanted to start a painting of figures, and I chose a mother and child and see how it developed as I did it. I wanted it to be slightly abstract and use colour differently to how I normally do.

This is my progress so far.................

There are quite a few technical errors....especially with the child's leg. I think that the angel of the leg is wrong. I still need to work on this. But I do like the rest of the child's body and my use of colour.

I am not sure whether to keep the similar colours in the skirt yet either????

Here is a close up.

I am also not quiet sure of the mother's face....

Proportion might be wrong and she seems very angular!!!!!

Still need to work on her too.

I am also thinking that my next step might be to include some oranges and yellows into the piece.

I am just interested in where it will go and if I can pull it through so that it is a piece of artwork that works and is captivating....or whether it will be another one that bites the dust and is destined for repainting!!!!!

I have also been very inspired by trees lately (as you probably already know).

I have had another painting that has been on my wall that I have been trying to figure out how to resurrect.

Here is my process so far......

I haven't finished the tree yet and am undecided at how to progress with the leaves???? Maybe circles???? Only time will tell.

Its strange I have had my confidence rocked a little bit yesterday...so today I wanted to do things differently and see if I could create a masterpiece in a day...or part of one anyway!!!!

Too much pressure on myself me thinks!!!! Maybe? maybe not?

When I look back on the artworks I have shared in this blog post they all seem so completely different. None jump out as being amazing!!!

Maybe my lesson learnt today is that I need to keep practising and find my rock solid belief in myself again and keep on my creative path.

Or maybe I need serious help and need to do a painting course???!!!!!!

If I don't laugh I will cry!!:)

Still so much to do and I have an hour left until school pick up!!!! So back to the paint and the brush for me:)

Skye:)

The creative swing

Hi all,

Wow what a busy time it has been!!!!!!

With Christmas, holidays, Starzia's 5th birthday and party, my 40th birthday and dinner and dinner and party!!! (Yes it has been an extended celebration)

Life has been both full and wonderful.

I actually got to see my gorgeous twin sister too, for one night, to celebrate our birthday together. She spoilt Starzia with presents, just as much as she spoilt me.

Here is a photo of Starzia with her new Indian headband from her aunt.

And this is Starzia being an indian brave:)

We have also recently had my mother and my older sister stay for a week with us in our magic hideaway!!!! They also stayed for my 40th birthday party celebration as well. It was just gorgeous having them there!!!!

Starzia decided, one morning, to give them a little Princess fashion parade. She pretended that she was on the catwalk!!! A model in the making:)

Look at that face:) So gorgeous and loveable!!!!

Now the house is back to just the 2 of us and it is time to get into the creative swing of things, once again.

I have recently found out that I am accepted into the 30x30x30 Challenge. It is a fundraising project for the Montessori school in Perth.

30 artists doing 30 works in 30 days!!!!!! Very exciting.

Here is an excert..

"In November 2011 we put the call out to artists and art groups to challenge themselves to complete 30 artworks in 30 days. 900 artworks to be exhibited together and offered for sale. It was an ambitious fundraising project for the new art building at our School. The artists and the school would work together and share the profits. It was a unique concept and had never been tried before in Western Australia. How many would take up the challenge was the great unknown.

On the 20th January we celebrated when our 30th application was received. The event would go ahead. Yay! But we had no idea of what was in store. By the close of registrations, just two weeks later, we had 93 applications from over 150 artists."

I will keep you posted as this challenge progresses. If you click on the link I am behind curtain number 2:)

This year is going to be full of fun, challenge and creativity.

I have so many goals and aspirations that will hopefully come to fruition:) I will share them with you as I make my way down my todo list:)

Exciting times ahead:)

This is a painting I did a while ago and I still love it.

It is called Freedom Flight.

The freedom to fly off on your own, creating your own path, doing what you love and believing in yourself. No matter what others think it is about being brave and taking risks. Living and flying your own journey.

It seems very appropriate at the moment and I wanted to share it with you:)

Skye and Starz:)

And this wonderful, creative journey continues.....

Hi all,

We are finally back home after a wonderful break with the folks!!!!!!!!!

We are well rested after spending our summer days lazing around the pool, seeing beautiful friends and family and enjoying a holiday away!!!

There is so much that I need to write about I hardly even know where to start.

Firstly I was so busy being creative before I left that I didn't get a chance to share what I had been doing.

Here are some peeks at what I got up to on my creative 10 day retreat......

My selection of paints, on the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually took over the lounge room and used that as my studio!!!!! (Close to kitchen for a cup of coffee:))

These are the 3 Lighthouses I completed all lined up in a row. I drove them all to Latitude Gallery in Geraldton and they have all already sold. YAY!!!!!!!

A gorgeous friend of mine has the blue and gold one and is taking it back to America with her!!!!!:)

Here is a close up.

Then I have remained inspired by my Salt Dish Tree and painted this one. I love how bright and full of life it is.

This one has sold too!!!!

I also did a midnight blue tree but forgot to take a photo of it!!!!:(

I think that I might have one on my iphone so will try to upload it to facebook. So please check it out there:) Yes it's there!!!!

Then after Christmas I painted madly to produce 2 pieces for the Midwest Art Prize. Unfortunately my work was not accepted. But I am thrilled that 2 of my great friends Donna Heart and Helen Ansell were successful. Way to go girls!!!!!:)

These images are close ups of a seagull tree that I painted titled Liberte d'sprite....Freedom of Spirit!!!! I absolutely love it and thoroughly enjoyed painting it!!!!!

The wings of the birds have detailed, hand drawn Australiana flora on them to create an intricate pattern.

This is the top of the tree.

Then the waves below!

And then the detailed ground...made into a freeze, with fish, sea weed, seeds etc etc

I also added a quote from Marianne Williamson. (I think that Nelson Mandela also used it in his Freedom Speech.)

"Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond message. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us."

I also seem to have not photographed my final piece or the peacock that I drew. Once again I think that they are on my iphone and will try to upload some images onto facebook!!!!

(It's there so please have a look and let me know what you think!!!)

Then after all that it was my gorgeous girl's 5th birthday:)

Look at that cheeky beautiful face!!!

This was her Ariel birthday cake!!!!! Phew!!! Thanks mom for your help here!!!! I am so not a baker!! Poor Starzia:(.

And this was her dressed up as Ariel for her birthday party!!!!!

She had such a wonderful day. We all did!!

Then I started painting again!!!! Besides trees I am also madly into mandella's.

This is my peacock mandella in progress.

I will show you the finished piece as soon as its done!!!

So now I am home, and loving it and ready to paint up a storm.

My goals are to get my work into the Gallery here in town, take a Tafe course so that I can be a student again!!!, approach some shops to take my clothing label and strive to get my business off the ground.

(And yes get my Etsy site rolling too!!!!!)

Plus it's my big birthday on Monday so it has been a whirl wind of an ending to 2011 and the beginning of 2012. But what a lovely way to live life....... :)

Skye and Starz xx