New Paintings

It's been a while since I last posted something, so a quick fill in about what I have been doing:

• Just before Christmas 2011, I put together some small paintings for the Albury Art and Craft Market and managed to sell 4 paintings there.  Very encouraging.

 

• Then I had a combined exhibition with a friend from the Albury Artists Society at the local Wodonga Plant Farm in February 2012 "People and Places" - sold only two paintings but am not discouraged.

• I have started at Wodonga TAFE doing a Cert IV in Visual Arts and Crafts.  Have included three paintings prepared for that course below.

• One is a painting of daughter Carly - what a headache this one was - lots of people have told me that it's really hard to do a portrait of someone close, and they are definitely right.  It's nearly impossible - you get too picky and far too tight in your painting because you are trying to make the portrait look like the loved one and reflect all your feelings and knowledge of that person.  In the case of Carly, I have tried to reflect her interest in design by giving the background a bit of an edgy look by including the chequered colors. For those of you who know Carly, see if you can recognise her in my effort!! 

Carly
2012

• The second TAFE painting was a still life called "The Conservatory" -  a painting from a visit to the Conservatory at the Hobart Botanical Gardens - I was totally captivated by the building (and of course the Begonias), and hence all the glass and timber members form a key part of the painting. 

The Conservatory

•  The third painting for TAFE is called "Ned Kelly's gang hits the Big City".  You can guess we were required to paint a bushranger theme along the lines of Sidney Nolan.  I totally had a great time putting this painting together.

Ned Kelly's Gang hits the Big City"

Finally, we have just got back from three months travelling around central Australia then West Australia.  As a result I have plenty of material and some great memories which I am planning to use in an "All Australian" series.   So I have started to put together a group of Australia paintings, and the first two are included below. 

• The first "Australia series" painting i is called The Olgas, and I must admit that I love  the colours in this one.  For those of you who know me, you will know that my favourite colour is yellow!! I know it's not to everyone's taste.

The Olgas
 

The second "Australia series" painting is called "Karijini Framed" and is an interpretation of the many gorges in Karijini National Park in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.  I was totally taken by the beautiful colourful water pools ( they were an aqua blue colour in reality, but I have taken the liberty of painting the water  a beautiful purply blue, as reflecting the colour of the sky, and the huge gorges. The melaleucas and gums in the gorges were badly marked by damage from floods, so these took my eye. 



 

Karijini Framed
 

Please let me know what you think of them all!! Love to get feedback!