Finally 20 minutes

Today we had torrential rainfall and the studio was nice and quiet.

Finally I could set my timer to do "20 minute paintings" I have been so busy with preparations for my classes, meetings, preparations for next schoolterm, catching up on work etc. that I hadn't even be able to find time for 20 minutes works. I was craving for some "me" painting, don't get me wrong, I am happy doing what I do, but sometimes I feel like I am forever making samples (which are quick paintings in their own right of course) but they are not really "my" paintings if you get what I mean ? They are technical examples for the students to learn from, so often they are not completely finished either, to show the process rather than just the finished work. So when my friend Jane Spakowsky came up with the solution of doing 20 minute paintings, I really felt like doing some. But wow, is it HARD !!!!! 20 minutes goes by so quickly when you're doing a portrait......I normally spend quite some time fiddling on portraits until I am happy. But... well, eventhough I was itching to change some things or add some things, I stopped when the buzzer sounded and here she is :

"Miss Sadie with Flowers" - 29 x 38 cm on wood

and then I quickly did a cardboard box for another sample becuase I still had to prepare for next week which is schoolholidays here and I always run art classes for kids in the holidays : A peacock

 

Thoughts in yellow, green and blue

".. all theory my dear friend is gray,

but the golden tree of life springs ever green.."

 J.W.von Goethe

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I made another little (A5 size) coptic journal to play a bit with ideas, thoughts and mediums. This is the first page: a portrait done with Letraset markers. And a nice quote by J.W.von Goethe 

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All my kids classes are making journals this term (well I've sewn them up and they fill them ;) I will post some of their progress in the school site HERE  

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I also started the Flowerpress workshop on-line this week, you can find this one at One Little House HERE and the Fresco worshop on-line is still going at The Trodden Path HERE They are on-going and open to start whenever suits you. 

29 Faces # 11

Prayer Flag-Fresco in liquid Graphite

29 Faces # 4

29 Faces # 4

a faceshading study I did for a tutorial {video yet to be edited}

29 Faces # 1+2

29 Faces September, as is the challenge by Ayala Art, well why not give it a go huh ? Here are the first 2, profiles in liquid graphite (brown tinted on the left and green tinted on the right) made as a study/practice run for the use of this medium in my Coptic journal and with some added crackle

♥

All TOgether NoW

I am down, I can't say more, when I am like this I don't talk much. I have works in progress, none finished to share. I did join AmY (a.k.a. Steve)'s gathering of fellow artists that's going to be on the 18th of May, a blog party kinda thing, check it out, it's called : 
All TOgether NoW 
Sounds uplifting, I need uplifting, so there, it's Sunday here and it rains and I feel like the painting I just posted here (an older one), just to have an image here too, (I like postst with images rather than just writing.)

Overpainting

Lately I have been seeing a lot of talk and do about this thing called  "overpainting" - where the starting point is an image from a magazine and then there is painting over that image. To tell you the truth, I am not a great fan of doing this myself. I rather paint from my memories or so. Sometimes I  see results from ohters and they can look cool, but to go there myself....I have a hard time with that. But okay, I needed to try it out before I voiced my opinion I thought.......so I did........ and this is the page I made in one of my altered journals....hmm.... I think I could have as well painted from scratch, there is not much from "before" left over.... and I should have made a picture of that "before"...well maybe next time... or not...we'll see....

Pshychedelic speed sketching ;o)

I uploaded another speed sketching video the other day, this time a quick charcoal 3/4 portrait

I also made another cute, weird, funky animal. "SaY WHAT ! said the Psychedelic caT" is what I called him. It's amazing how wonderful freeing it feels to crawl into the body of an animal and shake off your feelings by drawing them. Clears up the psychedelic mind, hehe !

 

Gung How Fat Choy - Happy New Year !

 * Gung How Fat Choy *

The Chinese New Year has begun, the year of the (water) Dragon. It is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to everyone. Happy (Chinese) New Year !

Flying Fish Fresco - fly with me

Here's a little preview of the kind of things you could learn to make in my new workshop. They are approx 6.5 x 6.5 inch woodpanels with Fresco technique paintings. I'll show you exactly how to achieve this look. There will be videos and written instructions, supply information and PLAY PLAY PLAY ! I thought I'd show you, classroom opens on Monday 16 January, if you want to sign up click here: 

only US 55 if you sign up before 31 January ! 

After that this will be US 65 - classroom open until 1st August 2012

SHHHHHHHH - still working

I am still working on a variety of things I cannot yet share ..... but soon now ..... so just a little longer ..... but not quite yet, for now I am still working, SHHHHHHHHH ! 
I WILL be back on Monday to draw my surprise Give away, so if you have not left a comment, you still have a little time..... 

♥ xoxo 

will talk again soon

Meet Amelia and Nolwenn

Meet Nolwenn and meet Amelia the protective dreamer

I will try to explain in short why and how.... The first time I met Nolwenn was last year, I don't even know anymore through which other on-line-art friend, but I read that she was looking for a name for the Innervoices-girls she paints. And she chose my suggestion (Nixies) -YAY !- and then she sent me a print of my choice as a thank you......:) 

And then in December I saw a photo she posted on her Facebook page

and I felt drawn to paint this beautiful face, probably because of those eyes, it's just a feeling I sometimes get. So I thought it would be kinda nice to join her with Amelia, make those two dreamers one. I hope she'll like it, I added a few subtleties, I'm gonna send it off to her tomorrow.

Thanks Nolwenn for the inspiration xoxo

If you like this style of portraits, I am available for commissions, just contact me here   -And don't forget to enter my Blog Give-away too, the winner will be drawn on 9 January ! (I know I added lots of links in this post, I am a curious person and like to share all the fun background information with you as well)

Introducing - A Portrait - A Challenge

Hehe, I finally did it ! I made a videO !

Now I had a reason, or many reasons for it.

First of all, it had been brewing for a while, I just never had enough courage to start. But somehow this particular question from someone about if and why I had never done a self portrait before (well ....hellOOO ?!!!) set this all in motion. I suddenly thought, what the .. ? I can do this, I don't care what others will think or say and so what, if the portrait is not what I want it to look like or even not what I look like, I had  a good play and same goes for the video. It might not be all THAT, but learning how-to is so much FUN !! I hope you all enjoy it as well. Be BRAVE !!

3.2.1... counting down ...

SHHHHHHHH - still working

Somebody asked me last week if I had already made a self-portrait.......NO !!!

She asked why not ? I didn't have an answer. I guess I never felt I had to or maybe was scared to do it ? Now I was actually studying and working on some other canvasses, but I thought: why not ? I need to work on different projects anyway because of the drying times involved in between and for one project I am waiting for a supply to be delivered still, so.....YES ! I have started, ha ! Not easy I must admit and I can never take myself really seriously, so how can I make a serious attempt at a portrait then ? Well, I will be showing you all soon and no, this is not my mouth here either, this is another one of my works-in-progress. I seem to have many at the moment and my head is still full. They will probably all happen to be finished one after the other, but not yet, for now I am still working, SHHHHHHHHH ! 

♥ xoxo 

will talk again soon 

A penny for her thoughts

A work in progress still, this is the first step, coloured pencil sketch, I have yet to decide how to go further still. I like the dreamy gaze, where is it going ? what does she think ? I also wanted to try out the "rounded corners" in Photoshop, so wanted to share this with you.

Playing Peek a Boo at the shipyard

A journal spread I did recently in my Coptic while tossing with some ideas and techniques - I intend to make a litte poem to go on the right page. I got inspired by all the shipping containers that are being brought to my area at the moment. We'll have about 400 all up, walls of them.

They are put there to protect our village suburb and our houses from the falling rocks from the hills and cliffs around. I understand that, but I really do not like them, getting through the village is becoming a sort of a peek a boo game and apparently they are here to stay for quite some time, because they just don't know what to do with these hills and everytime we have a half decent aftershock more comes falling down.

Smell the Flowers

Another 6x6 block canvas I made
She has real dried flowers in her hair

ROAR

I was cleaning up more stuff at home and was sorting through some piles that had fallen down and found this pen-sketch that I did when I was still a teenager. There are quite a few times that I really do feel like this at the moment, so I thought why not share this with you too:

I made an accompanying few lines:

"Shout, be loud, let it all out !
or get a piece of paper
and sketch and dream
the Scream."

Dream Always

I am making some one-of-a-kind framed praintings *)
I made this one from one of my original ACEO's
The print is done with archival inks on heavy canvas cardstock. I then added another layer of interest and encaustic beeswax.
"Dream Always" is framed in a carefully sourced vintage brass Italian filligree frame and is ready to hang. The frame size is 6.5inch x 5inch or 16.5cm x 13cm
*) a prainting is a painting I create with the starting point being a print of one of my original works.
She is available from my Etsy shop
More framed works are soon to be added to my listings too.