A new addition in the studio!

As it turns out, I now require reading glasses! It occurred to me that I paint a lot more than I read and should buy a pair to wear while in the studio. I only need them for short distances, so while painting I actually look over the top of them but they are perfect for when I am mixing my colors! I hope over time, the glasses themselves will be testament to the colors worked with while wearing them. If my Iphone and Ipod are any indication, my glasses will soon be an artwork too!

The MAC's 2013 Annual Membership Show : "Delta"

'DELTA I'

Here is my entry to 'The MAC Membership Show 2013'!

Opening

Sat July 27th (6-8pm) 3120 McKinney Ave Dallas

The theme is DELTA. [The capital letter Delta, Δ, is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. The symbol is commonly used in subjects of science and mathematics, often to describe change. The triangle, the strongest of shapes, can also be a source of inspiration]

My life has been full of change of late and paint interprets this well;

As paints merge with each other, enticed by gravity, they create new pathways in their combined flow- just as a River Delta joins the sea. A metaphor for how each day shapes the next in life.

A joy to watch unfold.

"Lest we Forget II" (Anzac)...the series is born

 

I have been having so much fun creating a series of work based on one of my first paintings from 2001 titled 'Lest we Forget', which is in memory of the Anzac soldiers that fought at Gallipoli in WWI.

I am presently working on a triptych in the same palette, using similar techniques.

It is a wonderful feeling to create a body of work based on an old favorite. The original painting 'Lest we Forget I' is not for sale but I am hoping the new series will be the basis for my next show. It will be interesting to see what comes through.

http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/

Studio space...

Seems I am outgrowing my studio space again! I migrated down the hall into the sun room and yet still here...no room to move!

It would seem I have come full circle and am creating a series based on a work I made in 2001 titled 'Lest we forget'. I was heavily influenced at the time by Mark Rothko and his division of the picture plane.

The red and orange here provides a base for which many layers of drips and swatches of color will be added in layers.

It is a happy coincidence that I have begun work on these paintings on the 25th April which is Anzac Day, when we (Australia and New Zealand) remember our troops that gave their lives at Gallipoli.

It was Anzac day when I finished the original painting in 2001. I remember finding an Anzac memorial pin outside the studio and placing it in the top of the painting, where it stayed for many years. It was painted in memory of the Anzac soldiers. I have been planning this series for a couple of weeks now and am happy to have begun.

This is the original Anzac painting titled 'Lest we forget' 2001

"Migrating Tribe"...A commission for an Australian client arrives safely

I recently was asked to paint a commission for an Australian couple based on an earlier work they had seen and liked. The end result had a similar palette but was very different to the mentioned work.

Every painting has it's own voice and although I may set out with a specific intention when I pick up my brush, by the time I have finished painting the work that comes through is often very specific to the person whom commissioned it. It is a trust process on both sides!

My client's wife (for whom the painting was a birthday surprise)  loved the hieroglyphs in previous works but when I painted on this canvas, they came out as a tribe migrating across the canvas rather than filling the ground.  I am pleased to report not only did the painting arrive safely but they love the 'tribe of hieroglyphs' that came through too, it reminded them of the Kalahari. I have found with commissions, it is safe to trust my intuitive process as the outcome often resonates with the client in a way I could not have predicted and with a meaning quite personal to them.

It was wonderful to be able to roll up a canvas with a bit of bubble wrap and send it in a tube pack via U.S Postal service. In the past I have always looked in to art-specific carriers for art work. It occurred to me I had a fabulous framer in Melbourne who also stretchers canvas on to support. It turned out to be much more cost efficient to send the canvas rolled and re-stretch it on delivery than send it as a finished work.

This is good news as it really opens up the way for sending work overseas , something that I thought of as too difficult or expensive to do in the past!