I have a secret garden, it’s often there I stay

Find beauty not only in the thing itself but how it makes you feel.  Vivid flowers and sunlight reflecting on foliage create a magical place, a secret garden where you can dream of wondrous things.

For this garden I have used bright yellows, oranges and vivid reds and pinks for the flowers; earthy shades of green for the foliage then I introduced splashes of turquoise and yellow ochre to complete the piece. Maybe I included the odd bee or butterfly!

I constantly start my pieces with multiple layers of under-colour boldly placed onto the canvas.  The aim is to create depth and mystery to the artwork.  I then add brush loads of muted colour to provide an interesting background to support the flowers and leaves; then these enchanting colours are touched by the sun, always the star of the show. Acrylic paint on stretched canvas, sealed with a coat of high gloss varnish.

Up in the Treetops

I have been working on a very large canvas to go on the living room wall in our home. Our living room opens to the front balcony which is up among the treetops of a beautiful leopard tree and lovely poinsettia tree.  It is such a lovely retreat to sit on the deck and be surrounded by waiving leafy branches away from the rest of the world.

So when I was trying to decide on a suitable subject matter for this large painting, it took quite a while.  Did I want to do a colourful abstract? I wasn’t sure and as I don’t paint in a traditional style, a landscape was out.  One day whilst reading out on the deck, it finally dawned on me, paint my treetops!

I took some photos looking upwards into my treetops and then played around with them in Photoshop until I settled on a suitable composition.

First sketch the tree trunk and branches.

Then I had to paint in the tree canopy and all of the leaves.  This took quite a while until I was happy with the composition.

It was quite a task to hang this large painting as it had to be hung in a very high position above our staircase.   This involved ladders, tressels and the help of a builder;  however it is finally up and looks great.  What do you think?

 

Experimenting with Digital Art

We are currently travelling overseas and the weather of the last few days has resulted in our being inside, rather than out exploring the country.

It has always been my intent to try my hand at digital art.  Therefore I have spent this spare time investigating and playing with my old PhotoShop digital art program that I have on my laptop.

I have had this program for over 10 years but to date have only used it to improve my photographs.

I obviously have a long way to go before I get any good at this method,  it is fun but much more complicated than I thought.  As I have only a mouse to use at the moment, I envision it will be mush easier once I get an up to date program plus proper equipment such as drawing tablet, pen etc.

Digital art is indeed an interesting medium and one which will sit along nicely with all the other mediums of art that I currently play with.

Anyhow here are two of my first efforts.  I went with birds as they seemed the easiest without a tablet and pen.  Having only a mouse makes it difficult.

Please let me know what do you think.

New work

I have decided to indulge my fascination with texture.  I use whatever feels right at the time, pieces of paper, material and whatever else catches my imagination.  I  have been having such fun and look forward to where ever my new journey in this style takes me.

My new works are full of texture, depth and colour and my new pieces are all abstract in nature.

A lot of these pieces have been painted on recycled timber.   I love to recycle wherever I can and I use pieces of found driftwood and old pieces of furniture. I also use pages from old books, pieces of material, broken zippers and whatever odd pieces I discover.

My largest Painting ever!

I have just completed my largest painting ever!  A large Abstract Triptych.

I was commissioned to paint this piece for a very large wall in my client’s living room.

The brief was that it had to be bright and colourful and large!

The final piece  (made up of  three canvases)  measures 1600 mm deep  by 350o mm wide when  hung.

After collaboration with the client, it was eventually decided to use bright oranges, lemon, purples and greens to cascade across the canvases.

There is a suggestion of creeks and  fallen leaves and in the background rain forest trees through a mist.

Abstract  tree roots and drooping fronds of palm berries finish off the piece.

This commission was enjoyable to complete and the client loves the work so everyone is happy!

Another Monday’s Joke on a Tuesday

Listen to your Heart and Trust in your decisions.

Everything we have in life comes because of our belief that they are possible.

Yet, believing in yourself sometimes is much easier said than done.

So I have done a little research and come up with list of things that we should all try to do to maintain a healthy belief in ourselves.

1. Make a list of your past accomplishments.
2. Talk to people who love you. 
3. Set realistic goals for each day. 
4. Be persistent.
5. Connect with people. 
6. Build yourself up – practice positive thinking. 
7. Find ways to keep moving forward – never allow yourself to be stuck in a rut.
8. Be proactive – don’t put off to tomorrow what can be done today
9. Focus on the positive
10. Practice speaking up for yourself.

 

If we try and address these ten points each day, we will be unstoppable!

So join me on my journey. then we can all Listen to our hearts and Trust in our decisions.

 

 

Blackie the Black Parrot is Featured on the Shop Australia page on Etsy.

There are some fabulous examples of Australian art on this months Shop  Australia’s Board on Etsy.

Please visit and enjoy all the great work currently being displayed from my  fellow Australian artists.

I am delighted to say that my Blackie, the Black Parrot is featured in the Australia Day Board.

Just click on the ling below.

www.etsy.com/au/pages/shopaustralia/australia-day?ref=pg_index_23.

Skim over life’s worries like a dragonfly over water, with elegance and beauty.

I created this Inspirational Image to address the fact that many of us worry too much.

They say that a little worry is healthy; it keeps us thinking ahead and helps us prepare to work around unexpected misfortune. However, when you worry too much, you make your whole life miserable and burden yourself with a lot of unnecessary stress.

Why do we worry? At its root, worrying is often a fear of uncertainty. Various studies have ascertained and it was found that worriers agonised about matters that rarely occurred. However, the majority of participants reported they believed ‘ over-thinking’ about a possible negative event had helped prevent it from taking place.

Worry is something that many people experience. It’s not the same as thinking. Thinking leads to solutions. Worrying leads nowhere. Thinking leads to action. Worrying leads to nothing. Thinking leads to relief. Excessive worrying leads only to powerlessness, tiredness and exhaustion.’

Worries have the unpleasant habit of entering your head and not leaving; thoughts go round in circles and in the end make mountains out of molehills.

Exercises to combat excessive worry can include learning to concentrate on an activity such as a hobby, reading, listing to music, daily exercise or simply concentrating on your breathing.

I used the image of dragonflies skimming over water for this inspirational image: Skim over life’s worries like a dragonfly over water, with elegance and beauty.

Dragonflies have been on earth for more than 300 million years. Their flight is so special that it has inspired engineers who dream of making robots that can fly like dragonflies. They hover and skim over water with elegance and dexterity.  Because dragonflies are so fascinating to watch, it is impossible to worry – their beauty calms the viewer and washes away their worries.

I sure this image, nicely framed, on the wall in the bedroom or in the home or office will remind us that we should seize the day and expel unnecessary worry.

Mondays Joke of the Week – How to make a Gold Fish old

Hi again. Here is Monday’s Joke of the Week.to start your week off on a happy note.