A man of flowers

Finished!  (And if nothing else, this post is an improvement on the i-phone shot below.)  I might try and make my special little man into a card, and if he looks fine I will put him in the shop.

Work in progress: flowers

A very bad i-phone shot of a picture that I started working on today.  I didn't get as much done as I thought I would, though I did have a very pleasant lunch with some lovely women at the studio.  It is Sunday, after all.

Losing Power?

I made a snail today, a bit of a departure from these previous ones (click here and here).  I am pretty happy with it overall.  It seemed appropriate for a snail to be carrying an old mechanic's shack on its back with a sign like "Losing Power?" on it.  (Left of the door and barely visible.)
Thank you Warren Kirk for allowing me to use your photograph of a shack taken in Gippsland as the heavy inspiration for the one above.
The snail is in the shop.

A new clock in the shop

This clock might look familiar as I started making it a while ago.  It is finally finished and in the shop.  It's made of an extra thick plywood and the design is based on nineteenth century French tattoos.  "Etoile du malheur" translates as "star of misfortune".  Unfortunately the book that I found these in was returned to the library many moons ago so this post will remain relatively uninformative until I come across it again.
Happy weekend!

A cow and a computer for Melbourne's Child

I am pretty happy with this drinking cow above that I painted for Melbourne's Child (Sydney's Child etc.) to illustrate learning about volume for an article on distance education in country Australia.

Admittedly there were some trials and tribulations with this pair, which involved simplifying a concept which had included an akubra hat and mother wearing an apron (but I love aprons!!!).   

Illustration can be a fraught business.

A Little Deity

I am taking part in the Little Deities illustration exhibition, for which participants were given a doll that was to be turned into a god.  I decided to stick to the belief system I know best and channelled my Catholic grandmother, though interestingly it ended up a bit Mexican too.  I haven't been to the exhibition yet and I am looking forward to seeing -- and learning much from -- the other participants' solutions!  On until March 18.

I'm in a small space

Hooray!  I am having a little exhibition of both my work and inspiration at a small space on Smith Street.  a small space is a little window owned by Anthony of La Niche Cafe and curated by my artist friend Peter Summers.  (There he is on the right, above.) Thanks so much for helping me Peter, i.e. doing most of the work while I was running back to the studio to get more clippings for the wall and buying drawing pins up at Dean's.
My studio is bereft now and looks strangely minimalist.  I am trying to decide whether to wait for these little pictures to come back or whether I should redecorate with new ones.  Even though this is just a tiny exhibition of my things I feel like I have had a limb removed!  Please be kind to my limb.

All of the painted work on wood is for sale, just contact me via the email link if you are interested.

a small space
La Niche Cafe
67 Smith Street
Collingwood
03 9416 3439

Patchwork painting

I thought it might be fun to paint a big version of a tiny detail from a book I have on nineteenth century American quilts.  I find it really enjoyable to paint textiles -- both fabrics and knitting -- and I am always happy with the results.  Maybe it's the start of a new career....

Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca

When I bought this beautiful children's classic in Bologna five years ago, the grand plan was to read it.  As my Italian dwindles instead, I am happy to admire the cover and the gorgeous little pictures that surround the text.
(I also like to remember the delicious yoghurt granita that I had right after I bought it.)
Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca, written and illustrated by Vamba (Luigi Bertelli).  First published in 1919.  I own the 1990 edition.

Lipstick

An early birthday present to myself

I could not resist these 1939 Lepage-Medvey chromolithographs when I saw them in David Chamberlain's shop on Etsy.  I started off limiting myself to four...then five....then six...then finally I justfied these eight because they are all so beautiful.  Not least the two splendiferous men!

1940s industrial knitting machine

Fidelity Machine Company production catalogue from the 1940s.  A little treasure found at the John Brown Sock Factory in Kyneton by the sleuthing Westographer.  Many thanks as usual, W.

Show how you feel

I am really enjoying using early 80s Dolly magazines as a reference.  Show how you feel is based on an advertisement for a monogrammed chain bracelet: a trend left over from the 70s.  Working from certain photos does however challenge my painting skills -- and this one will have to be substantially reworked.  I had another one too which I can't even show at this point.  (Working in acrylic on wood is good however as you can layer the colours and get rid of unsightly bits.)

Getting work together

I am getting some work together for a mini window exhibition next month, which I will mention again closer to time.  I am quite liking the photos my i-phone takes, I think they're not bad, all things considered.  Lucky us to have such technology!

Sketch for Alice

My dear friends asked me AGES AGO if I would paint portraits of their daughters.  I have avoided the task for many reasons.  Ostensibly I was too busy but in fact I was sure that I would botch it up: portraits are a weighty proposition.
Now that Alice is down on paper I feel relieved and happy.  Getting the sketch right is so important: it's where all the thinking goes.  Well, that's how it is for me.  Alice is a great animal lover: she has pictures of all sorts of wild animals next to her bed and is greeted by a huge poster of a gorilla every morning.  This composition was her wish, though the gorilla here has since become a baby version, and may well change again before we move on to the final work.  Her little sister Evie is next!  I'm sure that she will provide me with a challenge....