G'DAY USA

Just looked at my Stats and noticed a lot of American interest in  my blog.
This is great ...means I'm getting out there.

I just love the internet!!
It appeals to me on so many levels.

Firstly, I am pretty well obsessed with information and you know back in the day you had to look things up at in books and I was sooo disappointed when I couldn't find the right book or find anything that would quench the current thirst....but now we have the internet and I sometimes find myself getting up in the middle of the night to look something up that I have been thinking about.

Does anyone else do this or is it just me?

Secondly, it is amazing when you are isolated as I am and also can look at art and artist from all over the world. I can see what is happening in every part of the world and how good is that! I love to google stuff...random stuff like " What did Elvis do on his last day on earth "...or  " Or how do I make a really great orange colour and bang there it is AMAZING.

Or I can follow a dog race on the other side of the word....and really feel like I'm involved!!

This is how my new American readers came about...see killed 2 birds with the 1 stone...and learnt something to boot.

At first I couldn't figure out how this had happened....but then I realized that due to my information obsession I had been following the Yukon Quest which is a 1000 mile Dog Sled Race which starts in Whitehorse Yukon Territory Canada and finishers 7 to 9 days later in Fairbanks Alaska.

I had made a few random comments and liked their facebook page which.... OF COURSE... led to people then looking at me.
I feel as though I have made a big step forward with my understanding of how things work.....some may think this is elementary dear Watson...but not for little ol' sometimes slow on the up take me!!

So I welcome my USA readers.


These are some photo's taken by my daughter Lucy who is currently living and working in Whitehorse

 The start in Whitehorse

The dogs are mix of different breeds. But they say that all they really need is a need to RUN!
As you can see they just love it and are very keen to get on the "trail'

 Off they go...notice the bale of hay...this is used for the dogs to sleep on when they pull up for a blow in between check points. The booties are so cute don't you think...love the fact that they are " glow in the dark"


I could go on and on about this race and the people and dogs involved.
I love things that are a little 'left of centre' or where man and beast combine to achieve amazing feats.


Think I am going to have to go see this first hand.

That's it for now

2012 Done and Dustered

Well 2012 is over and done with....looking back it was an interesting year.....some very big highs and a few little hick up's or bumps in the road which ever way you want to look at it.


Artistically it didn't start well with a knock back from being included for hanging in a local art comp. Artists are very sensitive creatures and it doesn't seem to matter how long you are in the game or how often you  tell your self what others think doesn't matter ..... a knock back is a knock back.

I would tell more but the same comp is coming up again this year and I don't want to offend. I'm going to have another crack at it. I'll talk more on this at a later date.

Not long after the knock back I was wondering if it was worth taking my art to the Beef Australia or Beef Week as it is known in these parts. My confidence had taken quite a beating you see. Eventually I rallied and thought get over yourself Sandy so I rang to see if any sites were still available, being a little late off the mark. I still wasn't feeling so good about it all so I told my self that if a site is available then I am meant to be there.

Well it was sorry all sites are taken...so be it I said.  But they did say they would ring if anything became available.

About a week later I got a call to say they had a site for me and that it was a good one and I should be happy...... that was probably an understatement because I actually think I had the best site in the whole show!!!

Someone up there was smiling down on me.

I had a great week of sales and I just love being round people, talking to and listening to what people have to say about what I do, it is such a tonic. The surprising thing that happened was that the painting I had painted especially for the Knock Back Art Comp was actually the first painting sold.

All of the above restored my bruised and battered confidence.

I had also decided to make some greeting cards featuring my paintings to sell at Beef Week so during the months of June / July I traveled around attending markets in Toowoomba and Warwick selling my cards....It also meant I could catch up with old friends down that way. This is again lots of fun as I can talk to people and it is so interesting what people tell you. I am astounded by the things I am told. I am always a target for other artists. I don't know how often I end up in a conversation with older women telling me how they love to paint but never had the confidence to just do it. This always makes me a little sad.  I thank God I decided a few years ago not to waste my talent.

Then in October I had a small exhibition in Roma. I had a big change for this exhibition and really went all out with color. I made all the work feature the color Pink and then decided to call the show PINK. It was well received but sales weren't great. I think the GFC has a lot to do with things now, and really when you look at wants and needs, the last thing you NEED is a painting.

I have not done a lot since then just a few commissions.

But this is not to say that a lot hasn't happened away from my art life. My other life has been quite full and very rewarding.

2012 has brought me a beautiful Grandson and the wedding of my youngest daughter.

Two pretty big events in life's journey!!!

So lets see what 2013 has to offer

HOW I DID IT

Just going to share quickly my painting of the Odd Galah



This a large canvas measuring 122 cm x 90cm.

I was in a hurry so just quickly drew in a very rough out line with a large marking pen

I then started to paint I was just trying to paint in the bird as quickly as possible

Just working on the darks

Here I have finished painting the bird. It is very rough but now I can start to stand back and fine tune it.

You'll notice that I have painted a dark grey where the shadow part of it's head is.

Here it is completed.

I had some trouble getting the birds position right so that it looks like he is perched on a branch and looking down. 

In the end I think it came off

The background colour is a very rich purpley pink blue. Took longer to settle on that colour than to do the rest of the painting.....but that's not unusual...for me

That's it for now

EXHIBITION BROWN GULLY COMPLETE

Just Arrived
Acrylic on canvas
Framed
70cm x 70cm

ODD GALAH
Acrylic on Canvas
122cm x 90cm

There is probably nothing quite as satisfying for an artist than seeing your work completed and hanging.

Nellie at Brown Gully did a fantastic job hanging the work then hosting the event.

I was very relaxed this time and quite confident with what I had achieved.

There really is something to be said about using the same colour thread through all the paintings

it really gives it continuity.

More paintings

The black white and pink wall

My son Bill having a look

The family deciding where to go for dinner

If your in Roma or passing through stop and have a look

I WORK WELL UNDER PRESSURE

All guns are firing at the moment

I had booked up an exhibition for October 2012

And then all sorts of things happened

Mainly my youngest daughter decided to get married in October 2012

Somehow the exhibition was almost forgotten

I was sort of thinking pretty seriously about calling it off as life was starting to get a little crazy

But the gallery rang and were all set for my work to hang through October

and as sometimes happens it all seemed to come together

My daughter in law had booked me up to baby sit my beloved and hardly every seen grandson
while she and my son organized and competed in the Roma Campdraft

which just happened to be on the some weekend as the opening of my exhibition.

So that sort of worked

BUT the million dollar question

Have I done enough work

the Gallery isn't that big so that in it's self is good as I don't need a lot of work to fill it
And sometimes well most of the time

 LESS IS MORE

I decided to call it   PINK

because most of my knew stuff is PINK

 I can thank  an old friend who told me quite bluntly that I needed to use more colour

and I think this lot of work is all about colour....and I'm enjoying it

anyway yesterday I got STUCK IN and painted like a women possessed

I finished a painting that had been sitting looking at me for about 2 weeks

I painted another one which just happened and worked of a magpie with attitude

I finished another one which I call Loopy Cow it is a bit of fun

I then did another one of a white/pink Cockatoo flying

I was a little worried about this one but I think I got it in the end

Like I said ...nothing like pressure...

I have another big one planned for to day ......lets hope it comes off

I have my eldest daughter home and she has been a great help

yesterday I shoved a paint brush at her and she took on the job of varnishing all the new paintings

It's all the little things that take the time

Also to day we have to wrap all the paintings and pack the car

just had a phone call from my son wondering if I can bring my saddle!!!

Here is the invite to the exhibition

Love to see all and sundry at the opening on Thursday night

......OMG ..... thats tomorrow night!!!

THOUGHTS ON FRAMING

Just received some small paintings back from the framer
This is one of the highlights of the trade
Sometimes when you have completed a work and it's...so...so
You think well..it's ok
You take it to the framer and if you have a good one, or even one that you can throw ideas about with then that is a great thing
because a good framer can make an average work into some thing special

That;s what I think anyway

I'm not saying that the frame makes the work all the time and probably not even some of the time ...but every now and again it works just like

 MAGIC

Mostly this happens only when framing behind glass
Framing a canvas is a little less exciting because you can't PLAY as much but it is still fun to come up with different ways of making the most of your work.

I am lucky as I have a great framer and we seem to see things in the same way most of the time

As a struggling artist I don't sell enough to be able to let myself go with framing I always have to keep one good eye on the cost......I do dream of the day I can afford NOT to do that.

To Frame or not to Frame

This is a hard one. As an Artist I think some works can stand up on their own with out a frame and others can't
That's what I think as a struggling Artist.....but really to be perfectly honest if I could afford to frame every thing I would

What do you think?

I would love to hear what non artist think about the framing question

Anyway I have praddled on enough
Here are my latest framed small paintings
A good example of the frame making the work....I think anyway


This is

Lady # 1

Acrylic on Canvas board

 And this

Lady # 2
Acrylic on Canvas Board
$200.00

And these

3 Horseman
Acrylic on Canvas Board

And last but not least

Ringer from the Top End
Arcylic on Canvas Board

Red Ringer
Arcylic on Canvas
$200.00

That's all for now

Galah Talk

I have been a little slack with my blogging of late.
But I have an excuse
as my blog is about painting then it is hard to blog when I haven't really been painting much
But I have managed to finish a couple in the past week

2 Galahs
91 cm x 122 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
$1000.00

I enjoyed doing this painting as I did  it quickly with a large brush and tryed not to think too much...just went for it.

But of course before hand I had to do the drawing this I did with a small brush.

 I think some times you are better off drawing in with a brush rather than a pencil as the result is usually less fussy and uncomplicated.

I then mixed up the galah pink and slapped it on with gusto. 

MUCH FUN!

The galah's were finished in no time but then I had awful trouble with the background colour. Probably serves me right for achieving such a fast result with birds.

But I think this is OK

I have promised this painting to be auctioned at the Gaia Women's Festivel Gala Black Tie Event to be held on  the night of the 27th October at the Girls Grammer School Rockhampton

more information contact Jessica Ph 4926 3633

But if anyone falls in love with it before hand... so be it.....let me know

ALSO

Annie
81 cm x 81 cm Square
Acrylic on Canvas
Framed
$500.00

Once again I have painted Annie my dog she is very paintable as you can see and very obliging and that is her exact look

 Kind and Tolerant.

That's it for now

To view more of my paintings and drawings click here

http://www.theoutbackartist.com.au