First Painting Day for a While

And quite productive too (I had wondered if the mad sprint before the exhibition would have left me inspirationless, but it's amazing how another deadline gets, if not the juices flowing, the paintbrush moving.  I've started a few bits and pieces . . .

 

but the main work's been on the Alice Prize piece, which went from . . .

 

through . . .
 

to . . .

 

It's not finished yet (thumb is the major thing that needs work) but I'm now confident I'll get it polished off in another day (and I've got two days next weekend . . . what luxury!).  Have been casting around for a name (nothing as denotative springs to mind as it did for the other two, frames: windows and frames: curtains, so current working title is a bit more off the wall - frames: seasonal adjustment; staying with the same idea (of the way we frame what we look at also frames us) but taking it out of space and putting time element in to the framing . . . ummm . . . she has one solo and now she's talkin' all arty-farty . . . (guess it had to happen sooner or later)

Exhibition!

Yay; it's into its third week now, and sold almost a third of its value on the opening weekend; I've still been painting but not at quite the same rate.  Had to finish three last weekend for the Studio 12 hang and am working on the third of the 'framed' self-portraits for the Alice Prize, which needs a catalogue shot by next weekend . . . but I'm still enjoying the glow from my first 'solo'.

So this is where it all began: three days of wrapping and transporting the pictures to the gallery.  It's called 'bump in' which sounded a bit ominous, given my clumsiness and the vulnerability of the boards (which tend to scratch much more easily than canvas), but all was well.

With a considerable amount of help from Kate, the curator at Araluen, the pictures started looking like they belonged together on the walls . . .


. . . and then it was simply a matter of the lst minute jobs, putting the catalogue numbers out, and, ah yes, signing a painting I'd forgotten to do.

Opening night was great.  If a bit of a blur.

People came.
Kate MC'd.

Dugald did a wonderful opening speech.

And then there was the general milling around . . .

And even some looking at the art.

But mainly milling.

And people bought pictures!

The Commission

This was the double portait I was alluding to in the last couple of months, but couldn't post as it was a surprise birthday present for the sitters' mother.

OK Just One More, or Two or

I'd hoped to finish this one of Tina (had put it it the price list in optimism) so am pleased I did, as it's a sort of pair with the one of Alicia looking up and with foliage shade on her face.  The camels was a bit of a 'I wonder if I can do bigger paintings on board' which started very badly yesterday but went better today.  I'd picked up some stand oil (thickened linseed oil) that was recommended instead of varnish to give a bit of protection to touch dry paintings that arent ready for proper varnish (which is a 6 month wait that I've not got).  It's almost as cool a discovery as the boards: very slippy and gloopy and nothing like the usual mediums I've used for the last few years (which have been alkalyds a kind of synthetic and much more 'normal' in behaviour).  This one wasnt on the price list, so I might have to do some alterations . . . luckily the room brochure's an in house production so I've probably got a week before it needs final finalising.  One more weekend before the opening . . . a bit more time then . . .

This Should be It

I'd only intended to finish 'The Conversation' and tidy up the ballon and the lakes on these previously 'finished' pieces, and then start playing with ideas for the Alice Prize Exhibition work (due Mid March), but things don't tend to go according to plan . . .

I kept eyeing the boards in the corner yesterday when doing the final touches to the portraits, and then today, instead of doing all the administrative things I need to get done by tomorrow for the exhibition, I had an urge to do 'just a couple more'.  I'd been extolling the wonders of painting on small boards to a friend who has a show in a few months as a great way of going fast and furious and reminded myself of how liberating they are. 

Now I just need to find a way of varnishing them that doesn't seem to take for ever to dry.  (I've even taken off a couple of layers of Damar Varnish on a couple of the stickier boards that simply didnt seem to be hardening up . . . which puts me in mind of the Bowie song with the line about a 'crib on which the paint wont dry'.)  Ok. Here they are and now it's back to putting together the price list and writing the artists' statement (you'd think as an English teacher this would be easy . . .)

Last Dash

That's it really now, as I'm back to school tomorrow and also learning to do the two job juggle (exciting but a bit of learning to do I think).  Been quite productive the last couple of days, finishing some pieces as well a doing all the housekeeping stuff like varnishing, naming, pricing, putting the schedule together for the catalogue.  Portraits still take me longer that other stuff, but I've enjoyed the change of pace the last few days. Finished this one:

Finshed this one:

Fixed the clouds in this one:

Did a last blast landscape on boards:

And finished the faces on this one, which means I should be able to get the feet and background completed next weekend (a bit of a bonus really)

And Again

Portrait week this week . . . some finished, some in progress.