Latest works

I've attached a few pics. The dark one is called pout and was sold at Arts Access Auction by anonymous bidding. The others are from earlier this week. Cheers.

Jewels Smith

Jewels Smith is a fellow artist who rents a space in the same place a me. She has just begun her own blog on here so click on her pic on this pages "followers" and you'll find her there.

Port Festival

Although I've not done much painting this last few weeks I'm putting some paintings in to a one off night in Port Adelaide. It's the Cool Jazz And Art night at NW Business Centre in Todd St, Port Adelaide. I've been doing a short course about improving my business nous and this exhibit is part of it. It's a networking evening and also part of a festival. The Port Adelaide Festival is on for another week and is full of fun n frolics. Glad to part of it. I've put in a few from the Haunted By Arrows series and some of the Creeps too.

Paul's Picture

I finished this one some time ago but couldn't post it as I had to wait for the wprk to be presented to its new owner. A combined birthday and fathers day gift. As you may guess, he's a big Joe Satriani fan so guitar(ists)s were the theme. I had an instruction of colours i.e.red, black and white but otherwise was free to create. It is 1200mmx900mm or 3ftx4ft on MDF board. Karen paid for the framing.

Comments

Thanks to all those who have left comments. I don't get notification if you do so please don't feel ignored or that I'm ungrateful if I don't reply. I usually only come on here to put on another few pics. Unlike Facebook or Myspace I don't get a "heads up" of a comment. Also. I believe that "followers" don't get notice of a new posting. What, then, is the point of being a follower I wonder? Perhaps that's something that "Blogspot" should improve upon, However, once again, cheers to commenters.

Tammy Whitworth

I went with Karen and our friends Sativa and Nathan to the opening night of Tammy Whitworth's exhibition at Gallery 139 in Adelaide. I recommend Tammy's work as the highest example of technical excellence. She paints in oil on canvas and has animals as her focus. However, they are set in stark, challenging landscapes and situations which make the viewer think about the relationship of mankind to the animal world. She often puts them in heroic situations. Tammy has produced 15 or so high quality works in 2009 alone. She has mastered her craft in my opinion. I've never seen sea painted so realistically as in her work depicting an iceberg. Follow the obvious links from my labels below. You won't be sorry. She has moved to Queeensland this year and Adelaide is the loser.

Creeps 3

Just two more of the series.

Creeps 2

The latest two of Creeps. Thanks for feedback on comments.Trying another today but not working for me. Big sigh. Despondent.

Creeps

I've started on a series of creepy looking folks.I'm using just a couple of colours in each and also completing each painting quickly. It's probably a response to the pieces of more detailed work that I've done over this winter here in Adelaide. Not all are creepy - some are more quirky! I hope to put them with some of my past works in a show for 2010's Adelaide Fringe. They are called "Pink Creep", "Green Creep" and "Easter Creep". You can probably work out which is which. The "Easter" refers to the Pacific Island if you need a clue. More are on the way.

Latest Works

Here are a couple of paintings that I've been working on over the last couple of weeks. The one with sailors is called "Three Conspirators, My Father and The Drunken Sailor". Catchy, eh? It is based on a photo of my father that my mother gave me not long after he died. Not sure who took it but it seems to be a professional shot and print so may have been for some Royal Navy project. He was an engine room artificer on ships such as Ark Royal, Hermes and The Eagle and served for 27 years. He joined up in Jan 1940 as a 15 year old and did his apprenticeship until starting active service in 1943. I've altered the photo somewhat but kept the personnel.

The other work is an abstract. After completing the above I just needed to "splurge" and throw some paint around!

A sale

Thanks to Tom and Sue who bought the attached pastel entitled "Still Life With Glasses and Candles" (how do I think them up, eh?). It was in my Haunted by Arrows exhibition but took me a while to deliver it.

Secret stuff

Hi all, just a quick note to say that I've not entirely forgotten this blog. I've been working on a pic that had a lot of little elements in it. However, its a commission and a surprise pressie for a mate. Now, he knows something is coming but no clue otherwise. His wife knows all (don't they all...). So, I can't really post anything from it here. Still, it has given me plenty of practice at a new technique so I've gained alot from it.

The only other action has been when I went to the hall where my exhibition is. It is in between two theatres that get used for conferences so a lot of people hang about. All my stash of business cards had gone so I was asked to bring some more in. Whilst there I heard myself volunteering to come back at the lunch break and do a small painting. I kept it simple and copied the cover of an aboriginal singers CD, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. I've attached the result. It was a modified acrylic on paper. A few people stopped to chat but mainly about technical stuff rather than, "Who do I make the cheque out to?" but it was less nerve wracking than I imagined.

Winter here folks so keeping warm is the latest challenge.

Haunted By Arrows

Here's a few pics of the set up in Axis Gallery before the flood of public (ahem).

Thought that I'd post the promo stuff on here but didn't seem to scan well. Only took the images and not the script!? Bloody computers.

And have you spotted the deliberate mistake with the scan? Got a stiff neck? Oh well, can't be good at everything.

Delay in service

Yikes...months and months went by. No blog, oh dear. I've been in the UK for the last 5 weeks or more and didn't get around to blogging. I'll try to do better from now. I'm also organising an exhibition of my work at a local gallery space and there is a lot to do there too. Also, I may even do a painting!

A Day That Went As Planned

Today was one of the rare days. One of my first entries here said that I had a routine in mind. This involved exercise, household stuff, art and then cooking. Today it all happened. 3km walk followed by resistance training. Mow the lawn and do laundry. Complete a landscape. Home to cook tea, bring in laundry, do dishes and put out the bins. Blimey.

The landscape is similar to the one below that features a rolling hill and trees on the skyline. The colours are similar but a little brighter and the whole thing is bigger (55x75cm). It's on board which is framed with a nice frame. However, someone has painted this in the past so I'll strip it back to pale wood.

Thoughts go out to those in Victoria who have had so much heartbreak and stress caused by the bush fires. It's a distressing time and that's just watching it on the news. Can't imagine what they are going through.

Opposable

Hi all, this is the one I was working on through a lot of January. Meant to post earlier but things just got too hot to work. I called it Opposable due to the thumb being highlighted. Can't say that I mean much by my titles..usually just what occurs to me at the time.

HOT!!!!

HOT!, Damn Hot!! as Robyn Williams said in 'Good Morning Vietnam". Pah, he didn't know the half of it. It's been over 40 C every day this week. That's in the shade. Adelaide's hottest day for 70 years...and we have a few. So not much actual art being done as the studio is, almost literally, an oven. It has steel roller doors that face the arvo heat so it just turns nasty in there. Still, I have attended a meeting re funding for lessons next financial year. This went well so cheers to Phil of Arts Access. I have completed a larger canvas since the last post and will post an image very soon. I'm pleased with it and look forward to feedback.

Happy New Year

I can't believe I've let it slip till 14th to Post this year. It's getting hot now in Adelaide and the studio isn't air-conned so it's been a struggle. However, I've completed a few pieces and spent a whole lot of time varnishing...which really stinks in the heat. I've sent in paperwork for one show this year and done the two pieces for it:Sideways and Tumbler (see above). You can probably work out which is which for yourself.

Photos of work that feature faces/torso/hands that I've posted previously are part of another show for The Adelaide Fringe. There are two more above (top two) and should be six in total. Hope that you had a good Xmas and are enjoying the New Year even if you're not a warm as I am.