You're Invited !

You are invited to my upcoming exhibition!

I am exhibiting with Di Tocker from Dicastglass. Di  makes cast glass pieces in jewel-like colours that really are quite evocative. We also share the same situation of being working artist mothers with fairly young children, trying to balance all that that entails and remain true to our artistic endeavours.
She also shares, very generously, her art magazines and advice , honest feedback and technical know how. She's a gem.
I am exhibiting some BIG paintings. So, for those of you who came to my last exhibition of 26 small paintings, you will find I have upscaled a bit!

www.davidlloydgallery.co.nz

Poster girl.

I am in a new group show in Timaru in May. This is my first show in South Island and I am thrilled. Between you and me, if I could sneak off and live here, I would be one happy painter. It has amazing spaces. Not just views. I am interested in spaces and it feels like home all over the place.

Anyway, if I ever make enough money, I am going to buy a bolt-hole in South island and built a studio on top of a ridge line of hills and paint till I drop.

So, we start with this exhibition. My painting "Laundry day" has been used in the background. Yes, it's out of focus, obscured and has coloured filters all over it, but it 's there! I am so pleased it was chosen.




This one, remember? I have 4 paintings in the show.

Exciting times!!!

A holiday

I am taking a few weeks holiday to spent time with my family, including my parents, who join me from South Africa for one month of the year, each year. A huge gift on their behalf .

So, brushes down (kinda, sorta) and wine consumption up . They are such fun to have around . The wine flows freely, the quality of meals improve dramatically(because Mom cooks) and conversation is always illuminating and we laugh a lot.

I do a lot of this!

I shall post a few holiday pics as we go.

Cheers!

Well, that did not go well.

Well, that did not go well.

 I decided to work very large for my upcoming exhibition. I have been working on 3 paintings for about 2 months  and then managed, in a spell of about 2 weeks, to destroy everything I painted.  You know that point when you should stop, put the brush down and walk away? Well, I mistook that point for "keep going, it's looking great" and completely bollocksed up 3 paintings. I had pretty much decided to hang my upcoming exhibition around those three paintings. ahaha.That did not go well.

When I realised what I had done, I packed a sulk, ate chocolate  and voyeured round the internet for a day . Then I  came back and had a good look at them. They are everything I don't like: fussy, detailed,overworked.

So, out they go. (Actually, I have sanded them down with my new sander and I will chop the board up and paint over the top. But that's another adventure)

So, new broom sweeps clean. I picked up a different substrate, drafting paper ( also known as Mylar in the US or planning film) and got going. I played different music, painted at a different time and relaxed. and decided to just have fun.

I am onto something, but I will show you when I am finished. Here are some sneak peaks.

Last Birds to fly

Work in progress

more work in progress

Hilltop cemetery

A rare date

Last night, Charles and I found ourselves surprisingly childless. We saw the gap and took it, opting for a dinner in town at a funky little Vietnamese diner.

me , practising winking

o man! yum!

So cool, he toned well with the wall.

First birds to leave, oil on Mylar

I managed to get a little paint in on saturday afternoon.

Sometimes I wonder

Sometimes I wonder where the paintings come from. I stand in front of the easel and start and , hours later, I have a scene in front of me that I totally connect with: I know this place, I know this view, I remember how I felt when I was here, it is as familiar as my own visage in a mirror....and yet, it's all in my head. This place has no tenure in geographical co-irdinates.

I don't have the words to explain it ,but I exist in these images. Maybe this is  me as a landscape.

Oil on drafting film

Plein air group

I have started a plein air painting group. I rarely ever see anyone else in Hamilton painting outdoors and it is a great way to paint AND spend time outdoors, so I decided to be the change I want to see. I started a painting group for plein air painters and advertised on the Meetup page online, through my local arts newsletter and on my Facebook sites.

The first meeting I organised was only attended by myself. Party for one.

The second meeting was attended by myself and three others. Well, that's better!
All novice painters, they were nervous to paint outdoors for fear of public scrutiny and criticism. I promised them I would handle all conversation with passing strangers and did so. They just got on with the job of painting and enjoying themselves.

Tania sat on a cushion and painted flat on a fold out picnic table, Terry had chair and an easel that tried to fight back, but we eventually subdued it and Maralyn had a table easel we strapped to the top of a dustbin! Masking tape to the rescue, yet again!
We all painted and we all had fun. Passing traffic said nothing horrible, just encouraging murmurs and fun was had by all.

I told you they were shy!

Quick block in

Add caption

After a few hours, they settled down to paint

my second quick sketch

It was hot and pretty