The Glassmaker and the Painter

So, the thing is done. We have exhibited .

Working with Di Tocker( the glassmaker) has been a total pleasure. I am seriously genuine ( sounds fake, hey) when I say that but she is all things that the stereotypical artist is not: Organised, ordered, practical, measured and punctual.
To work with her is to be calm and relaxed.  She is the embodiment of the phrase" work smarter, not harder".

With the help of the incredible curator emily Rumney, we whipped the exhibition into shape in a day.

Would you like to see?

Change of season

Ah, Southern hemisphere autumn is well and truly here. Morning are misty, middays are warmer and the cold starts creeping in again around 4 pm. It's dark early, I'm hungry ALL the time and the orchard smells of apples. In 2 weeks time, all the apples will be harvested and just the remnants will hang on the trees till they fall off , lay under the trees in the long grass and rot. Then the orchard will smell like a cider-house for a while. The dogs are still chasing the rabbits and the hedgehogs are seeking hide holes, but the big hare who provided them with the thrill of the chase has gone. Geese honk overhead as they fly in their v's back to wherever the v's takes them.
 Autumn is all about the smells. The damp earth, the rotting apples, the wet-dog smell of wet-dogs, woodsmoke in the air and a certain mustiness that never really goes until summer. Inhale deeply.

The light in the studio has changed too. I am having to turn the daylight bulbs on and check things in natural light. The heater is now on on a permanent basis and the place is strewn with mugs.

The studio smells of turpentine.Pure, stinky turpentine. I have no odourless at the moment and am awaiting an order, so for the moment, I am back in the 20th century, stinking the place out. Secretly, I love the smell, but it is not PC. It's like admitting you'd really still love to be a smoker.

Anyway, the studio smells of wet dog and turps. It's a pungent and heady combination.

Hamilton Plein air painters group

I am sure I have mentioned I started a plein air painters group .We meet once a month on a sunday morning and paint. Sometimes, it has just been me, but last sunday, I was joined by my dad, visiting from South Africa and 3 others and we had a blast.

The autumn weather was kind: soft light, no wind,an earthiness hung in the air aromatically.With new people joining, I set up in an area a little out of the main foot traffic at the Hamilton gardens and we painted and sketched what was, in effect, an al fresco still life: a statue.

from left to right: Dad, Terry and Angie

Stylie hat wearing painter!

Still life plain air set-up!

Terry's brave effort

Angies gorgeous watercolour and sketch

Terry's handmade paint box!

So, if you want to join us, just hop onto www.meetup.com  and join the Hamilton Plein air painters group. I will send you notification of the next event!

Dad's final painting, gifted to Helen.

My final painting, no one wanted it!lol!

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