Dio Day Out exhibition

I had a fabulous time in Sydney and I am going share it with you in good time BUT I am full tail- feather- up and steaming ahead(weirdest metaphor ever) organising  for an exhibition at David Lloyd's Lake Crescent gallery to be held this Sunday, 3 November . He has kindly opened his gallery to a one day exhibition of local artists as part of the Dio Day out, a great fundraising event organised by Dioscesan Girls school. It includes visits to various houses and gardens around Hamilton with art at several stations . So, I have a great collection of painting and am keen to get organised BUT, I promised my boys a good run on the beach and the dogs will love it, so I am only delivering and hanging paintings on saturday afternoon.Eek, that is cutting it fine!

Anyway, I shall lean into it and accomplish the task at hand ,music blaring and the smell of sausages cooking from afar. (weird again, I know. Sorry.)

Sydney was such a great experience. I know such lovely people. Wish you lived in my world.

A jaunt across the ditch.

I am joining my husband at a conference in Sydney, Australia. I am the hanger-on. He is a big-wig delegate and I am the nutter who is going to see as many art galleries, exhibitions and look UP and IN as many old buildings as I possibly can in a week! I intend to enjoy myself! I love architecture, especially Sydney's great mix of Victorian and Contemporary styles. I want to have a sore neck from looking up at elegant facades and experience vertigo from heights. Bless, but there are few high-rises where I live as the ground keeps shaking too much for that situation to be ideal.

I am not taking the paints and easel, but am taking the Ipad with my newest painting app and will hopefully be able to sketch and paint...albeit with smoky skies. Poor New South Wales seems to be on fire. Sydney's outskirts are smouldering. I would be lying if I said I was unconcerned.

Whilst there, I am also taking the opportunity to catch up with some good friends and some old friends and some combinations of the two. I am very excited. When we are young, we take our friends for granted. Age has a way of letting the fragility of life become more precious as we continue racking up birthdays and other milestones. I want to see these people again and tell them how much I have enjoyed them in the past and soak up as much of their fabulousness as I can in the short time afforded.

My lovely children are billeted with friends, the house-sitter is organised and I have cleaned parts of this house I do not believe I have ever cleaned before ,in anticipation!!

I have a painting on the easel that will remain there till I return. I am considering my next move on it. It is a commission and a challenge( as I am working from photo references, trying to create an image of a place I have never visited myself) but very exciting. So far, so good.



For the record, if it gets to 28 Degrees Celsius in Sydney, I might melt.

No paintings, sorry. The only work done today was buffing and polishing a bathroom or two!

Gone to a good home for a good cause

I donated the banner painting to my son's school's Favours auction. This auction helps raise funds for the school , ever cash strapped and always striving to improve, to continue to provide a great grounding for our kids for the future. A small country school with a roll that fluctuates around 150 kids, teaching  year 1 to year 8, it has been the most amazing place for both my boys who still love going, each and every day.

So, thanks to all who attended the auction evening and a big thanks to Steve and Steph for putting your baton up for the winning bid!!!

Down the track

Spring is playing serious havoc with us here in New Zealand. Winds have thrummed through leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. A farm near Methven lost a stand of 40 trees in one night's blast. In Auckland, trampolines have taken to the skies in flocks.

 The house feels stuffy and dusty because I am unable to open any windows or doors without debris flying in or  papers flying out! Several years ago, my youngest son, a toddler at the time, had his thumb nearly amputated in the door hinge as the door blew closed in just such a wind. I shudder now even thinking of that moment . The legacy of that event has left me mentally scarred and the sound of spring, in our house, is of me yelling each time someone goes outside or comes inside is " Mind the door!" I am seriously on edge!

Farm road, spring morning
oil on canvas
460 x 450mm

This farm usually has sheep in this left paddock, but the sheep have gone and all that is left is the odd tuft of wool caught on the wire fences and posts. I am told sheep hooves do not do well in wet, soggy paddocks. They prefer it dry and rocky. Here endeth the  lesson in animal husbandry.

An iphone photo, so apologies for the poor quality. I am still dithering about cameras.

Stormy saturday

It is blustery, wintery, wet and quite wild -weather spring is offering us at the moment. The wind whistling around the windows was particularly shrill today. This is the last weekend of school holidays and I am quite edgy for some alone time in the studio. No refereeing sibling fights, dog squabbles or music /tv blaring at full volume. But  want to go outside and there is no way I can with the weather the way it is and the kids in my periphery.

It's been like a zoo, just with really entitled animals. There are two King Julian's in my house and I feel that's two too many.

I wanted to capture the bruised sky with the bright sunlight in the foreground. The clouds scud across the sky at breakneck speed. What was a portentous looking sky is swiftly converted to blue with alarming disregard for me trying to paint it.

20 x 20 cm, oil on canvas

Prada girls to the gallery

Today I delivered the  The Horses and Prada girls to the Garden Art Studio Gallery in Kaipaki road, Cambridge.

Home Stretch
660x 500mm
oil,framed
$550

Monochrome Moo's
Acyylic
450 x 600mm
$350

Prada Girls
Acyilic
900x600mm
$550

Prada refelections
Acrylic
250x500mm
$195

Prada in the rain
Acrylic
900 x 600mm
$550

Prada Three
acrylic
250 x 500mm
$195

My new painting hat and did you know camera's don't bounce well ?

Well, that sums the contents of today's blog up quite succinctly, I believe.

The camera had a tumble from the desk onto the concrete floor and, well, the concrete won. The camera put up a valiant fight but I think I am going to euthanise it...battery cover is off and no amount of tape will make it work. So, hence the delay in photos and you might forgive me while I post some Iphone photos in the meantime before I choose a new camera. I wish someone would just tell me what to buy! The tech-speak is confusing and I am very easy to confuse. ( The head nods but the mind is whirling with information that it has no idea how to process.I need diagrams and hand holding)

So, I went out to do some camera research and bought a new straw painting hat. It made sense at the time and I look fabulous in it. The hat, that is.

I am working on my new line of cows....the Prada Girls!

Shall we talk about the hat? Ok, I was using a hat that is so fuggly ( a real term) that I cringe when I see photos of myself in it. I used it because it is functional and ugly enough to be ok to have paint daubs on it. My new hat is a straw cowboy- like hat that makes me look exciting and interesting and still has enough function to be relevant to painting( must provide shade, let air through so as not to over-heat and look ok with paint daubed on it).
I bought it at a pharmacy. In the same pharmacy, I tried on green and blue eye-shadow( blue on left, green on right), weighed myself on the free scale( accurate and a bitch) and made only one inappropriate comment. All tallied, a good day. I might even get to paint later.......and yes, I am wearing the hat as I type this!