pain

I haven't been working lately,its been a month since my last blog and I had done very little art,I have been in so much pain that each day has be a struggle,so creativity has been at an all time low.
I do intend to get back on the art horse and get working despite my condition,hopefully the doctors can help with new medications,will find out tomorrow if I able to try the new stuff,fingers crossed.
I'm also about to embark on a youtube adventure and put some videos of me at work on there so that will be interesting to see how I go with that.
I have some dolls almost completed,I cant wait to show my crazy rabbit dolls,they are so weird and cool,will put them on here in the next week or so if my health is ok.
I'm taking a month of my day job to try to recover a bit so I should get some art done and on to Esty to sell,so this next few weeks will be productive I hope.
Christmas was chaos but I was surrounded by all my men so it was also wonderful, the weather was awesome and I headed to the beach for a while as well,love it at the harbor,there is so much going on down there,never a dull moment.
I have also done a few more tattoos,but am finding that hard with my arms as bad as they are so that will also be on hold until things are sorted out,I think I will stick to painting and dolls for now.
Well Ill go and be back hopefully next week.

Favey colour this week...Green..lol
Favey tool..ink and nibs
Favey artist..Leonardo Davinci

Life is what we make it,it always has been,always will be.
Grandma Moses 1860-1961

Time to paint..

Ive been missing working on large scale so I will head down to the big studio in the next day or so and get cracking on some larger work I have in progress.
I have been doing a lot of smaller scale works these past months so I guess I need to flex a bit and get some big brushes out and the pallet knives as well.

I have some large tattoos to do soon so that will take me away from the studios and my work for a while,still it is art work just the same,just more tedious.

I read an interview between Kat Von D and Shawn Barber in the last Juxtapoz mag,it was very inspiring to read how this guy works and what his focus is at the moment,his work is wonderful to say the least and it will be interesting to see how he evolves as a tattooist.

My favey mags at the moment are Juxtapoz, Art Scene and Somerset Studio.
Favey online sites are Deviant Art and Art Chix Studio.
Favey art product at the moment is modeling paste.
Favey artist this week is Judy Wise.

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

Its almost my weekend and I am so looking forward to it,I cant wait to create,I plan to do a bee's wax painting,more dolls and of course some illustrations for the book....

I purchased some more paper clay to work on the new dolls,hopefully I will have some images to post soon.

I am also working on some nice shadow boxes,hopefully I will have images of them soon as well.

I plan to do a craft how to in the near future,just some simple craft stuff to share with everyone.

Must have equipment ..a good camera and memory card.
Tip..keep different paint brushes for different paint.


Well its time to run out to my regular job and get normal for a while,see you all soon.

It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it

I have been battling pain for two days now,I havent managed to create much of anything though I have the christmas ornies on the way to completion.
The pain has been merciless and crippling but I am determined to get through it and manage this thing that I have,I wont let it rule my life,I refuse to lay down and give in to it,so today I promise myself that I will begin each day with an exclamation of joy for the life that I have and the ability I have been given to create and to see the beauty that surrounds me,today I am determined to colour my world with strength and beauty,today I live anew.

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

Christmas fun already!!!!!!!

Well its what,about 10 or so weeks to Christmas,Im going to get shopping done before December,I cant bear that last minute rush,its just to hot and hectic.
I'm working on the Christmas ornies already,Ive got 20 sitting half finished on my desk,hopefully they will be done by the weekend,Ive got about forty or fifty more to do,such sticky work....
Tomorrow and Friday will be spent on the book as well,Saturday night is a night out, a fund raiser,need to have some art work ready to donate,crazy times we live in...busy..busy.. busy!
My Etsy shop is up and running,I made my first sale last week,exciting,now I just have to get time to build my web site.
Ok well Im off to bed,I will post again on Sunday evening or Monday....

Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed

Props and things.

Its been a hectic two weeks since I last blogged,I haven't achieved to much,Pain management has been my main focus but I'm back up and going for a while,so there will be no stopping me.
I spent the day working on my book today and managed to do quite a bit,I also managed to get an illustration done for the cat book I'm working on which is fantastic considering I was suffering a block with it but I'm now unblocked and heading in the right direction,yay!
Ive got a few more dolls half finished and will complete them this week,I'm getting rather excited about my progress,its all taking shape so nicely.
I have to make some more back ground props for the photos I need to take,I use heavy cardboard or foam core,paint my designs or collage or both,stencils are great to use for this with some texture paste,you put down your stencil,and trowel your texture paste over it,lift stencil and let paste dry,undercoat and paint away,brilliant for a variety of effects and moods.
Tomorrow is going to be spent on dolls and then a tattoo to do in the evening,so a creative day to be had all going well,so will update tomorrow evening with photos and news.
Oops almost forgot to say that the exhibition went off really well,a nice turn out,lots of people and a good time to catch up with fellow artists,very inspiring night and the art work was exceptional!

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage

Working it out....

The exhibition has arrived,set up yesterday and opening night on Friday,glad its done so I can now get on with other things,I want to get an Etsy shop up and running,work the books more and paint more.

I have been working with paper clay the past few days,finding it a bit of a challenge,I used plastic eyes for the face,which is looking cool,I managed to get about six heads sculpted and one full figure,I cant wait until they are dry enough to paint...

I made some cloth bunnies and used plastic dolls eyes on one,he looks so creepy and cool,I used pellets for stuffing this time around which has been good,it makes them sit better.

I am in the process of designing more dolls for the book,this is the slow part,working out how to put them together and to get them as they look in the illustration but it is worth it when a character rises from the page to be a real life looking doll,its very rewarding.
I remember the first time I designed a doll on paper and brought it to life,my son had asked for a pirate doll so I drew some designs had him pick the one he liked and made it,it was great,the doll came out just as it was on paper,I just wish I had recorded it,the doll has since died from over loving,I still have whats left of it and perhaps I should resurrect it.

I will be making some books soon,hand bound and hand made papers,this is something I do in summer,I usually start at the beginning of the season,also I will be firing up more often with the kilns to make pendants and jewelery bits so I don't think I will exhibit for some time,it is so time consuming and for me takes me away from the exploration that I so love,so I will keep the next few months free just to do my thang...

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

From this to that....oh and the glue.

Best studio product for the day...pva glue,dam I love this stuff,great for paper work,books,dolls, you name it I use it for it,I always buy it in a four litre bottle,I hate running out of it..also i love hot glue guns and sticks,very very handy things to have around....

Must have studio equipment...a good printer.you just must have one especially it you journal a lot,I couldn't be with out mine...


What a wacky few days,I didn't get as much accomplished as I had hoped,the dolls didn't happen as much as I would have liked but there was some progress.

I painted some cute little art works for my planned etsy store which I was going to put together this week but again I went from this to that all week,all my plans went completely out the window with a teenage crisis and oddly enough it wasn't one of mine,then I ended up doing tattoos which take so much time to do and my hands just ache after a couple of hours tattooing so that held things up a bit.

I did manage to get some cards uploaded at my card store,I also managed to photograph some of my doll making progress which is great since I am journaling my doll making trials ,I didn't get any work done on my book which is so frustrating,I really need to focus on that as I want to quit work or at least cut my hours right back,but it is hard when so much is going on around me and involving me,life outside the studio does happen.

Next weekend will be better,I will be more focused and only do one tattoo,sounds like a plan...

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Compassion Quotes
Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Really helpful studio equipment....
I have light box tucked away in my studio that I use primarily for tattooing,but this awesome tool is great for many other creative en devours,I use it all time for transferring images from my sketch book onto watercolour paper,it is wonderful to be able to catch that very same drawing and reproduce it simply for a painting,you can also use it to place a variety of different images from many pages of your sketch book into the one large painting.
I also keep an overhead projector to transfer my sketch book images onto canvas into a larger format,I find that these two studio items are just wonderful and save so much time.

Favorite paint colour this week is Brown Madder by Jo Sonja,it is a deep beautiful nut brown that I have been using on shadow boxes and frames for the up and coming exhibition,I paint the frames first in brown madder,let it dry and them paint lightly over with black and then wipe away with a damp cloth so that the brown madder will show through,varnish with gloss and it looks like old mahogany,lovely.

Favorite craft for the week is decorating little juice bottles with stickers and skirts,so pretty,will upload photos tomorrow.

Photoshoot of the week was with dolls and my favey teddy........

Deepak Chopra: Compassion Quotes
Giving connects two people, the giver and the receiver, and this connection gives birth to a new sense of belonging.

Back to the grind tomorrow.

Well its been a wonderfully busy week in my studio,I have accomplished much but sadly its back to the real world of work and business,hopefully though I will soon be able to work full time as an artist all going well.

The works for the exhibition are now finished,I varnished the frames today and they look pretty smick,so thats a relief to have all that out of the way and so now I'm back to the dolls and the illustrating of the books in earnest,Im giving my self six months to finish them and send off to publishers,all going incredibly well I just may get published,fingers crossed,and legs too I guess.

Well I guess I will be back here in few days all goign well I should be back in the studio on Thursday and working like mad.....

Henry Burton: Compassion Quotes
Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on; ‘Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on; Let it travel down the years, Let it wipe another’s tears, Till in Heaven the deed appears, Pass it on.

It is a beautiful spring afternoon and Im sitting here blogging,go figure,I should be out and about with camera in hand, still blogging is a wonderful thing as well.

These past four days have been very creative,Ive finished up my exhibition works and they are ready to go,I focused on Mary as an icon ion Christian art,I had wanted to portray her uniting strength as a mother but instead came out with the iconic aspect of her as figured in art history,still I'm fairly happy about it.
Ian made the frames and I decorated them,I tried to achieve an old mahogany look and added the metal trim to give them the old world feel,I think it all blends quite well with the subject,though I don't know if I will be able to do this with the canvas Mary,we will see.

I finished Haunted,I decided to leave it pretty raw with the canvas showing through,I was going to sell this one but Ive hung it up and will keep it,she belongs with me, argghhh I hate to part with my work,I will never be a rich artist,though I don't mind selling off the big works for the sake of space.
Haunted is such a simple painting,I just wanted to get that look in her eyes showing a pain of memories past,I think she is close to my heart in that she has suffered yet triumphed as we all do in the journey of life and time,she is a keeper.

The dolls have been on hold this past week,well almost,Ive sewn some bodies for some little hanging dolls,they have a name but Ive forgotten it,dotee dolls?
I have also sewn up three more Tadmer dolls for the book,to show different ways to embellish and paint them,I will be working on them again soon.

The illustrations for the kids book is a slow process,I'm having trouble finding the style I want to go with and the way I want to present the characters,still it will be done,I just don't know when,I have done a lot of water colours to hash out the style I want,to go cartoon or to be literal to a degree,mmmmm scratching brain on that one..

I have been missing the feel of clay lately and think that I will soon be working once again is the studio downstairs with clay and hot hot kilns,sounds like a plan.
Next week is the week for the big studio to be cleaned out,repainted and be readied for the oncoming warmer months,Ive been working primarily in the smaller inside studio through winter but now I'm itching to get back to the quiet space of my out side studio,to fire up the kilns open up the big easels and get down and dirty with paint and clay,ooohhh sounds good.

Ok well I'm off to finish up a few things and go fiber hunting at the local craft store,yipeeeee.


Wassily Kandinsky: Quotes on Art
There is no must in art because art is free.

What a crazy weekend,Ive worked flat out on one of the books and made some fair progress,I'm very happy with it so far and cant believe how it is evolving,wow it is exciting seeing it change.

I had a bit of tattoo work to do and that took a good space of time,cant rush them thats for sure,it really takes it out of me when I'm tattooing,I feel drained totally,oh well I love doing it just the same,I have more to do next week,big burly boys moaning and groaning,they turn into girlie's, sweating and sooking,I just shake my head.

The camera was out as always this weekend,dam I love that thing,it is my baby,my second eye,my partner in the crime of voyeurism,I would be lost without it and of course that sweet place called photoshop, oooh its heaven there playing with light and colour,the things you can do with that program is just awesome.

I have to go to my normal job tomorrow,it will be an effort,I'm still not doing to well and the pain comes and goes, I actually cant wait to see the big cahoona doctor next week and get some relief.

The exhibition is creeping up and I have some nice fresh ideas for it,I have about seven works completed but still a few more to choose from will be good,nothing quite like have a choice ,I am working on the concept of Mary as a mother and her pain and grief over the loss of her son and how we all could relate to that no matter our faith,we all just adore our sons,I believe motherhood unites us all,it an spiritual thing to love that deeply,well I think so.

I mad lots of bunnies this week and I love them so much that I don't think I will be able to part with them,typical,I always do that,I'm being over run by little cuties,they are literally every where.

I have to add to another blog and get some rest so I will leave it here but I will be back next weekend.

Danny Kaye: Quotes: Art
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.

A not so productive few days!

I didn't get to create as much as I planned but I did do a few things,I painted some pics,took some photos,worked on some dolls,made a few little booky things but nothing notable,I was too sore and sorry to do much of anything of substance,but hopefully next week will be better.

I tried out my new tripod tonight,its awesome,very professional and I love it,it has little levels and windey gadgets,so much fun and makes a photo shoot much easier.

I played around with two wooden dolls that I have,I set them up as a couple in love,you know in the early courtship stage and took photos of them,I know its kinda corny and you probably think I could be doing something much more sensible but it was fun and didn't take much work to do and anyway they looked cute,I then photo shopped it a bit and it came out nice and dreamy,I do love photo shop.

I have a group exhibition coming up soon so I guess Ill have to focus on some paintings for this years Uni exhibit,Ive really cut back my exhibition lately,mmm I must be shifting my focus more on the books I'm getting ready for submission to publishers,hope its worth it.

I have also almost finished a series of watercolors Ive been working on for a while and they look pretty good,lovely and bright,just how I like them,I plan to put them in a journal thingy so that will be interesting I guess.

I think I'm not in the best of moods tonight,My body is hurting and I'm fed up with it,I'm fed up with doctors and needles and tests and doctors surgeries and all the boring long hours that go with it,all that time that could be so much better spent but then it could be worse so I think I will stop venting and be grateful for all that I do have,silly woman that I am.

I think Ill call it a day,finish this post with a positive note,I will have more time to create and I will feel better soon,oh and I just remembered that my ink will be in this week so I will be tattooing next weekend all going well.

Pablo Picasso: Quotes: Art
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.

I

Just finished work and Im pooped!

Well Ive just come in from a long shift,feeling drained and pooped but joy of joys I have three wonderful days to create,I'm so looking forward to it,so I will wake up early get all the nasty but necessary chores out of the way and settle in for some much needed time in the studio,oh bliss!
Well I will tell of my creative en devours tomorrow when I'm almost done for the day.

Scott Adams, The Dilbert Principle: Creativity Quotes
Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Hi thin air I'm back,its been a busy few days,lots of creativity,lots of paint,cloth,paper and whatever has been available to use,I'm trying out some beautiful new inks,they are the most glorious metallic colors,they are called pearlescent liquid acrylic,just beautiful.

I have also done a few watercolors for the little books that I'm working on and they have turned out beautifully but I'm ashamed to say that I didn't illustrate one page of the cat book though the doll book is now two pages ahead,thank goodness for small wonders I guess.
Well Im needing to get back to work so untill next time ,keep creative!

Unknown: Dream Quotations
Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not. Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties need not obscure it. Because the dream is within you, no one can take it away.

Dolls dolls dolls....

I have been crazy for dolls lately,I just cant get enough of them,I have made new designs,had new ideas and am surrounded by half finished little munch kins,they cover my desk,my shelves,my dreams,they are everywhere,they are dominating my life and I love it!

My books are going well,script is written just doing the illustrations now and that in its self is taking much more time than I would have thought,I think I am perhaps a bit of a critic,every image just needs improving upon,its driving me nuts,I'm not happy with anything when it comes to the book illustrations,so with two to do I think Ill either go completely insane or age a hundred years,but they will done!

My camera has been clicking away as always,Ive had a few jobs photographing food and a couple of portrait jobs,I do love doing this work,my camera is like an extension of me,I would be lost without it.

I have been on my favey website DEVIANT ART,there are some awesome artists there and the fellowship is great I love this site,I just never get sick of it.

Ive been reading Artful Blogging by Somerset Studio,very inspiring to say the least,but then all their stuff is just that,Inspiring.

I'm finding that I crave to create so much that Ive cut back my hours in my regular job,but I do miss my regular clients,they are all so sweet,I don't think I will chuck it in completely for a long while,people do so much to inspire me and I so admire the courage and tenaciousness of people when they up against the wall.

Well thats it,talking to air but well hey its cool,I don't mind,in case anyone does see this..Keep Creative!

Unknown Author: Belief Quotes
Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can.

Its been a while.

Its been a while since my last blog here but I haven't forgotten this place not that anyone has noticed me yet anyway,lol.

I have been into all sorts of things,I have been working on my book in earnest and its coming on well,I'm now illustrating it and enjoying it immensely,though I would love to have more time to do it.

I have been to Queensland which was pretty inspiring,the miles of sugar cane and the fields of sun flower's were something to truly inspire ones thoughts,the night sky with its velvet appearance was awesome and the clear air was divine,a stark contrast from city life.

I have been doing a few tattoos which has been fun,a few giggle come it but I need to find a good quality ink for this work to continue.

My love for the camera has been as usual a big part of my life,clicking away like mad,lots to do there,Im heading up to Sydney soon with a friend for a day off shooting and should get some brilliant shots,looking forward to that.

I have been working on some little freaky type dolls,they are so cute and perhaps one of my favorite past times,so I have added a few pics of them to this blog.

Well until next time be creative.

Norman Vincent Peale: Faith and Inspiration Quotes
People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.

dolls,tattoos,spay can art and photography!!!1

Well its another busy week gone and a new and very busy week looming ahead.

I have a couple of tattoos to do which always takes up a lot of time,also I am doing some pray can art,thought I would have plat around as I haven't done it in ages some I'm looking forward to that.

I am making some nice quirky little dolls at the moment which I'm really enjoying,I have about 20 in progress,they are favey of mine to chill out on,love mine dollies.

Also I'm doing some food photography for a friends menu list this week coming,I do so very much enjoy photographing food and making it look inviting.

Its been a week of crazy moments and busy hands, my upstairs studio is now more organized and soon the big studio will get a make over as well,it is always a mess after and exhibition,I must learn to be neater and more disciplined but I'm always so pooped after an exhibit,so much so that I don't go near the big studio for at least a week,oh well its time to get of my rear end and get organized as I have much I wish to do.

Mmmm it would seem that as I get older that organization is a key thing in my life,time is much to short to waste,so in order to fit more into my days and nights I need to get things straight and running more effectively,this allows me to be more creative and active in my art works.

Ok well its now 2.30 am and I want to be up early to do many things so good night and farewell.

Anthony Robbins: Faith Quotations
If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible.

inspired and free to create

Well thats the exhibiting done for a while,I have a few art comps in the next 8 weeks but other than that I and now free to to create all those wonderful little things that have been niggling their way to the front of my creative urgings.

I want to do some ecaustic work,collage and photo manips with oils and oils sticks,lots of fun stuff that doesn't eat away at the space in my studio,my last lot of work was so big it ended up taking half of the studio,so glad to have sold some of it off.

I'm so looking forward to those lovely days of creating the soft fuzzy images that are in my mind,I see riots of different colour but hey don't I always,layers and layers keep coming to mind,miniatures and largies,even some dolls,I have about 15 of them in the first stages just waiting to be birthed into their final personalities.

I see photos of my town and its people waiting to come to new life with bright bold colours,I see books being bound,sewn and illustrated,I see shrines coming to life and glass being fused painted and become pendants,

I cant wait to begin my creative journey away from the easel for a while,I need a rest from it and from huge canvases,I need to work on paper,I aways come back to paper,ink,watercolour, pencils and chalks,I just adore paper!

Elbert Hubbard: Commitment Quotations
To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.

A memory and a thought.

Today was a hot humid day,only the cool sea breeze brought any relief from the heat,I was glad to be inside that tall cool old building that once held the real life drama's of power and law.

The old court house long retired from its ghastly punishments and torments now provides a haven for artists and environmentalists,now the echoing rooms hold laughter,creativity,good intentions and gentle spirits.

I marveled at how my paintings came to life as they hung snugly against the old concrete walls,it fascinated me to see them look so warm and vibrant in the filtered light that streamed in through the tall arched windows,it gave them a new life,a warmth that I hadn't noticed before.

As the people filed in and out during the day I wondered what it had been like one hundred and twenty years ago when men and women were brought there to meet justice,were there the judgmental crowds gathered around to relish the comeuppance of the supposed criminals,surely justice then was bleak and guilt decided well before a trial,how different things are today.

I sat silently in that grand old building with its long history,marveling at its regal beauty and greatful that it now served a much nicer purpose than the horrors it once housed ,it is a place that can stir a memory and a thought to any who pass through its is great arched door ways.

Tomorrow my exhibition there will come to a close until next year,but I know I will wander back into that old building that is so dear to me,I will go to see every exhibit no matter what theme for it will give me the excuse to visit that wonderful old place that is now close to my heart.

Unknown Author: Quotes on Reflection
Seeing yourself as you want to be is the key to personal growth.