Lost Aussie on the loose

Playing Catch-Up

Amazing what you can photograph in the small town of New Hope, PA!!  Gives a good glass of wine and the toast "bottoms up" a whole new meaning!

Our "Holiday" weekend was a mishmash of chores, painting and dare I say it - a bit more unpacking.  We also browsed for a new car, which we badly need and then we finally managed to squeeze in a day of fun, where we tripped off to one of our old and favourite haunts - New Hope.

Much had changed since our last trip there - probably 2 years or so.
Whether it was the Holiday weekend traffic or what, the place just seemed noisy and over-done - am I getting old? 
Lots of the favoured neat shops and galleries had disappeared, replaced by Tattoo parlours and places to get heaven knows what pierced.  At least the Triumph pub and it's home brewed beers was still alive and kicking!

My studio is in dire need of some busy art person to come and make use of it!  I have pretty much got it straight and all-together, but have neither the will nor the inspiration to do much.  Probably because I am already making "Mother" lists of stuff to take to the boys, another for my mother, sister etc

Yup...I can smell the gum leaves from here...
19 days to blast OFF!

Paint and Goop

Well this one is for the touchey-feely crowd.  All layers of real paper, glue and such.

I have been pondering  much over your comments on the earlier digital piece and the conundrums of what makes "art" , "collage" and what does not.

I dont know the answer.  For the most part my treasured artwork is framed under glass - so I dont touch or feel the layers on a daily basis. I do revel in the enourmity of every piece, each for it's own different reasons.  Texture not the least of which.  Composition and meaning is that which attracts my eye.

I also have a lot of other thoughts burbling around in my mind but perphaps will save them for another day.

Illio Friday - Cake

I must confess I had a lot of fun with this week's them of CAKE for Illustration Friday

With thoughts of the holiday weekend, the beach and summery 'daze' arriving soon - the good Ship "Cake" was born.

Her maiden voyage is for a birthday cruise!

..as this illio is dedicated to my son James who will turn FOURTEEN in a few short days.  Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie...I love you!! and will be there soon! xoxox

Collage or Not?

I've just received my returns from the International Collage Exchange that I participated in several months ago.  Without exception, the returned pieces are fabulous, each and every one, a frame worthy piece of art.
The collage exhibition is currently showing in Texas and if I can find the link at a more appropriate time of day, I will post it tomorrow!

Anyway...thoughts of it bring me to pondering a spin-off project that has arisen - a mailart exchange amongst a dozen or so artists who are all pretty much traditional collage technique gurus.  Earlier this month I asked if they minded if I created "digital collages" to use for our exchange.  Several participants expressed concern that I might not be sending them 'original' art or that a digital collage might not evidence the same 'feel' of a traditional collage piece.

To a certain extent I understand their concerns.  But these days my preferred canvas is a digital one and yes, I can create as many 'original' pieces in my chosen format as they do on paper- does it matter that they are uniformly smoothe? Lack texture or feel of a hand collaged piece?  I dont know...do you?

The piece featured above is contrived soley with my photographs, scanned images of ephemera that I OWN!.  Is it an original piece of collage art work?  To me it is....Comments welcome!

Inspire Me Thursday - Abstract

abstract art Art that departs significantly from natural appearances. Forms are modified or changed to varying degrees in order to emphasize certain qualities or content. Recognizable references to original appearances may be slight.

The term is also used to describe art that is nonrepresentational.
(reference - http://www.ackland.org/tours/classes/glossary.html)

Philly - not the cheese

Oh I had a 'hey-ho' day yesterday.  Canned the domestic chores, painting and what-not.  Slipped on some casually elegant duds and headed for the biggest smoke that is nearby...ie: Philadelphia.  It's a scant 30 minutes from where we live now and can I tell you how much I love going there?   
Lots to see and do and like most big cities the ambience is great.  Yes, I do like being tucked away in my rural retreat for the most part, but City-Food is great too!  Where you can imagine living in a grungy apartment above the throng and painting quirky canvases all day long! Ha!

The first stop of the day was at PEARL, one of the best art stores I have ever found in the whole wide world!  The one in Philly boasts THREE floors of art and related supplies and it would be so easy to get lost in there for days.  The WANT add seemed appealing, from the perspective of employee discount, but the commute would be hell :-) Dream on huh?

Just gazing around at the windows and absorbing the atmosphere was neat.  It was a sunny day and the 'touristas' were out and about, as was the local colour.  Hard to decide whether to buy a pink tutu or get a mouthwatering TAT from the many available local purveyor's of such charming skills!

Instead we opted for the yuppie commercial equivalent and got a coffee at Starbucks before heading into the City Center to grab not quite a "philly cheese steak" but something a bit more palatable and less trouble for the waist-line.

All in all, it was a good day.  Nice to be out and about for a change.

Safe Company

I pulled out the paints and papers the other night and started working with some of the square canvases that I bought several months ago.

This is the first one completed. It's a 5"x5" gallery wrap canvas and is available for sale on Ebay
http://tinyurl.com/ovmur

...Other news of note is that my jewelery has finally turned up!  Thanks to St Anthony and all the well-wishers!

Illio Friday - Sorry

I worry about the legacy we leave for our children and I weep for them.

The Tools at Hand

Yep, I journal in Photoshop!  It's a no brainer for me as it's probably the most used and favoured tool in the studio.

Glancing left just now I noticed an opened jar of gel medium complete with dried paintbrush sticking up out of it.  No telling how long it's been sitting there!  Gloop-in the bin! So much for collage - until the next visit to the art store!
Photoshop does not seem to present those sorts of sticking dramas!  Clean, clear and printable and while there are those around who dont consider the digital art medium as a format for creating "original" art I guess it might depend on your mindset!
I can remeber not so long ago being lambasted for submitting collage pieces that had been enhanced and embellished in Photoshop.... seems like it's de rigeur these days!  Gotta wonder huh?

Pieces of Me

This illio pretty much captures the way I feel right now and I daresay I could add another head or two and not be too mistaken.
The wife/mother/domestic head, the house-mender/unpacker/removalist head and last but not least the art-person's head. 

Yep, I am whingeing a bit - sorry!  Probably because I am a 'tad' distressed.  Some very special and personal pieces of jewelery made by Nina Bagley and Thomas Mann are no-where to be found amongst my moving mess.  The bedroom and bathroom, the places where all those sorts of treasures should be tucked safely away have been thoroughly searched...and nada..nil..zip!  I am at a loss as the rest of my treasured trinkets are all where they should be, but not these. They were safely packed away with the rest of our important hand carried stuff and I have no idea why they are not there too! Bah humbug is the polite expletive!