Patchwork Quilt Block Paintings continued.

Here are the final 5 cards, and the Quilt assembled with all of the designs.

Patchwork Quilt Block Paintings.

Sorry I haven't been around for a long time -- life just seems to get in the way sometimes, with more important family and personal things to attend to. My family has always come first in my life, and other things just follow on behind.

I am currently taking part in a Miniature ATC Exchange on WetCanvas with the subject being "Abstract". Each participant has to paint 20 different ATCs to send on to the 20 artists who are taking part in this Project. The ATCs go all over the world to their new homes, and in return I have received a card from each participant, making a wonderful worldwide collection of art. All ATC cards must measure 3.5"x2.5".

Here are the 20 cards I have sent off. All are done in Pen and Ink with various techniques. I chose the theme of Patchwork Quilt Blocks, and had SO MUCH FUN creating each card.

#1.

Another Plate.

Things have been soooooooo busy lately. Had a trip to Adelaide to the Eye Specialist last Friday, 19th, and had laser treatment on my right eye. No painting since then, although the after effects are not too bad -- can't look in to the light without getting a stabbing pain in that eye. Will find out in three months whether the laser has been a success.
Just before I went to Adelaide I finished off another Plate, which I've posted here. Had visitors arrive tonight for the next 10 days, so will be having a rest from painting while they are here.

Today is the shortest day of the year in Australia, so I'm looking so forward to the days eventually getting longer. I'm a big lover of daylight saving -- I just love the extra light in the evenings, but not everyone shares my feelings, especially farmers, and anyone with young children.

Time slips by so quickly.

The last 8 months have slipped by so quickly. There hasn't been a dull moment, but then again, there never seems to be in my life. Since my Dad passed away in March, 2008, I have visited my mother every afternoon in the local Nursing Home, and after she suffered a stroke last December (2008), I was there all day, each day for quite some time. Fortunately she has improved somewhat, but still needs my continued help. I am very grateful that she is in a very good Nursing Home with 24 hour Medical help.

I have only been painting in fits and starts, when time allows, but when I do paint I love every minute of it. About a month ago I was delighted to be invited to have an Exhibition for SALA -- South Australian Living Artists, which takes place from the 7th to the 23rd August, 2009. I will be exhibiting my Technical Pointillism at the lovely Heritage Reilly's Restaurant and Tearooms at Mintaro in South Australia. The entire town of Mintaro is a Heritage Town, and is also the home of the magnificent Martindale Hall, featured in the movie "Picnic at Hanging Rock". It is an ideal venue for my Porcelain Plates and Vases with their technical enamel designs (one shown above).

I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging on a regular basis, or as time allows.

Technical Pointillism.

These are two Bone China items I painted and entered in the Campbelltown Rotary Exhibition in Adelaide in June, 2008. Both the Plate and the Vase sold on Opening Night and I was thrilled to bits. The designs were first penned with Dark Blue, and kiln fired at 800 degrees Centigrade. I then covered the entire design with tiny Dark Blue Enamel dots (as in Pointillism). After this was completed I fired again at 780 degrees Centrigrade. I just wish I had better photos to show, but a friend kindly sent me these.

Val.

Back at last.

So sorry I have been gone for so long, but it has been a very difficult year, mostly with losing my darling Dad in March, and my Mum not being at all well ever since. I never seem to have too many minutes to spare these days.

This is a painting I managed to get done just recently -- a Sunset in Pastels. I love working in Pastels and also really enjoy painting Sunsets.

Val.

Finally back to my Art again.

I'm sorry for the very long hiatus, but I had to have a heart procedure on the 13th December, after which I lost all motivation for almost everything including art. I'm happy to say that I have been thoroughly enjoying a new Coloured Pen and Ink Drawing over the past couple of weeks, so things are looking up somewhat.

I will show the drawing as a step-by-step from beginning to the finished piece. Size is 10"x8" on Premier Watercolour Paper, and penned with Micron Pens in Pink and Red, sizes 01 and 005, and a little Yellow with a Triplus Fineliner Pen. I really did enjoy penning this one, and all being well, will be entering it in to an Exhibition in a couple of months time.

Santa Plate.

Christmas seems to be coming so fast, so I thought I would post a 10" Porcelain Plate with Santa's Portrait on it. This was painted using China Painting On-Glaze Paints, and was kiln-fired 5 times, the last firing being for the gold rim, which was applied by hand. I really enjoyed painting this happy and jolly Santa, which I took from Wanda Clapham's "Pass Me Another Plate". I've also posted a close-up of Santa's face.

My Christmas Card for 2007.

Well, I've finished penning my Christmas Card for 2007 -- a good feeling to know that I've managed to get it done with plenty of time for printing. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed penning this design -- thatched cottages being a real favourite subject of mine. Not long ago I was panicking because I didn't think I was going to get a chance to get it done until the last minute, but some enforced rest due to not being well for a while has at least been an advantage for art at least.

Two more Alice Springs Photos.

I'm adding two more photos I took whilst holidaying in Alice Springs. The red one is Sturt's Desert Pea, which was growing profusely in my Nephew's garden. It is also the State Emblem Flower for South Australia, and is the most beautiful flower imaginable. They need a hot, dry climate to grow well, so absolutely thrive in the outback.
The other photo is of African Daisies growing in my brother's garden. He has quite a few different coloured African Daisies and they were quite a picture.

Calla Lily and Frangipani.

I've had very little time for painting and drawing in the past month, having spent time sightseeing and visiting relatives in Alice Springs and Adelaide, but I did manage to get two small stippled florals done. I love stippling with Pen and Ink, and I really love the Small Format. These are both done on Watercolour Paper with Micron Pens and measure 3.5"x2.5".

Alice Springs.

It's a long time since I've had a chance to update my Blog. September has been very, very busy and exciting. I spent 2 weeks in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory of Australia, and also known as the Red Centre, and another week in Adelaide, our capital of South Australia.

The fortnight in The Alice was wonderful from three points of view for me -- firstly I stayed with my brother and sister-in-law, and also got to see quite a bit of my two nephews, secondly I had the chance to have a good rest, and thirdly I saw some fantastic scenery. I'd been to Alice Springs once before, but many years ago, so it was wonderful to go back and see how it has grown.

I'm adding two photos of the many I took whilst in Alice, and hope to write more as soon as possible. One of the photos shows Simpson's Gap from a very different angle to the painting I did in the previous Thread, although they are both images of Simpson's Gap. It's such a beautiful place.

The other photo is of a very old Lutheran Church at Hermannsburg, 135 kms west of Alice Springs. This Church is among a group of buildings of the same era, and all are Heritage Listed. This Church is used for Aboriginal Funerals now, and a newer one has been built for Church Services.

Simpson's Gap, Northern Territory, Australia.

I have just finished this painting -- one I thoroughly enjoyed working on from beginning to end. It is 18"x14" on gallery wrapped canvas, and painted with Acrylics. Simpson's Gap is in the Red Centre, Central Australia (Northern Territory), and there are a number of wonderful Rock Formations with the Reddish colouring in the area, such as Ayers Rock, and of course this one "Simpson's Gap".

Red Camellia.

Wow, things have been so hectic for the past few weeks, with so many different things needing attention. One thing that has kept me really busy is organising a holiday to Alice Springs for two weeks in mid-September -- can't wait, as it's such a remarkable place. I haven't been there in quite a few years, so I'm looking so forward to going back to much loved areas I've seen in the past, and also in seeing the places that have changed somewhat since I was there last.

This is another small Pen and Ink I've recently finished -- a Red Camellia.

As always, life has been busy, busy. I think I'll have to employ a housemaid (wishful thinking of course). While my stippled flower drawings are selling on ebay, I'm continuing to put my spare time in to them. This is my latest one -- another Rose penned in Pink and Orange, which gives a Deep Salmon colour -- different but really effective.

A Rose and a Tulip.

On Wednesday I travelled to Kapunda in the Barossa Valley to a China Painting Workshop, which was really enjoyable, and it was great to see a lot of my China Painting friends also attending. The Demonstrator of the day showed us how she paints "quick" Roses -- quick for her, but mostly not so quick for those following her method. I think I'll have to practice her method, as they are somewhat different to the way I have done them in the past.

I haven't managed to get any other painting done since Monday, but I have enjoyed drawing two new little coloured Pen and Inks. I really am addicted to Pointillism/Stipple, so I get a lot of pleasure from these little drawings. I have finished another Rose, this time a Red one, and I've also tonight finished a Tulip in Orange, Red and Yellow. I enjoyed both, but the Tulip was more of a challenge, as it is one of the Images in the Monthly Miniature Challenge on WetCanvas. I chose to pen it with stipple rather than paint it. In real life it is actually more vivid than the scan shows, and the colours of the Tulip are really pretty. They both measure 3.5x2.5" and are penned with Micron and Triplus pens. They are both currently on ebay.

Technical Plate with Bird Design.

It's been another really busy day. I went to Art Group from 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., and really enjoyed it, as I started a new painting and so far it's going along fine. My brother lives in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and he sent me a lot of great photos of well known places in and around the Alice. The one I started today is Simpson's Gap, which I know has been painted a million or more times by various artists, but I really love his photo and the lovely sprawling tree that stands in front of where the Rock Formations almost meet at ground level.
I'll be sure to post it when it's finished. After Art I went shopping, and then to visit my parents for the remainder of the afternoon, so it was a busy, but very fulfilling day. Tonight I've caught up on a bit of correspondence, and also 'phoned my handyman to give him a reminder that he hasn't pruned my Roses yet, and the lawns need mowing. Next week he says -- if he doesn't hurry up, the Roses will be shooting before they're pruned.

Tonight I'm adding a photo of a 10" Porcelain Plate I've painted with a Technical Design, and a bird in the centre of the plate. If you look closely, you will see that the lighter swirly band around the plate is covered in Mother-of-Pearl, which is something a really enjoy working with

Teddies in the Pink.

It's been another busy day, but in a somewhat different way. I just haven't left the computer all day, which can sure be mentally tiring. I had a Newsletter to write for one of our China Painting Magazines, and of course the due date is nearly here, so I had to get myself in to gear today and do something about it. Anyway, fortunately I'm pleased with the way it's coming together.

I'm also trying to decide what to paint next, as I want to get it underway before Art Group on Monday. At this moment I think a photo my brother sent me of the Finke River running through Palm Valley in the Northern Territory may just be taking first place.

The photo tonight is of the second Teddy Bears Commission I painted, but this one had to have a Pink background. I wanted it to be just a little bit different, so I used slightly some alternate colours for the bears. Unfortunately it's not quite true to colour as the background is more of a soft Plum Pink.

Orange/Yellow Rose in Pointillism/Stipple.

Another busy day -- lots of shopping to be done for my parents and myself. The way food is increasing in price at the rate of knots, we won't be able to afford to eat before long. Well, it certainly does make one think when Bananas are $1.25 each and going up more and more each week. I guess we won't starve though.
I finished another small Rose Drawing today, so will post it now. It's a little 3.5"x2.5" one (like the preceding two) and penned with Orange, Yellow and Red Micron Pens. I'm addicted to these little stippled Rose Drawings!!!!!!!!!!!

Red Rose in Pointillism

Had another very busy day today, but a great one. Monday is the day I go to Art Group, where around 14 Artists gather and paint together for about 4 hours. It's great to see everyone's paintings evolve -- all totally different subject matter and a variety of mediums. Today we had Artists painting in Oils, Acrylics, Watercolours, Pastels and Pen and Ink. The subjects were also varied with Cottage and Street Scenes, Seascapes, Portraits, Landscapes and I finished a painting of Teddy Bears on a Pink background for a baby girl's Nursery. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow and post in my next blog.
After we finished, one of ladies from the Group and I went to our Art Store and had a buy up of new canvases, as they were out on Special. I am a total sucker for buying canvases, as is the friend I went shopping with today. We then sat and talked over a cappucino and a yummy iced apple square each (they were huge!!), so I didn't feel like a very big tea tonight.
From there I went to visit my parents, and finally arrived home just before dark.
Tonight I watched a DVD I recently bought about Royal Worcester China which was so interesting, especially when it showed the artists working in the big Studio. I'm a big lover of Royal Worcester China, and would dearly love to get loose in their Seconds Shop. I think it's just as well it's 12,000 miles away from me, or I'd always be stoney broke.
I also finished off a small Pen and Ink piece today -- a Red Macro Rose in Pointillism/Stipple. I do so enjoy stippling macro Roses. This one measures 3.5"x2.5", and I have just listed it on ebay. The Pink Rose I posted a couple of nights ago is also on ebay, and has a bid at the required starting price, so I'm very happy about that.