Mix and Match.

After the workshop on the weekend I spent my nana free day yesterday messing about in the studio as you do. Tidied up here and there eventually experimenting with two plates and colours. For an abstract it's okay and I like it.

 I don't mind which way it is turned either also I 'm learning to like the non inked solid areas, adds another dimension.

Doodles.

Back again and I went through my journals and knew I had doodles there somewhere. This time I had drawn the images first then doodled the centres. This seemed to work better for me.

Horse doodling back in 2009.

And this led to a chicken...

a couple of teapots...

and I am appreciating them and doodling more now.  However no time just now as must be off to do other things.

Creative results from a workshop

Last Sunday I attended a workshop with my monthly printing group. The basic instructions were to produce a doodle, add another image and at your own choice to disregard the outer edge or to use it. Having made nice marks from the doodle we then chose the best or favoured ones to place our image there and introduce those marks into it as a final image.We printed using the good old fashioned way with the spoon, something else I don't practise as I have the use of a friends press when I need to print or I use an old brayer at home. I used the spoon for all of these prints.
I usually use silkcut lino but was keen to try the "plastic" lino and at present I won't swap it for the silkcut as I don't much like the top layer but it is nice and smooth and you get the use of both sides.
 It is good for home printing and I was reasonably happy with the trials.
                                                        

This is Sunday's plate from the workshop and I admit to struggling with "doodling" as I don't doodle much and also had to learn how to cut this particular plate material.

My first print onto previously painted paper and folks is was a tree image but seems to have "grown" into a human form. It resembles images I had done at a ten day workshop in Yeppoon a few years ago and his theme was the figure in the landscape, well it seems to have stuck!!!

Second print but this time with a bit of chin colle which changes it again. I like this one and the technique.

My Midnight Owl....

The reverse side of the "plastic" plate and like a dog at a bone I was up till midnight last night experimenting and just needed to know what I could do.

Test print number one and happy enough with the result, oh! I also learnt to cut with a curved blade .

It's about 11.15 by now but still not ready to concede defeat so attempted intaglio inking which I have done once before and it is hard work but worth the effort though not at midnight and spoon printing.It will be a better result when printed on my friend's press but I can work with this.

More to follow on doodling.

A Wonderful Gift

I am a lucky lady to have a sister though not a practising artist but who does appreciate many forms of art which allows us to share some great experiences and conversations.A few years ago we travelled to Melbourne for Phantom of the Opera, my very first live opera so very special memories  and she has recently returned from Melbourne to see the Tutankhamen Exhibition , lucky lady.

Side view of my new toy.

In  my mail today was this wonderful gift she bought from the markets and very generously sent to me. Well haven't I  been having fun this afternoon playing which has presented me with ideas for the future so I shall endeavour to bring them to fruition soon.Now who's the lucky lady !!!!Many thanks G.

Design of the stamp and I can tell you this is as exciting as receiving a book!!Book Art Object people 

and regular followers will know about this.

Testing, testing 1.. 2.. 3....

Compact Prints Collection

Today my friend and I visited the collection at the local library which had been made possible as a travelling exhibition by the Friends of the Library group so a big thank you to them . We were talking to a staff member and she was pleased to have participating printmakers and locals as well to view it. Now we , along with three other local members have been invited  to share a half hour morning tea tomorrow .
 Each printmaker creates three prints to size , one for donation to auction and raise money , one for display and the other to randomly swap with other members.
 Umbrella Studio http://umbrella.org.au also present each of us with a cd of the collection , a very nice keepsake.

This is my print of a sculpture of a mangrove pod that had been commissioned in 2009 for the Urban Art Project along the Mackay Bluewater Trail.

A previous print submitted to the project . This was my first submission and I am trying to enter each time. It's a good way to add to my personal collection.

This is the second one I submitted and is a screenprint taken from an original drawing.

Next year will be my fourth one so I am looking for ideas at present and different techniques.

First visit to Yeppoon followed by a second visit.

Back in 1999 I attended a ten day painting workshop with  a long time friend. We travelled by car from Mackay to Yeppoon staying at the centre at Cooee Bay. A great venue with accommodation included though bunk style bedrooms with adjoining ablution block.
This happened to be the 25th anniversary of the groups meetings at the same date every year. We shared two tutors between approximately thirty artists. My first tutor was Joe Furlonger and we were doing lino printing.The second half the tutors swapped over groups and Bela Ivanyi concentrated on acrylic painting on paper or canvas.
Without going into detail I came away very overwhelmed but knew that large groups of people wasn't for me. To this day my friend is still attending and I have moved on to further my interest in printmaking, drawing , bookmaking and watercolour.

This is an acrylic painting and I now look at it and wonder where my artistic psychic was as I am not a figure or landscape person in my own work and this is not the sort of abstract I like. Hmmm......

Mixed media on paper here and again figure in the landscape though I don't mind this one and have reused the image.

Anyhow I really do appreciate my learning curve from the adventure and have kept my notes and artworks as reference material.

The second visit to Yeppoon was under different circumstances. My man had never been to Yeppoon so as his treat on the way home from Hervey Bay we stopped a couple of days and it was a chance for me to reacquaint myself with the other end of Yeppoon, Farnborouh and Byfield area. We found great accommodation at Beachfront 55 and I went for an early morning walk as you do and here are a couple of photos as a result.

Early morning raincloud approaching the mainland.

Early birds catching worms.

We visited two local galleries, The Mill Gallery which is housed in an old post office building and the Paint Pot not very far away in an old church. Morning tea in town across the road and after lunch we enjoyed a drive through the country passed the state forest to Cooberrie Park Wildlife Sanctuary where  I'm told they breed their own koalas.

 

and have two white peacocks

as well as many lizards reptiles, birds and a fox, sleeping ....

We said goodbye to them all and continued even further on into the forest to here...

Now this is dangerous territory as some wonderful pottery, hand blown glassware, jewellery,tiles, and artworks situated on beautiful property offering a relaxed atmosphere.

It was hard to depart but we had to move on as time to go home.

My Whale Watch Tour

Yes I have been very fortunate to visit Hervey Bay to see these beautiful creatures. The weather was reasonably kind with just the white horses breaking the surface of the waves. Such gentle giants of the sea who were only too happy to play around the boat showing off the new offspring. Two dolphins whizzed past without bothering to say hello to us.....(human speak)
I can only imagine what it must have been like under the surface ,seeing this large boat above me with curious faces peering over the side, clapping and yahooing to attract my attention, after all don't these "odd things" know that is why I am here, as a whale to show off.(whale's thoughts.)

 Part of the action and this is so much fun showing my tail!!!

 Now it's time to to play chasey....

 Look out here I come.....

And here we are all together.

This is a beautiful rain cloud coming across the bay at Yeppoon.

Local wildlife on the beach at Yeppoon.

On the return trip home we spent a night at Yeppoon and these two photos are taken there on my early morning beach walk. Such lovely flat , long beaches perfect for walking.

The rain cloud swept over the beach and onto town .