March 22, 2021
The Splashout gallery at Brighton is filled with new works to welcome in autumn, gallery M at Marion has an exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Pastel Artists of South Australia ( PASA) and the Fleurieu Art House has an exhibition opening with works from the Arkaroola Plein Air artists.
I am often asked how I paint in pastel because my style is seen to be quite different from the traditional approach. I guess because I haven't been to art school I have had no one tell me that there is a right way or a that my way is wrong so I have just followed my heart. Let me talk you through my process in painting this pet portrait.
HELLO, and a very warm welcome from my easel,
I don't know about you but I can't believe that it is already part way through December! I know that we all probably wanted this dreadful, crazy year to come to an end but there are only 11 days to Christmas ( which is at our place!!) and I haven't even had time to think about it. It will be the new year before we know it.
November has been a particularly busy and productive month from my end with my joining the art team at Atelier Crafers in the Adelaide hills, teaching pastel workshops. In spite of some tricky timing - caught on either side of the last brief lockdown causing last minute cancellations, the dramatic skies and coasts workshops were extremely well received with some amazing work produced from these artists in spite a number of them being new to the medium of soft pastels.
Plein air painting is a wonderful way to paint that will add a richness and depth to your work. Even if the entire painting is not completed outdoors your senses will have been alerted, you will have a memory of the day and all of this will be subconsciously added into your painting. But why do so many artists not try it? Because there is a technique involved and it takes a little practice and planning to make it work.
On Monday Atelier Crafers invited me to do a demonstration at their beautiful gallery in Crafers. I was warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic audience of artists keen to learn more about my pastel process and techniques. I painted a quick, gestural scene from the Flinders Ranges focusing on capturing shadow and light. Following on from these I will be running 3 pastel workshops And bookings can be done on line following the link below.
Many famous artists throughout history have relied on a muse - usually a woman - for their creative inspiration. Eduard Manet's muse, Victorene Meurent, inspired him to paint in a completely different style after he first set eyes on her. Gustav Klimt's famous painting "The Kiss" is believed to be of him and his muse Emilio Floege. And whilst the surrealist Salvador Dali was ten years younger, Gala Diakonova was not only his muse but also his model, lover, manager and later his wife.
Ooh it's cold out there! At the time of writing this blog we are in the middle of a particularly cold snap. Even more so because it is only early June - just the beginning of winter - but already the temperatures are nearing zero in many areas and there has been so much rain. Now that the eateries are opening up again in this covid_19 environment what better reason to wander over to your favourite cafe and spend an hour with some friends catching up over a coffee and cake - socially distancing of course. There is a particularly delightful cafe in the Adelaide foothills in Belair called the Sheoak Cafe.
When I was a feature artist in the TV series Put Some Colour In Your Life in Feb. 2020 I painted a pastel sunset and on a number of occasions my pastel sticks crumbled in my hands. Fortunately I had plenty and was able to use another stick of the same colour. But many people who have watched the show have repeatedly asked me how often does this happen? And how expensive is it to replace broken pastels? And what DO you do with the little pieces that are now too small to use?