A drawing a day

Some time ago I mentioned in this post that I wanted to get back into drawing again. This was something I did quite a lot of when I was younger, but as with many things, it dropped off the radar. So last week I decided to make a commitment. I declared on Facebook that I was going to do a drawing a day, and post the results this weekend.

Portraits are one thing I've always enjoyed drawing, so my wee man and muse was an obvious model choice. This is the first time I've drawn a baby, so I took a photo first, as I didn't think my skills would be up to a life drawing!

For day two I picked some flowers from the garden to draw. This one is a cornflower - not sure that you can tell!

I didn't get a chance to draw something on day three (and the only day I missed, I might add!). On day four I was in the shop, so I drew one of my owl candles that was there.

Day five is a flower from a magazine – I think it was a fejoa.

Day five is a tomato fresh from the garden (I'm noticing a theme here!).

Day six is of a candle that has burned down after I tested a new prototype. The lighting wasn't great for drawing, there were some harsh shadows so I haven't captured it quite right.

Making myself draw something every day has been good - I just found whatever was at hand, which meant I chose things I might not normally have thought of. I will try to keep it up now, and spend a bit more time on them and brush up my skills. I think there maybe some more baby portraits before I'm done!

Which one do you like the best? Let me know in the comments!

Evolution

So my blogger dashboard tells me this is my 150th post – hopefully it lives up to that milestone!

As the saying goes, the only constant is change. My life has changed quite a lot over the last few years, and the last few months have been no exception. My wee man is growing and learning at a rapid rate, and it's definitely a fun journey to be part of. While on leave I seemed to keep stumbling upon lots of different artists, which inspired me to get back into drawing again. I haven't made a start on that yet, but I hope to find some time soon. I used to draw people quite a lot when I was a teenager, with a strong lean towards the heart throbs of the time. (I'm guessing that Dear Colleen must have gone through a similar phase herself, with her ever expanding collection of dishes tea towels!) I even managed to put a couple of drawings of Brad Pitt into my Schoot Cert art portfolio. I'm still not sure how I managed to get that past my art teacher! Since then I have mostly focussed on painting, as I thought it was a natural progression, but I would quite like to try drawing again. Here are some of the drawings I did way back then, including the School Cert specimens. Points for anyone who can identify any of the three featured at the bottom!

My workspace also keeps evolving. Last year I posted some pictures of what it looked like after I'd finished setting it up. Since then, it's been entirely redecorated, and I kept posting teasers saying I was going to put some new pictures up. Here are some I took in early May – it's changed again since then, but I still have some more plans for it, so new pictures are going to have to wait!

The room was repainted after earthquake repairs, and I had decided some form of 'duck egg blue' would be nice, and found the perfect shade. So I also painted the cabinet to match, as it needed some updating, and also it's own repairs after being knocked over from the fishtank. The busy 1970's carpet also had to go, so we found a wool carpet in a nice neutral brown, and then we had to get new curtains, as the pink ones didn't go so well!

The room changed again not long after that, to make way for the spare bed which had been in what became the baby's room. It has now gone in favour of a sofa bed, which means I no longer require the couch, which is my pride and joy. I'm not quite sure I can bear to part with it just yet, so it's future remains unknown at this stage.

Creative Collections

After a delay due to earthquake strengthening work, Art & Company's annual exhibition for 2012 is currently on at the South Library, 66 Colombo Street. It runs until the 9th May, and contains a variety of paintings from beginners through to more experienced artists.

This is my sixth time exhibiting with this group, and I'm always impressed with how well it comes together. Maree always does a great job organising it!

It is well worth a look if you are based in Christchurch, and paintings can be purchased through the Red cafe onsite.

The following are my paintings in the exhibtion:

 Pecking order

 Standing tall

Uighur Beauty

Painting workshop

In the last weekend of January, I took a road trip back to my hometown* of Tapawera to do a weekend painting workshop. The Visual Arts Society of Tapawera had organised the workshop to be taken by award winning mural and trompe l'oeil artist Marc Spijkerbosch. My mother is a member of the society, but as she isn't a painter, and I've been known to do the occasional painting, she thought I might like to take part.

Our project for the weekend was to paint a picture of Mitre Peak. Marc took us through the process step-by-step, and like all good painting tutors, made it look really easy. You'd think I'd have learned by now that it's never as easy as they make it look... but no.

My painting at the end of the first day

On the first day it was quite hot, and the paint was drying as soon as it went on the canvas which was a little frustrating when you were trying to blend it. So I wasn't real happy with my efforts after the first day of painting.

On the second day we worked on the foreground, and learnt some glazing techniques which I have never done before, plus some other tricks like how to paint underwater rocks.

Marc diligently following the instructions of his students

Marc's finished painting – ie what mine was supposed to look like!

My finished painting

I think it was a successful weekend all up. I learned some new tricks, and have more confidence to attempt some of the more difficult aspects of landscapes in the future.

While I was there, I went to take a look at the VAST exhibition which had a fantastic array of talent. There was also an amazing quilt exhibition on at the school hall, which I will dedicate a seperate post to. It was a little strange walking in my old school for the first time in over ten years! There was also a motorhome rally on in the school grounds (it was a long weekend in Nelson), so I went for a walk around the school too. It was funny how some things were exactly the same, where others were completely different to how they were when I was there.

I also took a look through the trunk of paintings my grandmother did. I had looked through them more than once before, but it still felt like I was looking through them for the first time. I was really impressed by the variety of different subjects and mediums she had used, there seemed to be an example of everything. Except acrylics, which is what I usually use!

*It's far too small to be considered a town, really. Village is probably a better word.

Vibrations art exhibition opening

The opening of the annual exhibition of the painting group I attend was held on Saturday at the Bryce Gallery, 122 Riccarton Road. This is my third year exhibiting, and it's a great way to exhibit your work without the pressure of doing a whole exhibition by yourself. As always there are lots of great paintings, in a variety of styles – something for everyone!

Our usual venue, Gallery O in the Arts Centre was damaged in the earthquake, so Maree had to find a new venue. The Bryce Gallery came to the party, and kindly offered us a space in their gallery. There are some other great exhibitions on there at the moment as well, so it's well worht a visit. Vibrations runs until Friday 3rd December.

The black and white wall ran with the earthquake theme, and before all the pictures were straightened, it was decided they fitted the theme better if left that way!

Above is my work for the black and white themed wall, titled 'Mists of Maruia'.

Below on the left is my other painting of Lyttelton Harbour.

Upcoming Markets and Events

I've got a busy few weeks ahead, so I thought it would be a good time to list all the places you can find rose among thorns goodies. Firstly, no matter where you are in the world, you can buy them from felt. If you would like international shipping prices, send me a message and I will let you know the prices for where you live. You can also purchase my mini teardrops from Sanderson China and Pottery in Waikuku.

If you feel like an outing to a market or art and craft exhibition, you have the following to choose from:

29th November: Rolleston Community Market

A great community market featuring local crafts, food and produce. It is held from 10am till 1pm on the grassy area next to the Rolleston Community Centre. If it's raining, it will be held indoors at the stadium. Click here for directions.

3rd December: The Night Market

Hot on the heels of Craft2.0, Felt is proud to present The Night Market, a Christmas shopping event on Thursday 3 December from 6pm till 10pm, for those who like something different. Featuring some of the best and brightest of the Christchurch craft community, The Night Market is a treasure trove of beautiful handmade products, including jewellery, accessories, candles, books and all manner of gorgeous Christmas decorations and gift ideas. Head along after work or make a night of it!

5th-6th December: Art Attack

Art Attack is a new Art and Craft exhibition to be held in the Thorrington School Hall on the 5th & 6th of December 2009 as a fundraiser for two Cashmere High School students. Jasmine is to attend Space Camp at Nasa, USA and Hope to Shanghai, China with Cashmere High School Music Tour.

There will be a large variety of paintings sculptures and crafts for sale. Also featured are the finalists of the Art Attack Students Art Competition. There will be delicious food, music, raffles and much more.
As this is an exhibition I won't be there during the day. If you are interested in participating in this event, contact Maree through the event page, or email me and I will send you the details. It's a great opportunity to sell some of your wares and help raise funds for the girls. While it's on, you could be at home creating more crafts, or outside soaking up the sunshine. It's up to you!

13th December: Rolleston Community Christmas Market

A great community market featuring local crafts, food and produce. It is held from 10am till 1pm on the grassy area next to the Rolleston Community Centre. If it's raining, it will be held indoors at the stadium. Click here for directions.

If you come to either of the Rolleston Markets, or the Night Market, bring along your old candles for me to recycle, and receive a 10% off discount coupon for rose among thorns. If you have any old tealights, please bring them, as I have starting making recycled tealights and need some more.

Exhibition Time

It is time again for the annual exhibition for the art class I attend. It is also that time for the last minute rush/panic that always seems to accompany such events! This year there has been the inclusion of a black and white themed wall, with artists able to paint anything of their choosing onto a 40cm x 40cm canvas. I wanted to do one but unfortunately I didn't have time. This year I am fortunate enough to be able to include my candles in the exhibition, in addition to the two paintings I have done. So I've been replenishing my stocks and planning how it's all going to look.

So if you're in Christchurch between the 27th of October and the 2nd November, pop down to Gallery O in the Arts Centre to see a wide range of paintings, from beginners through to experienced artists. If you haven't seen my candles, or would like to see them again, this is a great chance to have a look at them, and smell the different fragrances.

Spring and Smart Snappers

Spring has well and truly arrived in Christchurch. I work quite close to the Botanic Gardens, which is a great place for a leisurely stroll in my lunch break. The daffodils are just starting to come out, along with the fragrant daphne by the river. The magnolias are out as well, so I took some photos to use as inspiration in my next painting for my art class's upcoming exhibition.

I also entered my recycled cassette card purse into the smarten your snapper competition. I road tested it with my metro card, the local equivalent, and it did a great job! It's also fantastic for keeping all those extra cards you seem to acquire, like loyalty and membership cards. It makes a great business card holder too!