‘Artist’s Companion’– New Painting September 2014

‘Artist’s Companion’
oil on canvas september 2014
30×40 inches

Dear Blogosphere,

It has been approximately 54 days, 16 hours, 21 minutes and 10 seconds since I last blogged…I’m sorry.  I have no excuse, except maybe school holidays, mother ship duties and wondering why on earth I am blogging anyway.  Oh…and possibly the time constraints of having produced 5 big paintings since January.  Yep, that will take time away from the keyboard that’s for sure.

Anyway, my blog and I have not seen fingers to keyboard for a while…ever since I made the decision to make it only about my art and very little about my life, kids and general ‘Mum that paints’ lifestyle.  It kinda made it all seem very one-sided; if there was no art to blog about, then with all the constraints I had imposed on myself, there was nothing left to blog about…so here lies the big change I have been pondering for a few weeks.  Blog normal stuff again.

It’s time to have fun – to chat about art, life as an artist, studio practise and stuff going on around this ol’ shack of ours.  I may even throw in a few painting blogs…I have 15, yes, 15 paintings that have not had their moment of glory here on my blog.  Told you I’ve been busy…

Now, where do I start?

Let me see…the last painting I posted was ‘The Waiting Game’… painted in September of last year…yikes.

‘The Waiting Game’
Oil on Canvas
September 2014
24×30 inches

‘Artist’s Companion’
oil on canvas september 2014
30×40 inches

Following straight on from that, also in September, I painted another narrative portrait…my daughter and our fur child taking in some winter sunshine at a favourite haunt of ours.  I painted it specifically for a community art show, choosing a landscape that is much-loved and utilised by our local community.

I was extremely disappointed to find that my painting did not even make it through to the exhibition.  Not making it through to being a finalist is a tough call to any artist.  All that hard work and heart work, lovingly imagined and meticulously painted.  It certainly added a good layer of ‘Toughen up’ onto my slowly thickening hide.  Oh…so…hard to not make the cut.

Reason it was turned down?  No idea…except most of the work on display at the exhibition leant toward abstract, the winning piece was completely abstract and my work is anything but abstract! I also painted out our dogs lead and its a ‘lead only’ dog walking area. The rangers may have had a say in my painting not hanging this time around.  Damn it artistic licence, you may have shot my painting down.

So what did I do?  Got straight back in the studio that’s what…after a wine and a whine.  It’s all you can do with the highs and lows of creating art…go create more.  Much, much more.

‘Artist’s Companion’ is being exhibited in two weeks time at the Newman College Annual Art Expo.  It will hang with ‘The Waiting Game’ and ‘Furpreciation’.

Oil on canvas Feb 2014
30×40′
“Furpreciation’

If you are in Perth and get a chance, go and check out the Newman College Art Expo. It is always spectacular, with many diverse artworks on display from both emerging and established West Australian artists.

The show opens at 7pm Friday 13th (hopefully a lucky night for me) and closes Sunday 15th march at 4pm.  Opening hours on saturday and sunday are 10am – 4pm.

Newman College

216 Empire Avenue

Churchlands

So there you have it, my first blog in a very long time!  Anyone still out there?

Hellooooooo……??

Mia x