Printing workshop

I held a printing workshop last Saturday with another fabulous group of students. There was lots of laughs and great productivity. We made foam printing plates which were then used to print various weights of paper.

These are some of the plates I made for the demo.

This is one I made after the workshop, still in it's pristine state.

These are a selection of papers waiting to have more paint added.

The plate is not so pristine now, this is a print taken from it.

These were printed onto tissue paper and given a final colour wash.

These are the wonderful students.

I always seem to be wearing black or purple, can't seem to get away from it.

Biggest journal yet

I've been busy assembling and working on the cover of my biggest journal ever. This is a commission that I've been working on for quite a few months. Just as I think I might have finished I find something else to add. Hopefully it will all be completed by next week.

These are some of the pages.

Another side view.

This is the cover. I'll have more photos when it's all complete.

I've also been making felt, it will have lots of stitching added to it.

A close up of the circles.

Now back to my journal. Thanks for visiting.

New paintings on Etsy

I've added some new small paintings to my Etsy store. I also added a journal but it sold straight away, which was wonderful, it's now winging it's way to the UK along with some sun printed fabrics.

This one's acrylic on canvas and is 8" x 8"

I always like to continue the painting around the four sides.

The Lollipop tree series are acrylic on 5" x 5" canvas. This is number 1.

Again I continued the painting around the four sides. These can be hung or stand on a shelf.

No 2

side view

No 3

side view

Thanks again for all of your lovely comments in my previous post too.

I'm still trying to find the floor in my studio after the past few hectic weeks.

Cloth Paper Scissors

With all of the excitement of the exhibition, I didn't find time to thank all of the wonderful staff at Cloth Paper Scissors, especially Jenn Mason, Barb Delaney and Sally Murray. They published six pages of a journal I created for their CPS fabric special - the July August edition. They were wonderful to work with, a very competent team. It was a thrill to receive CPS in the mail along with the return of my book this week.

This is the July/August issue.

This is the cover of the journal.

This shows how thick it is.

This is the spine.

Two more of the fabric pages.

And a couple more.

I've decided to keep this journal as I don't have one for myself. I'll be adding a smaller one to my Etsy along with some other things over the weekend. It needs restocking and I have quite a few things to add, I just have to find the time.

Thank you to everyone once again for your support in commenting on having seen my journal in the magazine, it's nice to know people appreciate what I do.

I'll be teaching a two day workshop making a similar journal to this one in March 2012 at the

Art is You Retreat in Sydney.

I'll also be teaching a one day workshop making a smaller decorated paper journal in April 2012 at Queen of Hearts Retreat in Melbourne

The birds have landed

What a whirlwind of a weekend we had for our "Five take flight exhibition". It came and went so quickly but we all had a fabulous time, lots of artwork sold and we met some wonderful people, some we knew, some who just happened by. It was a kaleidoscope of colour with such a variety of art work.

Our wonderful actress Beverley Dunn, opened the exhibition for us on the Friday night, not sure where Jacky was, she missed this photo.

Here we all are together in front of Patsy's painting.

Julia, Patsy, Dot, Jacky and me

Before everyone arrived

Looking down the room.

Another view

Patsy and I made coats to wear for the opening night from some old garments.

They were a big hit and now we have people enrolling to take classes to learn how to make them.

This was mine, purple and blue of course.

Finally guess who sold her painting? 

I decided to hang my little art critic's painting just to give her a surprise when she came to the exhibition,

and she sold it, she was over the moon.

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments over the last few posts for my art in the build up to the exhibition. I've been so busy I haven't had time to reply to you all, your comments are very much appreciated. I'd also like to thank all of the people who took time to visit our exhibition, especially the ones who travelled so far, some being fellow bloggers, it was wonderful to meet you all.

Not long to go now

As we Aussies say 'I've been flat out like a lizard drinking' getting ready for our exhibition which opens tomorrow night. I've been working on lots of paintings and today is the day for the 'hanging'. Below are some I've been working on.

This is one I started, I turned it upside down

and it ended up like this.

This one went from this

to this

and ended up as this

and this one knew what it was going to be all along. This is my usual style and is far less traumatic, I know where I'm going with these.

I'll also have lots of jewellery in the exhibition too.

Can't see the forest for the Lollipop trees

Still working like crazy creating and completing projects for the exhibition. I've been making brooches from embellished felt and guess what shape they turned out. I can't seem to get away from my lollipop trees, they've been with me for a few years now and they seem as if they will continue for awhile yet. They are popping up everywhere in my exhibition work.

I still have lots of hand stitching to add to them now. I hope to be adding some to my Etsy soon too.

Jacky and Patsy came to paint the other day, we are painting cylinders to place in the foyer of the exhibition space. Jacky's is fabulous, my photo doesn't do it justice, too much light.

It's not hard to guess who painted this one - the photos above show both sides.

I'm also making fabric collages from my hand dyed, sun printed fabrics then machine stitching around the main subject and machine stitching the writing. I've hand stitched all of the layers, these are then going to have a mount and be framed. I hope to do a series of these including the poppy seed heads and pomegranates.

Thanks again to everyone in the previous post for your lovely comments and words of encouragement, better get back to creating my forest.