The Blue Rinse Brigade...

I know I said I wasn't going to create this week (much) as I'm preparing to move house, but I found some inspiration (honestly I wasn't even looking for it!) and just had to finish off this canvas. I tried a different blending technique for the face and also used my watercolour crayons (Caran De Ache) rather than paint. I'm really happy with the result and am keen to continue along this line.

It's funny you know. A few times now I've read and heard the comment that you get to a stage about half way through your painting called the 'ugly' stage when nothing seems to work and you feel disappointed and want to throw the thing in the fire. Then you walk away, and come back again with a fresh look, and take it through to a place where you're happy with it.

Well this certainly happened with this painting. Originally it was a background of orange and blue with a great quote written on it. I had outlined the back of a fairy with long wings hanging to the ground. I lived with that background for weeks and it just didn't sit right - I walked past it every day on my easel and I ended up hating it!

So here's a couple of photos of the background with the new sketch. As you can see I had a narrow head to begin with, and then changed it to a much wider oval shape in the second photo...

So I rollered over it in hot pink (what was I thinking?) and it looked even more disgusting! Then two nights ago, in a flurry of gel medium and paper I layered the background again, drew and outlined the subject and the rest is history. (I also added gel medium to my acrylic paint for the background - you can see how this- esp the dusky pink - dried thick and shiny in the close up of the words in the photo below. Gel medium gives acrylics that glossy lift and thick consistency instead of the often 'flat' feel they get when they're dry)

Now I actually love the finished product and am so glad for the experience of persisting through the 'ugly' phase to make something beautiful and worthwhile! It's a bit like life really isn't it...

'she cherished that which she held tenderly'

X Me

My Mojo Has Been Kicked out of The Building

No matter where I seem to browse on the net lately, there is always reference to this book.

Everywhere! It seems to pop up in the strangest of places. Pictures, comments, chapter reflections. So I started thinking that perhaps the universe was telling me something... "Hop off the net and do some art!!!" No - actually - it was more like "Buy me!" and so I did!

I'm eagerly awaiting her arrival and will let you know if she in fact lives up to her reputation!

If you live in OZ - then check out the bookdepository next time you want to buy a book. They ship FREE worldwide, and most times it's cheaper than buying in Oz. And here's a great little quote I pilfered from Patti's blog - which is just so apt for me right now (and may quite possibly be my life long live-my-creative-journey-by this-quote)...

"we should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. action always generates inspiration. inspiration seldom generates action"

~frank tibolt~

Isn't that just the very thing you need to get off your butt and create? All this talk about my mojo leaving town - that's it! No more mojo bojo crap from me! I think I hear my 2009 mantra calling my name...

BEGIN!

she finds it easy...

Well it's certainly been a full-on week in the Jensen household with the combination of weaning the not-so happy Happy Jack and looking for a place to live. I am happy to report that last night HJ slept through until 7 am (which is the first full night's sleep I've had in 3 1/2 years!), and took only about 10 minutes to drop off tonight. It's night 10, so let's hope within the next couple he stops crying altogether!

And, I've also found us a nice place to live - yay! Only a couple of hundred metres from a beautiful beach, walking distance to shops and schools (Spot Light can you believe it!) and most importantly near our besties the Hoskings). It has a lovely chook yard for my girls, and Kunjie is welcome. There's a very productive leom tree, grape and passionfruit vine, veggie patch and even a wall out the front so the front yard is safe for the kids to play in as well. Even has a place for your caravan mum :)

So as soon as I'm settled I'll post some piccies for ya's.

Next weekend will be the big move, and as of tomorrow night, I'll be starting to pack things into boxes in preparation. That means I'll probably be a bit light on with my blog - and there probably wont be any more paintings for at least a week, probably even two. So please don't forget me - check in on me in a week or so and stay in touch!

Here's one I finished tonight. The colours are a little off because I've taken the photos in low light (I just could't wait until the morning - it's so much easier to blog when the kids are asleep!)

What do you think?

she finds it easy,

being green that is...

X Me

She Cherishes the Moments...

This is another painting I finished last night. As you may have noticed, I've been experimenting with faces, and this one has her eyes closed. This painting is for all you mumma's out there of little people - especially bubbas!

She's tired because she's up feeding through the night, or answering requests for water, or patting a tiny body off to sleep, or ripping spewy sheets off a bed... Are you nodding?! Can you relate?!

The words in the top left hand corner say

"she cherishes the moments in her heart"

because although I've been sleep deprived for a while now ( although that is all changing folks!) I always loved the quiet moments in the middle of the night when I had that precious little one all to myself. I really hope I never forget those times. So... This painting is to hang on my wall and remind me, that I've been the luckiest mumma to have these two little angels!

Yes, she's tired,(perhaps some dark bags under the eyes would be a little more realistic?) and she often makes her way out the door more asleep than awake, but she's happy.

Thanks for stopping by.
Have a wonderful day, x Me.

Meet Poppy!

On wednesday night I started this canvas. I was hoping to finish it off this weekend, but... Well, once I got going it just all came together and next thing I know - there she was! I really love her! She's kind of Pippi Longstocking meets my inner artist! The title of the painting is actually She Loves Red. And I do, but until recently have not been able to indulge in my love of this colour. So this painting is in honour of the fact that now I can. At any time of the day or night. This beautiful, passionate warm colour. I no longer have to love you in private - I can love you whenever I feel like it! Paint a wall, a cupboard or perhaps even dye my hair? Who knows!

she loves red

Thanks for having a peep, X Me.

Steps two three four and...

From this...

To this... I started on a few canvasses last night - yipeeee! It felt so good to be painting again after a few months wandering my sleep-deprived unproductive moonscape of the hours 8-10pm. But that's all changing now as Mr Happy jack is well in the way to being weaned. Ironically, he's not at all happy about it, as you may well imagine. My boobs apparently belong to him to have at any time he pleases, and this abrupt change in plans isn't going down too well. But we had 6 hours sleep last night and are firing on all four cylinders today!

These are the beginning stages of getting the base layers and colours down. Next I'll be starting to add more detail, and hopefully be finished by the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're having a great day.

X Me.

Step One - Gel Medium to your heart's content...

Does anyone else out there have a problem finding an apt title for their blog posts? How much time do you agonise over it - if any at all? Usually I don't - just something comes to mind, but for some strange reason I couldn't think for the life of me what to title this one!

Well, tonight I finally made a start on those canvasses which have been silently sitting in my study/scraproom/studio/craft room/creative space waiting to be loved and painted and rollered on. Two months now - it's been two whole months with no painting in sight - but tonight that all changed. I put down the first layer. And it probably looks very unexciting to you - but it's a sign of getting over a very big road block for me!

Now they are ready for phase two - sketching and rolling on that paint and texture paste - I love this part. It's wher eit all starts to take shape - the layers begin and the character starts to show through. So hopefully - there will be some more photos to come each day (although as my dear old pop used to say, don't hang by your toenails waiting!) We'll see...

Miss M has been going crazy drawing PEOPLE the last few days! Yes - that's right, people. "So what" I hear you say? Well, up until a few days ago she was only managing a scribble and the odd circle here and there. Now she's right into them - all shapes and sizes with very looooon g or very short arms and legs! They ALL have belly buttons (must be an important thing for her ?) and today they started having ears and earrings! Here's her first one with a body - not just a head with legs and arms comming out of it! Isn't it too cute!

Check out the size of that belly button! I've got so many of these in all different colours and sizes and I can't bring myself to throw them away! So I've laminated a few to use as doileys on my dressing table and bed side tables - and there's some on the fridge too!

I hope there's been a little something in your life that's made you smile today. Thanks for stopping by, X Me.

Funk Up Your Day!

I was having a look at the lovely Life=Art site yesterday and found a link to this very funky place on the web. It's easy and free! Just load up your pic and choose a style and whammo - there it is! I think this could be a huge time waster though, so beware! I only tried two for that reason but will definitely visit again - especially for my art journals! Have a fun weekend. Thanks for stopping by, X Me.

The Mob

On saturday I took a quick trip to Perth to hang out with the Hoodits - they're off on another adventure overseas and it may well be years until next we meet. So it was great to catch up with them and the other mobsters too. On tuesday night, the Lobsterician was in town too so - the stage was set for a ho-down. It was 4 years since last we were all in one place together... Sadly we missed out on Rosie and the girls, but it was o good to see everyone again... The kid-mob on the front lawn of Lala and Pipi's house. Miss M choosing her typical "I don't ever smile in photos" face!
This is Miss M and KM looking very lovely and ethereal in the glow of the afternoon light!

Do these girls ever take a bad photo? Smiley Girl and KM strike a pose...

The Big 5...

Kazzie and Lijie - awww I'm really gonna miss you guys...

Set the timer and this is what you get - the mob - minus the 5 gals from G... Even Mr Happy Jack is smiling in this one - bonus!

The outlaws! Petie, Sonj and Williamo.

And a couple more of us all just to show our good sides...

And had to finish off with this gorgeous boy - such a breath of fresh air he is!

Gorgeous Hoodits - all the best for an exciting new adventure. God bless and may his voice be loud and clear to you all! (Although personally I think I'm getting "Europe")

Thanks for stopping by. Please send me all your creative mojo energy this way - I'm seriously lacking. There are 6 blank canvasses staring at me in my art room and I'm back to the old roadblock of fearing to start! Arrrgh!

X Me