Nude of the Week – Release
Oils on Canvas
12×12 in
$300
This Painting was a surprise to me, I don’t really remember painting it. I remember it as if it was a dream- small flashes of the whole. sometimes I get in “the zone,” a lizard brain state where it feels like I have very little to do with a painting. it all comes from somewhere else that my conscious brain isn’t involved with. it is a fickle and elusive state that artists pursue with abandon. the state often produces the best work, because when the conscious brain isn’t available to nit pick, the real art can start to emerge. the problem with the state, for me at least, is that it’s harder to feel good about the painting afterwards. the conscious brain starts to gripe about being left out of the action and becomes overly critical. I can’t help it, it seems to be part of my self destructive nature! so, how do I feel about this piece? I have no idea! how do you feel about it?
phew! help is at hand!
I have been running from pillar to post yet again, getting applications ready, sending off purchases and hunting the wild gallery. things have gotten so hectic that my wonderful husband has stepped in to give me a hand with all my unanswered emails, helping with my hunt and most importantly poking the snarling artist back into her cage (studio).
you see, the actual business of being an artist frequently takes up more time than the creative aspect. unfortunately we also have a built in self destruct sequence if we don’t get to create on a regular basis. these two things are often at odds with each other. so there comes a period of implosion as the outside business matters act on the lack of studio time to create a vacuum of uselessness. and a slump.
Liam is helping me by taking away all the things that I should do (but am stressed out by thus leading to procrastination and more stress) and making me do the single most important thing for the betterment of my career – namely, creating. thanks hon!
this long ramble is purely to explain why I’ve been hiding and why, hopefully, things will be back to normal soonish. we are instituting a schedule, and all sorts of things to make me work better, faster, stronger… we have the technology.
Nude of the Week – Interlaced
Oils on Canvas
8x8in
$150
Hands are something that fascinate me, I used to draw them as a child, constantly sketching my own hands when I was supposed to be doing other things. I would draw them resting on the table, holding my pencil, scrunched up or open, they were a constant delight. part of my experimentation with new angles, shadows and light made me want to revisit hands some more, there is so much expression that can come out in the posing of someone’s hands.
friday nude quotes
Tourist boy: You can see his penis! It’s not art if you can see his penis!
–Petrie Court, Metropolitan Museum of Art
New Look!
One of the things I love about being an artist is the ability to look and dress however I want. back in corporateland I was in a boys club and a very young manager. to offest this I lived in Anthea Crawford suits and had very conservative hair. it was blonde, long and usually tied back in a powerbun or something. the most creative I got was a spiky variety of a power updo. I had the same stylist most of the time then and now, only now he and I go through the most creative magazines and get inspired by fun and silly and outrageous. my hair has been blonde and hot pink, blonde pink purple and black (in order from top to bottom), blonde purple turquoise and black (I mixed my own colors that time! they all had fun watching me – I tend to stick my tongue out) but this time we really wanted something different. my hair is now burgundy, red, pink, copper and black. it is the darkest it’s ever been and very cool. Liam says I am more confident with red hair, and maybe that’s the case! I finally managed to conquer my fear of the camera long enough to take a couple of new profile pics, bio photos and the like.
It’s winter and baby it’s cold outside! but things are heating up around here, I’ve been painting my butt off! will show my new work soon but for now I am just enjoying the pure joy of creating.
PS shameless plug, if you live in the SE suburbs of Melbourne Navona Salon really is excellent. plus they bought my award winning painting Freedom and have it on display there.
Nude Madonna and guy fall short of expectations
No sale for nude Madonna and Guy from BBC News
Madonna & Guy, an admittedly rather unflattering likeness by Peter Howson, was estimated to rake in between £15,000 ($24,603) and £22,000 on Saturday at McTear’s, the Glasgow-based Scottish auction house, but didn’t sell — despite generating unprecedented press coverage, a McTear’s representative said. The painting had been commissioned by a Scottish collector in 2005 and was one of many the Scottish artist had painted of Madonna.
[From Nude Madonna Painting Fails to Find Buyer - ARTINFO.com]
this is an excellent example of ‘it’s nude and it’s a celebrity therefore it must be art!’ throw in two celebrities and a whole lot of hype and you will get this auction. but no amount of twitter buzz, news sites and publicity will turn this painting into an attractive and desirable work of art. I notice that the leading buzz was very careful to mention the names of Madonna and Guy Ritchie as much as possible but you had to really really dig to find a picture of the piece.
having a celebrity as a subject is usually good for reputation boosting, buzz and moneys in the bank. and Peter Howson has received a lot of hype and exhibition requests due to this series. I feel a need to say however, that probably having the piece closely resemble the celebrities in question might work a bit better. Without the hype I would never have known who those people were supposed to be. I do like some of the tones and shadows used, but overall I find myself unsurprised that this piece did not sell. perhaps people are not as all out celebrity obsessed as we thought.
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