Back on the Painting Trail

In the midst of painting two commissions, which is taking up most of my studio time, the final Collaboration of Maleny Artists (yup, COMA) show for the year suddenly appeared on the radar.

Organiser and gallery owner Ken Munsie devised a fascinating theme for this show. Each artist has been allotted a square of the ordnance map around the Maleny area, and asked to create a square artwork based on the little piece of geography. I picked a square adjoining the main road from Landsborough into town, and went to the site for an afternoon of sketching the layout, checking out the landscape and vegetation, and taking copious reference photos. Back in the studio, I created "The Summer Visitor" from all the collected information, working quickly in acrylics, overlaying areas of glazed and layered colours. When the image had come together, I varnished it with a high gloss combination of stand oil, damar varnish and Liquin. 

The show can be seen from Wednesday 9 December at Maleny Artworks, 50 Maple Street, Maleny, and there is an official opening there on Saturday afternoon.

Sold!

I'm delighted to report that "The Quiet Heart" sold before the exhibition opened! The show at Maleny Artworks closes on Wednesday 1 October, and "To the Island", pictured in the previous post below, is still available.

Reinvigorated by being in a show and selling a painting, I am now working on a commission for a fig painting in oils, and planning my next body of work. As well as continuing with paintings of banyan figs, and probably expanding to mangroves so I can incorporate more water in the images, I plan to revisit my studies of movement and reflection in water (started in 2007), and begin a whole new series based on circus, burlesque and acrobatic performers. I have preparatory drawings for this series dating back to 1987! I'm longing to paint luscious fabrics and lithe, sexy movement, and looking forward to using the figure again. I plan to start with a series of drawings to explore composition for larger paintings, and develop the drawings into a collection of handcoloured prints. Watch this space!

New Works on Show!

To the Island (The Strand), 2009, acrylic on canvas, 90cm x 90cm, $1100

The Quiet Heart (The Strand), 2009, acrylic on canvas, 90cm x 90cm, $1100.

I have been invited to be part of a show at Maleny Artworks, which opens this Saturday. The theme of the show is Trees, Trees, Trees. I've painted two large new works for the show, based on images from the Strand in Townsville. They are more complete workings of the images I used on my traffic signal box. I've been particularly interested in the fall and reflection of light on the sculptural trees to model their shape, and the contrast between the power, strength and complexity of the tree with the serenity of the sea and island in the distance.

I've had some of this series of paintings on the wall at home for periods of time, and I find them utterly meditative; my eye travels around the tree constantly, and into the distance, mentally climbing in amongst the branches and roots and out of everyday life.

I'm beginning to look at ways to license my tree images for reproduction, and I have created a series of cards of them, some of which will be available at Maleny Artworks. I've also stocked them at the Maple Street Co-op, in Maleny.

Now the major work for the exhibition is done, I'm already starting my next commission.

Trees, Trees, Trees at Maleny Artworks, 50 Maple Street, Maleny, Q, 4552. Gallery is upstairs, open Wed - Sun, 10 -4. 07 5429 6566, or 0488 364 476. www.malenyartworks.com and http://malenyart.blogspot.com