Mable
Tag Archives: art
The Salon 2025
Group exhibition at Scott Livesey Galleries – 15th of Nov until the 20th of Dec 2025.
This exhibition features works by Todd Hunter, Jennifer Riddle, James Lai, Ron Francis, Stefan Dunlop, Joshua Yeldham, Jack Rowland, Julia Ritson, Alesandro Ljubicic, Chris Landlois, Luke Sciberras, Kathryn Ryan, Aaron Kinnane, Bern Emmerichs, Lily Mae Martin, Sonia Payes, Vipoo Srivilasa, Peter Cooley.
Art weekend
I joined in with a small group of artists for life painting this weekend. I haven’t done this sort of thing in a long, long time and it was absolutely incredible. I didn’t go in thinking of creating a masterpiece but went in with the aim to learn more and simply paint. There are a few things I worked out, and they may be basic but bit by bit we learn and (hopefully) improve. One – I need some different paint brushes and Two – get a slower drying medium as I think I’d like to paint more impasto style.
Painting from life gives me the opportunity to think of form in colour. I look forward to doing more.
Studio Visit
At the end Of July, Godwin Bradbeer had a beautiful exhibition at James Makin Galleries in Melbourne – The Ordinary Sublime. It was the last exhibition for the James Makin gallery, and what a beautiful one it was.
My beautiful friend Nic Plowman organized a visit to Godwin’s studio in August. Godwin’s work in original and it was an absolute privilege to see his working space. Large in scale, with a deep understanding of anatomy, muscle mass, light and shade.
It was interesting to hear about the evolution of his practice – from pen to photography now to a mixture of chinagraph, silver oxide and pastel on paper. We got to see the drawing tools themselves and hold some, it was inspiring and an experience I’ll never forget. Not to mention the beautiful studio kitty..
Sanctum
A (very beautiful) woman said to me that I can finish this drawing in time for an exhibition in September, I had been doubting myself. The drawing is currently being framed by my fabulous framer and friend. Really pleased to be making larger works again.
The enemy is in your bed
The enemy is in your bed – pencil sketch, A6, 2023.
I thought a light leaded pencil best for something which this title – subtle and heavy.
The title came to me a while ago, before I could work out how to make a drawing for it.
The medium and execution speak to vulnerability, the focus being the throat – one of the most vulnerable places of our body. (Prosody). This is a reflection on those being the closest to us can often be the worst for us; unsafe. I noticed this when I was young but didn’t yet have the words for. This is a both personal and universal experience.
Art for me is powerful – it moves with me through life, communicates, resonates, and gives me a voice when it has been taken away.
blind contour line drawings
Daily practice is still daily, definitely not always good but very much enjoy these exercises:
Would you like a small, medium or large beverage?
Sketchbooks sketchy sketch
Well hello. Again, it has been a long time. I’ve been trying to sort out life and getting into the rhythm of my ever changing routines. I left one job and have started a new one, it’s really fantastic to be working and studying – I am doing different things and learning so much. Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed but don’t we all.
Art has been going well, a little different but I’ve had some very nice things occur for me this year. That is for another post as I wanted to make this one about – SKECTHING and saying hello.
It is very nice to be skecthing again. I thought I’d take on a big painting project this year but I couldn’t afford my studio space and my new home has no space for paint. See I like the toxic stuff so I am not doing it in the house. Why not use the non toxic stuff you say, because I think it’s shite and if there is one area of my life that I have control over – it is this. I lost the sketching knack for a bit there, had to endure months and months of producing rubbish. Now I feel good and am training my eye again. I hope the next body of drawings I do a way better than what has gone before. Which is important to me in my practice, which I know I have banged on about before.
SO lockdown five for us, I am still working as I am an essential worker these days. What a time hey. I am really trying to get as much experience as I can and do my best.
What I can manage now are the skecthes and they are helping rebuild my confidence. Yes I have lost a lot of that, wah wah but here’s to continuously trying to claw myself out of the dark with pen and paper.
See you super soon and I hope you are eating plenty of veggies.
COVID19 Diary entry #2 – more pictures and words in isolation
I thought I’d try and write weekly, just to keep up some kind of practice during this time. A lot of people have said to me that I would get heaps of art made in this time. I’m sorry people, but I’ve got an almost ten year old to home school, among other things.
Look, I am making things, just not the things I should be making. But I believe all creativity speaks to, informs and folds back into itself. I also believe that sometimes there are bigger things to attend to, and this is one of those sometimes with bigger things. The days that I don’t want to, or rather, cannot reach out to a pencil, pen or brush – I don’t. The days that I do and all that comes out is rubbish, I accept. The days when I have the energy and the drive to make pictures, I just bloody well do it. Unless there’s lesson to assist the kid through, lunch to prepare and dinner to work out.
What’s for dinner?
I don’t mind, most days. I mean, if I love you I feed you. I feel really happy making food that my family and I enjoy together. I do resent it sometimes and yesterday I cracked, I ordered in. Noodles. It cost me almost 50 bucks though and do you know how many food supplies I could have got with that money? How many books I could buy? I won’t do it again but I had just sold an artwork and it is ok to celebrate, sometimes. 50 bucks, for one meal. I know that businesses are suffering, everyone is. I am cautious, for the most part.
Books are the one thing that I tend to indulge in. Daughter and I have a reading ritual and it is pretty much one of the best things in life. Gosh we have read so much already. I slip between non fiction, fiction, crime fiction, short books and longer ones. I don’t want to read the internet, it is depressing and screens do not great things to my mind. Plus it is too tempting to look at rubbish that just makes me spiral. I don’t need to spiral right now.
Anyway I am between watercolouring and sketching in my visual diary. I planned to write a lot more today but I am going to tuck back into my current read – The Yield by Tara June Winch. I’m half way but I already recommend that you should read it too.
Here are some recents, I’ll write soon.
Be safe and be kind. Read a book.
x
COVID19 Diary entry #1 – Art in Isolation
What a time we are in.
I started a new job this year, a job that I absolutely love, and it’s on hold – as is much of the rest of life at the moment. We three are at home and have been for a number of weeks now. We take it day by day – some days are really tricky. There’s emotions and uncertainty and boredom and grief. This time is so hard on kids. We older people ( who are really just bigger, saggier, hairier children ) are trying to act like we have control and try and keep things normal but at night I wake up and just think
I’m not cut out for this, I’m not cut out for this, I am not cut out for this.
To fill out the hours of our days Kidlet and I have enjoyed many craft projects. We’ve put bears in our windows for kids who walk by. We’ve made an easter display of bunnies, bunny ears, chickens and eggs. We’ve made puppets of ourselves and furntiure to go with them. I am pretty pleased that I have a well stocked craft supply. Though, we have gone through a lot of it in this last week 😀
I also started a series of watercolours of Australian animals for my daughter. We talked about their diets and habitats. That was nice to do because there is no pressure and it was something that brought joy to us.
We all need a bit of joy right now.
I’m also keeping a sketchbook, but I’m not saying to myself to do a drawing a day or even every week because there’s already enough pressure and we have to look after ourselves so we can get through this, and try and be productive when and if we can.
There’s others but they are wither scanned in badly or drawn badly.
I’ll write more soon as there is more to add, however we are navigating online learning for the kid and it is, well, it is interesting!
I hope you are all keeping well in mind, body and spirit.
xx