News!

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I keeping meaning to update and have not, apologies. Getting back into the new year routine has been harder than I thought. Ya know? Husband works in the unpredictable film industry and though it is interesting it’s definitely keeping me on my toes. Last minute changes are the new normal. There are other things too, but they are not my story so I’ll shuddup.

Life, hey?

NEWS –

Two things, I have a drawing shortlisted in the DOBELL DRAWING PRIZE

I am thrilled to be in it, this was the only prize I was applying for this year as prizes cost MONEY and heartache 😛 . This one really matters to me as it is one of the most important art prizes in drawing in this country. Many thanks to the judges Ben Quilty, Michelle Belgiorno and Simon Cooper.

The exhibition will be showing at the NAS Gallery in Darlinghurst, Sydney. 28th of March to the 25th of May. Let me know what you think if you visit the exhibition!

AND

I have a solo exhibition this year!!!!!! All details yet to come but the key dates are:

Opening Saturday July the 27th at Scott Livesey Galleries in Armadale, Melbourne. Exhibition will run from July 27th to August 17th.

I have been working really hard on this one and am really, really excited about it.

Ok so I’ll leave you with the image that will be in the Dobell and next post I will show you some quick, smaller drawings I did through the summer holidays.

Inexorable, 105x75cm by Lily Mae Martin, ink on cotton paper- 2018
Drawing photographed by Gene Hammond-Lewis .

Whee

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It’s amazing how powerful the story we tell ourselves is.

I’ve always thought myself to be limited in terms of juggling family and art, and in someways I am; the structure of  Australian arts is not family friendlly .. That’s a whole other post I could write, I don’t really want to today, I want to focus on the positive 🙂

Over this last month I have pushed myself to get up very early and begin work. 5/ 5:30AM. I go to my studio and am scratching away with the inks or pushing paint around a board until the sun comes up and the birds are awake. I have completed three of my large drawings in under one month and finished four small paintings. I’ve still had some great times with Kidlet and friends. The house is a little messier than usual but hey – that’s summer holidays and life with a kid who is endlessly creating.

I am really proud of a lot of the work I have created. It’s dark, a little wild, silly, technically challenging. I am really proud of myself.

So hopefully I’ll have some news soon.

Whee

 

Hello!

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Hello all!

It has been a while since I have written, it’s been a while since I have updated the gallery part of my website.. It’s been a while for a lot of things! Not for lack of inspiration or working making – just that work making takes up so much of my time I’ve let everything else go a bit. It’s impossible to make time for it all and I will always prioritize the actual art making over everything else.

Last year was a bit of a funny one. I think I let too many things matter – this art gig is a lonesome one and I must admit I felt excluded from things ( in this town ) and the slew of rejections ( residencies and prizes and the like ) over the last two years all caught up – just too much for the ole ego. I took it all a bit personally. It’s not so much the glory and the fame I am after ( har har )  I just want to work and be part of working and feel like I am going somewhere. Anyway, upon some reflection I thought this is a pretty bad business model, so I am stepping off that bandwagon and just readjusting to producing work, researching and exploring painting and drawing. Doing new ( not so new ) things. Far out it feels good.

I also let my Major Depression rule my life too much. When there is so much going on ( regular life ) I forgot that how I feel isn’t how I have to feel. How much effort it can take to just function, that avoiding social things to the point that I am literally hiding from people may not be the way I have to be. Anxiety hit a point where I had the shakes and just didn’t really want to be alive. But I really want to be alive, you know, because life is pretty great and I love love love my little family, animals, my garden, my friends, art!  So I got on top of that in the last bit of 2018 and I am already feeling some pretty positive effects. There was a lot of guilt around all of this too and guilt can get in the bin, quite honestly.

So here we are, summer holidays and I made two big drawings in two weeks! Just goes to show what I can do when I put emotions aside and do things.

Here’s to a productive 2019.

Talk soon.

 

 

 

G’Day Dürer

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A few years ago I did a drawing of Dürer’s preyer hands. But it was a quick drawing and I feel like I am way better at drawing now than I was then so decided to revisit it. While I was looking at reference material I came across more hands studies of his so decided to do a few. These are the drawings I can do while on the run – cafes, swimming chauffeur duties, at the kitchen table waiting for red beans to cook down.

I started out with seven and have ended up with five that I am happy with.

 

 

 

All drawings are 14x19cm, by Lily Mae Martin

 

Thank you for reading and looking and sharing and supporting my work. I have a number of drawings I haven’t added here and I will do soon.

 

 

5AM period pain and drawing

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That title just about sums up my week so far. A lot of the unexpected keeps on happening and my body clock is all out of whack – daylight savings! Title of this post courtesy of waking up at 5AM in a lot of pain, with the cat jumping on my face and me finding off the drawing above.

I’m working on bigger drawings but needed a little break from them so decided to do a little series like some of Dürer’s hand studies. He is a favourite artist of mine, I thought of two things while researching him recently.

1.) In the past it was perfectly acceptable for an artist to draw, etch, paint, sculpt, woodwork etc while these days I feel the pressure to do ONE or the OTHER.

2.) MASTER artist is definitely a word reserved for male artists.

Yesterday I had a very big day in Melbourne looking at a lot of art. I really want to write about that but my thoughts are still formulating also I am running out of time as today is also a big day and then Friday I will DO NOTHING.