Portrait of poet Ainslee Laura Meredith

I finished this portrait a number of months ago but didn’t have time to get it online.

My drawing style is changing, I’ve begun to use a lot more crosshatching in my big drawings, which I am really enjoying.

Ainslee is a Melbourne based poet who recently released a book of poetry called Pinetorch. You can follow her on twitter.

Françoise Mouly, Art Spiegelman, comics and sketches

What a week!

Monday morning Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly visited Squishface studio – along with a number of Melbourne’s finest comic artists, cartoonists, illustrators – magic makers. I was absolutely star struck and honored for the conversations, advice and encouragement given.

I think this photo, taken by Gregory Mackay, sums it up rather nicely:

That’s Mandy Ord, myself, Ben Hucho and Art.

I slipped off after the coffee as I was so overwhelmed and inspired and also – I had to get daughter from daycare. But wow – what a Monday. WHAT A MONDAY.

The next evening I attended the event ran by the Wheeler Centre at Melbourne Town Hall and had my mind blown again with meeting more amazing people and hearing Art speak for some two and a half hours on the history of comics, his experiences and inspirations. The passion and humor of this man kept everyone quite and attentive throughout the entire presentation.

Nicki Greenberg did an amazing job hosting the event and so I drew her and Art’s hands while they were talking.

During the event I also drew the back of Nicki’s head and then realized Oslo Davis was sitting across from me – so I drew him too.

I’m still trying to find the words but I just feel so lucky – so lucky – to have had these expereinces and meet these amazing and inspiring people.

 

 

Back on the oils

The exhibition is opening THIS Saturday. I’m trying to do all the things and more and more I am beginning to understand that I cannot. Like in my art I like to do many different things with my life and then all the time gets filled up and I find myself doing everything kind of half heartedly and in bed sick or I hurt my back, like I did today.

But I still sketch and plot and plan and make contact with the unsuspecting asking them to pose for me and wish that I had more time to do all the paintings and drawings and .. all the things.

The weather is changing here and I am feeling motivated and excited again. I spent all of last Saturday back on the oils and it was bliss. Exhausting, but blissful.

New painting – Georgia Fields

I like painting but I struggle with oils. It’s smelly, it’s sticky and I really can’t do it inside the house with a small child. I’ve been playing with water colours and gouache for about a year now and thought that maybe I could buy myself some proper paper and do a large portrait series.

I asked Georgia Fields to pose for me – continuing on with making portraits of people who are inspired/ inspiring. She said yes – obviously!

This is mainly painted in watercolour with gouache highlights. It’s on Sennelier cotton paper, size 64 x 49cm. The paper cost me a small fortune but basically working on it is like a dream/ mad love affair/ all awesome feelings pressed into 300gsm paper.

Sexy, sexy expensive French paper.

The hair took up most of my time – it is layers and layers and layers of colours and paint at different transparencies. I think I nearly went mad – as I do with a lot of my works – but I am proud of the result.

And now, I must start work on another one.

Reflecting Surfaces – Elwyn Murray

Today Toddler, Mum and I went to this exhibition by Elwyn Murray at the Counihan Gallery, it’s a smart space situated to the side of the Brunswick Library. I had been looking forward to this exhibition and I just felt I had to tell everyone I know to go and see it.

My gosh it’s good. It’s not something that you can capture or get an idea of in a photograph so this is part of the reason why I am telling people to go but mostly – you can really see the work, effort and love that has gone into it – it deserves peoples time.

This man has a lovely hand and I’m just so impressed and excited and wow – it’s one of those things I am going to be remembering for a long time.

Reflecting surfaces is open until July the 21st.

You can see more of Elwyn’s work on his website here: Elywn Murray

Gallery information is here: Counihan Gallery 

 

 

 

Drawing our vintage camera collection

autopak-lily-mae-martin

brownie-lily-mae-martin

I’ve taken to drawing our cameras over the last fortnight – it’s good for my brain and nice to be doing something a little more freehand.

We have quite an large collection and I’m also making plans to draw and paint other objects I admire around our house. There’s the bulky type writer I recently bought – ugly but functional – the vintage kitchen cabinet I snatched up from Gumtree, then random pieces of crockery and tea cups. You get the idea. Lots of things.

I want to draw all the things.