Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize 2017

I am very pleased to say that my drawing Rebirth has been selected as a finalist for the Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize for 2017 in Sydney.

This drawing is a really special one to me, in that I am really really proud of it. So I am super excited it will be showing in this prize.

Thank you to my team of people who have helped me get this ready to be gallery ready! You know who you are and you really make this so special. See, this drawing just made it into the entry – I had just finished it before the deadline and it seems as if it was meant to be. ( Well, there’s lots of work that has gone into all of this so, we made it happen! )

The full list of finalists are on the website which you can see here: Finalists for the 2017 Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize

I’ve just gotten back to work so things will be quite on this here blog because I JUST WANT TO DRAW..

Drawing together

Ah, school holidays.
Movie, draw, draw, movie, movie, draw, draw, eat, wee, sleep…. Kidlet did hang out the washing without being asked and weeded some of the garden. I felt like these holidays were a huge abyss opening up in front of us all and now I can see the end of it already so quick sticks gotta make the most of it… And so, here are some of the drawings we have been doing together:

Movie watching.

I love how there is an arrow used to demonstrate that Kitty has transformed into a Pegasus. Super hero Kidelt is like “Let’s Save the World!” and casual-kitty-now-Pegasus still has a meh attitude of a cat “Okay”.. haha.. Okay. LOVE it.

NYE was SO BORING. But that’s ok. Just a night, I drew my new jug, it’s blue.
The jar with the dying flowers was one of about four at the time. Kidet will often come inside announcing “MUMMY, I HAVE PICKED YOU SOME FLOWERS!” and her fist will be full of various weeds. I will fill a jar with water and it’ll sit about the house until they have wilted and the water is putrid. But I never deny them. I do ask her not to pick flowers too much though, there’s got to be something left for the bees.

Snowman drawing, I assume it’s because we are still watching all the terrible Christmas themed movies just to really get it out of our systems.

Sleepy face, we have been very active despite me just telling you about all the movies we have been watching. But I don’t have to share everything 😉

This just in – found my wedding ring. PHEW.

New Drawing – Rebirth and progress pictures

rebirth_lily_mae_martin
Rebirth
By Lily Mae Martin
105 x 75cm
Ink on paper
2016

Rebirth is a meditation on the identity shifts that occur in a woman after the
act of giving birth.

Birth is a physical experience that may be simultaneously extraordinary and
traumatic. Motherhood is central to a traditional understanding of female
identity; at the same time, the physical implications and complications of birth
work in direct opposition to contemporary female beauty standards that play a
role in reinforcing those same social roles and responsibilities.

The woman in this drawing kneels naked, but it is not a pose of submission.
She leans forward as if poised to stand, her hands gripping her thighs. The
face, usually the primary source of emotional expression, is hidden, giving the
naked body space to speak. The woman’s breasts and stomach draw the
viewer’s focus, representations of both sexuality and motherhood and the
complicated relationship between the two. The scarring across her belly,
incurred from a pregnancy injury and usually hidden from sight, recalls
physical distress and trauma, but also speaks to experience, knowledge,
strength and resilience.

Here are some pictures of the work in progress:

one

two

three

four

So this is my final piece for 2016! What a year it has been. I have a whole lot of things planned for 2017 – experiments and a residency and new small works.

Thank you to everyone for your interest and support and sharing my work.

All the best for 2017

LMM xx

New small drawings

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A couple of small drawings have been framed and delivered to Scott Livesey Galleries. These are much, much smaller than my usual works but I am enjoying making them.
I’m going to spend this summer smashing out some new works.. I have SO much awesome reference material, I feel like I have so many drawings I want to draw but of course I can only really work on one at a time. It’s a little frustrating but in a good way 😉

If you are interested in viewing/ purchasing a new work, please contact Scott Livesey Galleries
SCOTT LIVESEY GALLERIES
909A HIGH STREET, ARMADALE
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, 3143 T: +61 3 9824 7770

F: +61 3 9824 7771

E: INFO@SCOTTLIVESEYGALLERIES.COM

New, small drawing – Ride

ride_lily_mae_martin

Ride
By Lily Mae Martin
30 x 30cm
Ink on paper
2016

More to come…

For any sales please contact Scott Livesey Galleries
909A High Street,
Armadale, Victoria, Australia
e: info@scottliveseygalleries.com
Ph: (03) 9824 7770

Small drawing

dancer_lily_mae_martin
Dancer
By Lily Mae Martin
30 x 30cm
Ink on paper
2016

I’m playing around with scale at the moment, which sounds straight forward but has been surprisingly challenging. Another thing to show me that when I think I know it all, I really don’t know all the much. It’s humbling.
It’s been a lot of fun but some of them I sketch and scribble at and still think no no no, this has to be a larger work. It won’r feel right until I’ve spent several months scratching away at it.

Though I have a fair bit of reference material it’s amazing what I thought would work on a smaller scale doesn’t work at all. Husband said I should aim for less detail to which I did not agree with. ( Though he is probably right because he is objective and far more sensible that I but no no no, not the detail!! )

Ah, I am meant to be vacuuming and feeding my body breakfast but I am already getting tucked into my work.

It’s good to be back.

For any sales please contact Scott Livesey Galleries
909A High Street,
Armadale, Victoria, Australia
e: info@scottliveseygalleries.com
Ph: (03) 9824 7770

In the gully – new drawing

in_the_gully_lily_mae_martin
In the gully – Waterloo state forest
By Lily Mae Martin
76 x 56cm
Ink on paper
2016

This is half the size of the other landscape I did, but I am pretty sure it took me just as long? There’s so much detail in this, the tiny bits of trees and shrubs.. So many times I felt I couldn’t do it. So many times I thought I should stop and move on but I pushed on through.
Though the news last week made me think well, what’s the fucking point? And I just stopped when it was a mere two hours work from completion.

I’ve spent the last week trying to keep my cool. Not quit all my jobs and all of my life. I think I did well. I may have eaten too much toast and bread and a whole thing of brownies – but considering the destruction I used to be capable of – I’ve really made myself proud.

I had coffee with a friend on Friday and as we were saying our goodbyes I think I was mumbling something about my drawing going down the toilet and she said she could spot all the different species in the one I was working on, and how cool it was. And just like that, the light went on and I was really excited again.

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So thank you, friend 🙂