Why Skillshare?
I’ve been teaching out of my studio in Houston for quite a few years now, and it’s a lot of fun. Students and I create artworks, some have no experience, others are wanting to problem solve issues they are having or want a class to get their creative juices flowing again, We all learn something!
Problem is, with my travel, I’m not always around to give lessons from my studio.
As part of my art practice, using Social Media, taking photos and videos, I had a subscription to Skillshare to learn new skills. What’s nice about Skillshare is that each class is structured around projects and creating something, an Instagram post, an enhanced portrait, a marketing strategy.
An invitation from Skillshare to join their Teacher program, solved my problem - I decide to venture into the world of online teaching. I started with my most popular class - the pouring class and created the online class using the well tried approaches I had used in my studio classes. The video and audio processes were new to me and I’m still learning. Each class I create is an improvement from the last.
Now, I can offer my classes in my studio, and also to those around the world who can’t get to my studio. Also, there is a whole Skillshare community beyond my world - there are classes in all sorts of topics to explore from fine art to business to creativity!
Skillshare is subscription based - but reasonably priced for the amount of content you can explore, with this link to Skillshare you can try it for free first!
Learning Something New
I have always loved arts and crafts, as a child I created all sorts of items, in various mediums, I remember digging up clay from our backyard and making clay pots! It’s part of who I am to be always searching for something new and interesting to do creatively.
When I’m in Melbourne to visit family and friends , I like to try and fit in a workshop. This year I was excited to find a class run by a Japanese couple, Hitome and Jun, who live in Sydney but teach Kintsugi techniques all over Australia.
A bit of background on my interest here - for a group show run by the Silver Street Artists in Houston, our theme was Wabi Sabi and the art of imperfection. This theme spoke to me and I create a number of pieces with yarn and mixed media, which became part of my popular “Straight Line” series. I also had a coiled pottery vase that I had created called “Body Image”, and on one of my studio moves it had broken. I decided to repair it myself “Kintsugi” style but with no experience and lots of experimentation and much frustration. The end piece is beautiful as I adapted and changed the idea as I worked out my own way of joining it, but I wish I had known more!
Fast forward to this year and Melbourne, and I was delighted to find there was one spot left in the beginners Kintsugi class using modern methods, held by Master Jun and Hitomi! Attached are photos with where I started and the finished plate- the steps are quite complex but is taught in an understandable and organized manner so I am confident I can repeat this in future works. If you are in Australia and want more information about this beautiful art, or to take one of their classes here’s the link to their website - Kintsugi Australia
With this new knowledge, I am developing some ideas for new artworks in my Straight Line series, and if I break a precious plate or vase I can do a beautiful repair!
We’ve found my diptych Cloud Waves!
During Covid my diptych, Cloud Waves was bought by the City of Houston for the airports. After excitedly packaging it up, and delivering it, I had no idea where it was to be hung.
Last year, a visitor to my studio was sure they’d seen it at Terminal D at George Bush International Airport, which was good news, but they weren’t exactly sure where they saw it.
Then a couple of weeks ago, some friends were on their way to Santa Fe, and with time on their hands, they headed to the American Express Lounge, and on the way they found it! And took photos! So the mystery is solved and we now know the location!
Come talk to me at open studios!
Every second Saturday is open studios at Silver Street studios. I do travel a lot, but try and manage to be back in Houston for second Saturdays.
Even if there are no sales, the open studios are invaluable to me as an artist. As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about what to create next, then working solo in my studio, it’s a chance to explain what I have been doing for the last month. I find it helps clarify my stories about my artwork - if I can explain it to studio visitors, when I need to write what I am thinking for an art submission, or my website, it will come easier.
Also, it’s fun to be reminded that there’s a reason I am creating my art. Visitor’s admiring my artwork, and enjoying it, and seeing things I don’t see is a good boost to the ego, and impetus to continue to create. Last open studios, some ladies from Norway loved my work, and talked about getting me on a plane there to create some art for them! They also took a photo of me in front of my artwork, treating me like a celebrity.
By observing the pieces people admire, feedback on color, it helps me sort out in my mind what I will work on next, which artwork to more prominently display.
So, if you are visiting art studios, go in and talk to the Artist, ask questions, give feedback, positive or negative. Although we all would love you to buy our art, a healthy discussion about our art is almost as good!
What is Fluid Art? Getting an answer with help from an AI generator.
What is Fluid Art? I get asked this question a lot. With all the hype about AI I thought I’d try ChatGPT to see whether it could help describe fluid art for me.
A coaster created by Fluid artist Jenny Guarino using poured paint techniques.
So, the question, What is Fluid art? Here’s the response:
Fluid art, also known as poured paint art, is a contemporary form of abstract art that has been gaining popularity in recent years. It involves mixing various colors of acrylic paint with a pouring medium and then pouring or dripping the mixture onto a canvas or other surface. The paint is then manipulated by tilting the surface or using tools such as combs, straws, or palette knives to create unique and intricate patterns. The end result is a one-of-a-kind, mesmerizing work of art that is full of depth, movement, and vibrant colors. Fluid art can be enjoyed by artists and art enthusiasts of all levels, from beginners to professionals, and has become a popular way to express creativity and explore the beauty of color and form.
Not bad, hey? A good start, and really helps cover it at the basic level. Definitely worth a try if you don’t know where to start!
Exploring the Art World -Canberra NGA- Cressida Campbell Exhibition
Everywhere we go I try and sneak in a visit to an art gallery or art show. A theme or style may interest me, or the colors being used by the artist. Mostly I want to see art that is different than mine! On a recent trip to Canberra visiting family I visited the special exhibition Cressida Campbell at the National Gallery of Australia.
This particular exhibition attracted me because of the florals on the flyers. Cressida Campbell is a contemporary artist, working in painting and printmaking. I just liked the look and the colors of her work, and the focus on Australian native plants and flowers, but I knew nothing about her. Her work reminded me of the well know Australian artist, Margaret Olley who it turns out she does have a connection with and similar themes of interior of her home and still life.
When I visit a gallery, especially a large gallery like Australian National Gallery, I don’t feel the need to see all the galleries and every artwork, I always go with the frame of mind, I’ll be back another time. I want to leave something left unseen. It takes away a lot of the stress! Also I want to focus and reflect and remember what I’ve seen and the art that interests me. So I don’t overdo it, that can be overwhelming .
So his time it was just this special exhibition (although as we were leaving the gallery a sculpture did grab my attention, a wax head on the ground, a headless man in a suit standing on a fridge….I do love the idea of burning something slowly over time to change the art and further the narrative Urs Fischer, Francesco 2017…but that’s for another discussion)
Back to Cressida Campbell. The volume of her work is impressive. Rooms upon rooms of her paintings, many still life, plants and flowers, interiors of her home and objects she loves.
Approaching her work, I could see a fine outline giving distinct edges to the composition. Painted with muted colors, her work is clearly carefully planned and laid out before she adds the color. The areas of paint also have a lot of texture, so close up the works are very interesting as well. Speculating her technique I imagined line drawings and some sort of printing to get the textured effect. Questions were answered with a video showing her unique process, involving carving, painting, printing and more painting!
This beautiful exhibition, a survey of her work brought me into her world of color and shapes, and representation of the objects and nature that she sees with her artistic lens, the latest being painted on round panels as an extra compositional challenge.
The detail in her work and the volume of her pieces in her style are impressive, her work ethic and her art is a celebration of her world. Once again the theme of home is one I am interested in and can relate to as I am constantly questioning the meaning of home. I left the exhibition reminding myself to focus on creating art that represents my world, and my colors and to continue to explore new techniques. An exhibition well worth the visit!
Showing now until 19th February 2023 National Gallery Canberra, Australia.
Inspiration Scotland
Every year we try and go to somewhere we haven’t been before. This year it was Scotland. It didn’t disappoint.
Walking through Edinburgh felt like I was in Harry Potter world. Eating fish and chips reminded me of Friday night dinner in Melbourne. The Military tattoo was a magical blend of sound, light, precision and history which left me full of emotion. and the fringe festival showcased talented comedians and performers.
Our self-drive tour continued through Aberdeen to Inverness, with many castle and historic building sightings and tours. Scottish landscape is a totally different set of colors, its rugged beauty requiring many stops to take photos.
We stayed in an amazing old house in Oban that had many lives, now a B&B. This fishing village has views of the water across the bay is a gateway to the Isles and has amazing sunsets! Here I finally had time to relax and just sit and draw, and I painted a few iPad drawings of the view.
The ten days flew by so quickly, I have a collection of memories of another culture and space. I enjoyed both the noise and excitement of the city and the quiet and wildness of the countryside and a welcoming and friendly culture with a feeling of connection with my Australian heritage.
The Benefits of an Art Retreat
Taking the time away from your business and trying something new and uncomfortable inspires creativity and new ideas!
Every year I try to push myself to learn something new. To get away. To stretch myself beyond what I think I’m comfortable with.
This year it was an art retreat. In the middle of nowhere. Blackall, Queensland a small country town.
I chose this retreat because the artist host, John Lovett has worldwide reputation, as both an artist and a nice human being. I had been on another retreat a few years ago with an artist I will not name, who was isolated from the group and only showed up for the painting sessions. This has put me off going on any more. But a friend of mine who had gone away with John Lovett said that he and his wife were very generous with their knowledge and time, and made the group feel like family.
So I decided to book the retreat.
The other thing I was nervous about was, it was a small country town. Would the food be any good? Would I get on with the other artist students? And two flights from Melbourne, one on a small plane, never a great experience from my point of view.
Also I am an abstract artist, fluid art, I pour, I twirl, I don’t make it a practice to paint realistically. And to me, watercolor requires a special type of attention to detail and patience for achieving a certain look that I have never been successful at. I have attempted many times, but I can name only two or three teeny tiny watercolors that I have actually kept, and guess what, they’re abstract!
But I still went ahead a paid the balance, a week before the retreat!
There was a list of supplies to bring for the art workshop. So with them all packed into my check in luggage (craft knife especially) and layered clothing for the warm days and cool nights I set off.
On the flights, I got out my iPad and painted the sky which totally distracted me from the flying as I am always amazed at the beauty of the natural world, and the structure and the patterns of the clouds, land and rivers. Arriving uneventfully at Blackall airport I was greeted by Lisa our local host for the week and immediately hit it off with one of the other talented artists attending the retreat who had arrived on the plane as well, Patty. If you’re on Instagram look them up as they both have beautiful work.
I was immediately made to feel at home, as Lisa, who wears many hats, talked about the town of Blackall, we learnt that the phrase “beyond the black stump” originated there, and we could see the black stump, a block away from our accommodation. Also in its heyday Blackall had been the center of merino sheep farming in the world.
So began a wonderful week of culture - we were taken to the weekly stockyard sales, where the auctioneers sold groups of cattle in record time, herding the sold cattle quickly through Temple Grandin style gates. We saw the Roly Poly sculpture at sunset, swam in the natural hot artesian waters at the aquatic center, showered in the natural hot water, and drank the water that had been cooled to room temperature. We toured a renovated Blackall Masonic Temple, and visited the largest wool scour in the Southern Hemisphere - renovated and in working order for tourism. And one evening we enjoyed the touring show “Babushka Cabaret- Book Club” in the local community hall. So many surprises during the whole week, and proudly shown to us by different members of the local community.
And the food….The first morning tea, classic Australian foods - Sausage rolls, Lamingtons, Anzacs and more, all beautifully displayed with a locally picked pink gum blossom flower arrangement. All courtesy of local caterer and story-teller extraordinaire @marmaladiescatering. It just got better from there, and I returned home with the spare snacks I had packed untouched in my backpack.
Such a feeling of Community. When we arrived, John Lovett and his wife were already there, and we spent time catching up and shared our stories over the week. John and Diane travel in a custom truck/van that is self contained and very compact and when he is teaching or capturing photographs, they travel from remote place to place in this truck. As more artists arrived our little group grew. We spent many hours together during breaks, at meal times and after dinner, just talking. All of us. About many diverse subjects. From the benefits of plein air painting and urban sketching to the relevance of abstract versus figurative art to the legality of using other people’s photos to create your own art. Great topics for my future blog posts!
Finally the painting! Watercolor! We started at 8.30 daily and basically created a painting each morning and afternoon. Each session we would all work off a photo that John had chosen from his personal library of photos. He would demo and we would create our own version. John has simplified the paint and brush situation and his techniques are easily understandable, so a few light bulbs went off for me. I was immediately thinking of ways I could translate these ideas to my fluid art! As well as creating some watercolor paintings I actually liked, I had a few new ideas to try back in my studio!
It was a retreat that exceeded my expectations. I had travelled almost beyond the black stump, to a remote area in West Queensland, away from all my usual daily interruptions, switched off from TV and news, and focused on exploring art and the community around me.
As we said our goodbyes I was sad to be leaving, but invigorated and ready to get back home to my art studio to create some new work.
A magic week, that I will remember forever.