Art Sale at Myattsfield Vineyard

Had a great weekend selling my paintings, pendants and Gelli Art prints at Myattsfield Vineyard.  The weather was glorious which encouraged hundreds of people to come to the Bickley Harvest Festival to view the scarecrows, art, crafts and sample the extremely yummy wine.

I love speaking to people about my paintings and my latest addiction of Gelli Art printing.  Whilst I didn't sell any paintings I received lots of encouraging, positive feedback and my artwork was seen by loads of people including children who loved my fishies, my butterfly painting, the bright confetti trees and a little boy was fascinated with my snail painting - he stood there looking at it with his arm in the air tracing the spirals of the nautilus shell. Too cute.

I have plenty of pendants left over and will upload them to the blog and Facebook so if you want to buy any of them then please get in contact with me to sort out the details.

 

Well, I must go and unpack my car and do some boring housework.  Many thanks to all my family and friends who came along and to all the people who took the time to view my art and have a chat with me.  Hope your weekend went well, take care.

Here are some more of my blogs about my gelli art.

Art Show Sneak Peak

Here's a few photos, a sneak peak as to what paintings I will be displaying at the Malmalling Vineyard Art Show this weekend:

Some Confetti Trees:

And some of my girls including my mixed media African Princess on the right inspired by Inge's Metal Art (see her art below):

Don't these displays look awesome??  Well done to my friends June and Bob for making them out of recycled corrugated iron.

And here's some of the Metal Art by Inge:

These photos do not do her work justice so go check out her website.  I'm hoping to sell a few paintings and buy myself one...though which one I'm not sure maybe the African Princess which has inspired my African Princess painting.

I'm really excited about the art show, the weather is going to be great, warm and sunny though this morning it was a touch windy which is why the paintings are a little wonky - note to self: bring blu tack and a hat and drink lots of water.

More pics and blogs over the weekend.  :D

Shell's Sunday Snippets

My week in pics...

Which Confetti Tree painting should go to Malmalling Vineyard on display to publicise the Art Show in October?

Confetti Trees No2.

Original Confetti Tree Painting

Joining in with {tinniegirl} - {sunday snippets} A collection of photos from your week. No need for words. Let the pictures tell your story.

Painting Sold and Days 8 & 9

Did you see my friend June Stevens on the 30x30x30 Challenge blog today?

Day 8 of the 30x30x30 Challenge - spent some time deciding what goes on each canvas, am working on 18  right now,  and blocking out.  I normally paint what I want when I want so I found it challenging to say 'ok today you have to paint all day and get something done'.

Day 9 I spent an hour or so adding another layer of white and some bling colours:

My Pink Confetti Tree painting at the Beverley Art Exhibition sold over the weekend - woohoo - that will help pay for more paint and canvases or some more classes with local mixed media artist Neil Elliott.

How's your arty life going?

Beverley Art Exhibition

Today, June and I went took our paintings to Beverley, a small country town about an hour or so away, to enter them into the Beverly Art Exhibition which will be held over the Easter weekend.

I have entered Pink Confetti Trees (No.2 not my original one):

Here's a few photos of interesting parts of the town:

Beverley Aeronautical Museum and Information Centre

At the entrance you'll see a Vampire Jet No. A79-638. This aircraft was a two-seat trainer. Australia built almost two hundred of this type.

Beverley Station Gallery - Built in 1886 in the Victorian Tudor style, the Beverley Railway Station was the hub of activity when Beverley was an important stop on the Perth to Albany passenger line. Closed in October 1984, the Railway Station fell into disrepair, but after much hard work by both the community and council was beautifully restored in 2006. 

Confetti Tree Forest

I have finished the long painting that I have been working on and I love it, so I hope you like it too.

Confetti Tree Forest, Acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 123cm

And I hope my hubby likes it too because this is where it's going to live....in our bedroom...

Have a great weekend, I'll be back Monday with some Life Book work I've done - hopefully....





2012 Dreams and Schemes

Here are my  hopes, plans, goals, dreams and schemes for 2012.  I hope I have the courage to make my dreams comes true....

My first painting for 2012.

Pink Confetti Trees 2  Acrylic on Canvas 20x30"

Online Courses - I love doing these as they are so much fun, great communities and they require discipline and committment.

- Life Book 2012
- Creative Colour Challenge
- Traci Bautista's Doodle's Unleashed workshop

- I'd like to do Flora Bowley's Brave Intuitive You e-course too

Art workshops - I've enrolled with local artist Neil Elliot to do his mixed media/abstract workshop which starts at the end of January.

- Overseas - I'd love to travel to the States and do some workshops there, meet some of my online arty friends, go to New York to the galleries and museums and shops and Broadway.

- Squam Art Workshops - which are mid-Sept in New Hampshire, USA - would be awesome.
- Sweet Freedom Retreats - which are mid-Oct.

Exhibitions

30x30x30 Challenge - which exhibits mid-Sept - same weekend as the Squam workshops.
Group exhibition - has been cancelled - so I'm doing a wait and see on this...
Solo - ????

Personally - planning my Silver/25th Wedding Anniversary Party for December.
- to help my sons through Uni, to continue to teach them how to cook and clean for themselves.

Healthwise - lose 10 kilos - eat healthily, walk 3 times a week and circuit 2 times.

I'll be back in a couple of days with my Word for 2012.

2011 Best Year of My life

Simply put, 2011 was the best year of my life.  Looking back I'm not surprised that it was.  I turned 44 this year, my birthdate adds up to 4, 2011 adds up to 4....

Here are some highlights:

March - I started my blog.

 March - Flora Bowley Painting Workshop (FBPW) at Nanga, Dwellingup, Perth, Western Australia.

In January Kelly Rae Roberts blogged about going to Flora's workshop and I was very envious - nothing like that ever happens in Perth I can remember thinking.  A couple of weeks later Donna Heart blogged about organising a Flora workshop in Perth - well, I nearly wet myself with excitement and didn't hesitate to book a place.

It was one of the best things I ever did for myself and for my art.  I learnt new painting techniques and met a great bunch of women who loved art, Kelly Rae and Flora.  My confidence has increased with ever painting created and I've even sold a few - more about that later.... If you ever get a chance to attend one of Flora's workshop then go for it, or why not do her e-course - it's gonna be awesome.

Me with Flora Bowley and Donna Heart at the workshop.

Me with my paintings - Photo credit - Donna Heart.

June - Donna Heart's Exhibition.

In June my mum and I went to Geraldton to attend Donna's first solo exhibition.  Her paintings were beautiful and she is such an inspiration - Donna first painted in front of others at the FBPW, she already had a website, blog and was even published in an Australian art magazine.

Me with Donna Heart.

July/August - Art sale and painting demo at the local community centre.

Even though I didn't sell any paintings that weekend it was my first painting demo and I got some great feedback.

Some of my paintings on sale.

Painting demo at local community centre where I taught this year.

August - Flying Lessons with Kelly Rae Roberts

I enrolled into my online course with the very inspirational Kelly Rae Roberts.  The course was about how to grow your creative business - the other best thing I did for myself this year.  This is such an awesome course - it gave me the courage and confidence to say I am an artist, I built a website and I bought business cards.  Best of all I met my Fly Tribe - the online community of women who also took the course - a source of great inspiration and encouragement - love you girls!!

I even made a button and banner for my blog.

Banner for my blog

Button for my blog

Ribbon Town - I evolved one of my painting into one of my now favourites.

Ribbon Town

September - I built my website - http://www.shellsinthebush.com/

October - was Blogtoberfest month - I did a blogpost every day for a whole month!!!

On October 3rd my beloved dog, Tessa, died - here is a painting my Lin in Michigan, USA, created for me - I picked it up yesterday from being framed.

Recently framed painting of Tessa by Lin Bailey.

 

November - My ButterFly Girl painting was used as the artwork for the Fly Tribe Bloghop.  This blogpost was my 100th post and describes how the painting orginated and why.

Artwork for Bloghop

I sold a painting at the Darlington Arts Festival - this was the first time I had sold at the festival and a great achievement in my local community.

Thinking of You - sold at the Darlington Arts Festival

I made 50 glass tile pendants to sell at the community centre art show.  I didn't sell any paintings but sold a few pendants.  I also did another painting demo...

Painting demo at local community centre.

Pendant Display

Pendant

November/December - I did the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design Course - which was great to learn about motifs, colour, pattern and I taught myself some Photoshop too.

Postcards from Rachael and Beth from ABSPD

I was also involved in the heART Exchange Gift Swap - I sent Suzanna Leigh a pendant and she sent me some beautiful silk art.

Pendant I sent to Suzanna Leigh.

Silk art I received from Suzanna Leigh

Silk art I received from Suzanna Leigh

I created this beautiful painting for my niece, BronteFly Girl:

BronteFly Girl

I painted this painting, the first in my Confetti Tree series - and I love it - which is rare.  :D

Pink Confetti Trees

So that was basically my year - it had it's ups and downs but overall it was a great year for me.  My painting style and techniques have evolved and changed and I have grown my creative business.

Many thanks go to the inspirational women in my life from Flora Bowley, Kelly Rae Roberts to my online community of the Fly Tribe, Magically Mixed Art Community, my online Besties and art buddies esp Lin Bailey and to my irl friends - Sandra and June and to my mum and aunty as well as the three wise men in my life my hubby, and two sons, make that 4 men to include my dad and musn't forget my brother and sister-in-law - just about everyone I know including those who have liked my Facebook artist page.  Thank you all for your love and support this.

I look forward to reading your year in review and hope that you and I both have the courage to live our dreams and follow our passions by creating an artistic and joyful life.

All the best for 2012, love and hugs - Michelle aka Shells

Sox

Confetti Trees in Season

These paintings just started out with me trying out different colours in preparation for a large painting and here they are finished:

 Summer Confetti Tree  Acrylic on canvas, 20cmx40cm 8x16"

 Autumn Confetti Tree  Acrylic on Canvas, 20x40cm, 8x16"

 Winter Confetti Trees  Acrylic on canvas, 40x40cm, 16x16"

Spring Confetti Trees, Acrylic on canvas, 40x40cm, 16x16"

Which confetti tree painting do you like the best???

In this series I like Autumn but my fave is still my original Pink Confetti Tree Painting.  Can't wait to buy a large canvas....