Lately

I took these works of mine to a professional photographer a few weeks back. I think the details are much better in these photos than when I have shot them. I still find that some works, like the very monochromatic ones, are not coming out well. It's a pity too, since those are the ones I am most interested in making right now. 

Jenny Sages

I'm pretty sure it's obvious to any of you who read this blog regularly why I like Jenny Sages. She is an Australian artist inspired by Aboriginal art. She works in encaustic on canvas, and for her portraits she spreads the wax over the canvas with her hands. Here is a self-portrait she did after the death of her husband, which explores her grief. This work won the 2012 Archibald People's Choice Prize.

There is a YouTube video of Jenny Sages talking about this work here. I love what she says about needing to show her work to "close the loop" in her experience of making art. I've never found a way to articulate that feeling. You can see more of her work here, at the King Street Gallery website.

Douglas Florian

I love this painter. There is such an immediacy and directness in Douglas Florian's work. The color sense is unique. You can look at an extensive archive of his work here.

Lately

This is what I've been making in my studio in the past few weeks. I'm still really interested in   exploring the weaving, mending and repairing theme with paint. I also just put several new Chemex coffee filter drawings in my Etsy shop, and one I did on an uncradled birch panel. I, like everyone else I know around where I live, have had enough grey, damp, cold winter days. But the upside is that I stay inside and work in the studio.

The Art of Mary Fedden RA

Mary Fedden died last June, but she is still inspiring me. Here are some of her paintings, and a link to the Portland gallery in London where she was/is represented.

Clem Crosby

Well, if you've ever been to this blog before you will understand why I respond to British artist Clem Crosby's work. He makes it look so easy. If you want to hear him speak about his art a bit, here is an interview he did at a London gallery showing his work. I really like how unpretentious he is. Especially when he talks about his best work being about "fixing mistakes", and "rescuing" a painting, and "pushing the paint around until something happens". It's refreshing after some of the ways I've heard artists intellectualize their work.

In the Studio

Here's what I've been working on lately. That top painting I just finished and shipped off yesterday. The Chemex drawings were just added to my Etsy shop, over here. The plates are the most recent things out of the kiln. I have 2 large pots that are waiting for me to decide on glazes. My teacher, Ingrid Bathe, has been teaching me how to make glaze test tiles for standing vessels. So maybe before too long I will have the finished pots to show you. I've been enjoying using the plates for serving dinners. Just as Ingrid said, I like the work better after using it. I've also been keeping up with the daily sketchbook. I feel lots of energy and inspiration because it is the beginning of a new year. I hope your beginning is going well too!

New work on Etsy!

Just put some new work in my Etsy shop. More drawings done on repurposed Chemex coffee filters and a couple of tiny watercolor drawings. Here.

Terri Brooks

I'd like to find out more about this Australian artist, Terri Brooks. She has a website with a catalog of works here, and she writes a blog about her art here. What I have read so far interests me because she is exploring surfaces for their own sake. That is what I have been doing in my work for the past 18 months. I am getting deeper into that study, so I admire what this artist has done over the course of many years. Inspiration for me, and validation that surface is a valid focus for serious art.