PjPaintings at Salamanca Market January 26, 2019

Hobart welcomed the cool change after a smoky, roasting hot Friday of 38 degrees Celsius and about 50 fires burning in Tasmania. The fires are still burning. We need rain.

A big cruise ship came in today and there was a rather large ‘Change the Date’ rally on the parliament lawns, next to Salamanca Market, with key speakers Bob Brown and Nick McKim.

In the morning, I met Ashley, who is working on Macquarie Island. She works for the Weather Bureau, tracking the ozone layer among other things. She’s also taken up watercolour painting and it sounds like she’s having rather good success with it. She’s finding the same things difficult that I do, painting backgrounds and shadows.

Three ladies, from Los Angeles, USA, travelling together, stopped at the stall and each of them bought something with the ‘Salamanca Saturday’ image. One bought a tote bag, another a print and another a pouch.

Salamanca Saturdays

A couple from the Gold Coast, that have been holidaying and house sitting in Tassie for 2 months, purchased ‘Glamour Girls’ and ‘Story time’ (if my memory serves me well). Their son has moved to Tasmania. They didn’t want to overstay their welcome at their son’s house, so they have been house sitting.

A couple purchased two A-3 sized prints of ‘The Three Amigos’ to take to Europe with them for gifts. ‘The Three Amigos’ limited edition print run is quickly nearing its expiration number.

The Three Amigos

‘Bunk beds’ debut went very well today. It was love at first sight for a young lady from Sydney.

Bunk beds

A young Spanish and English couple, living in Ireland, but working six months in Melbourne, and now having a short holiday in Tasmania, bought a ‘Sea Life’ print.

Sea Life

Another young couple, this couple is from Scotland, bought a small ‘Who, Who, Who are You? II’ print and some greeting cards. He said that his dad loves emus. In Scotland, they commissioned an artist to paint an emu with an owl, and the artist painted an ostrich with an owl. To say the least, they were not impressed. It’s a very common error. Despite ostriches being native to Africa, and emus are native to Australia, I am regularly asked if my emus are ostriches. Obviously when children are learning their alphabets, O for Ostrich, must be drummed in beyond saturation, and the poor E for Emu has little-to-no representation.

Who, Who, Who are You? II

A couple, from the Czechoslovakia Republic, with a young baby, bought a small Koala and Tasmanian Devil print.

The most popular prints this weekend were: The Three Amigos and Bunk beds

A thought to ponder: “Stay firmly in your path and dare; be wild two hours a day.” Paul Gauguin

Thanks for stopping by,
from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market.
Pj Paintings’ prints, tote bags and pouches are available at www.pjpaintings.com

Fires & Wombats

Tasmania is burning.  There are over 50 fires burning and about 30 of them are out of control. Hobart is shrouded with smoke from fires in the Derwent Valley extending to the inland lakes in central Tasmania, fires south of Huonville and more.

As a consequence, I’ve been called upon to do extra gallery duties at Artefacts Inc Gallery in the Salamanca Arts Centre, while those that are living in the Geeveston area are on ‘watch and act’ status.   Gallery visitors were few and far between today, so I was able to pass the time drawing another wombat.  I am going to draw in more leaves but this is what I did this morning at the gallery.

in progress

I’m thinking that I may just paint the wombat and leave the rest in its ink-only state??

I’ve finished my family of wombats enjoying an afternoon siesta under the cool shade of a gum tree but there’s always one who isn’t feeling sleepy! The prints of this painting, titled “Bunk beds”, are making their debut at Salamanca Market tomorrow (they are also available on my website: http://www.pjpaintings.com under the ‘Animals’ tab and ‘wombats’).

I’ve seen and photographed wombats many times in Tasmania’s wilderness.  There’s nothing cuter than seeing a baby wombat running! They’re so cute. They are gentle animals and I try to capture that gentleness and calmness in my paintings of wombats.

Wombats are marsupials native to Tasmania and the mainland of Australia. They are herbivores. Female wombats give birth to a single young in the spring and the young leave the pouch after about six months.  They can run fast for short distances.  I hope they are managing to escape the Tasmania’s thousands of burning square kilometers.

Stay safe and take care.

Art Delivery

I suppose it was about four years ago when I cold canvassed Saddler’s Court Gallery in Richmond, Tasmania. I’d classify myself as a quietly confident but somewhat shy person.  I’m very comfortable with the fact that some people aren’t going to be into my art as much as others. Nevertheless, it does feel awkward showing and asking somebody that you’ve never met, if they’d be interested in selling your art.  Thankfully, the response was “yes” and ever since that day, I’ve been able to have my prints and greeting cards in a well-regarded, highly esteemed and respected gallery, alongside Tasmanian artists such as: Peter Glover, Terry Gough, David Hopkins, Dana Frey, Steve Howie, Danny Benson, Karen Armstrong, Roger Murphy and more.

Today, I delivered more prints and greeting cards to the gallery. There is stunning art show on now at the gallery.  It is really worth the drive.

After the art delivery, I sat across the street and tried to draw the historic building.

Saddler’s Court Gallery was opened in 1968.

All the best and thanks for stopping by.

 

 

PjPaintings at Salamanca Market January 19, 2019

Over the years, I have submitted applications to several art co-op galleries but having a day job has been a barrier to being accepted because it limits the days you can do gallery duty and your flexibility to pick up days when a member is sick or on holidays. Nevertheless, after my fourth time applying to Artefacts Inc Gallery, in the Salamanca Arts Centre, I am very excited that I have been accepted!! I now have the opportunity to display and sell some of my prints, original paintings, pouches and tote bags and do gallery duty. I’ll mainly be doing gallery duty on Mondays. It would be lovely if you could call in and have a chat. It hosts the stunning work of a Tasmanian wood turner, glass maker, jewellery maker, ceramics, leatherwork and watercolour & acrylic painter.

 

When I went by the gallery this morning, I noticed that it wasn’t open. I unexpectedly opened and minded the gallery for an hour or so until the member on duty arrived.

 

Back at the Pj Paintings stall, two girlfriends, one from London, UK, and the other from Sydney, NSW, holidaying together in Tasmania and then driving the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, bought a ‘Mercedes Time’ print for a souvenir of their driving holiday.

Mercedes Time!

 

A couple from Washington, DC, USA, bought ‘Yellow Poppy Fields’ and ‘Do-Si-Do’. They have a relative that square dances. A perfect gift for a square dancer!

Do-si-do

 

A group of four, from Emu Plains, NSW, purchased an original painting of a wombat, a ‘Family Outing’ print and an ‘Under My Red Umbrella’ tote bag.

Original painting of a wombat just hanging out among the gum leaves

 

A lady, who is what is often referred to as “snowbirds” on the North American continent, lives half a year in Spain and the other half of the year in Florida, USA, purchased an ‘Outback Glamping’ print as she had visited Uluru. Her son lives in Alice Spring.

A mother and young daughter, starting grade three in a few weeks, purchased four A-5 sized prints of Tasmanian scenes that I’ve painted. The girl reminded her mother several times that she had to get back to keep working. I asked her what she was working on and she said that she was making a stadium for her 11 year old brother’s birthday. I queried how she was constructing this elaborate-sounding birthday present. It is being built inside a cardboard box with more cardboard, paper, glue, crayons and paints. What an admirable project and unique birthday present. I hope her brother appreciates the effort and remembers that ‘it is the thought that counts’.

 

A young boy and his mother visited the stall. The boy told me that he loves owls. He had to spend his own money to buy an owl print. That’s a huge sacrifice and I feel doubly honoured when a child uses their own money to buy my art. His mother bought a ‘Sleepyhead’ print for herself.

Sleepyhead

 

Another child, a little older than the boy who had just bought an owl print, this one seemed close to the 12 year old range, bought a ‘Thunder’ print. She loves elephants.

Thunder!

 

The day ended with two young ladies arriving at the market, and my stall, after 3 pm, when many have already completely packed up or are well into the packing-up process. They bought a ‘Suspended’ print. They were planning to see the rest of the market. I recommended that they walk really, really quickly, as the market has 353 stalls.

Suspended

 

After packing up, I drove the long way home, as the most direct route to the Tasman Bridge was closed due to the installation of the Remembrance Bridge. It was bumper-to-bumper and a slow ride home.

 

The most popular print this weekend was: Salamanca Saturdays

A thought to ponder: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein

 

Thanks for stopping by,

from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market.

Pj Paintings’ prints, tote bags and pouches are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com

PjPaintings at Salamanca Market January 12, 2019

Girlfriends that went to school together in Alberta, Canada, stopped by and purchased a ‘Poppy Fields’ print. They live in Edmonton. Both of the only children, of their children that have children, live on the other side of the earth to them. (What a sentence!) One has grandchildren in Tasmania and the other in New Zealand, so they are spending time in both beautiful places.

Poppy Fields

Another Canadian, travelling with her husband, stopped in and bought a very small ‘All Ears’ print to sit on the piano in their music room. They’ve left behind the snowy and wintry landscapes of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia for six weeks in Australia and nine weeks in New Zealand.

All Ears

A family from Melbourne bought ‘Sleepyhead’, which debuted today, along with a ‘Poppy Fields’ print and an original small painting of a turtle and platypus meeting. Sleepyhead is one of the paintings in my new wombat series, and there is more to come! Three are on my website www.pjpaintings.com under the Animals tab.

Sleepyhead

A group of four young ladies from Brisbane bought an A-4 size print of ‘Poppy Fields’.

A couple bought a small framed print of ‘Who, Who, Who are You? II’ as a gift for their animals/house sitter.

A ‘Glamour Girls’ and ‘The Three Amigos’ print is going to South Korea. A couple going to the UK and Netherlands bought a ‘The Three Amigos’ tote bag to give as a gift for one of their hosts.

A young couple bought the ‘Slip Sliding Away’ original painting. I told them that Prince Frederick, when he went to a local café that was exhibiting my art, had a very close look at Slip Sliding Away and my two other emu winter scene paintings. From their non-verbal language and finding out that they were from Boston, USA, I don’t think that they knew the Danish Prince Frederick and Tasmanian connection.

Slip Sliding Away

The most popular print this weekend was: Poppy Fields

A thought to ponder: “Life is creation – self and circumstances, the raw material.” Dorothy Richardson

Thanks for stopping by,
from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market.

Wearing Art

I tend to follow fashion from a distance and not spend a lot of time figuring out outfits, layers or combinations that would go well together.  Although, when I used to sew as a teenager, I would often deviate from patterns, change or add something, and create pleasing end-products.  So, there must be a flair for fashion somewhere lingering in the creative crevices of the Pj mind and soul.

Circumstances have somewhat changed my fashion flair and questionable stylishness to practicability.  The temperature on the thermometer doesn’t always reflect the intensity of the heat in Tasmania, but maybe because of the lack of ozone layer, the sun has a real bite here.  Sometimes it feels like a sauna under my dark blue-lined gazebo on market days.  Forget fashion, wearing something cool is what is of paramount importance.

Lucky me, I’ve found something cool and cool to wear.  ‘Cool’, as in – not warm, and ‘cool’, as in – hip, trendy and groovy.

Wearing ‘Salamanca Saturdays’ at my stall at Salamanca Market

This sleeveless blouse has my ‘Salamanca Saturdays’ painting on the front.  It’s made in Australia by Redbubble, which is an online site for artists to sell their art (www.redbubble.com).  The most direct way to get to my art on the site is to type my full name in the search box (apologies in advance for its length!): Patricia Hopwood-Wade (or copy and paste my name).

I usually wear Small but this is a Medium and it fits well.  It has a little bit of a stretch and has done fine in the washing machine.  Redbubble regularly has 20% off sales, so keep your eye out for those and they are really good with exchanges, refunds and/or vouchers.

What’s your style?  Do your wear art?

During the summer months, I will be wearing my art often.

Another view of the stall and blouse.  Mt Wellington/kunyani is clearer in this photo

Cheers for now.

Thanks for visiting and take care, Pj

P.S. This image is also available as a print, tote bag or pouch on http://www.pjpaintings.com under the Music, Emus and Bags tabs.

 

PjPaintings at Salamanca Market January 5, 2018

Under hazy skies from fires burning in the Maydena area, the Hobart  Hurricanes and the Sydney Sixers hotly contested Big Bash game played out at the Blundstone Oval in Bellerive, Friday evening (Feb 4^th), with Tassie finishing triumphantly and retaining top position on the ladder.  The oval is a few blocks away from where I live, so it is difficult to actually sleep with all the celebrations, cheering, fireworks and cannon noises.  Nevertheless, I felt fairly good in the morning, but I was totally knackered by the time I got home after the market.  I had to climb into bed and have an hour nap.

At the market, in the morning, a gentleman that lives in the rural town of Meander, Tasmania, introduced himself to me, telling me that he has bought lots and lots of my cards and prints from the Art as Mania Gallery in Deloraine.  He’s given many as gifts, locally and abroad, including when he went to Europe. People love them he said. That was such a nice way to start a market day!

A young lady, who has just finished mountain bike riding the Tasmanian Trail, bought a ‘Sea Life’ print.  The Tasmanian Trail is 480 km, from Dover to Devonport and is designed for horse riders, walkers and mountain bike riders.  She spent a week riding her bike from Devonport to Hobart.

Sea Life

A woman chose to buy a ‘Salamanca Saturdays’ print for her Canadian friend that gave her brightly coloured prints of Newfoundland icebergs. Another lady, from Germany, bought herself ‘The Three Amigos’ print to take back to Europe with her.

A couple from the UK, who have three of my prints which were posted to them as a gift by one of their mothers, one being ‘Joyride’ because they have a Ducati, purchased ‘Richmond Bridge, Tasmania’, to add to their collection of Pj Paintings’ prints.

Richmond Bridge, Tasmania

A man, who bought two prints of emus riding motorbikes two years ago returned, and bought two more.  He now has all four motorbikes that I’ve painted: two Harley Davidsons, a Ducati and a Bonneville Triumph. He said that he’ll be back in two years and buy two more… but I don’t know if I will be painting two more motorbikes despite there being a seemingly endless choice of brands and styles of motorbikes I could add to the collection.

Bonnie & Me!

A young lady from Hong Kong bought a pack of cards, a Cheer ‘em Up pack (a pack of heart-warming scenes that I painted where the emu saves the day) and a pack of extra small prints of owls.  A ‘Thunder’ print (elephant picture above) is on its way to Switzerland, bought by a young Swiss tourist.

I met a high school teacher that teaches art on Bathurst Island of the Tiwi Islands.  He was very drawn to the ‘Lost Worlds’ image.

 

Lost Worlds

A young lady, originally from Texas, USA, who has been living in Melbourne for a year and a half, bought an original whale painting.  She has an engineering qualification and is working in this field in Melbourne.  We did a high five for girl-power and the increasing female representation in historically male dominated industries.

A family stopped in and told me that her parents have an A-3 sized print of ‘Salamanca Fresh’ framed and hanging up in their house, here in Tasmania.  They bought one to frame and hang up in their house in Melbourne.  Then she told me that her parents own the Salamanca Fresh shop at Salamanca Place!! The young son took a liking to the small framed Orca that I painted, which his mother kindly got for him.

The most popular print this weekend was: Salamanca Saturdays

A thought to ponder:  “There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward, you can remove all traces of reality.”  Pablo Picasso

Thanks for stopping by,

from the Pjpaintings stall #30 at Salamanca Market.

All prints, tote bags and pouches displayed are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com

Grand Old Building

There’s a grand building on Letitia Street, North Hobart, Tasmania that I’ve always admired.  It used to be a high school but now a funeral business owns it.  I’m glad that they didn’t chisel off ‘High School’ from the front of it.

Tonight, in a spur of the moment decision, I decided to have a crack at sketching it.  As always, it’s more complicated than it looks!! The ink in my ink pen was frustratingly not flowing well, so I switched to an Artline pen. Didn’t get as much done as I would have liked but here’s what I did get done.

Jan 2, 2019 sketch of old high school building on Letitia Street, Hobart

Thanks for visiting.  Take care.

A first for the first

A couple months ago, I met a young lady at Salamanca Market that had just moved to Tasmania having secured a dream job, employed to work on the Orange-bellied Parrot Tasmanian Breeding Program. The Orange-bellied Parrot has been ranked as one of the world’s rarest and most endangered species and is on the brink of extinction.

I had often thought of painting this brightly coloured little parrot and meeting her gave me that extra bit of needed motivation.  I drew several sketches and then got distracted with wombats and square dancing emus.  She returned to the stall this week and told me that she had been here for two months already! Meeting her the second time, really spurred me on to apply paint to one of my sketches.

Here’s my first painting of 2019 and the first time I’ve ever painted a Orange-bellied Parrot. (I also finished off the kangaroo and joey today, photo posted above, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve painted kangaroos).

Orange-bellied Parrot water colour painting, painted on paper made 100% from recycled cotton rags

The Orange-bellied Parrot is a migratory bird, which breeds only in coastal south-west Tasmania and spends the winter in coastal Victoria and South Australia. In Tasmania, it occurs in buttongrass moorland interspersed with patches of forest or tea tree scrub.

I wonder how many more “firsts” will occur in 2019??? Did you have any stand-out ‘firsts’ in 2018 or have any planned for 2019?

Happy New Year to all!  Wishing that 2019 is kind to all of you, filled with happiness, smiles, good health and many good ‘first’ experiences are had.

Cheers, Patricia (Pj) Hopwood-Wade