Salamanca Market Update, March 27, 2021

Rain at 6 am, 7 am and at 3 pm was forecasted and unfortunately, I must report, that the weather was predicted correctly. Rain book-ended the market, wet setting up and wet taking down.

I met many visitors from the mainland of Australia today. A couple who took the ferry from Victoria, and she experienced sea sickness for the first time, purchased an A-3 sized print of “Joyride”.

“Joy ride”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/joy-ride

Salamanca Saturdays was purchased as a souvenir by a couple visiting from Brisbane.

“Salamanca Saturdays”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/the-world/products/salamanca-saturdays

Another couple bought a penguin card for their Venezuelan son-in-law who is fanatical about penguins.

“Silent Disco”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/realistic-animals/products/copy-of-down-under-view-koala-watercolour

A couple, who bought one of my prints a few years ago, for their former Argentinian exchange student’s first child, has come back to buy a print for their second child. They’ll be posting to Switzerland, where the family is now living, a “Duck Crossing” print for the second child and a Duck Crossing pencil case filled with crayons and the like for the older sibling . The older sibling has one of my prints hanging in her bedroom and now the younger sibling will have Duck Crossing in their bedroom.

“Duck Crossing”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/cheer-em-up-series-duck-crossing-ii

A mother visiting from Canberra bought “Graduation Siesta” for her daughter who has just graduated and now has a Medical Radiation Science degree.

“Graduation Siesta” https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/copy-of-sleepy-head-series-bunk-beds-wombat-watercolour-1

Two international students, studying at the University of Tasmania, accounting and engineering, bought some cards and small A-5 sized prints. A group visiting from Taiwan, only spending four days in Tassie, bought “Hanging Out”. They liked that the gum leaves and gum nuts make sort of the same shape as Tasmania.

“Hanging Out” https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/wombat-hanging-out

A lady, visiting from Sydney, chose an “Emu Ice Capades” greeting card. I remarked that it was unusual for somebody to choose an ice-skating card. She said that she and all her children ice skate. Now that’s unusual!! In Tasmania, there is only one ice skating rink for the whole island and the owners have recently retired, so I’m not sure if we still have an ice rink. Tasmanians may have to go to the mainland to have an ice-skating experience now! https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-13/tasmania-only-ice-skating-rink-for-sale-glenorchy/12869448

Are you from the northern hemisphere, I asked? She was born in Australia, and they just spoke German at home, and then they moved to Germany when she was 5 years old. Then they moved back to Australia when she was eight and she couldn’t speak any English when she started school in Australia. Then the family moved back to Germany when she was twelve and then back to Australia when she was sixteen. Needless to say, she’s had an interesting childhood and is fluent in both German and English.

Emu Ice Capades https://pjpaintings.com/collections/sporty-emus/products/emu-icecapades-1

I started packing up early, so that some of the things that had dried, like the sides of the gazebo and table cloths, wouldn’t get wet again.

Time to put my feet up and enjoy a cup of tea.

Wishing you an awesome weekend and I’ll be back at the market next week, April 3^rd.  

Whale with a Difference

I’ve finished painting this humpback whale. I’m leaving it floating on a white background. Unfortunately, my camera has not been able to pick up the subtle turquoise and hints of other colours that I have dropped in while painting wet-in-wet.

Humpback Whale painted with water colour paints

This is the next whale I am working on. I have plans for it. It’s going to be different than the one above in more ways than one. I’m not going to leave it floating on a white background. Stay tune for the unfolding of the background for this whale… it’s going to take weeks, if not months, but hopefully it will be worth the wait, and hopefully there’s even some anticipation. 🙂 lol

there’s a fair bit of turquoise and raw sienna in this painting that my camera hasn’t picked up.

Well, I hope that life has been a dreamy day for you today and that you feel as relaxed as our whales. Wishing you an awesome weekend.

Cheers, Patricia (PJ)

http://www.pjpaintings.com

Sold

The final original painting, titled “Afternoon Siesta”, of my Sleepy head series has sold. A young lady, from Sydney, visiting Tasmania, saw my artwork at Artefacts Inc Gallery https://www.salarts.org.au/portfolio/residents/artefacts_inc/ She bought three prints, including Afternoon Siesta, and returned home.

Artefacts Gallery in the Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart, Tasmania

About a week later, she phoned me because she couldn’t get Afternoon Siesta out of her head. She was so excited about making the decision to buy it. It’s her first original art purchase. She’s originally from Norway, and has lived in Belgium and France too and now she’s living in Sydney, Australia.

Afternoon Siesta

We agreed that this wombat is the most relaxed looking of the wombats that I have painted. I can’t help but feel more relaxed whenever I look at this painting. It looks like every single bit of stress has dripped out of its paws. Now, it’s on its way to its new owner.

High quality prints of Afternoon Siesta are available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/sleepy-head-series-afternoon-siesta-a-print-of-a-wombat

I hope that your day and week has been feeling pretty relaxing too.

Cheers, from Patricia (PJ)

100 People Challenge

The drawing 100 people in five days challenge has come and gone. I have come close to drawing 100 people in the past but have never quite got over the line. Last year, I didn’t even attempt it and the same almost happened this year. But I attended the Summer Salt Music Festival, in Hobart, Tasmania’s Botanical Gardens https://summersaltmusic.com.au/past-events/hobart/ on Friday, March 12th that coincided with the 100 people challenge. So, while standing in line, I pushed myself to start drawing people. I drew 22 people and then it just got too dark to see. Also, once seated, there were mainly backs of heads to draw, which didn’t inspire me very much.

I won’t bore you with all 22 drawings because frankly most of them are pretty ordinary. I’ve chosen what I think are the best of the lot.

This gothic young woman was sitting fairly close to us. I found her a great person to sketch with her thick, dark long eyelashes, nose ring, lip stud, lacy black top, black skirt and black hat.

At the music festival with the very strict COVID no dancing rule being enforced

I drew her again when she was holding onto her bare foot. Her friend beside her was eating slices of salami,

At the Summer Salt Festival, Hobart, Tasmania

Enjoying the music

The live music was awesome as I hope the start of your week has been.

Many thanks for stopping by and visiting.

Cheers, Patricia (www.pjpaintings.com)

Urban sketching in North Hobart

For today’s urban sketch meet we met at a funky little cafe in North Hobart called Pigeon Hole Cafe. Our small group of eight sketchers dispersed and drew a variety of buildings and houses. The hills and slopes added an extra level of perspective-challenge.

A church built into the slope across the street from the cafe where we met

I chose to undertake this challenge on Goulburn Street. I liked that I could see a little of kunanyi/Mt Wellington just peeking over the roof of the building.

building built in 1924 on Goulburn Street, North Hobart, Tasmania

This is what I drew and started painting outside before I decided it was time to seek warmth and a well deserved cup of coffee.

plein air

…. and the finished wonky attempt.

a Goulburn Street building

I hope that everybody has had a lovely weekend and wish you an equally lovely upcoming week.

Thanks for dropping in for a read. Cheers, Patricia (PJ)

An Eventful 36 Hours

The events started yesterday, when I was packing the car for Salamanca Market. A jack jumper had decided to climb onto a box that I picked up to put in the car. Of course it bit me and my hand swelled up overnight. I wish I had thought to take my ring off immediately because now I definitely can’t! Here’s a link if you’d like to read more about this rather aggressive insect that has a nasty bite https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/jackjumperfactsheet.pdf

annoyingly swollen hand due to ant bite

After the car was packed, I headed off to the Summer Salt Music Festival held in the Botanical Gardens. It was awesome but it made it a short night with the 5 am wake up for the market the next day.

The stage at Hobart’s Botanical Gardens

The line up was Emily Wurramara, Boy & Bear, John Butler, The Teskey Brothers and finishing off with The Cat Empire. There was a strictly no dancing rule.

No Dancing

but… when The Cat Empire came on and started playing, everybody was up and dancing. The officials definitely had their work cut out trying to get people to only chair-dance.

Then it was up at the crack of dawn and setting up the stall in the dark.

my stall at site 30

It was a very busy day with people from various places from the mainland and backpackers from overseas visiting. I had caravaners from Queensland that are touring around Tasmania for 7 weeks buy “Afternoon Siesta” and “Spiky Siesta” prints. I had French backpackers, who are here for another 6 months also purchase an “Afternoon Siesta” print. A couple from Melbourne stopped in. She told me she had to get “Two to Tango” because she was from Argentina. It’s her fourth time visiting Tasmania but her first time to Salamanca Market.

Two to Tango with collage of treble clefs applied to her seductive dress

A kindergarten teacher from Queensland bought “Story time”.

Story time

Another couple from Queensland purchased three prints: “Surfing Clifton Beach, Tasmania”, “Joyride” and “Glamour Girls”. Backpackers from Chile bought an A-5 sized print of a wombat in a hammock and a couple bought an original of a platypus I painted to go with a children’s platypus book. They’re sending both to their 3 year old nephew living in Switzerland.

Afternoon Siesta

While a bunch of people were in my stall, a man told me that a lady just took one of my prints (Double Date IV”) without paying for it. I caught up with her and asked if she wanted to pay for my print and she said that she put it back on the rack. I asked her, “why is it in your bag then?” It was poking out of her bag and I could clearly see it, so I showed it to her. Then she said she got it from around the corner and started telling me that it was selling everywhere. She said she was going to report me and then started getting aggressive with the people who saw her take it. Eventually she moved on but it does leave you a little shaken.

Double Date IV

My credit card gadget worked for about 2 hours and then it just wouldn’t connect so the tapping mechanism didn’t work, leaving me with the only option to enter everything in manually, which was a pain. Then the rains came, just 20 minutes or so before we packed up. Not long enough to let things dry off, so things are drying in all sorts of places in my house.

Time for a cup of tea… and process the events of the past 36 hours. I hope that your day is going great.

Thanks for visiting.

Cheers, from Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade (all the images shown are available on my website at http://www.pjpaintings.com)

Bunk bed Trio

I finished my painting I’ve titled “Bunk bed Trio”.

You know the feeling when you can hardly keep your eyes open and you are well and truly ready for a nap, while at the same time this doesn’t seem to be the same case for the little people in the family. They are alert and ready for more adventures. I hope that Mother-Wombat gets her well-deserved rest soon??

Prints are available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats

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I hope that you are enjoying a peaceful and restful weekend.

Cheers, from Pj Paintings