House on a Hill

Once upon a time, 50 years ago, a house on a hill in Franklin, Tasmania, across from the Huon River, was built. This couple wanted a painting of their house to help celebrate 50 years of marriage and moving to Tasmania from USA the same year that they got married. They built this house (not entirely themselves), firstly living in the stone cottage, for 7 years, with the addition of two sons arriving during that time before being able to move into the larger part of the house. The stone cottage is a Quebec, Canadian design. The inside of the house and view is just as stunning.

A glimpse of the view of the Huon River from the back yard.

I finished the commissioned urban sketch of the house on a hill, on eleven acres, in Franklin, Tasmania. I drew it on site. Firstly, the front of the house and then moved to the backyard to draw the back of the house. (I haven’t finished painting the back view yet). This house is so large I had to take several photographs to get a photo of the entire width and height. It also has so many crazy angles! What a challenge!

Left hand side of the house, front view

Part of the right hand side of the house. I couldn’t get all the height and the viewing tower in the photo.

My rendition of the house. I couldn’t fit all of the front view on my page. Hence, for the back view, I have used a larger piece of paper!

My painting of the house on a hill in Franklin

Franklin is a gorgeous small town, full of heritage buildings, in southern Tasmania. https://www.franklintasmania.com.au/

Happy Anniversary to the couple living the dream in Franklin!

Cheers from PJ Paintings

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Salamanca Market December 18, 2021

Wind gusts of up to 50 kmph were predicted, so all the gazebo sides went up today. With a blue roof and little air circulation, the sauna-like conditions and the pollen from the large tree made it difficult to not sneeze. Thankfully, the 50 kmph didn’t eventuate.

The first couple that visited the stall were from Tamworth, NSW. https://www.destinationtamworth.com.au/   They purchased a “Bunk beds” print and then noticed my Poppy Fields print. They said that they had this print. Her sister, who has bought a lot of art, moved overseas, and couldn’t take it with her, so she gave them her art, which Poppy Fields was among her collection.

Bunk beds

Poppy Fields, which received the People’s Choice award

A young couple, her originally from Italy and him from Brazil, now living in Brisbane, purchased a “Scarlet Robins” zipper pouch.  

Scarlet Robins pouch

A lady, originally from Lithuania, now living in Sydney, bought a “Salamanca Fresh” tote bag for her girlfriend. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17536867

Salamanca Fresh tote bag

A couple bought a small, framed print of “Friendship Refreshes the Soul” for their eight-year-old niece in Sydney. She loves art, birds and animals, a perfect gift for her. 😊

Friendship Refreshes the Soul

A dad and his daughter, from Brisbane, bought “Iconic Aussies” and “The Three Amigos II” prints.

The Three Amigos II

A lady from Brisbane, saw a man carrying a “Salamanca Saturdays” tote bag and told me it looked so good that she wanted to buy one too. So, she did. It is a bright and colourful bag, washable and made in Australia.

Salamanca Saturdays tote bag

A family bought the original painting titled “Off to the Footy”. There are prints available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/off-to-the-footy . They also bought a “Salamanca Fresh” tote bag and a “Hammock Life” print.

Off to the Footy!

Wishing everybody a joyful and fun festive season, from PJ Paintings,

at site 30 at Salamanca Market, Tasmania

Quality prints are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com

Update on Succulent Garden

A year ago I started this project. After removing well established large spiky plants and thousands of white rocks, bucket by bucket, I’ve reached the fun part of planting. This is supposed to eventually create a pattern of swirls and stripes.

December 2020

December 2021

December 2020

December 2021

Hopefully next year’s photos will show a thriving, beautiful, patterned succulent garden.

Wishing everybody a good week.

Cheers, from Patricia (PJ)

A Little Bit of Humour

Can an ant feed five echidnas???!

I hope that my latest painting gives you a little chuckle.

Dinner for Five???

Echidnas have spines like a porcupine, a beak like a bird, a pouch like a kangaroo, and lays eggs like a reptile. They are a member of the monotremes, along with the platypus, an order of egg-laying mammals. They are a small, solitary mammal native to Tasmania and Australia. They are usually 30 to 40 cm long and weigh between 2 to 4.5 kilos.

I love the way they walk, they waddle (on the ground). They don’t climb trees or swing from gum nuts, but the beauty of having artistic licence is that you can create whimsical and humorous scenes like this. 

 Quality A-4 and A-3 sizes Limited Edition print runs of 100 of “Dinner for Five???”, numbered, titled and signed by me, the artist are available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/realistic-animals/products/dinner-for-five  and the original painting will soon be available at Tiger ina Papera Unique Woodcraft Gallery, 7/81 Salamanca Place, Hobart, when it exits from the framers. https://au.placedigger.com/tiger-ina-papera-unique-woodcraft731112233.html

I hope that “Dinner for Five?” gave you a little chuckle this morning.

Cheers, from Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market December 4, 2021

Tasmania’s borders are opening December 15^th, so the visitors to the stall were mainly from Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane.

The weather was challenging, starting with setting up in the rain. The rain and wind came and went the entire day. I lost count of how many times I hung up the tote bags and then a few minutes later brought them in under cover. There were two bad wind gusts that blew things everywhere. Items from the next-door stall blew into my stall and my prints blew out the other side too. I must say that every single time this happens, a few market goers immediately start picking up your stock off the ground. It always warms my heart and makes me feel so much better.

I had a lady from Busselton, near Margaret River, WA visit the stall and purchase a Lazy Day tote bag. With a cool name like Busselton, I looked up what this place has to offer. It has beaches, migratory humpback whale populations, an almost 2-kilometre 19^th century jetty that leads to an Underwater Observatory, where coral reef life can be viewed. Busselton also has the Tuart Forest National Park featuring tall tuart trees and two species of possum.  https://www.margaretriver.com/towns/busselton/

Lazy Days tote bag
Available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/bags/products/tote-bag-lazy-days-1

A young lady, originally from Tassie, now living in Perth, purchased “Iconic Aussies”. Also, from Perth, a couple purchased A-3 sized prints of “Salamanca Saturdays” and “Salamanca Fresh”. They’ve spent two weeks exploring Tasmania and said that these prints will make a nice souvenir of their time here.  Another Perth couple purchased a “Bunk beds” print. They came back to the stall to buy it.

Salamanca Saturdays

Salamanca Fresh

Bunk beds

A local lady bought a small framed “Double Date IV” print for her elderly mother who lives on Flinders Island, another place that I have not been to. https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/regions-of-tasmania/flinders-island

Double Date IV

A lady, who used to live in Tasmania, now living in Brisbane, purchased “Rising Above It” and a “Family Outing” zip pouch. She’s the only one who has moved off the island, so she makes regular visits back to Tassie.

Rising Above It.
Available at:
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/unfurling/products/rising-above-it

Thankfully, the sunshine and breeze during the final 20 minutes of the market, allowed us to fold and pack up dry gazebos. Yay!

Take care and I hope that you have a good week,

from PJ Paintings at site 30 at Salamanca Market

Quality prints available at http://www.pjpaintings.com