Here’s my latest painting of another little wombat. I think I drew its feet a little big, hence titling this painting “Bigfoot”.
Bigfoot
This“Bigfoot” title brought back a memory from long ago and the birth of my daughter. Just after being informed that I gave birth to a girl, the nurse said, “wow, she has big feet!” Indeed she did, but now as an adult she has tiny feet, size 5, which I think is size 35-36 European ladies shoe size and size 6 in USA. So, maybe this little wombat will grow into its big feet and then need a name change to “Littlefoot”.
I hope everybody is enjoying their week on healthy feet, no matter what size they are.
I felt like a lonely, little island with both my Salamanca Market neighbour stall holders, on either side, missing, one due to sickness, the other was at AgFest https://www.agfest.com.au/
My first customer of the day was somebody from the Gold Coast, who bought a “Me at the Gate” print. She told me that fairy wrens often visit her garden.
Parents of 7-month-old Eleanor, visiting from Melbourne, purchased prints for Eleanor’s bedroom. Her parents bought “Spiky Bunk Beds” and her grandmother bought her “Dinner for Five???”.
Spiky Bunk Beds
Dinner for Five???
A young couple from Melbourne bought a small urban sketch I did of one of Arthur Circus’ historical cottages and a few greeting cards.
historical cottage in Arthur Circus, Battery Point, Tasmania
A lady from Perth, WA purchased “House Sharing”. She really liked the wombat’s feet.
A local bought “Enchanted Forest I” and “Enchanted Forest II” for one of her daughters in London, UK. The older daughter got married a few months ago and while the younger daughter went over to attend the wedding, she secured work and now she has both daughters living on the other side of the earth.
Enchanted Forest I
Enchanted Forest II
Another local bought a “Sitting on the Fence” print for her daughter because her house has a lot of blue in it. Her daughter is marrying a Canadian. The wedding is taking place in Los Angeles, in two months (they had to postpone it because of COVID) and they will be living in Toronto, Canada.
A family visiting from Durban, South Africa purchased “Meet Me at the Gate” and “Glamour Girls”. The mother was originally from Tasmania, but they are now living in South Africa.
A couple purchased “Devilish Siesta”, “Spiky Bunk Beds” and “Afternoon Siesta” for their child’s bedroom. They have been renting a house in New Town, Tasmania while their house in Sydney is being renovated.
Devilish Siesta
Spiky Bunk Beds
Afternoon Siesta
The day passed quickly and soon it was all finished. All good things must come to an end.
Art thought for the week:
The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before. Neil Gaiman
Wishing everybody a good weekend and upcoming week.
Today, I met up with a couple of friends to do some urban sketching on Napoleon Street, Battery Point, in Tasmania.
Battery Point was originally settled in 1804. In 1811, land grants were given to free settlers and farms were established. By 1814, several farms were located in the area. In 1818, a battery of guns, called the Mulgrave Battery, were placed on the southern side of the point as part of the coastal defences on the deep water port established at Hobart Town. Battery Point derived its name from the installations of guns at this site https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/hobart/battery-pt.html
I get my art prints printed on 310gsm A-2 sized watercolour print-paper. When I trim my prints, I often have offcuts and this pile is getting quite tall. I thought I would see if it could be used for urban sketching. It worked quite well but I will have to adjust my painting technique because it is absorbent and the paper bleeds when you apply extra watery paint, as I discovered when I painted the chimney.
Trialling the print version of watercolour paper
I then felt forced to add blue sky to try to disguise the chimney-bleeding.
Blue sky colour added
The couple hours flew by and it was time to pack up the paints, move the cars from their two-hour parking limit and enjoy a hot cuppa.
The paper has potential, so I will keep experimenting with it.
I enjoy unexpected friendly encounters. With Hobart being such a small capital city of approximately 250,000, this is a fairly common occurrence when you are out and about.
I’ve painted two watercolour paintings of some friendly Tasmanian encounters:
I’m currently working on several commissions. This one involves painting a bunch of Australian animals and birds. One of the most often posed question I am asked is “how long did it take you to paint it?”. Discounting the drawing and all the decision-making time around composition, it is taking me between 2 to 3 hours per individual animal.
Australian scene
Here are some of the birds that have been painted in the above painting.
Musk Lorikeet
Fairy penguin
Yellow-throated honeyeaters
This is another commission painting that I’m working on. It is for a little girl’s birthday. The brief was to do something with an emu and wombat. Here’s what I came up with.
birthday painting in progress
Hopefully, I will be able to share the finished products with you soon.
The weather wasn’t great today, but it wasn’t horrible either. It was windy, with short bursts of rain and there was even hail around noon, but the last two hours of the market had blue sky, which allowed things to dry out before they were packed up. Hooray!
My first customer of the day was a local who bought six greeting cards followed by a lady from Missouri, USA, who bought “A Spotty Rest Stop” greeting card. The idea for A Spotty Rest Stop came from an Inktober Challenge prompt word. https://brushwarriors.com/what-is-inktober/ The prompt word was poisonous.
A Spotty Rest Stop
Then a Brisbane couple purchased “Bunk Beds” and “Unwinding” prints.
A family from Perth purchased a “Meet Me at the Gate” print. There were quite a few people from Perth at the market today. This painting is proving to be popular and people like the title.
A couple from Sydney bought a “Family Outing” print for their 11-year-old son, who is into emus right now, and loves red cars. Nailed it with this print!
Two ladies, with suitcase in tow, from Malaysia, bought an original painting that I titled “Friends in High Places”. Unfortunately, I seem to have forgotten to take a photo of it. It is similar to this painting.
A painting similar to “Friends in High Places”, an original that sold today.
Art thought for the week:
As I work at my drawings, day after day, what seemed unattainable before is now gradually becoming possible. Slowly, I’m learning to observe and measure. I don’t stand quite so helpless before nature any longer. ― Vincent van Gogh
Wishing everybody a happy and creative upcoming week.
It was a mild day and it rained off and on basically all day.
My first customer of the day was a couple from Brisbane, Queensland. They arrived yesterday for a nine-day Tasmanian holiday. They bought two zip pouches: “Lazy Days” and “Salamanca Fresh”. Another couple from Brisbane, here for the weekend to celebrate their 19year wedding anniversary, purchased ”Spotty”, “Scarlet Robin Rescue” and an original winter scene painting, which I seem to have forgotten to take a photo of it.
A couple from Port Macquarie, NSW, https://www.britannica.com/place/Port-Macquarie bought a “Dinner for Five???” print. He did his Computer Science university degree at the University of Tasmania about 30 years ago.
A sister bought a “Family Outing” zip pouch for her 17-year-old sister. A fellow from Adelaide bought four prints: three to hang either in his bedroom or the wall going up the stairs and “Bonnie & Me” for his friend.
“Bonnie & Me!”
A couple from the Hunter Valley, NSW, are taking home two tote bags: “Scarlet Robins” and “Hanging Out”. A couple, visiting from Singapore, are taking home four tote bags for their friends: “What the Devil?!?” “Lazy Days”, “Hammock Life” and “Salamanca Saturdays”.
Hanging Out
Lazy Days
Salamanca Saturdays
Scarlet Robins
A couple visiting from Sydney, bought “Iconic Aussies”, “Motherly Emutions” and “Piggyback” for their 34-year-old daughter living in Squamish, BC, Canada.
Iconic Aussies
Motherly Emutions
Piggyback
The rain really started coming down just when I arrived home. That’s a nice change! Lol
Art thought for the week:
Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day. — Winston Churchill.
Wishing everybody a happy and creative upcoming week. Cheers, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade
It rained off and on, all day long. At the end, I didn’t bother putting the pouches and bags out. They would be hanging up only for a few minutes before I had to bring them back in under cover. The novelty of this wore thin.
A lady from Port Macquarie, NSW, bought a “Salamanca Saturdays’ tote bag and said that it will be a nice souvenir of Tasmania. https://www.planetware.com/australia/top-rated-attractions-things-to-do-in-port-macquarie-australia-aus-1-94.htm A young couple, also from Port Macquarie, purchased a “Maggie & Maggie” print for their father who has a family of magpies that have nested in his yard, and he feeds them daily. It started with him noticing a magpie struggling because it had some string wrapped around its leg. He caught it with a net, removed the string and then released it. It has thanked him by sticking around and befriending his rescuer. They also purchased a “Dinner for Five???” print.
A couple from Townsville purchased “The Supremes” and “Hanging Out” prints. Another couple bought a “Hanging Out” print for their four-month-old niece that lives in a bush setting outside of Melbourne. Her bedroom has an Australian native animals’ theme.
A small group of young university exchange students from Norway, who are doing one semester of studies at the University of Tasmania, stopped by and bought some greeting cards and an A-5 sized print of “Salamanca Saturdays”.
When I got home, I hung up the sides from the gazebo, the awning, the tablecloths, and so on, to dry and made myself a hot cup of tea. It was nice to escape the rain and wind and watch it from an inside vantage.
Wishing everybody a happy and creative upcoming week.
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 