Salamanca Market, November 20, 2021

It was a drizzly Saturday and a wet set-up. With The Tasmanian Made Market at the newly refurbished Derwent Entertainment Centre https://www.stadia-magazine.com/news/renovation-refurbishment/tasmanias-derwent-entertainment-centre-renovation-to-feature-digital-first-fan-experience.html and protests in front of the Parliament House, Salamanca Market felt quieter.

The first couple visiting my stall purchased a “Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins” and a “Double Date IV” print. They told me that they have many visitors to their birdfeeder at the Sunshine Coast and that they started taking drawing & painting classes together. They were impressed with my Yellow-tailed black cockatoo in my “Iconic Aussies” print. They had to paint this bird in one of their classes and said that this has helped them gain a greater appreciation for bird paintings. They returned later in the afternoon and up-sized their prints and added “Iconic Aussies” to their purchase.

Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins

Double Date IV

A lady from Adelaide purchased “Hanging Out”, “Spiky bunk beds” and “Iconic Aussies”. Another lady purchased “Spiky bunk beds” and “Taking it Easy”. I was glad to see this because people have asked me to paint something that more closely matches with Spiky bunk beds’ hammocks, so I painted Taking it Easy, but so far, people haven’t been matching them together, until today. I commented that they were a pair and she immediately acknowledged the same coloured hammocks. It was nice to receive the reinforcement.

An A-3 sized “Weightless” print is heading to Brisbane and “The Three Amigos II” to Toowoomba. She is visiting Tasmania with friends from the Sunshine Coast, Qld.

Weightless

The Three Amigos II

And on cue, it started raining again when it was packing-up time. On the way home, just before the Tasman Bridge, I saw a stall holder pulled over on the side of the road changing a flat tire. They had all their crates, gazebo, shelving and the like, on the ground, to be able to get their reserve tire out. I felt very sorry for them and so grateful to be able to get home, get wet things airing and make myself a cup of tea!

Wishing you a flat tire-free week!

Cheers, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

P.S. quality PJ Paintings prints are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com

Unusual Friendships

Whether a friendship is between unlikely companions or not, the value and benefits of friendships are immeasurable. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/5

This relaxing wombat and Scarlet Robin are enjoying their regular friendly catch-up time.

Friendship Refreshes the Soul
Prints are available at
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/friendship-refreshes-the-soul-a-print-of-a-wombat-and-a-scarlet-robin

It goes without saying that life is lonely without friendships and that the benefits of friendships are many:

• increase your sense of belonging and purpose.
• Boost your happiness and reduce your stress.
• Improve your self-confidence and self-worth.
• Help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one, to name a few
• https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-friendship

It reinforces my need to make time for my friends and put people before work. After I push “publish”, I’m going to email a friend and ask to meet for a cuppa! and I hope that you can do the same.

Take care, from Patricia (PJ)

http://www.pjpaintings.com

Salamanca Market November 6, 2021

Rain was forecasted but that didn’t happen until late in the day and the amount was hardly worth mentioning. Salamanca Market enjoyed blue skies and possibly this was the reason for the sudden significant increase of stall holders. It looked like pre-COVID again, but the numbers allowed into the market is still restricted, therefore, less people visiting each stall.

I had a couple, with their friend from Adelaide, who was finally able to visit them. She was carrying her Salamanca Saturday tote bag that her friends had bought and posted to her. She bought four Christmas greeting cards.

A visitor from Burnie, Tasmania, bought “Fairy wrens”, “Lazy Days” and “Spiky bunk beds” prints and the “Salamanca Saturdays” and “Salamanca Fresh” cushion covers. I took my resource photo of the Salamanca Market scene from the opposite end of the market that my stall site is at (site 30) because I wanted to paint the historic sandstone buildings and kunanyi/Mt. Wellington. I took the photo when there were up to 353 stalls on a Saturday. https://www.salamancamarket.com.au/Home

Salamanca Saturdays cushion cover available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/cards/products/cushion-cover-of-salamanca-market

Salamanca Fresh – excited emus going to Salamanca Market passing in front of Salamanca Fresh shop housed in this beautiful building

A father and daughter stopped in. He bought “Poppy Fields for his wife and she bought “Yellow Poppy Fields” and “Hanging Out” prints.

Yellow Poppy Fields
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/unfurling/products/poppy-fields-yellow

Seven-year-old Lucy, from Adelaide, bought an “All Ears” greeting card (heavily discounted) with her own money to give to her friend for her birthday. The birthday party was taking place while she was having her Tasmanian holiday. Her mother bought her two prints. She really wanted three, but they managed to settle on two.

All Ears https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/all-ears

Two young ladies, also from Adelaide, purchased “Tu-whit & Tu-whoo” and “Bonnie & Me!” prints. They were flying home tonight but had one last Tassie adventure planned. They were to do a 90-minute scenic sea plane flight at 2pm! They were a little nervous about air sickness. I hope it all went well and they enjoyed the views from above.

Bonnie & Me! https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/bonnie-me

Tu-whit and Tu-whoo
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/tu-whit-tu-whoo

A lady, from Brisbane, bought an original painting that I painted of a cottage by the Providence Café https://www.liveatprovidence.com.au/ She said that her father, along with his parents, brothers and grandmother lived in a cottage on Bradley Street, Brisbane, that looked very similar to the one I had painted.

cottage near the Providence Cafe in North Hobart, Tasmania

Take care and I hope that your week is going well,

Cheers, from PJ Paintings

http://www.pjpaintings.com

Swinging Hedgehog

I received a commission request from a son, who lives in Australia. He wanted to commission me to paint a painting for his mother, who lives in the UK and is involved with a hedgehog rescue group. She loves hedgehogs. He asked me to paint a hedgehog for her.

I find that you just can’t plonk an animal on a piece of paper and call it a painting. Composition is critical. I had a difficult time thinking of how to fulfil this request, not to mention that I have never painted a hedgehog before.

my initial drawing of a hedgehog

Finally, a workable idea developed. I decided to try to combine elements from both countries in this painting.

building a picture

Both the son and mother were thrilled with the painting and it has sparked an idea for more paintings along this line.

Finished painting

Wishing you a good week, from Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

http://www.pjpaintings.com

New Tote Bag

This new tote bag is bright and cheery.  The black cockatoos that I often see in my neighbourhood inspired this painting. I love their squawky presence, personality and beauty.  Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos have a short crest on the top of their heads compared to other cockatoos’ crowns that they flaunt and display ostentatiously. Feeling slightly inferior, this cockatoo relied on creativity and ingenuity to present a hairstyle that turns heads.  I’ve titled this painting “Hair Extensions”. 

New “Hair Extensions” tote bag

These bright, colourful and sturdy tote bags, with the image printed on both sides, are Made in Australia and are 100% polyester, meaning they wash up a treat. Put them in a lingerie bag for extra protection and cold machine wash. It is available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/bags/products/tote-bag-hair-extensions

I hope you are having a lovely day, from Patricia

http://www.pjpaintings.com

Painting Nests Red

There was something unsettling me about this “finished” painting. It wasn’t connecting and the nest wasn’t feeling embedded into the tree. I knew what I should try to resolve the problem, but there is an internal fight that happens- one is telling you play it safe, don’t risk it and the other is saying, try to make it a better painting, don’t leave the ‘what it could have been?’ question unanswered.

Catch-up

I have a card that my daughter gave me that I keep close to my painting desk. It says “Art is Not for the Faint Hearted”. I read it out loud a few times, then gave my brush a few swirls in my water, loaded some alizarin red onto the brush and then there was no turning back. I was committed and I think my bravery was rewarded. What do you think?

“Catch-up” with red added

Now the painting is being flattened before I take it to the photographer to photograph for prints and frame.

I hope your day is going well.

Cheers from Patricia Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market October 23, 2021

I am still feeling soggy as I write this. It rained when setting up, taking down and in between. Because my site is on a slope, I had a small rivulet running through my stall. My bathroom has dripping wet table cloths and gazebo side walls hanging in it and the gazebo is drying upside down. Nevertheless, there were some brave souls that ventured out and visited Salamanca Market.

A couple bought two zip pouches for easy postage to their grandchildren, a “Family Outing” for the grandson and “Lazy Days’ for the granddaughter, who has heaps of coloured pencils, crayons and more. A “Lazy Days” zip pouch was bought by another person for her granddaughter who also has a large supply of drawing utensils.

“Lazy Days” zip pouch

A retired hairdresser from Brisbane was tickled pink with “Glamour Girls”. She told me it was her and her two friends.

Glamour Girls

A young lady, who has just painted her house and has lots of blank walls, bought “Double Date IV” and “The Three Amigos II” prints.

“Double Date IV”

“The Three Amigos II”

A teenage young man, with some assistance from his mother, decided to buy a “Hanging Out” tote bag for a Christmas present for his 15-year-old sister. What a nice brother!

“Hanging Out” print

A young couple, from Spain, who arrived before the COVID outbreak, bought a whale and “Salamanca Saturdays” prints. Another young couple from Adelaide bought an “Iconic Aussies” print.

Iconic Aussies

Upon arriving home, the rain intensified, which made me feel grateful that it wasn’t wetter than it was. Also, we escaped the 40 km gusts of wind which was predicted. That didn’t happen. Yay!

Wishing one and all a great weekend and upcoming week.

Take care, from Patricia (PJ)

http://www.pjpaintings.com

Update on My Garden Project

In December 2020, I embarked on a large scale gardening project to create a pattern over an area of approximately 8 x 4 metres with succulent plants. This involved firstly removing some very stubbornly rooted spiky plants and a hundred or more buckets of white pebbles. Check out the https://theunfurlingartist.wordpress.com/2020/12/25/a-big-garden-project/(opens in a new tab) to see early photos.

Hobart recently went into a three day lock-down, due to an interstate COVID positive man entering Tasmania, so I was able to spend one day working on what has become a long-term gardening project.

Another spiky plant was removed. Yay!!

Meanwhile some of the succulents planted are starting to establish themselves and the planned pattern is beginning to emerge.

I’m trying to create furled fronds with vertical succulents of different colours to help the fronds stand out. Here’s the basic plan:

Here’s another frond that has been planted but until the plants spread out, it looks like nothing. You can imagine when they start to grow out how the silvery succulents next to the darker succulents, will make each other pop.

I have to re-plant this unsuccessful attempt of a frond. It rained and rained after they were planted and they suffered root-rot. I will improve the soil and try again.

My randomly evolving succulent garden, on the other side of the pathway is continuing to bring colour and joy.

No work was done in the garden today. Instead I worked on a different kind of big project, a painting. I finished number two Leafy seadragon today. Three more to go.

I hope you are safe and floating through this week with ease.

Cheers, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market October 9, 2021

Today felt like a mixed-up day. We couldn’t park in our close-by usual spots, rain arrived at packing up time, with my car out of reach, and my Square app stopped working at 2 pm, but I’m happy that it didn’t stop earlier in the day, and all-in-all, I can’t complain. It was a good day, with many happy interactions.

A couple from the Gold Coast, who have travelled around a lot of Tasmania, including Stanley and Bruny Island, bought a “Double Date IV” print. Two ladies from Perth, spending two weeks in Tassie, bought the same print.

Double Date IV
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/copy-of-copy-of-white-faced-scops-owls-ii

A lady bought a small “Lazy Days” pouch for her 3-year-old granddaughter and another grandmother bought “Motherly Emutions” for her son. Another lady bought “Kiss Me Please” https://pjpaintings.com/collections/realistic-animals/products/kiss-me-please-1 for her mother. She said her mother will absolutely love it. I didn’t get a chance to ask her what her mother’s connection is with frogs.

Motherly Emutions
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/motherly-emutions

There was a lot of birthday-present-buying being done today. A young lady bought a “DefendConserveProtect” tote bag for her mother-in-law’s birthday, which is today. Another lady bought a large “Lost Worlds” print for her friend’s birthday.

Lost Worlds – A view from the Lost World track on kunanyi with Tasmanian Tigers and their continually felt presence

A couple from Adelaide bought a “Richmond Bridge, Tasmania” and a “Salamanca Fresh” print. A couple from Perth, WA, bought a “Salamanca Saturdays” cushion cover. A lady, who during the week bought a “Hanging Out” print from Tiger ina Papera https://www.facebook.com/TigerInaPaperaUniqueWoodcraft/ was so pleased to discover my stall and that she could buy a matching cushion cover, which she did.

Salamanca Fresh

A grandmother bought “Silent Disco” for her granddaughter that likes to dance, “Emus Can Fly!” for her grandson that likes cars and motorbikes, and “Entanglement” for herself. Another lady bought “Rising Above It” for a 12-year-old girl.

Fairy Penguins enjoying a Silent Disco

Rising Above It

A couple, who wanted to buy a gift for her sister, wanted three A-3 sized prints, each featuring three emus. I wasn’t sure if I could fulfill this request, but we did achieve success. They purchased “Salamanca Fresh”, “Glamour Girls” and “The Supremes”.

The Supremes
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/the-supremes

Wishing one and all a great rest of the weekend and upcoming week.

Take care, Patricia (PJ)

Australiana Greeting Cards

Five quality Australiana greeting card sets of my animal paintings are now available through my website https://pjpaintings.com/collections/cards/products/five-australiana-greeting-card-set

The greeting cards feature a platypus enjoying life, a sleepy Tasmanian devil, a family of echidnas, a relaxing wombat and dancing fairy penguins. The animals are all endemic to Tasmania, (so maybe I should name them Tasmanialiana! lol) an island, off the larger island of Australia.

Titled: Devilish Siesta

The beauty of greeting cards is that the recipient can get that warm, fuzzy feeling over and over again, each time they look at the card and/or read the words and thoughts you have written. Do you keep and re-read cards that you have received? Every once in a while, I pull out my stash of greeting cards and re-read them. It brings back smiles and memories. It’s a gift that keeps on giving and the recipient can wear the smile you gave them for weeks.

The greeting cards come in two sizes and are printed on quality card. They are nice to frame too.

Titled: Spiky Bunk beds

Titled: Silent Disco

Titled: Taking it Easy

I hope that you are enjoying a “Taking it Easy” weekend.

Cheers from Patricia (PJ)