Hello,
I hope that the weather is calm wherever you are.
I titled this watercolour and Artline pen painting “Patchy Weather II”. I painted it on Khadi Mill paper made from recycled cotton rags.
Wishing you a happy day.
Cheers, Patricia Hopwood-Wade
Boxing Day greetings one and all. I hope yesterday was lovely for everyone and that you are enjoying a day off. I did a bit of gardening this morning. I’m still chipping away at my succulent garden project.
I thought I should write a succulent garden update since the last update was two years ago!! https://theunfurlingartist.wordpress.com/2021/12/12/update-on-succulent-garden/ It’s been one step forward, then two or three backwards and fleeting thoughts of giving up on it. Too often the succulents that I plant, I find the next morning plucked out by birds and strewn everywhere. I’ve resorted to covering them with wire, cutting the bottom of pots and putting sticks around them to discourage this flicking-out-willy-nilly bird activity. It doesn’t look as aesthetically pleasing but the strategy is helping to reduce, although not eliminate, this sort of behaviour, while plants are establishing their root system.
Now, I’m going to have a stripe of green succulents, then red & green succulents, then green, then reddish succulents and repeat this pattern around the swirls.
The swirls are starting to establish themselves and are becoming easier to see the pattern. Once the stripes full out more, it will be even easier to see, not to mention less weeding! lol
Hopefully, during the summer, the succulents will really fill out so that next year I can show you a massive carpet of succulents with the swirling pattern popping out and easily identifiable.
Have fun with whatever project you are working on.
Wishing you a very happy, healthy and creative 2024.
Cheers, from Patricia (www.pjpaintings.com)
We saw quite a few birds on our short evening walk, tonight.
Firstly, we encountered a group of galahs.
Then there was a Noisy Miner bobbing around on a branch feeding on flowers.
Then we saw four Yellow-tailed black cockatoos. Firstly, on the grass on a playing field, cracking open pine cones and then they moved into the trees.
And then, as we arrived home they were just flying into a tree at the top of our driveway! They are such gorgeous birds. I love them.
I have painted some of the birds that I saw tonight. The Yellow-crested cockatoo is a very common sight in Tasmania now. They are not endemic to Tasmania but in the last five or so years they have moved into Hobart’s suburbs and there are so many of them.
Birds bring such joy to my life and I hope there are plenty of birds where you live delivering some bird-joy to you too.
Cheers from, Patricia
Hello everybody,
I hope that all is well and that you were able to start your day by hearing a singing bird.
My painting titled, “Maggie” , is proving to be popular as many Australians have a strong connection with magpies (maggies). Australian Magpies are found throughout Australia, including Tasmania, where I live. The distinctive melodic birdsong of the magpie is synonymous with Australia and the Australian bush. It’s a special way to start the morning, hearing their melodious song greeting when you are lying in bed.
Magpies begin to produce sounds shortly after they are born and the vocal range and complexity of their song continues to improve as they get older. The call of the Magpie is reputedly one of the most complex in the world which sound like a loud musical flute-like call, often performed in groups.
Magpies often establish relationships with people, routinely visiting for a feed, hence so many people developing a strong connection with the bird, becoming involved with each new generation of the bird’s family.
I’ve expanded my tote bag collection with the new addition of “Maggie”. These sturdy tote bags, with the “Maggie” 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. They come in a Small (approximately 33 cm x 33 cm), Medium (approximately 41 cm x 41 cm) size or Large (approximately 46 cm x 46 cm) size.
The days and weeks seem to be flying by so quickly. Despite the speed of life, I hope that you are finding time to stop to smell the roses and listen to the birds.
Cheers, from Patricia
Some of my friends said that I shouldn’t add paint to Day #9’s Inktober Challenge’s prompt word “Nest”. They really liked it as it was. So, I left it, but I found myself thinking of it as not finished, so I couldn’t let go of it.
I like to finish art work. Having almost finished or half done art work around me seems to act as a block to starting new paintings. It niggles away at the back of my mind. So, apologies to those who thought I should not add paint because I added paint. What do you think? Should I or should I have not???
The original “Nesting”, with paint, (lol) is available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/original-paintings/products/nesting
I hope your week is going well.
Cheers, from Patricia (PJ)
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:
Wishing you a week full of friendly encounters.
Cheers, Patricia (PJ)
Quality prints of my artwork is available at http://www.pjpaintings. com
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.
My first customer of the day was a couple from Gladstone, Queensland https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/gladstone-qld They purchased an A-3 size of “Outback Glamping”.
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 couple from Canberra, looking for a house in Tasmania because they plan on moving here, purchased a “Maggie” print.
An online primary school teacher from Maitland, NSW purchased a “Salamanca Saturdays” and a “Meet Me at the Gate” print.
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.
Cheers, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade
I stepped out of the house before 6 am into blackness and 4 degrees Celsius to head off to Salamanca Market, which officially today it returned to “Salamanca Market”. During COVID restrictions it had different rules and was renamed “Tasmanian Own Market”, but everybody still referred to it as Salamanca Market. But now that it “is” Salamanca Market again, all the sites were open and stalls returned to their assigned sites, so there would have been over 300 stalls today.
The Festival of Voices https://festivalofvoices.com/ is on and that could be what was contributing to the busyness today. I wasn’t feeling crash hot today, so I didn’t keep track of too many stories. I started feeling much better as the day went on.
The first customer of the day was from Brisbane, Queensland, a choir performer at the Festival of Voices. She purchased a “Lazy Days” and a “Hanging Out” print.
A university student bought a “Salamanca Saturday” large tote bag to use to carry her books and study material. Two ladies were walking by, and one of the ladies exclaimed that her son bought her the “Salamanca Saturdays” print (what a lovely son! 😊). She was pleased to meet the artist and told me that she loved it.
A mother and daughter purchased a “Spiky Bunk Beds” and a “Bunk Beds” print to take back to USA with them. They live in New Hampshire.
A grandmother visited the PJ Paintings stall and purchased five prints: “All Ears”, “Helping Hands”, “Scarlet Robin Rescue”, “Friendship Refreshes the Soul” and “Spiky Bunk Beds”. She said that they are going to Manila, Philippines. Then she came back with her daughter and her three children. She bought another print, “Glamour Girls” for another daughter. Her daughter bought three prints of the wombats in hammocks series.
These three prints are from my Cheer ’em Up series, of scenes where emus come to the rescue and save the day. The emu in the painting titled “All Ears” is such a patient listener that the tip of its beak is getting a little crumpled. This series is available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus
One young lady was drawn to Tu-whit & Tu-whoo because her grandfather, in Ireland, would pick up the dead ones off the side of the road and get them stuffed. He has a long shelf lined with stuffed barn owls.
It was good to get home, warm the toes, and sit down with a cup of tea.
Happy Canada Day!
Cheers, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade
With huge rainfalls and floods in Queensland, and the forecasted week of rain for Hobart, Tasmania, we gratefully accepted the perfect market weather of the day.
My first visitor to the stall bought an “Emu Charleston” and “Family Outing” print for her new house in Newcastle, NSW. She moved in over a year ago and she still has bare walls, which she intends to rectify with these prints.
A lady, from Melbourne, visited the stall in the morning and returned in the afternoon. She bought a framed print titled “Who Says Emus Can’t Fly!?” for her son and A-3 sized prints “Supportive Nestworks” and “Salamanca Fresh” for herself. She bought the final limited edition of Salamanca Fresh. There are no A-4s or A-3s left of this image, although there are still a few A-2s limited edition prints.
A young man bought “Glamour Girls” for his mother. He thought she would really like it. His partner chose “The Bun”, “Hair Accessories” and “Enchanted Forest” prints. Another young couple came into the stall and said that they want three cards of threes. They found one with three owls, three emus and three kookaburras. Her triplet brothers’ birthdays are in March. Let me guess, you’re the firstborn, I asked? Correct.
A couple from Mountain River, Tasmania, bought five prints. They bought some PJ Paintings prints a couple of years ago for their first grandchild. A couple from the Gold Coast bought “Unwinding”, “The Bun”, “Hair Accessories”, “Bunk beds” and “Friendship Refreshes the Soul”. A man from Cairns also purchased “Hair Accessories” and “Bunk Beds”.
A lady with her adult daughter stopped buy and purchased a “Sea Life” print. It’s the first Saturday she’s had off in two years. She’s a butcher. She has a shop in South Hobart. They’ve been out for breakfast, then the markets and then a show tonight.
Fourteen-year-old, Dorothy, was an unusual market visitor. I was told that she is an African grey. https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/species/african-grey-parrot/
Some small original paintings were sold today too: a spotted quoll, my urban sketches of Claremont House https://hobartandbeyond.com.au/place/claremont-house/ (now permanently closed, unfortunately) and the view from Lindisfarne Bay with the Tasman Bridge https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/hobart/tasman-bridge.html in the backdrop, and Funky Jeans.
Thanks for visiting and I hope that the upcoming week is gentle.
Cheers, from PJ Paintings
at site 30 at Salamanca Market, Tasmania
Quality prints are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com
It was chilly in the morning. My face felt cold while setting up the stall. As the day progressed, so did the temperature, eventually getting up to 27 degrees Celsius. We could hear constant helicopter activity and sirens at the market. I found out that was because there was a fire at Mt Nelson. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-19/watch-and-act-issued-for-hobart-suburb/100845458 I think it has been successfully dealt with, thankfully.
My first visitors to the stall was a couple that have been living in Melbourne for five years and are moving back to Ireland. They bought “Enchanted Forest I”.
Then I had another couple, who bought “Bunk beds” and “Sitting on the Fence” and they told me that they will be coming with them back to Ireland. They have a two- and four-year-old and are also living in Melbourne. They were planning on moving back to Ireland and then the pandemic happened, forcing them to postpone the move. Both families are moving in less than two months. What an undertaking! I feel tired just thinking about a move like that.
“The Three Amigos II” was the best seller today. A couple bought a “The Three Amigos II” print for his sister who is going back to Germany, where she currently lives and works. She’s a violinist in Germany. He has another sibling and the three of them affectionately call themselves the three amigos. Another young couple bought three prints of the kookaburras because he wanted one for himself and his two friends. The three of them also call themselves the three amigos. They also bought framed prints of “Bunk beds” and “Silent Disco”. They also asked if they could have a photo of us. I happily obliged.
Then, “The Three Amigos II” went to a couple from the Gold Coast, QLD and a few others sold but I couldn’t catch where their destination was. I went home without a single “The Three Amigos II” print.
A large “Lazy Days” tote bag is heading for Sydney.
The cuddly original wombat painting sold today too. It is staying in Hobart.
A regular visitor to my stall gave me this little memento of my birthplace in Belgium. It is unheard of to see anything connected to Hasselt, Belgium in Tasmania.
Thank you for visiting and I wish you a creative upcoming week.
Cheers from PJ Paintings
at site 30 at Salamanca Market, Tasmania
Quality prints are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 