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

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)

Enchanted Forest II

I painted an Australian forest scene that was purchased when I posted the painting on my Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/hopwoodwade/).

One of the birds featured in the painting is the Golden-shouldered parrot that I wrote about in an earlier blog post: https://wordpress.com/post/theunfurlingartist.wordpress.com/6302

Another bird that is seriously struggling that is included in this painting is the Orange-bellied parrot, one of only a few migratory parrot species in the world and it is listed as critically endangered. The parrots breed in Melaleuca, on the west coast of Tasmania, feeding on button grass seeds and fly to the south east of mainland Australia in the winter. https://www.zoo.org.au/fighting-extinction/local-threatened-species/orange-bellied-parrot/ and https://birdlife.org.au/projects/orange-bellied-parrot-recovery

Another species facing an upward struggle, and also is listed as endangered, is the Tasmanian devil. https://www.zoo.org.au/fighting-extinction/local-threatened-species/tasmanian-devil/ and https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/tassie-devils. European settlers named them Tasmanian devils because of their skin-crawling, night-time howling. Tasmanian devils are smallish in size but look quite menacing when they open their large mouths and bare their teeth. Their strong jaws enable them to munch through bones with ease.

Enchanted Forest II

Birds from top left to right are a: Gouldian finch, Yellow-throated honeyeater, Boobook owl, Magpie, Wattle bird, Orange-bellied parrot, Sugar glider, Golden-shouldered parrot, New Holland honeyeater, Spotted-tail quoll and Tasmanian devil.

I hope that you are able to enjoy time in an enchanted forest near to wherever you are living and that efforts to save species are achieving successes.

Take care, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market September 11, 2021

The morning started with beautiful blue skies but because rain was forecasted, I put the gazebo’s three walls up and awning. It’s surprising how much time this takes. I suppose because I need a stool to reach, which means getting up and down from the stool, and constantly moving it along to attach the wall and awning to the next section. Anyways, business started happening before I had completed my setting up, which is good, considering tourist traffic is significantly down.

A local young man bought “Hair Accessories” for his partner that loves black cockatoos. They are regular visitors where they live, as they are at my house, on the Eastern Shore of Hobart. Next a couple from Hobart visited and she bought two zipper pouches, one for a gift and the other for herself, along with a large “Salamanca Saturdays” tote bag. Another Hobartian purchased a small “Hanging Out” tote bag for her young niece and a grandmother bought an “Afternoon Siesta” greeting card for her 5 year old granddaughter, Fifi, living in France. Christmas cards, destined for various locations around the world: Norway, USA, and the UK, to name a few, were purchased today too.

Salamanca Saturdays tote bag available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/bags/products/salamanca-saturdays-tote-bag

A “Lazy Days” tote bag was purchased for a friend that is besotted with wombats. This friend stayed at a hotel that had an adopted wombat that wandered in and out of the hotel and this is where her passion was really fuelled.

Lazy Days tote bag (washable and Australian made) https://pjpaintings.com/collections/bags/products/tote-bag-lazy-days-1

There were heaps of people from Queensland at the market. The border opened and many have taken advantage of it. Another “Lazy Days” tote bag was purchased. A young couple from Brisbane purchased a set of prints: “Hammock Life,” “Afternoon Siesta” and “Devilish Siesta”. Their yard backs onto a bush reserve and these prints fit in with their animal/nature theme of their house’s décor.

A worker from the Royal Hobart Hospital, thankful that she doesn’t have to wear a mask today because she wears it each day at work (but that will be changing next week, we’ve been told that we must wear masks) purchased a framed Christmas Siesta.

Christmas Siesta https://pjpaintings.com/collections/christmas/products/christmas-christmas-siesta

My thoughts are with all those affected by the 11/9 attack.

Take care, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market August 28, 2021

It was a rather slow-moving day at the market on Saturday but there was a lot to be thankful for. The sun, and not the wind, was out, and there were no driverless vehicles on the move. Last week, a van was left in neutral without the handbrake on and the van rolled into my next-door neighbour’s gazebo.

The morning started off with “Suspended” being purchased by a lady who informed me that it was going to hang in her boat.

Suspended
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/whales

A lady, visiting from Queensland, bought a cushion cover, “Hanging Out”.

Another visitor from Queensland, Noosa, bought a “Silent Disco” print.

Hanging Out cushion cover https://pjpaintings.com/collections/cards

Fairy Penguins enjoying a Silent Disco
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/musical

Three girlfriends from the northwest coast of Tassie, helped one choose an A-3 sized print of “Glamour Girls”. She wants to hang it above her bathtub. A local Hobartian, who collects fairy wren items, purchased a “Meet Me at the Gate” print. A “Meet Me at the Gate” framed print was also purchased by another Hobart resident.

Meet Me at the Gate
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds

A couple purchased a “Bunk beds”, “Hanging Out” and “Devilish Siesta” to hang up in their Bed & Breakfast accommodation in St. Helen’s, Tasmania. At the very end of the day, during packing up, there were two couples buying similar sets of prints, but I didn’t have the opportunity to chat much, but I do know that one was a graphic designer. I was quite keen to depart as soon as I could to get home, unpack the car, and get changed to go see the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra play Beethoven IV. https://www.tso.com.au It was a wonderful concert. 😊

Keep well, Pj Paintings

Salamanca Market, August 14, 2021

As I write this post, on Sunday morning, it is raining and the Derwent River is awash with white caps, which makes me feel even more thankful for yesterday’s calm and mild conditions. Due to the ideal winter weather conditions of yesterday, there were more people out and about.

My first customers at the stall were three sisters, meeting up in Tassie, where one of the sister lives, to celebrate a sister’s birthday. One purchased a “Salamanca Fresh” tote bag and another bought an A-4 sized print of “Meet Me at the Gate” for her friend’s Christmas present. They meet at the gate to go walking together and she loves fairy wrens. A gift tailored for the individual!

“Salamanca Fresh” capturing a lively Salamanca Market day scene

“Meet Me at the Gate”

Then I met a locum nuclear medicine specialist doing a stint at the hospital here but because of the lockdowns he was not going home for his few weeks off. His daughter, who lives and teaches in the ACT, takes teenagers scuba diving, climbing Mt Kosciuszko and the like to teach them resilience, teamwork, build confidence and many other valuable life skills, loves whales. https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/snowy-mountains/kosciuszko-national-park/summit-walk

“Southern Flow”

He bought “Southern Flow” and “Weightless” prints for her. I didn’t get his name, but he also has a sole business selling shooting equipment. He represented Australia twice in the Olympics and a few times in the Commonwealth Games. I imagine it was in the Men’s trap shooting??

Weightless

A couple from central Queensland, their first visit to Tasmania, also bought a “Weightless” print and they bought one of my mini sketches of an Arthur Circus cottage. https://theunfurlingartist.wordpress.com/2017/06/25/where-are-the-clowns/ They are here for a week. They have visited Richmond, Mona and were going to Bruny Island in the afternoon. https://theunfurlingartist.wordpress.com/2017/10/13/bruny-island/

A couple from Newcastle purchased “Sitting on the Fence”. He loves kookaburras.

“Sitting on the Fence”

A man, who lives six months of the year in France, in the countryside of the Nouvelle Aquitaine area, purchased a small “Scarlet Robins” tote bag. https://www.britannica.com/place/Aquitaine.

“Scarlet Robins” made in Australia and washable tote bag

A couple from Townsville bought a “Richmond Bridge” and a “Silent Disco” print. A young lady, looking for a gift for her girlfriend, who lives in the Richmond, Tasmania area, bought her a “Two to Tango” tote bag. This is another tailored made gift because this girlfriend has a male and female emu as pets!! Their names are Ernie and Bert! 😊 Emus as pets are unusual pets but having emu pets in Tasmania is even more unusual because they are not endemic to Tasmania. The emus Tasmania used to have, have been extinct for over 100 years. https://theunfurlingartist.wordpress.com/2020/02/03/the-study-of-emu-poo/

“Two to Tango”

I was pretty keen on packing up and getting away as soon as the gates opened. I was making good time and everything was fitting back into the car quite well and when I finished, I saw my gazebo standing there trying to look inconspicuous. Arg. I had to unpack half the car to pack it again, then got home and unpacked again and then headed out to the Welcome Swallow Brewery’s opening celebrations. https://www.welcomeswallow.com.au/ It’s an awesome venue and space. It was a great evening with amazing tasting boutique beer, made from Nigel’s homegrown, organic hops and raspberries.

I hope that you are staying warm and safe inside this week.

Cheers from, Patricia Hopwood-Wade

Limited edition prints are available at www.pjpaintings.com

Salamanca Market July 31, 2021

It was a mild start to the day and then the rains came. Thankfully it passed. With various states across Australia in lockdowns, the numbers were significantly down at Salamanca Market.

The first sale of the day was a greeting card by a lady visiting from Brisbane. Then a couple visiting from Queensland bought two medium-sized pouches, one for their 4-year-old granddaughter’s birthday. They purchased a “Salamanca Fresh” and “Family Outing” pouch.

Salamanca Fresh pouch

Family Outing

A young man stopped by, freshly off a deep-sea research ship back from exploring/researching Australia’s deep-sea Indian Ocean Territories. The ship that docked a few days ago in Hobart. https://museumsvictoria.com.au/article/investigatingtheiot/ They have identified many new species: some blind and/or faceless species and many new crustations. He showed me some of his photos of the newly discovered species. He purchased a “Bunk beds” and “Sea Life” print.

Bunk beds

Sea Life

A couple chose a “Double Date” print for their mother. Another couple, from Brisbane, purchased a “Sea Life” and “Silent Disco” print. Brisbane is going into a three-day lock-down, so they are going to stay longer in Tassie.

Fairy Penguins enjoying a Silent Disco

A mother and daughter bought a Large “Helping Hands” pouch and a Medium sized “Hanging Out” tote bag. A couple from Queensland are taking an A-3 size “House sharing” print back with them.

Helping Hands pouch available at the market and http://www.pjpaintings.com

A family from Brisbane purchased three prints for their baby’s room: “Fairy wrens”, “Scarlet Robins” and “Weightless”.  A lady bought a “Bunk beds” print for a birthday gift for a girlfriend that lives in Brisbane. A lady, from Queensland, bought three prints of the Glamour Girls series for herself and her girlfriends.

Fairy wrens

Scarlet Robins

Weightless

At the end of the day, while I was packing up, a daughter and her mother, expecting her third child, chose a “Bunk beds” and “Sea Life” print. She’s having her baby in Tasmania and then they are returning to Fiji, where they live.

After packing up the market stall and then unpacking the car when I arrived home, I got changed into 60’s outfit to go to my friend’s 60^th birthday party. The music was so much fun to dance to!

Celebrating Sixty Style

Wishing everybody a good upcoming fortnight.

Thanks for visiting! All print, tote bag and pouch images shown are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com

Cheers, from Patricia Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market July 17, 2021

It was dark and 4 degrees when I exited my house. My set-up took about an hour and a half, and right on cue, my first visitor to the stall arrived, a lady from Deloraine, Tasmania. She bought “Under My Red Umbrella” and “Hayride” prints.

Under My Red Umbrella

A couple visiting from Queensland, recognised my art because her daughter follows me on Facebook and ordered a wombat tote bag online for her as she is wombat-mad. She was wearing a wombat badge, wombat earrings and a wombat top. She purchased a “Lazy Days” pouch.

Lazy Days

A couple, from Launceston on a Hobart weekend get-away, purchased a “Meet Me at the Gate” print. They already have quite a few of my prints. Most of them are hanging up in their daughter’s bedroom. They have four sons and one daughter. I think they are very deserving of their get-away break!

Meet Me at the Gate (prints are available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds)

A couple, expecting their first child, who left Geelong, Victoria, just before the lockdown, bought “Share House” and “Sitting on the Fence” for their nursery.

“Share House” These Tawny Frogmouths are a little grumpy as they do not quite agree with this definition of ‘sharing’.

A mother and school aged son, visiting from Burnie during the last week of the two-week school holiday period, chose a print titled “Hanging Out”. Another lady, leaving Tasmania and moving to South Australia to be closer to family, also purchased a “Hanging Out” print and “Double Date IV”.

“Hanging Out”

Double Date IV

Two young ladies, extending their Tasmanian holiday because Victoria has gone into lock-down, bought a “Sitting on the Fence” print.

“Sitting on the Fence”

Honeymooners from Cairns, visiting Hobart for four days, then Freycinet and Cradle Mountain for the remainder of their time away, perused the stall. She said that her sister is having a baby and that a wombat print would look really good in a nursery.

Jodie and I rugged up at Salamanca Market. We’re next door neighbours at the market, site 30 and 31.

Jodie and I

I’ll be back at Salamanca Market in a fortnight, July 31st. All the prints in this post are available at: http://www.pjpaintings.com

Wishing everybody a safe upcoming week.

Cheers, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Cute Platypus

Platypuses, along with echidnas, are the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. In warmer environments, such as Queensland, platypus are smaller, with Tasmanian platypuses often much bigger.

Platypuses close their eyes, ears and nose when underwater. The only sensory system they use when foraging for small water animals such as insect larvae, freshwater shrimps, and crayfish, is touch. They have touch receptors in their bills.

You are more likely to see a platypus going for a walk in Tasmania than anywhere else because there is a lack of natural predators here. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-27/platypus-walk-filmed-tasmania/12275336

This platypus has walked and climbed into a cosy hammock and is enjoying some daydreaming time. 

Hammock Life

I’ve made my painting, titled “Hammock Life” into Limited Edition prints, available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/daydreaming-a-platypus-in-a-hammock  They are printed on William Turner 310gsm print version textured water colour paper, which retains the look and feel of water colour paintings.  No wonder I have so many people ask me if the print is an original painting!

This platypus has also walked and climbed into a cosy hammock and is enjoying some daydreaming time. It has a real flair for home décor as evidenced by its wonderfully decorated hammock!

Daydreaming

This painting, titled, “Daydreaming” is not available as a print but the original painting is for sale at Wooby Lane Gallery, Salamanca Place, Tasmania.

I hope that you are finding time to daydream and relax too.

Cheers, from Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market July 3, 2021

Thankfully it was a mild winter’s day today and the 40% chance of forecasted rain decided to opt on the 60% side of the equation. The Melbournian lockdown status has just lifted and there were quite a few people that took advantage of it. One family, her being originally from Tassie, came to visit family. They purchased a “Sea Life” print.

Sea Life

A first time visitor to Tassie, returning to Melbourne tonight, purchased An A-3 sized print of “Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins” and “The Bun”. She said that she loves Tasmania. 🙂

Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins. This was a popular print today as I sold out of the A-3 size. I should have packed more!!

“The Bun”

The Yellow-tailed black cockatoo has a short crown and when the others are flaunting their long, lush crowns, it takes it can take a toll on their self-esteem. I’ve helped them out by giving them hairdos that turns heads.

Another couple that were leaving tonight, were from Invermay, NSW. They purchased “Who, Who, Who are You? II and so did a lady at the very end of the day, while I was packing up, she ordered an A-2 size of the same print to go to Geelong, Victoria. The A-3 sized prints of Who, Who, Who are You? II is getting close to the end of its Limited Edition print run.

Who, Who, Who are You? II

A couple from Lake Macquarie or Awaba in New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s largest coastal salt water lake, https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/lake-macquarie-nsw, where I have lived for a few years, bought A-3 sized prints of “Salamanca Saturdays” and “Salamanca Fresh”.

Salamanca Fresh

A mother from Cairns, and daughter from Brisbane, bought a “Silent Disco” print. They were on their way to Bicheno specifically to see the Fairy penguins come ashore.

Fairy Penguins enjoying a Silent Disco

A young couple bought a fairy wren greeting card for his mother that lives in Kettering, Tasmania. https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/kettering-tas . The driveway is getting too steep for her so she is moving. She gets heaps of wrens, cockatoos and eagles where she lives and will miss the birds terribly.

Double Date IV

I met a lady from Bellingen, NSW. Silk and Cotton, in Bellingen, sell my greeting cards in their lovely shop. https://silkandcotton.com.au/

The Festival of Voices is on during the upcoming week. I enjoyed an evening at the Vinyl Lounge last night and next Friday I will be enjoying another musical event at the Theatre Royal.

Until then, take good care of yourselves.

Cheers, from Patricia (PJ)

P.S. all the prints featured in this blog post are available at http://www.pjpaintings.com