Salamanca Market, January 21, 2023

It was a busy day at the market with two cruise ships in, summer school holidays and sunny weather, that is until it was packing-up time. It rained just long enough for everything to get wet so it had to be hung out to dry at home.

My first customers of the day were a mother and daughter. The daughter was from north of Brisbane and the mother was from further north, a town called Gympie. https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/gympie-qld The Aboriginal name gympie-gympie means stinging tree. The Gympie-Gympie stinging tree will leave you in agonising pain even from the gentlest touch. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2014/02/factsheet-gympie-gympie/  They purchased “Lost Worlds” and “Sleepyhead” prints.

Lost Worlds
High Quality Archival prints available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/unfurling/products/lost-worlds
Sleepyhead
High Quality Archival prints available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/wombat-sleepyhead

Then a man bought “Meet Me at the Gate” for his wife who loves Superb Fairy-wrens. They have fairy-wrens all over the house, he told me. “Meet Me at the Gate” also sold to a lady from South Australia who said she has many walls to fill, and a mother from Cressy https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/cressy-tas I said that judging by how many bags she was carrying that she was having a successful day at the market. She said she’s having a kids-free day and decided to come to Salamanca Market. She had bought a lot of gifts for her young children.

Meet Me at the Gate is so popular that I thought I would make “Meet Me at the Gate” available on tote bags too. It’s available in small, medium and large sizes on my website. It’s also available as a cushion cover. https://pjpaintings.com/…/tote-bag-meet-me-at-the-gate

A woman from Florida, USA, who works at a wildlife sanctuary and just loves birds, bought “Maggie & Maggie” for herself and “The Three Amigos II” for her daughter living in Michigan, USA.

I sold a record number of original paintings today, no less than nine! I sold Late for Pilates, There’s a Hole in My Stocking, dear Liza, dear Liza, Bird Migration, Off to the Beach, Mix ‘n Match, Platypus Frolic, Lindisfarne cottage, Cosy Place, and Beach Day.

Original Painting, Late for Pilates SOLD
Original Painting, There’s a Hole in My Stocking, dear Liza, dear Liza SOLD
Original Painting, Bird Migration SOLD
Original painting, Off to the Beach SOLD
Original painting, Platypus Frolic SOLD
An on-location urban sketch of a cottage on Park Street, Lindisfarne, Tasmania
Original painting titled, Cosy Place SOLD
Original painting titled, Beach Day SOLD

A family from Kingston, Tasmania, bought a “Maggie” print to add to their “The Three Amigos” and “Afternoon Siesta” prints that are framed and hanging up.

A lady from Port Fairy, Victoria bought “Maggie & Maggie”. A younger lady bought the same print. She was from Norway and will be spending 5 months in Australia. Another lady, from Kansas, USA, bought three prints: “Hammock Life”, “Spiky Bunk Beds” and “Afternoon Siesta”.

Spiky Bunk Beds
Afternoon Siesta

A brother bought his sister, who is expecting a baby in March, bought “Bunk Beds” to hang above the baby’s cot.

Bunk Beds: A family of sleepy wombats

A young couple purchased a “Hanging Out” and “Friendship Refreshes the Soul” print. They have been in Australia for a month and are returning to the UK tomorrow.

Hanging Out

An emergency doctor, working for a month in Launceston, Tasmania’s hospital, purchased a “Southern Flow” print.

“Southern Flow” Archival, quality prints are available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/whales

The rain put an abrupt end to the market but at least it was a motivating factor to try to pack quickly so things didn’t get too wet.

Until next week, take care and have fun being creative.

Warmest regards, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Quality prints of my art are available at www.pjpaintings.com

Art thought for the day:

“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Andy Warhol

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Salamanca Market March 26, 2022

It was a beautiful summer’s day today.

My very first visitors to the stall purchased a “Suspended” (a humpback whale) and “Afternoon Siesta” print, followed by a young couple from Sydney, buying a “Hanging Out” print.  

“Afternoon Siesta”

A couple, who came to Tasmania from Geelong via the ferry, chose a “Bunk Beds” print. Another person chose “Lost Worlds” for herself and “Bunk Beds” for a work colleague who cared for an orphaned wombat that spent its days at the office and was allowed to run around early in the morning before they were open to the public. The wombat’s name was Nigel.

Bunk Beds
Lost Worlds, which has the Tasmanian thylacines, lost to our world but their presence still felt, embedded in the foreground of the painting.

A young man, visiting Tasmania from about 2 hours drive south of Sydney, bought a print of the oldest convict-built bridge in Australia titled “Richmond Bridge, Tasmania”. https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/hobart/richmond-bridge.html

Richmond Bridge, Tasmania

An expectant mother from Sydney, purchased “Meet Me at the Gate” for her grandmother who loves Superb Fairy-wrens and an Enchanted Forest greeting card for her mother.

Meet Me at the Gate

A lady from Geelong, NSW, bought a “Hammock Life” print. Her son and her used to watch platypus in the river close to their house. He passed away and she said now she’s obsessive about platypus. She told me that she’s going to hang “Hammock Life” in her kitchen.

Hammock Life

The original painting titled “A Flair for Strutting” was purchased by a man from Moonah, Hobart.  I have actually recently sold five original strutting emu paintings: “Earthy” and another one at Peppercorn Gallery in Richmond, two website orders: “Taking the Fish for a Walk” and “Tiger and I”,  (www.pjpaintings.com) and now at Salamanca Market, “A Flair for Strutting”.

A Flair for Strutting

A couple, she was originally from Turkey and has been in Australia for two years and got married here, now living on the Central Coast, NSW, purchased “Poppy Fields (Yellow)” and “Leafy Decorum” prints. They had already bought some of my prints from Tiger ina Papera Gallery https://www.facebook.com/TigerInaPaperaUniqueWoodcraftsalamancagallery/ during the week. They want to move to Tasmania. He’s an electrician and she’s a yoga teacher. They are travelling to the north of the state to help them decide where in Tasmania they want to move to.

Yellow Poppy Fields

A lady bought a large “Helping Hands” zip pouch for her friend’s 50th birthday, who is also a quirky artist she told me.

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

Another lady bought a “Salamanca Saturdays” and “Salamanca Fresh” cushion covers to post to the USA… and then it was packing up and a cup of tea time.

Salamanca Saturdays cushion cover
Salamanca Fresh cushion cover

Thanks for visiting and I hope that the upcoming week goes well for you.

Cheers, from PJ Paintings

at site 30 at Salamanca Market, Tasmania

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

Salamanca Market March 12, 2022

Today was perfect market weather, and it was a long weekend in Tasmania, Eight Hours Day, known as Labour Day in the other states of Australia.

My very first visitor purchased a “Salamanca Fresh” print, and my second visitor, both from Melbourne, bought a “Hammock Life” and a “Thunder” print. Thunder is for her sister, who loves elephants.

“Thunder”
Quality prints available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/realistic-animals

A couple from Adelaide purchased “Salamanca Saturdays”. They are returning home tomorrow but not before going to MONA in the afternoon. https://culturalattractionsofaustralia.com/attractions/mona-museum-of-old-and-new-art/

“Hair Accessories”

Two ladies from Canberra bought “Hair Accessories”. They love black cockatoos and they told me that since the fires a lot more have moved into their neighbourhood. Another two ladies, from Sydney, bought “The Bun” for their mother, who also loves black cockatoos.

“The Bun”

A lady from Brisbane purchased “The Three Amigos II” print and a little original painting of a rather messy looking echidna that I painted.

The Three Amigos II

A young lady from Sydney, who works at a bird rescue centre and has 17 birds at home that she is currently caring for (she showed me photos of her latest rescued birds, a pigeon and lots of young magpies), purchased the very first “Morning Melody” A-4 sized print. She also bought “Enchanted Forest I” and “Enchanted Forest II” prints.

“Enchanted Forest I”
“Enchanted Forest II”

A lady from Brisbane, bought a “What the Devil?!” tote bag for her daughter-in-law, who volunteers fortnightly at an animal rescue shelter.

“What the Devil!?!”

A nurse from the UK, who is working in Australia for six months and then returning to the UK, purchased “House Sharing”.

“House Sharing”

A couple from Sydney purchased “Spanish Eyes (Red)” and “Family Outing”.

Family Outing

At the end of the day, two women, who both love magpies, purchased “Maggie” and “Morning Melody” each. One has the magpie birdsong as her ring tone on her phone. She played it for me to hear. It sounds so pretty.

Maggie
Morning Melody

I didn’t have any prints of my tomato birds at the market. ☹

Tomato Birds from my vegie patch

Thanks for visiting and I hope that your weekend is going well.

Cheers, from PJ Paintings

at site 30 at Salamanca Market, Tasmania

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

Salamanca Market February 12, 2022

It was a bit of a chilly start, today. You can feel autumn in the air now, but blue skies and sunshine soon made their presence.

The first visitor to the stall bought a “Double Date IV” print for a birthday present for a lady, who is turning 80 years old, and loves fairy wrens.

Double Date IV print
available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds

A “Lazy Days” tote bag was purchased as a thank you gift for somebody who is house-and-dog-sitting on Magnetic Island, Queensland, https://www.townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au/destinations/magnetic-island/, while she is holidaying in Tasmania.

A “Lazy Days” tote bag available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/bags

A lady purchased “Family Outing” and “Beachside Chatter” to add cheer to a Gold Coast paediatrician clinic’s waiting room.

Family Outing
Beachside Chatter

A “The Three Amigos” print was purchased by an Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, art student, specialising in print making. Another young lady bought an “Under My Red Umbrella” print to post to her friend living in Ontario, Canada. I also had a visitor from someone, who bought some of my emu prints about 7 years ago, which are hanging up in her work office in Canada and have been giving her joy for years. That was so nice to hear!

Under My Red Umbrella

A “Tu-whit & Tu-whoo” print will be making its new home in Queensland. A young couple, visiting from Newcastle, NSW, bought a framed print of “Scarlet Robins” and another young couple, expecting their first child bought “Spiky Bunk Beds” and “Hanging Out” for their nursery.

Spiky Bunk Beds

A lady told me that a whole bunch of her friends, including herself, are turning 70 this year. She bought four tote bags as birthday gifts, including one for her.

A lady bought two original paintings. One of an emu with a wombat in its back pack and another of dune-buggying emus.

Original Painting titled “Wombat Courier”
“Dune Buggy” I forgot to take a photo of the finished painting. I painted the dune buggy a bright red which popped against the raw sienna colour of the sand. I drew this for the Inktober Challenge, where you are presented with a drawing prompt word for each day of the month. The prompt word for this drawing was “dune”.

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 www.pjpaintings.com

Salamanca Market December 4, 2021

Tasmania’s borders are opening December 15th, 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 19th 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/

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.

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

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 60th 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 Update, April 24, 2021

I left the house when it was still dark and lightly raining. Lucky for us the skies cleared, and it ended up being a mild day. Also, lucky for us, is that we’re a COVID-free state of Australia (I say this while knocking on wood – where does that saying come from?? https://www.history.com/news/why-do-people-knock-on-wood-for-luck), visitors from interstate were out and about enjoying the wonderful Salamanca Market. 

Two ladies, visiting from Queensland, purchased two tote bags, “Salamanca Fresh” and “Lazy Days”, an A-3 sized print of “Tu-whit & Tu whoo”, “Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins” and “Off to the Races!” for one of their girlfriend’s birthday.

Lacy Days tote bag – Made in Australia and washable
Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins
Off to the Races II

Three prints are going to decorate baby girl Charli’s bedroom in Sydney: “Four Iconic Aussies”, “House Sharing” and I can’t remember what the third print was.

Four Iconic Aussies
House Sharing

A man, living near Ballarat, said that they bought a “Tu-whit & Tu-whoo” print a few years ago and his wife has colour co-ordinated the whole bedroom around the print, the walls and curtains!

One lady visited my stall and said she’d come back and when she did, she said, “your stall is my favourite”. Aww, now that warms the heart!

A grandmother, from Melbourne, keen to decorate her granddaughters’ bedroom, chose “Lazy Days” and “Spiky Bunk Beds” prints. One to hang above each bed.

A visitor from Bendigo, purchased “Kookaburra Rescue”. She hasn’t painted for years but when she did, she said that she liked putting smiles on faces too.

A gentleman, in his thirties, bought “The Bun” and “Hair Accessories” for his friend’s mother’s birthday. His friend’s mother must have been good to him over the years! She loves black cockatoos.

A young Brisbane couple are taking back an A-4 sized print, called “Suspended”.

A couple from Adelaide, he was telling me how much he loved Adelaide, whereas the woman was not speaking as glowingly about the city. It was funny hearing opposite opinions from them. They bought a bunch of greeting cards. Two young ladies from Sydney browsed, left, and then came back and bought some greeting cards. A lot of cards were sold today, including Christmas cards. I totally sold out of them. I will have to bring more when I go back in a fortnight.

Until then, take good care of yourselves during this challenging time of living with a pandemic.

From PJ Paintings

The Famous Wineglass Bay

Wineglass Bay, Tasmania, rates highly as one of the top beaches in the world. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wineglass-bay

My girlfriend, who is soon moving to New Zealand, and I are doing a road trip in Tasmania, one last look for her before she leaves. Wineglass Bay was our first stop. On the way, we saw a sweet little echidna on the side of the road. They are quite common in Tasmania, but I certainly don’t see them very often. https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/echidna

It’s quite a steep trek to the Wineglass viewing platform. I love the boulders, their shape, strength and colour.

passing by boulders on way to the viewing platform
A quick sketch of the boulders

Scenes from the viewing platform.

Wineglass Bay with Hazards Beach on the other side
My quick sketch of the view

On our walk back to the car park, going the Hazards Beach way, my friend suddenly stopped and screamed. It’s strange how childhood experiences embed in brains so deeply. I immediately thought there must be a bear ahead on the track, but at the same time my brain told me that there are no bears in Australia (I have encountered bears several times in Canada while bush walking) and then I saw a snake slither into the bush. I had to push my friend past as she is petrified of snakes.

We saw many fairy wrens in the bush, which inspired this inktober drawing (it’ll look nicer when I add paint :-). What does Wineglass Bay and Superb fairy-wrens have in common….?

a fairy wren being a good dad

…… they have both been voted #1 and they are both a brilliant turquoise. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2017/08/six-things-you-didnt-know-about-superb-fairy-wrens/

After walking for four hours, we were grateful to be sitting down! We had a counter meal in Coles Bay where I met a fellow Belgian, Annabelle.

Two Belgians in Coles Bay, Tasmania

Thanks for visiting.

Cheers from PJ Paintings

An #Inktober Flurry

The prompt word for day 13 is “dune”. I drew some emus having a gleeful time driving a dune buggy. There’s not a sign of apprehension on their faces, despite steering with their feet due having wingless bodies. They know how to ignore potential limitations and experience adventures.

Adventuring emus

Day 14’s prompt word is “armor”. I drew a male fairy wren sitting on an abandoned helmet. The Superb fairy-wren was voted Australia’s favourite bird, which is no surprise being such a lovely shaped, little bird with a bright turquoise crown. https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/superb-fairy-wren

a watchful dad

I combined day 15 and 16’s prompt words: “outpost” and “rocket”.

An outpost house sad to see its only resident go

Day 17 and the prompt word is “storm”. This emu is hurrying to get inside before she gets caught in a storm.

Avoiding the oncoming storm

I’m all caught up. Hooray!

Thanks for stopping by. Take care, from Pj Paintings http://www.pjpaintings.com