My drawing and painting for Week Two’s prompt word, “Puppet”, for #inktober52.
I spent significant time and care drawing the fur in with an Artline pen. I usually just draw outlines and do my details in the painting part of the process. I accidentally deleted the drawing photo from my phone. Quite frustrating.
Wishing you an ‘unfrustrating’ week.
Cheers, from Patricia (PJ)
It was a lovely, sunny day, so my toes stayed toasty-warm. There weren’t many people buying gifts, for Mother’s Day tomorrow, but there were plenty of grandparents buying for their grandchildren today!
My first customer was a couple from Melbourne that bought a “Friendship Refreshes the Soul” print. Next, were two women from Malaysia that went their way with their new “Lazy Days” tote bag.
A couple from Sydney, expecting their first baby, bought an original painting, titled “Wombat Adventurer” and a “Hanging Out” print for the baby’s room.
Another couple arrived and bought a “Lazy Days” print for their one-year-old Theodore. He gave me plenty of gorgeous smiles and waved bye as he was being wheeled away.
A Port Adelaide supporter, from Port Adelaide, South Australia, visiting Tassie to watch today’s AFL game at Blundstone Oval, against the Kangaroos, bought a “Bunk Beds” print. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/copy-of-sleepy-head-series-bunk-beds-wombat-watercolour
Grandparents from Brisbane purchased “Supportive Nestworks” and “Dinner for Five???” for their one-year-old grandson. A few minutes later another set of grandparents bought “Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins” and “Dinner for Five???” prints for their granddaughter and their soon-to-arrive grandson, which they are calling ‘boyby’ right now.
I met three young people visiting from Columbia, South America. They bought some greeting cards. I practised my French speaking to a nurse, who is French but currently working in New Caledonia. She’s taking a 3-week holiday in Australia. One week in Sydney and two weeks in Tasmania. She wasn’t too impressed with Sydney but loved the Blue Mountains and is loving Tasmania. She purchased two small prints.
A grandmother, who has seven granddaughters, bought nine A-5 sized prints for her granddaughters, son and herself. She chose “Family Outing” for her son.
While I was packing up, a man asked for a large sized “Bunk Beds” tote bag. He told me his wife was eyeing that one. Maybe this is a Mother’s Day gift??
Until next week, take care.
Happy Mother’s Day, and if this is a difficult day for you, I hope it is as gentle as possible.
Warmest regards, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade
Quality prints of my art are available at www.pjpaintings.com
Thought for the day:
“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then, I want to move in with them.”- Phyllis Diller
It was a much cooler start today than previous weeks. We are definitely moving into winter. I wore my fingerless gloves and despite wearing my winter woollen socks, my toes remained cold throughout the day.
My first customer was from New Zealand. She’s a nurse and working eight weeks in Burnie, in the northern Tasmania. https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/places/north-west/burnie/ She purchased a “Hammock Life” print.
A couple visiting from Singapore purchased a “Hammock Life” print.
A couple from the Gold Coast bought ten greeting cards and my original painting titled, “Tickle My Toes”. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/tickle-my-toes
A traveller from Paris, France, working in Melbourne’s metro office, bought a “Enchanted Forest II” and “Hanging Out” print. It was fun to have a short conversation in French.
A couple from Sydney purchased “Sitting on the Fence” and another couple from Sydney, originally from Brazil, purchased a “Spiky Bunk Beds” and a “Bunk Beds” print for baby Sophia’s bedroom.
A couple from New Zealand, visiting their daughter in Melbourne, purchased a “Salamanca Saturdays” print. A young man, also from New Zealand, bought an “Afternoon Siesta” print for his sister last year. He told me that she loved it so much that she brought it to a framer the very next day! He wanted to buy another print to go with it and decided on “Hammock Life”. What a lovely brother! He bought his mother “Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins”.
A local man from Kingston, where Neil the Seal has turned up, bought a “Sea Life” print. https://pulsehobart.com.au/news/neil-the-seal-evicted-from-hobarts-kingston-beach/
While I was packing up, one of the UK sisters I met last week, revisited my stall. She bought two prints: “Bunk Beds” and “Share House” and a card. Then she returned about 10 minutes later and bought a “Scarlet Robins” print and then she returned again and bought another “Scarlet Robins” print. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/scarlet-robins
The sisters are off to Melbourne on Monday and then to Cairns for two weeks. Then one is going back to the UK, and the other is going to stay and work. She would like to work in Hobart because she really likes it here.
Packing up was finished later than usual but there was no mad rush, so all good.
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:
My platypus journey started with Inktober in 2017.
My very first platypus were done with only ink and water, using a reed and paintbrush. I used a mixture of Indian ink and Quink ink so that there would be some bleed.
and then I started adding reeds and grasses…
followed by platypus looking at various things….
I drew this platypus for Inktober’s prompt word “cruel” – with the idea that it is cruel that platypus have to navigate a web of pollution.
then I started exploring platypus swimming again
… then a whimsical twist with the platypus, putting one in a hammock. I titled it Hammock Life. It looks happy. Hammock Life prints, cushion covers and tote bags are are available.
This is my latest painting of platypus. I finished it a few days ago. I added a bit of green to add interest and more of a watery feel to the painting. It was harder to do than it looks! lol
I’m sure this is not the end of my platypus journey and that there will be more.
Wishing you pleasant journeying from PJ Paintings
It was milder than the inky darkness suggested when I tip-toed out of the house at 5:30 am.
My first customer, from the Central Coast, NSW, bought a “Silent Disco” print for their grandson with a penguin fascination. He’s studying Marine Biology. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/dancing-penguins
A Canadian, from New Brunswick, purchased a “Maggie” print. She worked in Japan for three years, where she met and became friends with a lady, who a few years later, invited her to her wedding in Melbourne. It was just the push, or excuse, she needed to come and explore some of Australia. Friends told her that she had so see Tasmania, because it is just a hop and skip from Melbourne, and so worth doing. So, she followed up on the advice and is loving Tasmania.
A visitor from Brazil purchased a “Glamour Girls” print. She is visiting her friend who lives in Adelaide and decided to tack Tasmania onto her trip. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/glamour-girls-1
A couple visiting from Indonesia purchased “Hot Couple II”. A couple visiting from Brisbane, purchased gifts for family members: a “Meet Me at the Gate” print, and “Glamour Girls” and “Beachside Chatter” tote bags.
An Italian father, visiting his daughter that is living in Tasmania now, purchased a “The Three Amigos II” and “Double Date V” print. Actually, a good variety of nationalities stopped by at the stall today, several Italians, Americans, Dutch, South African, and more.
A mother from Mauritius, visiting her daughter, who lives in Adelaide, who were both holidaying in Tassie, purchased “Unwinding” and “Hammock Life”. It was nice to have a short French conversation. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/copy-of-lazy-days-prints-of-a-wombat
Two sisters, from the UK, who have travelled quite a lot together and have been in Australia already for six months, purchased a “The Three Amigos II”, “Sitting on the Fence” and “Iconic Aussies” print. They both have open ended tickets. They are three years apart and today was the older ones’ birthday. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/iconic-aussies
I was determined to pack up before the rain arrived, and I did. The rain still hasn’t arrived! lol
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:
You have a million excuses. Write anyway. ― Carrie Kei Heim
I went out the door at around 5:15 am and was greeted by a pademelon sitting of the driveway. We said our hellos, then it hopped across the front lawn and then across the street to the flora reserve.
My first customer, visiting from Newcastle, NSW, bought “Blossoming Friendship” https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/blossoming-friendship-a-magpie-watercolour-print for her sister, who loves magpies. She lives in the sweet town of Penguin, on the northwest coast of Tasmania where the rubbish bins on the main street are uniquely penguins. The residents of the coastal town of Penguin have applied to the Tasmanian Heritage Council to have 12 penguin-themed rubbish bins, as well as the town’s Big Penguin sculpture, included in the Tasmanian Heritage Register. If successful, it will apparently be Australia’s first heritage-listed rubbish bins. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-02/penguin-tasmania-big-penguin-rubbish-bin-heritage-list-history/102002632#:~:text=Residents%20of%20the%20coastal%20town,in%20the%20Tasmanian%20Heritage%20Register
The next person I served, at a guess was well into her 70’s and had just returned from doing the Three Capes Walk, which I have done myself and know that it is not an easy three days of carrying a backpack around, although stunning scenery and well worth the effort. She purchased “A Spot of Happiness” and “Friendship Refreshes the Soul” prints. https://auswalk.com.au/three-capes/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwiZqhBhCJARIsACHHEH-HoT6_nYHPCYCcJeNxd0QGKUjjTdRD1ndO1UduIYg2xSR5_XIgi0kaAp40EALw_wcB
A couple from Rock Hampton purchased “Hot Couple”, “Duck Crossing” and “Sitting on the Fence”. Another couple, that saw “Hot Couple” at Peppercorn Gallery in Richmond, but didn’t buy it, couldn’t get it out of their heads so they had decided that they were going to have to go back to Richmond to buy it, were so happy to come across me at the market. It saved them a return trip to Richmond. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/copy-of-afternoon-tea-emu-watercolour-prints
Grandparents, visiting from Adelaide, who have six grandchildren under the age of 2.5 years, a twin girl and boy in the mix, purchased a “Hayride” and “Bunk Bed Trio” print for the grandchildren’s bedroom. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/wombat-watercolour
A family visiting from Japan purchased seven prints. The mother is originally from Tasmania and has been living in Japan for 42 years. Her husband hasn’t visited Tasmania for 40 years and their daughter for 13 years, but she visited Tassie 5 years ago. They were very happy with their wombat series of prints.
A couple, who have moved to Tasmania for a year from Adelaide, purchased a “Glamour Girls” and “Family Outing” prints. He has secured a job for a year in the medical field. I met another person doing medical work in Tasmania, today, but only for six weeks. She’s an Emergency Department doctor and being housed in Elizabeth Street, in the city centre of Hobart. She purchased an “Afternoon Siesta” print for her sister-in-law, who loves wombats, and a “Silent Disco” for herself. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/dancing-penguins
“Lazy Days” and “Salamanca Saturdays” prints are travelling to Ireland, “Bunk Beds” and “Lazy Days” are going to Wales, and “Bunk Beds” and “Hanging Out” are returning to Italy. Actually, the Italians came back to my stall at the end of the day, while I was packing up, and bought more prints. A lot of tote bags and cushion covers sold today too. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/copy-of-sleepy-head-series-bunk-beds-wombat-watercolour
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:
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” –Maya Angelou
Good evening,
I hope that the week has got off to a good start for you.
Isn’t it special when a butterfly joins you! This print of my newest original painting captures a cute encounter of a wombat and a butterfly.
This print is printed on William Turner 310gsm print version, textured watercolour paper with archival inks, to look and feel like a watercolour painting. It is available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/tickle-my-toes
Wishing you a good week with some special encounters. 🙂
Cheers, Patricia (PJ)
The mornings are getting darker and fresher, but the day turned out to be perfect, not too hot or cool.
My first customer was somebody here for the 2023 Australasian Newborn Hearing Screening Conference, where they test the hearing of babies when they are in the womb. She purchased a “White Faced Scops Owls” and “Glamour Girls” print. I also had somebody from New Zealand, who bought some of my art five years, buy a “White Faced Scops Owls” print. She searched me out, she said.
My next visitor was from Geraldton, Western Australia (WA). She purchased a “Lazy Days” tote bag. https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/geraldton-wa
I had somebody from Sydney, who had just finished doing the Three Capes Walk in glorious weather, buy a “Bunk Beds” and a “Dinner for Five???” print.
A couple from Townsville, Queensland https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/townsville-qld purchased “A Spot of Happiness” and “Lazy Days” prints. They’ve been enjoying Tasmania for three weeks and are heading home tomorrow.
A couple from Perth, WA bought a “The Three Amigos II” print. Earlier in the week they had bought a “Double Date V” print from Brooke Street Pier. https://www.facebook.com/TigerInaPaperaUniqueWoodcraftsalamancagallery/
A family from Geelong purchased “Storytime” and “Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins” prints and a “Silent Disco” and “Glamour Girls” cushion covers. They said it easy to come to Tassie with the Spirit of Tasmania leaving from Geelong now.
A couple from the UK bought a “Sitting on the Fence” print for their daughter. She loves birds and has a lot of European birds hanging up in her house. They think that she would like an Australian one to add to her collection. (I’ve recently added Sitting on the Fence to my tote bag and cushion cover collection too.)
I met Wolfram from Austria who is here for work. He’s here developing something technical to help stroke patients. He purchased a “Salamanca Saturdays” and “Glamour Girls” print.
A couple from St Marys, Tasmania purchased a “Double Date V” and a “Maggie” print. She wants to take her art to the next level. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/maggie-a-print-of-a-watercolour-painting-of-a-australian-magpie https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/double-date-v-superb-blue-fairy-wren-prints
My final customer of the day was from Nebraska, United States. She purchased three prints: “The Three Amigos II”, “Home Among the Gum Trees” and “Devilish Siesta”. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/the-three-amigos
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:
Thankfully the weather wasn’t as dire as forecasted, and it turned out to be an alright day other than being very hot.
My first customers were from Boston, USA. They each have a market stall in Boston. One sells leather bags she makes and the other a game she invented. They are going back in two days. Their visit is fairly short because it is difficult to get holidays with the American’s standard one-week holiday per year. They’ve spent time in Sydney and Tasmania. An “Enchanted Forest I” and “Family Outing” print will be accompanying them. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/enchanted-forest-ii They saw my art at Brooke Street Pier https://www.brookestreetpier.com/ and said that they were very pleased they were able to meet me.
The next visitor to my stall was from Cottesloe, UK https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20735 She was about to make the return trip home too. She’ll be travelling with “The Three Amigos II”, “Bunk Beds” and “Dinner for Five???”. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/copy-of-sleepy-head-series-bunk-beds-wombat-watercolour
A grandmother, with her two grandchildren bought a card for Grandpa. The young boy asked me if I’ve had a nice day, I said yes and asked him the same question, then he asked me if I’ve had a nice week, “yes” and asked him the same, then he wished me a nice day, and I did the same, then he wished me a nice day for all the days in the week and then he finished by wishing me nice days all the way to Christmas. 😊
Two visitors from Vancouver, Canada, stopped in. One lives in an apartment near Stanley Park and the other lives in Delta. The one living in the west end of Vancouver, near Stanley Park, has a daughter that has been living here since 2011. She got her Australian citizenship a couple of years ago. They bought a “Bunk Beds” print to take home with them.
A visitor from Wisconsin, USA purchased a “What the Devil!?!” tote bag and a “Maggie” print. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/maggie-a-print-of-a-watercolour-painting-of-a-australian-magpie
A couple from Brisbane, expecting their first baby in July bought “Friendship Refreshes the Soul” and “Hammock Life” to put in the nursery.
A family visiting from New Zealand settled on a “The Three Amigos II” print. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/the-three-amigos
A sister, from Scotland, is in Australia visiting her brother who has been living in Melbourne for 2 years. He loves it here and has applied for Australian citizenship. She bought an “Enchanted Forest II” print.
“The Bun” and “Double Date V” prints are going to Geelong today. She’s been in Tasmania for six weeks helping at the hospital. She’s been working as a contract worker and loved her time in Tassie. Another “Double Date V” print is heading to Orange, NSW. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products/double-date-v-superb-blue-fairy-wren-prints
“Goldilocks and the 20 Penguins” will be making its home in California, USA.
A young man from Germany, who is travelling and working in Australia for a year, will be in Tasmania until July. He answered a Facebook ad to work in Corinna, driving the Fatman Barge. https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/northwest/corinna.html It is the only cable driven vehicular barge remaining in Tasmania.
Seeing a former student of mine, Emma, was exciting. She’s very close to finishing her Registered Nursing degree.
Another excitement of the day was meeting Cyprien. There’s something about European’s body language that I usually can pick that they are European before they even speak. I thought he was European but when he spoke, he sounded Canadian but there were a few things he said that I still made me think European. He was visiting from Canada. I said, I lived in Vancouver, Canada. He lives outside of Quebec. I asked him in that case do you speak French, which he did. I said that French was my first language because I was born in Belgium. Now, how’s this for coincidence, so was he!! His parents visited Quebec to see the wildlife and they loved it so much that they moved the whole family there, when he was six years old. My family moved to Vancouver, Canada when I was close to 5 years old. It’s not often that you meet a Belgian in Tasmania, much less one who emigrated to Canada too. I had to get a photo of us. He came back to my stall because he couldn’t believe the odds too. Oh, by the way, the reason I had the privilege of speaking to him in the first place is because he wanted to pay for a “Bunk Beds” print.
Packing up started early and with earnest to try to beat the storm forecasted to arrive at 3pm. It’s close to 5 pm and it still hasn’t arrived!
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:
“The chief enemy of creativity is ‘good’ sense.” – Pablo Picasso
It was a warm and busy Salamanca Market. My first customers of the day were a couple from Melbourne. They bought a “Fairy wrens” print to send to her mother living in Rockhampton, Queensland. https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/rockhampton-qld
“House Sharing” is going to Victoria, but first it will be travelling to Bicheno and around Tasmania, all part of its new owner’s bucket list. https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/house-sharing-a-wombat-and-fairy-wrens-house-sharing
A family visiting from Brisbane bought a “Richmond Bridge” and “Glamour Girls” print. Then they went to Tiger ina Papera Gallery https://www.facebook.com/TigerInaPaperaUniqueWoodcraftsalamancagallery/ in Salamanca Place and bought “Salamanca Fresh”, “Beach Date” and “Two to Tango”. Then they came back to my stall and bought more prints: “Spanish Eyes (Yellow) and I can’t remember the others. They love my emus and it was so lovely to see people enthusiastically connect with the art.
A lady from Penrith, Sydney purchased a “What the Devil!?!” and “Maggie” print. She told me that they leave a dish of water for their regular magpie visitor. On a hot 40-degree Celsius day, the maggie came and found the water dish empty, and looked at them with head turned sideways. They added water, it had a drink, sang a shorter rendition of its song for them and flew away. Another lady from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland also bought “Maggie”. She said that there was a magpie at her workplace that used to come in and eat bits from the pot plants in the foyer. She used to be able to get really close and have conversations with it. It never swooped at her. Magpies have very good memories and remember those that help them.
A young lady, who has recently moved to Hobart from Newcastle, NSW, purchased a “Bunk Beds” print. She has started work at the hospital two weeks ago.
A young man from Denmark, discussing his purchase via Facetime with his partner, purchased “Bunk Beds”, “Hammock Life” and “Salamanca Saturdays” prints to take back to Europe. “Bunk Beds” is also going to Berlin, Germany with a woman who is visiting her cousin living here.
Three paediatrician speech pathologists bought a “Glamour Girls” print to hang in the office that they share in Melbourne. A water colourist from Sydney, purchased a “Taking it Easy” and “Friendship Refreshes the Soul print”. She works fulltime and the last painting she did was about a year ago. Her new year resolution is to make time to paint.
“Surfing Clifton Beach, Tasmania” is going to Ireland. She told me that she is going to frame it and it will remind her of her Tasmanian holiday.
A woman, who lives in Vancouver, but her father is from here but moved to Vancouver, Canada, hence her being born in Vancouver, bought a “Lost Worlds” and “Fairy wrens” print. Her brother lives in North Vancouver, where I grew up.
Then, I met another person who has a connection with Vancouver. He’s originally from Iran, living in the Netherlands, visiting Tasmania to visit his roommate he had in Iran. His partner, also from Iran, immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. She is currently in Vancouver visiting her family, where he is going to join her, before they both head back to their home in the Netherlands. He purchased “Blossoming Friendship” and “The Three Amigos”.
Packing up went smoothly, so I arrived home a little earlier than usual.
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: “The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 