Salamanca Market December 18, 2021

Wind gusts of up to 50 kmph were predicted, so all the gazebo sides went up today. With a blue roof and little air circulation, the sauna-like conditions and the pollen from the large tree made it difficult to not sneeze. Thankfully, the 50 kmph didn’t eventuate.

The first couple that visited the stall were from Tamworth, NSW. https://www.destinationtamworth.com.au/   They purchased a “Bunk beds” print and then noticed my Poppy Fields print. They said that they had this print. Her sister, who has bought a lot of art, moved overseas, and couldn’t take it with her, so she gave them her art, which Poppy Fields was among her collection.

Bunk beds

Poppy Fields, which received the People’s Choice award

A young couple, her originally from Italy and him from Brazil, now living in Brisbane, purchased a “Scarlet Robins” zipper pouch.  

Scarlet Robins pouch

A lady, originally from Lithuania, now living in Sydney, bought a “Salamanca Fresh” tote bag for her girlfriend. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17536867

Salamanca Fresh tote bag

A couple bought a small, framed print of “Friendship Refreshes the Soul” for their eight-year-old niece in Sydney. She loves art, birds and animals, a perfect gift for her. 😊

Friendship Refreshes the Soul

A dad and his daughter, from Brisbane, bought “Iconic Aussies” and “The Three Amigos II” prints.

The Three Amigos II

A lady from Brisbane, saw a man carrying a “Salamanca Saturdays” tote bag and told me it looked so good that she wanted to buy one too. So, she did. It is a bright and colourful bag, washable and made in Australia.

Salamanca Saturdays tote bag

A family bought the original painting titled “Off to the Footy”. There are prints available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/off-to-the-footy . They also bought a “Salamanca Fresh” tote bag and a “Hammock Life” print.

Off to the Footy!

Wishing everybody a joyful and fun festive season, from PJ Paintings,

at site 30 at Salamanca Market, Tasmania

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

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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

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

Newest Member

I would like to introduce the newest member to the sleepy head series, this precious little fellow.

Taking it Easy

The painting is titled “Taking it Easy” and it is also available as a limited-edition print at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats.

I painted this wombat in a green-blue coloured hammock so that it would match with Spiky Bunk Beds, which is also available at https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats

Spiky bunk beds

I hope you enjoy the newest edition to the Sleepy head series.

Take care everybody, Patricia (PJ) Hopwood-Wade

Salamanca Market Update, May 8, 2021

Salamanca Market was quieter than a fortnight ago. I think that people went to Agfest, which was held in the north of the state. Nevertheless, it was busy at the PJ Paintings stall.

I had a young man, around the age of 10, choose “Emus can Fly!” for his Mum’s Mother’s Day present. She rides a motorbike. He asked me if I had any pictures of skeletons. Apparently, she really likes motorcycles and skeletons. The dad said it’s true and that Mother’s Day is interesting at their house. She sounds like a cool mother!

Emus can Fly!
available at www.pjpaintings.com

Two ladies visiting from Narooma, NSW, which I had to look up to know where that is, https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/narooma-nsw purchased a cushion cover of “Hair Accessories” and a “Salamanca Saturdays” print.

Hair Accessories
available at www.pjpaintings.com

Three young ladies from Sydney, one originally from the Ukraine, bought some wombat and unfurling prints. One of the three kept referring to it as a koala, so eventually I said, “I’m sorry to say but it’s a wombat.” She laughed and really thought it was funny. I assured her, she is not the first because you are much more likely to see a koala than a wombat in a tree, actually, you will never see a wombat in a tree! Anyways, she’s decided to name the wombat “koala”.

Afternoon Siesta
available at www.pjpaintings.com

Two young ladies, one from Townsville and the other from Brisbane, met in Brisbane to fly here to have a Tassie holiday together. They bought “Iconic Aussies”.

Iconic Aussies
available at www.pjpaintings.com

A couple visiting from Brisbane, asked if I had a single Yellow-sulphur cockatoo painting because they have a pet one at home named Charley-barley. (I had a dog that we called Charli-warli!) They bought “Double Date” and “Lazy Days” zipper pencil cases.

Lazy Days pencil case, available in small, medium and large sizes at http://www.pjpaintings.com

A lady, from Queensland, dropped by to tell me that she bought “Salamanca Fresh” and “Richmond Bridge” prints two years ago and that everybody that comes to her house always comments on how much they like them. That warmed my heart.

Salamanca Fresh available at www.pjpaintings.com

Lovely Olivia, doing her first year of university in Tassie, studying Marine and Antarctic Science bought a greeting card. She does watercolour paintings too and showed me some of her sea animal paintings. They are stunning. She is hoping that she will be able to combine the two passions by doing scientific illustrations.

A couple from Mt Gambia, South Australia, bought “Hanging Out”. He said, “there are too many people here. It’s lovely and peaceful in Mt Gambia.” With COVID restrictions there are only about one fourth of the usual amount of people allowed in the market, so it’s good he experienced the seriously less populous market.

Hanging Out
available at www.pjpaintings.com

A young lady is sending a “Salamanca Saturday” print to the UK to her dad for his birthday. For their first baby’s nursery, parents bought “Lazy Days”, “Spiky Bunk Beds” and “The Three Amigos” prints. Another couple bought “What the Devil!?” and “Bunk beds” prints for their children’s bedrooms.

What the Devil!?
prints are available at www.pjpaintings.com

It was a fun and interactive day at the market. I’ll be back in a fortnight. Until then, take good care of yourselves during this challenging time of living with a pandemic.

From PJ Paintings

Salamanca Market Update, March 27, 2021

Rain at 6 am, 7 am and at 3 pm was forecasted and unfortunately, I must report, that the weather was predicted correctly. Rain book-ended the market, wet setting up and wet taking down.

I met many visitors from the mainland of Australia today. A couple who took the ferry from Victoria, and she experienced sea sickness for the first time, purchased an A-3 sized print of “Joyride”.

“Joy ride”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/joy-ride

Salamanca Saturdays was purchased as a souvenir by a couple visiting from Brisbane.

“Salamanca Saturdays”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/the-world/products/salamanca-saturdays

Another couple bought a penguin card for their Venezuelan son-in-law who is fanatical about penguins.

“Silent Disco”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/realistic-animals/products/copy-of-down-under-view-koala-watercolour

A couple, who bought one of my prints a few years ago, for their former Argentinian exchange student’s first child, has come back to buy a print for their second child. They’ll be posting to Switzerland, where the family is now living, a “Duck Crossing” print for the second child and a Duck Crossing pencil case filled with crayons and the like for the older sibling . The older sibling has one of my prints hanging in her bedroom and now the younger sibling will have Duck Crossing in their bedroom.

“Duck Crossing”
https://pjpaintings.com/collections/emus/products/cheer-em-up-series-duck-crossing-ii

A mother visiting from Canberra bought “Graduation Siesta” for her daughter who has just graduated and now has a Medical Radiation Science degree.

“Graduation Siesta” https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/copy-of-sleepy-head-series-bunk-beds-wombat-watercolour-1

Two international students, studying at the University of Tasmania, accounting and engineering, bought some cards and small A-5 sized prints. A group visiting from Taiwan, only spending four days in Tassie, bought “Hanging Out”. They liked that the gum leaves and gum nuts make sort of the same shape as Tasmania.

“Hanging Out” https://pjpaintings.com/collections/wombats/products/wombat-hanging-out

A lady, visiting from Sydney, chose an “Emu Ice Capades” greeting card. I remarked that it was unusual for somebody to choose an ice-skating card. She said that she and all her children ice skate. Now that’s unusual!! In Tasmania, there is only one ice skating rink for the whole island and the owners have recently retired, so I’m not sure if we still have an ice rink. Tasmanians may have to go to the mainland to have an ice-skating experience now! https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-13/tasmania-only-ice-skating-rink-for-sale-glenorchy/12869448

Are you from the northern hemisphere, I asked? She was born in Australia, and they just spoke German at home, and then they moved to Germany when she was 5 years old. Then they moved back to Australia when she was eight and she couldn’t speak any English when she started school in Australia. Then the family moved back to Germany when she was twelve and then back to Australia when she was sixteen. Needless to say, she’s had an interesting childhood and is fluent in both German and English.

Emu Ice Capades https://pjpaintings.com/collections/sporty-emus/products/emu-icecapades-1

I started packing up early, so that some of the things that had dried, like the sides of the gazebo and table cloths, wouldn’t get wet again.

Time to put my feet up and enjoy a cup of tea.

Wishing you an awesome weekend and I’ll be back at the market next week, April 3^rd.