MY AWESOME NEW WAREHOUSE

I've been needing to get a bigger studio space for a while now.While my beautiful little studio  down in Clovelly has been ideal it's become impractical.
When I'm working on 2 shows, and getting requests from galleries in cities that I haven't showed in before, my space chokes up with paintings quickly and without adequate storage they spill out all around the house. It's been like living in a gallery, or a gallery's store room until now........

3 days ago my boyfriend  and I signed the lease on our new warehouse space in Mascot
The 220msq space is huge open plan, double story self contained building. Originally we were planning on moving in February after the completion of my Gold Coast exhibition, but when this opportunity came up through a friend, at such a great price we couldn't resist taking it on.

This isn't the first time that I've lived in a warehouse, I did it in Paris, and I've done it in Australia in Bondi Junction above a gallery, and yeah I've forgone a few things that some people never would just to have the space. Like no electricity in my studio in Paris...BRRR, to just plain no bathroom in Bondi Junction, which at first didn't bother me, because my boyfriend of the time and I just had cold showers in the garden by the veggie patch in the summer, and in winter I joined a GYM to errm get fit and use their bathroom. After 4 months I had enough of that, but it was worth it to have the experience of living and working in The Eastern suburbs in a huge, and charming space.

Perhaps I've out grown my taste for experiences for things like that, because the first thing I made sure was that this place had a shower, and HOT water. Packing up my stuff the other day I started hyperventilating when I realized how far it was from the beach, and all of my favorite cafe's.
But this decision is no different from all the rest that I've made in my life since becoming an artist, and that is that my painting and creative life comes first. The rest is secondary.

we're 3 days into a mamoth repainting job, and it's exciting to see this once ugly office building transform itself into a modern, open plan, stunner. Every new space is great for an artists work, and a whole lotta space is the best thing of all.

 Hipp Hipp Horray for The new Space!

Limited Incomes VS Limited Editions

PHOTO: Chen Wenling Sculpture by The Sea

On Thursday night I had an interesting conversation with a friend about weather doing limited edition prints devalues the original work. 3 months ago I did my first limited edition prints, and felt it was absolutely the right thing to do. As with any idea that I pursue, I do it with a great deal of research and certainty that it will be best way to go forward as well as  protect my artistic reputation and integrity, that's why the editions are in small runs, no more than 30.

I went to the opening of Cockatoo Island on Thursday night , a super event, but it wasn't until  Sunday that I opened the free bag that everyone was given as they left the Island and found a promotion for the Art series Hotels. "The art series hotel group showcase Australian art on a grand scale by dedicating hotels to individual artists." Which artists you may be wondering? Only the most established and recognizable names in the Art world CULLEN< OLSEN< BLACKMAN. And what type of art do they show there you may wonder? That's right the works are archival museum quality Giclee prints, made in editions no larger than 45 but generally between the 20-30 mark.

However big name artists, and the string of contemporary street artists that now get limited editions were not the first. Of course Norman Lindsay lived off his prints, and another great example was John Coburn surely one of our most innovative artists, also being quite innovative in a business sense installing a printing studio in the backyard shed, and printing some of his most famous works. Long Before This Daumier had his works printed in the newspaper, and soon to follow were members of the impressionists most notably Monet.

John Olsen's Giclee prints can be found upstairs in Tim Olsen's Gallery for around $2500, and also out the back of Ian Dawson gallery. The reason why more commercial galleries are slower to get on board  is clearly that the Artist has to be of a certain level in their career to demand a good enough price in their prints for them to weigh up the effort of selling them.

perhaps this is why younger artists sell prints online, or in the young emerging galleries, (in shows and online) keen to provide a source of income for their artists. As a friend who deals in commercial print astutely noted that consumers have changed their buying habits so this type of purchasing is not only the norm, but those without this service are at a disadvantage in this changing climate.

The other great thing is once the whole thing is set up either online or with an agent , you don't really need to think about it. The money is just paid directly into an account. This leaves more time than ever for the artist to earn more of income whilst concentrating directly on their original art.

I just came back from Sculpture by the sea.....the best in several years, and noticed something that I probably never would have if I hadn't of been thinking of the whole making art in editions process. After walking the trail and seeing all of the large and (original sculptures) I went into the small sculpture room and noticed that sculptors also make work smaller than the original in editions.

Artists such as Chen Wenling from China made his Red Memory priced at $6200 in an edition of 300, . Obviously 300 is a huge edition, others like Hugh Ramage made his Harlequin Dazzle in an edition of eight. It was clear that artists like Chen couldn't live off just $6200 from making just one small version of Red Memory. I couldn't help thinking that it didn't matter that if the original Red memory costing many thousands never sold, it was the perfect promotion for these tiny Red Memory editions, which allow him to keep making very large and expensive work, and to help ship large work all over the world, and actually living it up because 300 x $6200 is $1,860,000!! get on down CHEN.

Making prints is a way to reach a broader base of collectors, some of them will never be able to afford an original, but 3 people who have bought one have made serious inquiries on my original paintings. Obviously if they come through it will be better than placing an expensive add in top magazine , or doing an art fair with expensive rental costs.

The thirst for an original piece of art, to be a collector that owns the only one  will never be replaced by a print, nor will making prints of the original devalue the original. Has making posters and every conceivable image on earth of the Mona Lisa or the impressionists for that matter made the original works any less fascinating or quelled the punters enthusiasm to behold it in the flesh. I think not.

Last year my paintings had another increase in price, and this year there have been more inquires on my paintings, and mixed media drawings than ever before from every part of the Nation. So while that part of my original work remains as exciting as ever, new ways to create art and sources of income including limited editions are always of interest to me. Of course some people will always be afraid of progression and the future, such as some of my old teachers who don't see Giclee printing as real prints, but if it's good enough for Blackman, Cullen and Olsen it's good enough for me.

What's the New work All About?

It's an exciting time in the studio. The recent confirmation of 2 solo shows in 2012 has got me working like a demon. The first show will be at Gallery One on the Gold Coast in February 2012, and the following will be in Sydney in September of the same year.

I'm the type of artist that really needs deadlines. It really gets my blood pumping. I work well under pressure, it's when I produce my best work. Otherwise there's far too much time to enjoy life, something the Italians have made an art out of,  but not the best way to get exhibitions done on time.

People keep asking me what the new work is about lately, so it's got me thinking about it too.
My work is almost always about love. My muse has been my lovers, love itself, even the feelings and strength in being alone and cherishing the passion and strength inside of me.

New relationships are like a renaissance, like spring spreading vines, and blooming flowers every where. My relationship with my boyfriend was just 6 months old when we visited Bali earlier this year. I was there to meet his son, so we did things that I never would have done if we had of been alone. One of them was to visit the Bali bird park. It truly blew my mind away.  After doing a few paintings with birds when I returned, it's not until 7 months later that the full impact of that trip has really crept into my work. Stunning golden Macaws, and the lush foliage of the tropics has wound it's way into my paintings, with startling results. The colours are intense and jumping off the canvas.  

I'm also including a new body of portraits in the Gold Coast exhibition, which is very exciting. It's a new direction in my work, which has received a lot of attention, and something that people haven't seen yet in an exhibition.

I have also been thinking about May West. Holly Wood's original bad girl.  Her famous statement " good girls go to heaven and bad girls go every where" is just wonderful. Of course bad girls go every where, because they are not wasting time trying to be good, or please every body.

The women I chose to model for me, through their decision to become artists, and other personal decisions in their life have all had to go their own way.   Not being a good girl is not always easy, that is why I wanted strong women with a unique sense of flair and individuality.
I wanted to choose women who could create more than just good poses, women who embody a sense of freedom, and power, who could represent the  place in my life where I'm at now, and where I'm going........

Monthly Round Up

It's been a while since I've written a blog. Loads of fantastic things have been going on since last time you heard from me, so hears a quick sum up.

The Art without walls was a wonderful success! Alongside of 5 other artists at Ambush gallery I exhibited work. I choose to exhibit my new range of limited edition prints, with just 4 to choose from we had to make up some extra frames to accomodate the 7 prints sold in total!
Almost half of the limited edition tee shirts that were designed by me, and sold through Art Without WAlls have been sold which is excellent!
All in all it was an excellent night, great fun and enjoyed by all who made it along.

I've also got some work down in Sohi Gallery in Bowral. Sohi Gallery is a massive pop up gallery conceived by design duo Thomas Buich and Kylie de Roew. The sheer size and raw industrial feel of the 350msq space is capable of rivaling galleries from our major cities. Standing right in the town center it houses an impressive collection of contemporary art by artists such as John Olsen and Carlos barrios among many others. Sohi Gallery has a great selection of my original mixed media drawings, and limited edition prints ranging  between $1200 $300.  So if your in the Bowral area make an effort to pop in, it's well worth a look.

I'm busy in the studio now too putting some great work together. With one solo exhibition confirmed and another soon to be confirmed it will be a busy year getting high breathing paint fumes and exploring some new work.

Til next time

Mia

LIMITED EDITION ART WITHOUT WALLS TEESHIRT

When the Girls from Art without walls approached me to create a limited edition tee-shirt I jumped at the the chance. I first met Cat who runs the business with her twin sister Heather when were in art school. I've been curious to see what my art would look like on clothing, or accesories for some time now, and this was the perfect opportunity.

We've gone through a few different ideas before arriving at printing my image of Yellow Girl, which has already made into a limited edition print, and proving the most popular of the series so far.

I also made another version of yellow girl on a navy blue tee.  they're both really fresh and unique

and I love them!

I want to see my art living and breathing, Turning up on your backs in cafes, bars, busses, ques, banks

wherever. So jump in quick to grab one of the 30 special limited edition tees for $50 

There will also be a very cool exhibition to accompany the tees mini mixed media masterpieces

and limited edition prints priced between $200-$500

So come on down on the night to enjoy complimentary ice cold viking beer and get down to Dj Maceyalan who'll be playing some awesome hip hop and funk tunes....Yeah!!

OPENING SEPTEMBER 8th
AMBUSH GALLERY
 4a James Street
Waterloo 6-9pm

 

Steve The Pirate

After working for the past week I've finally succeeded.  After many incarnations  my entry for this years Portia Geach portrait prize is  finished.  If selected, as I have previously the work will be exhibited at the SHIRVIN GALLERY National trust, If not I've done a fab painting of Steve as a pirate, and he can take a guess at what will be in his Christmas stocking this year!

Quite seriously I'm happy with it, and it also got Steve's nod of approval this morning, so fingers crossed, cause it's always great fun to get in and go to these things...............and there's always the prize money which is so wildly tempting. $18,000...........mmmmm I could mentally spend that in 2 seconds flat, but back to the earthly dimension, and back to why I painted the painting. This is my artists statement about Steve the Pirate

STEVE THE PIRATE

My father Steve Oatley introduced me to art. He took me to East Sydney Tech as it was known then (N.A.S now) when I was 2 to babysit me when my mother was giving birth to my sister in the hospital. I looked up adoringly at him like most of his students. Enthusiastic, fun and passionate about art, it wasn't only his students that were being inspired by him.

He took me to Canberra to see the impressionists, to all of the galleries, and museums, and taught me to draw by copying pictures out of his endless supply of art books.  He brought a great love of art and creation into my life. These early lessons are the reason I became an artist, and this is the reason I wanted to do something I never have before in tribute, paint a portrait of my father.

His own creative practice is so extensive and creative, from sculpture to painting to magnificent water features to one off designer furniture that's been copied in places as far off as London. There's truly nothing that he can't do, and no place of creativity that he won't let him self run away with.

He's the life of the party and in another lifetime I could easily imagine him
as a pirate, out there on the seven seas, swashbuckling around, living it up at the foreign ports.
I just added a wonderful tropical bird on his shoulder for company, and he became Steve the Pirate.

THE CHAOS THEORY

I was out the other night at a friends exhibition, and some of the men had gathered around to discuss the Chaos theory.  I'm interested in people, and what makes people tick, but not really one for standing around and discussing theories. I'd more of a person of action than someone who chooses to discuss action.

The Chaos theory in short is that no two situations are the same, so you can never predict any long term out come of any situation. I felt my eyes crossing over, and it wasn't the red wine. Here's something that I can predict! Men trying to impress a woman, not to mention each other with their very knowledgeable knowledge.

Maths underpins everything we do. I remember the biology teacher trying to explain something similar about biology....The science of nature underpins life itself, but it was clearly lost on me.
The trees and flowers were beautiful enough without further explanation, or dissection, and I preferred to conduct my experiments on my handsome lab partner.

Yes the Chaos theory was in full swing when my boyfriend interjected that "That if anyone knows anything about Chaos it's Mia" Well I'm definitely not a Virgo like my mother and my sister, but the more my art monster expands, I need to be organized in a way that I never have before just to meet the growing demands.

That is any one week involves making prints, mailing them out, working on commissions, working on prizes, and for 2 exhibitions at the same time, paper work, liaising with clients, marketing and on and on. So I've engaged a life coach to sort out my personal Chaos theory, and get this ship, ship shape.

Before I worked like crazy on the painting, but would leave all the paper work to build up and and guitily lurk in the back of my mind. I'd make sporadic inroads, then let it all pile up again!
 Now with the help of a life coach all the days have different tasks, in order of most important to least, and everything is seeming a whole lot more manageable.

The painting shown above THE ESSENCE OF PARADISE was recently sold to a collector.

GOOD NEWS ALL ROUND

  

This has been a great week. The sale of one of my large painting's, and prints of my work
 from brand new collectors has me excited. There's been a bunch of enthusiastic enquires from
Melbourian collectors wanting to get their hands on my work. I won't have work shown down there
until next may, as I'm concentrating on creating work on a whole bunch of projects up the eastern coast.  However I wouldn't want you guys from Melbourne to Miss out on my work.  Paintings can be freighted to you.

I've been invited by the art without walls crew to exhibit with them at ambush gallery in September, and they will be producing a limited edition tee shirt of a one of my pieces of art. It should be a fun night. I'll post the details a bit closer to the event.

I'm also creating a new body of work for several upcoming exhibitions.........and wanting to keep the element of surprise, I won't be posting them until closer to exhibition time.

Last but not least I want to congratulate my father Steve Oatley for getting into the Mosman Art Prize
He's a wonderful painter, and has a very deserving painting that's been selected. I wasn't selected, but I am overjoyed with all of the other great news, and besides with my father getting in I feel as though I was selected any way. I can just ride his high, and share the happiness.

White Noise

First of all, it's been a few weeks since I've posted so apologies to those who read the blog. It's been a busy couple of weeks.

I've had a shift in gears, a mental rev up. All through art school there were always students who didn't know which teacher to listen too, what direction to go in. That wasn't me. I really had a great time. I trusted my gut, and went with it quickly.

When I started making  money from my art I thought maybe that I should stop and listen to what people had to say, now that I depended on selling art to pay all of my expenses. I should have known better. When you listen to a lot of people's opinion's it's like watching the television without reception.  It's just a whole lot of white noise.

Whenever I trust my gut, create without an end result in mind.... Don't worry about deadlines, or time, I usually paint the quickest.  I get paintings that people are happy to pay $9000 for, and they are worth it.

These last 2 months I have surpassed the sales that I made in my February exhibition........I know it's because I just don't hear that white noise any more, and can hear myself beating to a new drum.

LIFE DRAWING and DRAWING ON LIFE

When I started blogging last year I wanted to write about love, so I pulled out my old diaries and poetry and bared my soul. Basically I wanted to write, another medium of expression without barriers that I don't earn my living off or need to pretty up for public consumption. The stars blog didn't earn me a lot of appreciation for my writing, rather it earned me a couple of cyber stalkers, and inappropriate comments.

This blog has taken me on an interesting journey too. Every couple of days people write to me who read the blog.A journalist from Queensland Homes after featuring my work in her magazine recommended that people follow my blog. This has given me encouragement to keep going.
Thanks everyone for reading so far.

Meanwhile in the studio:

Last week I delivered a commission to it's new beachside home. It looked great out of paint streaked studio, and in it's fresh new environment.
The sale of 2 drawing/collages to a Melbourne collector (the last of the series) has me working on a whole bunch of fresh  ones. I'm really excited about these new collages, such beautiful colours, and textures.I'll also be doing a new size……..little mini masterpieces priced at $350 and they will be available in my online shop.

I've finished my piece for the Mosman Art prize, a girl with a giant bird inspired by my trip to Bali. Had a life drawing session with my beautiful and talented artist friend Stephanie Tetu, which these blog drawings are from, begun to do prints, and a printing business, and received my first  review from a critic………A strange experience, as it's very different from all the press releases that you send out, that get taken up by enthusiastic magazine stylists, editors, and journos. This is something that you have no control over whatsover.

The critic sasha Grishin made an unfavourable remarke about my portrait of Jasper Knight recently hung in the Salon Des Refuses, in an article that he wrote commenting on the Archibald, Doug Moran, and Salon Des Refuses. The excitement of getting in to a prize like this is really the next step in an artistic career. Next steps as I was to find out also leave you open to public critism.....At first it was a shock, but now I can I only really take it as a compliment that he included me in article with the most successful and innovative artists of this country.

MIA OATLEY limited Edition Prints available in my online SHOP

Since November I have been researching the best way to produce Giclee prints. Would I do it offshore? Would I do it with a print company here, etc etc. Very recently My partner and I decided to buy our own printer. A top of the line and the largest in stock Epson 9900 printer. Yes it's mammoth!

We've created a shop section on my website where the very first of these prints are available for sale. Coming in purrfect A2 size  60cm x 42cm in limited editions of 50 these sweet little prints are retailing for the very nice price of $120US unframed.  A gift for someone special, or just for yourself, they are all collectors editions and signed personally by me.

As painters creating another flow of income  separate to your main flow generated by large sales from big paintings is important. Being able to tap into the affordable art market....or more affordable as your painting prices continue to reach skyward is valuable.  You are also stimulating the enthusiasm of younger collectors unable to afford a more expensive work of yours right now........but who knows what will happen in the future!

This leads me onto the next thing that my partner David Mendes and I have been working on. We have created a company called Renegade Print, where artists, and photographers,  can create limited editions giclee prints on 310 gsm Canson photorag paper, which is just beautiful. We are also able to turn special family photos into one off archival quality prints.

David's background is in production, graphic design, and  web design in the magazine world. He is an absolute perfectionist, and won't rest until the colours are perfectly aligned with those of your image.
For more information about Renegade Print email david@renegadeprint.com 

Inspiration

I've just been reminded by an old school friend of my wild and crazy hair circa 1993. " Oh dear that dreadful perm. That mouth filled with metal.That flat chested body that made boys yell out "hey surfboard" for nearly 2 years. High school! What a dreadful time.

Looking back on the photos I wasn't that bad looking, an ugly duckling, not quite, just a clumsy swan about to bloom, but gee blooming sure got me into a lot of trouble. I didn't really know what to do with the attention of boys once I started turning into a swan. I still wanted to be one of the boys, that is hanging around in the art room or scrap metal yard with my dad.

But after the boys, then came the men.
Oh dear! Some of my adult relationships!
Let's just say I'm not very good at picking up the warning signs of the first signs of trouble in paradise. An ambulance could come roaring through, bleating danger! And I think I would still miss it.

And now at 34 as a fully fledged swan, you'd think I could stay out of man trouble, but no man trouble seems to be one of those things that persist.  The secret of minimising it methinks is good communication. Nothing and I mean nothing feels better than when the standoff has ended and a set of manish whiskers and warm skin is nuzzled in close to you on a cold night.

No matter what is going on in my life I need to be inspired to make good work.
After a few flat days of staring out to sea, and looking for some inspiration in those giant waves,smashing against against the rocks, I found it again.

My creativity is flowing like a fast water rapid, paintings that have dwindled for a while pull together in a few easy strokes. Wild colour schemes that belong to hot sensuous days pour out of me. Everything is forgotten as I work.

KEEP GOING

Growing up in a affluent northern Sydney suburb our family always seemed a little out of place. The neighbours drove shiny black BMW's,  had cleaners and tennis courts. The women had beauty naps
in the day while their doctor, lawyer, accountant husbands brought home the bread.

Our car a brown torana which got into a smash at the airport was a wild assortment of pinks, purples and  bright blue down one whole side, because it couldn't afford to be fixed.

The house had extensions on it for years while gaping holes were covered with plastic, and the wild life found it's way in. We once found a baby possum at the bottom of the laundry basket!


Our house was filled with paintings and abstract sculptures, my artist father also had a substantial collection of Papua New Guinean masks. The  rich Lebanese neighbors from across the road came for dinner once, but left before the first course was served as they believed that the masks housed EVIL spirits!

All the while my mother and father worked and worked, they built their house, they did all the jobs that others were hired to do in the wealthier houses, with my father working a good 60 hour work on top of that as well. I remember them up and down ladders every weekend, my mother covered in paint,
 while other mother's went to the salon to get their nails done.

As we grew older, all the hard work began to pay off, and their life became more comfortable, and a little softer around the edges. Now they live in beautiful home by the sea. But the ethic's are still there.
They have brought my sister and I up, who also owns her own business  to believe that with talent, a dream, and a lot of hard work anything is possible.

As I look around the galleries, and speak with other artists I know that people are being more cautious with their money, that is why I'm delighted to be selling work in a quieter time. I'm grateful to those working just as hard as I am on making that happen, and most of all to my parents who are the foundation of belief that I have in myself. It's through them that I know if you never give up
you will succeed.

The 5 Million Dollar Painting

When I was 28 I had a nanny job in Paris 10 hours of the week to suppliment the income I made from selling my art. The kid was a brat, but the job was easy. I just dropped him to and from school on the bus, and for this I was paid 200 Euros plus I was given my own tiny apartment 18msq including kitchen, bathroom, and lounge room. The bed rolled up into a couch during the day, and practically took up the whole room when I rolled it out at night, but it more than suited my purposes. I had a painting studio else where so I had all that I needed.

The child was unlike other Australian children that I had cared for at home who were usually well mannered, kind and sweet. The kid gave me silent stares, told me that I was stupid, and on the whole ignored me, but I put up with the job to be an artist in Paris.

I wasn't so hard until I was taken on a skiing trip in the French alps, although there was no skiing for me for the first week at least as my days were free and I was allowed to bring my paintings there and paint in my free time.My employer even boasted that I was an artist to his friends, as if in some way it added to his own prestige.

As soon as we arrived my job status changed wildly to French maid. I was ordered to lug huge garbage bags up snowy hills, keep the apartment spotless......not exactly my strength and look after the kid inbetween his bouts of skiing, and do the shopping.

The other really terrible part of the whole scheme was being ordered to sleep in the same room as the Kid and his little friend!
They threw pillows at me, and giggled all night, with the kid making up stories about me to turn the other kid against me in a language that I barely understood.

In the morning the father screamed at me that I should know where his cup was!

It was the beginning of the end. A compulsive neat freak, he found a single strand of my hair in the bathtub, and a tiny piece of paper that I had been using for collage under the cupboard. As punishment for these misdemeaners he locked me out of the main part of the apartment.

I told him that I wanted to quit, and his kind friend who he had been holidaying with slipped me 50 Euros to stay in a hotel over night before I went back to Paris. Like all other people with more essential needs I pocketed it.

I lugged my luggage plus 2 finished paintings through 2 kilomentres of fresh and falling snow, and a very chilly  -7 degree temperature.

I boarded the first train headed back to Paris. I stayed awake through the night with a bunch of gypsies, listening to the rythmic pulses  of  their fast flying fingers urging us closer to the capital city.

It was 5am when I swung into the first open old man's pub in Belleville. I drank 4 glasses of wine that tasted liked piss in quick succession and celebrated my new found liberty with the road workers skulling their first beers.

This was one of the last jobs I had before becoming a full time artist. I knew I had to make it happen, or be trapped in a cycle of working for someone and making someone else's life more comfortable instead of my own.

When I got home James Cockington from the Financial review wrote a story on that very portrait, and asked the question" will this $5000 portrait be worth 5 million in 2050"
I laughed, If there's any that should be worth the price tag it's that one.

Today it hangs in the home of a friend and collector over looking Tamarama's spectacular coastline in Australia. A fitting final resting place, for a painting that has traveled so far.

LIMITED EDITION PRINTS COMING SOON!

As the weather gets colder, things are getting hotter in the studio.
And by hot I don't mean that I'm about to blow myself up by having the heater up full blast with all of those fumes!

Although that is a distinct possibility......what I mean is that a whole bunch of great new work that has been evolving in the studio for the past month is finally coming together, and that's exciting!
Just have to wait for it to stop raining so I can  lug the paintings outside,  get some good shots, then I'll post some of the new work.

The other very cool thing that has been in the pipeline for some time is limited edition prints of some of my most popular work will be available VERY soon.
The prints will come in editions of 30 and will be able to be purchased from my website.
Stay tuned for that.

In the mean time rug up for a chilly winter!

Mia oatley featured painting in this Months HOME BEAUTIFUL magazine

Stylist Lesiele Hailame has featured one of my paintings in the may edition of HOME BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE in their trend section PG 42.

The painting "A Midsummer nights dream" has attracted the attention of Stylists and features editors everywhere, with the writer from  the LONDON FINANCIAL REVIEW'S "what to buy section"  Writing back to say that she couldn't wait until I had gained representation in England so she could begin to feature my work.
The painting will also appear in the June Edition of QUEENSLAND HOMES magazine.

The painting 137cm x 197cm in mixed media and is avaliable FOR SALE at $8500

For information on this painting or new work please contact the RICHARD MARTIN GALLERY (02)9327 6525     www.richardmartinart.com.au


or KAREN SPOONER from GALLERY ONE  www.gallery_one.com.au
07) 55280110 on the Gold Coast where the painting is held. This gallery has recently begun representing my work.  Karen has said that works of this quality, genre and size for under $10,000 are in high demand in her Gallery.

HOME beautiful magazine is avaliable for sale in all newsagents NOW. go and grab yourselves a copy!

FIRST DAY OF SPRING

This image is taken from a series of light box's that I did in Paris. It's called First day of Spring.
It show's a group of students sitting around in one of Paris' beautiful parks taking in those first rays of glorious spring weather, where after such a cold and harsh Northern winter Spring effects everybody's senses. The grass seems greener, the air cleaner, love blossoms, and hope fills your heart once again.

Recently a friend who was studying and living in Paris died in tragic circumstances. Out of respect to her family and close friends I won't go into detail, nor reveal her name. Now that the funeral has passed I have a more than adequate understanding of a surreal and horrible reality, but I  prefer not to remember my friend like this, nor let the image I have of a beloved city become tainted.

I'm thinking of Paris on the day that I shot this image. A day that brought me so much pleasure, a day that my friend would also have recently have enjoyed. All the students sitting on the grass, the children playing with toy boats on the lake, lovers laying on the grass, and the beautiful sun, so missed in the bleak winter radiating warmth and inspiration.

KNIGHT RIDER PORTAIT SELECTED FOR THE SALON DES REFUSES 2011

I was honoured to have been selected for this years Salon Des Refuses alongside artists such as Wendy Sharpe, Guy Maestri, and Martine Emdur.

The Salon Des Refuses choose their selection from over 800 entries, with the Archibald selecting the first 40 paintings and the Salon selecting a following 40 paintings from the remaining entries.

The Salon Des Refuses creates a show that in in it's own words "Rivals the official selection, and is prestigious in it's own right" Having a good opportunity to have a look at both exhibitions I can honestly agree with them that there are several paintings that are superior to some of those selected for this years Archibald Prize.

My favourites pieces in the exhibition were a striking black and white portrait by Alan Jones, a stand out piece by Sally Ross, and a beautiful golden landscape by Robert Malherbe.

Without the looming $50,000 prize that someone must win there was a real comaraderie between the artists, all in all an relaxed and happy event, where people mingled, and the speach's were low key, and funny...phew!

On the night I had the good fortune to meet Martine Emdur, and Craig Handley who also shows in the same Sydney gallery as me at Richard Martin Gallery. Martine is a great ambassador for women in the arts, and really any artist who wants to become successful. I was overjoyed to find her down to earth with a great sense of fun.

It was fantastic to see my Subject Jasper Knight seeing and standing next to his portrait for the first time. While it wasn't an entirely realistic portrait, he thought that the eyes had it! a feature that I've left out so many times before.

It's a really interesting show, well worth having a look at, and if you like my portrait you can vote for me in the people's choice award. It's $2000. Think of all the brushes, and paint, and champagne I will be able to buy!

Salon Des Refuses
SH IRVIN GALLERY
Observatory hill, Sydney
ON UNTIL JUNE 15th

BALI URBAN ART

Travelling around Bali for 3 weeks definatley gave me the jolt out of my senses that I needed, and was looking for. Things in Sydney were becoming a little too familiar.

One of the highlights of the trip was travelling around Bali on a scooter with my boyfriend. We began in Ubud and travellelled to Candi Dasa to Amed through winding roads in the villages out of the main tourist way. Village kids ran after us and high fived us as we made our way up the coast.

We itched our way through a few flee bitten nights at Good Karma bunglos, but had the good Karma to meet up with a great bunch of gals. On the day we set out it started pouring, being wet season the rain settled in all day, and we spent a day soaked to the bone as we traveled on up to Mt Agung. A place where Besaki the mother temple lies, and many ceremonies, and worshipping occur.

The steaming hot shower at Mountain view Villas was the best in history. From here we wound our way south to Sanor or Snore as it is known due to large population of older tourists who go there, but it was as good as any place to rest before venturing on to Seminyak and Echo beach where there was much in the way of art to interest me, just as well as the beach seemed to be the resting place of all of Bali's rubbish as it had travelled it's way down the rivers to land here. No swimming here!

Down at Echo Beach, a still charming, but rapidly developing site you can find  Duce. Duce is the brainchild of ex Mambo partner Dare his designs of motorcycles on simple boldly coloured backgrounds is really appealing.

The shop also had a gallery with some really great art by an artist called Farid Stevy Asta. His unique street inspired Yogya art is a combination of stenciling, cutting, varnishing, scratching and is applied by a layering method was very cool. I loved seeing his art on skateboards too.

Out the back was the factory and artist studios.One of the studios was the waorking space of Bret Polok an Australin artist who resides in Bali and whose work we had found earlier in the day at a gallery in Seminyak that specialized in Pop Art.

Pop and urban street art has been adopted into traditional balinese art brought by western artists.
 The other way western art has infiltrated into the galleries is via the web. Bali is known as the home of the ripp off's. One guy starts up a factory that's successful and another will go up straight away selling the same products. I was surprised to find this ripp off of a David Bromley painting selling in a Seminyak gallery for just $70. I asked the owner how he came across the work, and he said via the internet.

In between massages, good meals, cocktails, and truly indulging myself as one does on holiday I met some of the locals and some of their stories touched me to such a degree that it took some of the shine off of my temporary Raja like existence in Bali. In Bali one of the waiters told me that a when a group of western clients left without paying for a bottle of wine he had to pay for it.......this equalled 1 months salary for him. Another Massuse told me that she only recieved $1 from the $20 I had paid for my massage. Perhaps she earnt $6 a day

We spent the last part of the trip back in Ubud where it's cleanest in Bali, by comparison, and so many westerners have come to find their piece of paradise in a rice field, but nothing felt more like paradise than breathing in the fresh Sydney autumn air and seeing the clean blue waves roll onto Bronte beach when we returned.

Archibald Prize Entry 2011 Jasper Knight

Here's my Archibald prize entry this year, plus a couple of studies I did when I was warming up, and working out colour schemes and proportions.

Everything they didn't teach you at art School

The last few times I've been out to openings I've run into friends who have been reading my blogs, and they were most interested in the blogs that I have written about about how to get more press, and succeed as an artist. I'm sure that there are are others more capable of writing blogs on PR, and marketing skills. I'm certainly not an expert, but I have had to pick up these tools to further my career, and most of it has been learned from watching other successful people, and coming from a family that was self employed, so I was never afraid to go out there and sell my art, in fact I have really enjoyed it.


My motivation to share these tips is from having to endure my first day of art school being told by the head of the school that 95% of us would fail. Motivating! not all, and apparently it goes across right across the board with Design schools as well.
 The other thing that the head of the art school used to like to say during class, was that when we leave and we probably don't become  artists, we can always use the creativity that we have learned here and become chiefs? what...............I know! I didn't want to be a chief either!

I really believe that the main reason that  reason people don't succeed is because they are not equiped with the skills, and by skills I don't just mean talent, because there are many talented people in the world, I mean the confidence to treat your art like a business and marketing it accordingly. Success is in the eye of the beholder too. If you are exhibiting and selling your work, no matter on what level, that is a success.

People need positivity, and encouragement. The negative comments at Art school went right over my head, because I never truly doubted myself.  The other core thing to attaining the success that you want is to toughen up, and filter out negativity, and concentrate on creativity which is positivity plus plus.

Whatever skills I have picked up here , sure weren't from doing a harvard school of business degree, they are from wanting with everything in my soul to succeed as an artist, and knowing that nothing else would make me happy. These simple tips for PR which I believe is so important are outlined below.


MY PR  TIPS

This really important, to building your career, and expensive. So you know that what a PR company would charge to do the recent pr campaign I did for my show, would be within the vicinity of $5000-$10,000. As this is not an amount of money that everyone has at their disposal I hope that you find some benifit in these tips.

Most of the free magazines, such as MX have a section where the writer has their contact details for you to email. Every body reads the free mags by the way. Build up your contacts by compiling a big list of arts writers from many magazines, and newspapers. You will find the writers email addressses by contacting the paper directly.

Create a Simple PDF with some good images of your work, and a press release. Then send out to all your contacts at once.

Regarding the Press release, keep the writing readable. Don't get too long winded on the artistic explanations here. Remember this is a sum up of your artistic statement. When writing the press release think of human angle, a story, something personal, that will amaze people, or that they can relate to.  People will often remember the stories long after the art if it's an interesting one.

Include images in the PDF that are bold, or have eye catching colour combinations. This always comes out better in print, and writers, and editors will seek these sort of images over blander more subdued work in general.

The following day you can begin to follow up your emails with phone calls. Remember that the Press are always looking for stories, so you are doing them a favour by sending them in one, so don't be nervous. Begin by introducing yourself, and then ask if it's a good time to talk, if so then ask if they received the Pdf of your Press release. This process can go on for a while. In my case I sent over 500 emails so I spent 1-2 weeks following up with calls and further emails. It's quite a lot of work, but the results will be worth it.

WEBSITES


Even if you're with a gallery, It's very important to have your own website. One that show cases the full depth of your work, to the world.
It amazes me how some very established artists, only have some very paltry examples of their work on a gallery site. It's not really enough. Websites need to be updated every few 4 months at least with new work, other wise they become out dated, that's why it's a good idea to attach a blog so that you constantly show new work.

BLOGGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Many people have covered this topic in some depth. The main points are that once you have established what the blog will be about, it has to be regular or otherwise people will lose interest. 1-2 times per week at least. Some people Blog every day. I've found that Blogging is a great way of connecting with collectors, friends, and fans, while not having to go very far from the studio.

Most people I went to art school with were very talented people, some of them just lacked a bit of confidence. The world has opened up so much with web, and it's possibilities, that so many things are more possible today than they were even from 2002 when we all sat in that room and were told that we probably wouldn't make it as artists. Now is the best time to be an artist, we have so many things to comment on, and the means to comment on them so very quickly. I hope this information has been useful.

Archibald sitting with Jasper Knight

This afternoon I went down to Jasper Knight's studio and met him for the first time, to have an a sitting for this years Archibald.

The studio was a large warehouse in Surrey hills, shared by 5 other artists. With his gallery down the road, another down south, and a brand new show about to open at Metro 5 gallery, Jasper is a modern artist. Connected as fluidly with  the business, and marketing side of being a artist as he is with the production of his stunning pieces.

I arrived with my boyfriend and we watched as he finished up some of his paintings of trucks and cars on yellow perspex.

We chatted about some of the people that we had in common, and he showed us photos of his wife and new baby boy. I talk about almost anything with a subject until I can see their hands stop twitching and their facial musicals relax, and then they can reveal something inside themselves, beyond our surface conversation.

When I look back over drawings and photos that I have taken it's this eureka moment that I discovered with the subject, and will try to capture later on the canvas.

The night before I stayed up drawing playing with colour, and drawing portraits to free up my mind, and loosen my hand. Bright, bold colour combinations shot across the pages, and I could see the Archibald forming in my mind.

I want to create something that is totally out there, but also manage to capture that genuine expression, a face that know's a thing or two about something. A face that is Jasper Knight's.

Making LUCY LUSH

 

Here's some photo's of me working in the studio on some collages, that a friend of mine took.

Often my best paintings are a mix of accidental experiments and a magical creative hurricane where everything seems to work out. Similarly my worst paintings find me going over and over the same painted territory, each brush stroke worse than the last.
THe above drawing "Lucy lush" was a good creative moment. Working like this is a bit hit and miss. First the collage has to have some zing to it, and then the drawing over the top has to work out. I work on 10-15 at a time and there's a 50% success rate. Indelible ink is unforgiving, and I guess that's why I like it. I like to gamble with my work......throw the dice, even get angry with it. The best ones can come out of some serious frustration.

I'm working on several commissions at the moment. Lucy Lush had 3 reserves at the exhibition, on her so I am having some fun, working on these in my studio. Drawing is a great way to ease your way back in to the creative process after a break. If you fuck it up, so what it's just a piece of paper. No pressure, and you can't be too precious.

Also I'm really chuffed that that this year I'm painting Jasper Knight for the Archibald……..NO reclining nudes in flower beds….Don't worry Jasper!
It's really exciting, as I've always really dug his paintings, and hope to really attack that canvas, and do my own version of that famous beard.

Stay tuned for my Etsy store where you will be able to buy prints of my work. That's coming soon, but not before I take  off on a holiday to Bali.....got to get some down time and fresh inspiration in before things get super busy again.