opening Night photos of Dirty Pretty Things

What a dream come true for an opening night show. It was such a fun and truly fantastic event. I feel really blessed to have so many wonderful, enthusiastic, and supportive people in my life, who turned out in force to celebrate and share this moment. Feeling very lucky right now, and also extremely hungover! Special thanks to Richard Martin and the team for all of their hard work, and to everyone who came and supported the show, and to all of those that didn't , but have sent their messages of support. You guys are the best xx

Mia Oatley -Local Fav section of the The Beast Magazine

 

LOCAL FAV......MIA

Mia Oatley is an artist creating paintings from her studio in Clovelly, where she also lives. She has lived and worked i Bondi. Mia's Female figurative work is shown nationally and internationally and she also writes a regular blog on her website, miaoatley.com.au. get in quick to see the last few days of Mia's exhibition, Dirty Pretty Things, finishing on March 2 at Richard Martin Art, 98 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra. Mia shares her local favourites with The Beast.

Favourite Beach: Bronte beach. The park and the cafe's are an added bonus.

Eatery: Swell at Bronte; Mille Ville on Crown Street for the yummiest pasta dishes ever; Who could go past the best tuna salad in town at Tropicana cafe in Darlinghurst; and good old Ravesi's for the oysters and the view.

Watering Hole: The Beresford and the Winery for feeling like you're in Italy; and for great times and intimacy you can't beat getting ten friends and drinking in someone's garden.

Sporting Team:I do lurve the tennis. Watching very good looking men grunt must be a sport in itself!

Favourite thing about your work:When a client falls in love with a painting that I've done and purchases it, it brings me a lot of satisfaction. Their appreciation and purchase of my work means that I can continue on my path as an artist developing new ideas and exploring new possibilities in my work, which brings me the greatest joy.

Weekend Activity:I like to catch up with friends, hang out with my boyfriend, read books and the paper, try out new cafes and restaurants, and if there's a party or something fun on, I like to get out of my thongs and go out lookin' fine.

Final Word:If you are in need of some funky fresh art for those boring white walls, check out miaoatley.com.au

Sydney Morning Herald Article on DIRTY PRETTY THINGS: 24 Hours Arts Diary-By Adam Fulton

There is an edgy intensity to the alluring figures and contrasting hues in the paintings of Mia Oatley,
who interprets the female form with a deliberately rough hand in her exhibition Dirty Pretty Things. Oatley began the casually sensual canvases, such as Bridgette, pictured, which hint at influences from Egon Schiele to Brett Whiteley, after a relationship break-up led her to return to Sydney alone after three years in France. The self confessed "romantic artist had often turned lovers into subjects for past paintings. "This time, without the distraction of being around a consuming passion, I found it inside myself and really drew it out and onto the canvas." she says.
Tomorrow to March 2, Richard Martin Art, 98 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra. Cost: free> details on 9327 6525

Dirty Pretty Things Article in MX Newspaper

 

Sydney artist Mia Oatley's women may not be classical sirens, but they seduce nonetheless. Oatley's exhibition, Dirty Pretty Things, explores the power of women in their own domain away from society's glare. The exhibition runs from March 2 at richard Martin Art, 98 Holdsworth St, Woollahra.         

Picture: David Mendes

COOWEE!! READ ALL ABOUT IT

 

 When a friend came over last week and observed that everything hung up to dry on the clothesline was striped I had to admit I had a Stripey problem. Probably picked up from spending a couple of years in Paris in the national uniform. Stripey problem' aside now that I've got your attention I can let you know that I'm very excited about all the interest in my exhibition Dirty Pretty Things. The press are really enthusiastic about the work, so look out for upcoming stories in MX, on the 23rd of FEb, it will also appear in SMH arts Diary, The Manly daily, and the May editions of Belle, and Home Beautiful will feature my work. This on top of Voi Tutti Magazine, Karen Magazine, and Harbour side Magazine doing stories prior to the show. 

Yay Zuez it's been a lot of work sending literally hundreds of press releases and all of the follow up calls, but I enjoyed speaking with theses people directly. Listening to their thoughts about my work in person. 

Tomorrow is the hanging, sending off personal invitations, so another big day, taking me closer to ZE BIG day

OPENING NIGHT 23rd of FEB

6-8pm

Richardmartinart

98 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra, 2025

How to get Press!!

 

A friend of ours Helen was kind enough to give us  500 email addresses for the press from her years of dealing with the media as the owner of a successful printing company. I felt very fortunate having these contact details, which are like gold. 

Since I began painting I have always got my own Pr. Ofcourse other people have helped. The galleries get you some valuable publicity during exhibitions, but there is a limit to this publicity time, and as artists we need to create publicity and interest in our work beyond this  brief time frame, and create our own media contacts separate to those of the gallery to service a range of PR possibilites.

The advice I received from Helen was that journo's are basically time poor, so have all the information that you need to get across avalaible with high res links to make it easy for them. Through experience I know that stories sell the idea of paintings. For example if you flick through the herald culture section, there is one story about a painter where the guy is chinese and gay and how he has tried to fit in and used art as a medium of self expression. Another story is of a down hill skier who had a bad accident, and can't ski any more so now she paints, and TIM OLSEN has given her a show. So you see a human element, something that the audiance can relate to really helps to add another dimension to the work. When I came back and had a show from Paris I was known as the little squat girl, a girl who painted through the winter without electricity. It facinated people. 

Having breakfast down at Walsh bay while Speaking to Journalists  while driving around the city is not my normal occupation.....very different from hanging out by myself  in a messy fumy studio. I really enjoyed it when I got a positive response, with 2  journalists who have already deceided to run the story of my exhibition DIRTY PRETTY THINGS 19 feb-2nd march showing at Richard Martin art, but also hit what seemed like a million voice mails, and one woman who was so rude that she made my hair stand on end. Helen's response was to toughen up, and toughen up I shall, because tomorrow will be more of the same.....cold calls for breakfast lunch and dinner, but if Press is what the show needs, then press is what I'll get!

COLLAGES ABOVE $800 ONSALE online now at www.richardmartinart.com

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS

This is a stills video that I made with my boyfriend David Mendes on I movies. Thank god for him. Working out anything with technology is not my forte. I think I am a really old fashioned type of artist,(from another century)that is basically computer illiterate.
My brother in law Ivan De Sousa is amazing with music. He mixed the Ken Booths track No NO NO, with just the woman's voice, which is how I pictured it, sounding sublime and sad, really giving the girls and the pure image another dimension......I can really see them as DIRTY PRETTY THINGS now. Thanks guys for your help in promoting my show.

Something For Everyone

 

Just before I left art school in 2003-2004 I was selling large paintings for $1300, which was a whole lot of money for me then, and it sure beat the pay I received as a Nanny,  or any other bitsy job that I did to get by as a student. Within 5 months of art school finishing, I was showing my work in a commercial gallery, and the prices had doubled to $2500, but after giving the gallery their cut you are almost where you started with the $1300. The next show my prices went up again by another $1000, and so it continued to go, until after 7 years of pursuing art as a career the same sized painting is now selling for $7000.

Still reasonable in comparison to many other artists, but I am aware that these prices will be unaffordable for many of my early collectors. Hell, I couldn't afford these prices myself. So for the original collectors, those that have supported my career, and also for the guys that are just getting into art, that are young, and that really like my work I will have 5 of these collage drawings on sale at

Richard Martin Art for $800.

19feb-2nd March

98 Holdsworth Street

Woollahra, NSW

www.richardmartinart.com.au

The Collage Drawings have been really popular over the last few years with collectors. 

Small and sweet, Framed up they measure 59cm x46cm, so they are ideal as a gift, or just to keep for your self!