Pictures 77 – 80 of my 100 Pictures Project

Posted on by March 17, 2022

“I didn’t see that coming!”

Even after the past two years of covid and so much more, I’ve genuinely said “…I didn’t see that coming!” more in the past couple of weeks than I can remember ever before. A cluster of war, flooding, two iconic Aussie cricketers taking their final rainbow walks, along with unexpected things happening in my circles … it’s a lot.

And, hiding our light and our joy is not going to do anyone any good, so I’m proceeding here with my offering of the next in my 100 Pictures Project in the hope it may lift someone’s heart a little.

We’re caught up to 80 – woohoo! #smallstep #rightdirection I’m directing the 10% of proceeds from all direct-from-me sales towards Ukraine humanitarian aid, as always via TPRF.

77 – Quince and Crab Apples – SOLD

Do you have a tree of quinces, the old-fashioned fruit? Combined here with (not cherries but) crab apples, arranged on a few friendly, vibrant fabrics, allowing the pale yellow quinces to glow.

Are you familiar with quinces? Are you acquainted with their velvetty texture? Do you cook them? I’ve heard stories that if you bake them right they are divine…

This picture sold from/at my 2020 exhibition, Plenty 20.

 

 

 

78 – Rainbow Jazz – SOLD

This is a memorial painting of a dear kitty, Jazz, poised and alert in front of a rainbow quilt, with a xmas light string almost hidden in there.

This painting was completed before I took a step back from cat art commissions last Winter, and has gone to its ‘furrever’ home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

79 – Cherry Summer – SOLD

This still life features cherries – not crab apples this time! – in a joyful striped and leafy bowl, on a peace bird decorated surface, supported by a vibrant, print-like background pattern. 

This picture appeared in (and was the cover art of) my Plenty 2022 calendar.

When I gave a sneak peek of this picture to my eNewsletter “Tangerine Juice” subscribers, one of them bought it right away.
Sign up for my mailing list if you want to get first dibs when I make new pictures!

 

 

 

80 – Still Life with Parsley

Parsley’s a dear, hardy plant, isn’t it? Readily grown and sown, the leaves we eat in salads and as garnish etc, are quite distinct compared to a ‘gone to seed’ seed head as featured here.

This still life features a sprig of going-to-seed parsley in a light-filled yellow jar. There are variations on Van Gogh’s favourite colours – blue and yellow – in the vase, foreground and background. This is a sunshiny painting which will glow on your wall all year round.

This painting is unframed, ready to frame and hang at its forever home and can be found at my Paintings and Prints page … 10% of proceeds of all sales, including this painting, go to Ukranian humanitarian aid.

A couple of links

Join the club!

The next round of my new pictures will be released soon. To get first dibs, click this to sign up for my [Tangerine Juice] eNewsletter mailing list. You’ll also hear first about my 2022 Art Exhibition in August in South Australia, and get exclusive sneak peeks.

Don’t hide your light, dear heart. We so need it.
Love and peace,
Meg

 

PS Do you need a few late-blooming calendars? As of this writing, there remain: 1 Plenty (Food and Flowers), 9 Happy to be Here (my year of artwork), and 10 Rainbows and Connections (Illustrated Quotes). Click this to grab a few last art calendars … mention this blog post and I’ll send you 2 for the price of one (while stocks last).

Changes, artwork and embracing awkwardness

Posted on by January 31, 2022

Greetings, bold souls, we made it to 2022! In fact, tomorrow it will be February – yikes, a twelfth of the year is gone … I’d better stop dithering editing and re-thinking, and click publish! [If you’re reading this, you know I clicked ‘publish’!]

Today, here are 3 small lists popsicles listicles … first, some glimpses of where we’re at right now. Then, a brief wrap up of my art progress from the past year. And finally, some good podcast listens…

Observed changes

  1. Unless something changes – and it might – Urban Cow Studio Gallery, the iconic Adelaide gallery is :( closing down. I was picking up my artwork therefrom and while walking back to my car, there were actual empty shops in the centre of the city & quite spartan ‘crowds’ for a weekday … And although I admit I enjoyed the breathing room, I found it a tad eerie.
  2. Overheard conversation in the supermarket last week:
    1: “The supermarket don’t have <this thing we wanted> … what will we do?”
    2: “We’ll make do.”
    I haven’t heard the term “make do” for maybe decades …
  3. This weekend I went into a different supermarket that suggested via a sign to buy only what you need & leave enough for everyone! [Apologies, no photo!] I’ve never had the impression that supermarket owners/managers were trying to get us to go with ‘sufficient’ before…

These unexpected throw backs were brought on perhaps by the invisible presence of the omicron variant now swirling across our state (South Australia)…

[Forget not that the convenience of trucks-bringing-food-to-supermarkets masks where food actually comes from. Spoiler alert: the earth!]

Let’s take a overview of 2021

Having timestamped when we are today, here are some things that happened this past year, in my art/business:

  1. I created quite a few new artworks – kitties, still lifes, and some lettering. In the process progressing my #100PicturesProject. For those playing along at home, in real time I’m currently working on picture number 99! Woohoo! [Next time, remind me I said I’m gonna nominate a smaller project!]
  2. Fabulous Julie Frahm & I created a vibrant winter exhibition, in May/June, 2021. Julie and I brought the colour, light and flow to our FLOW(ER) Exhibition at T’Arts Cooperative in 2021. I reckon our work made a lot of joy & sense together… :)
  3. Created five new 2022 art calendars – the themes were general new art (Happy to Be Here), Garden Cats, Blue Cat Friends, (food and flowers) Plenty, and a new one with uplifting things hand-lettered Rainbows & Connections. Thank you for your support, dear bold souls … are you enjoying your January (now February) pages? A few 2022 art calendars are left – the online inventory has been updated, so click this to order online if you still want one, or a few are left at stockists.
  4. I’ve made the difficult call to stop doing commissioned cat art – though I’ll not entirely stop painting kitties – and stopped teaching in series-es of lessons called ‘blocks’ (ostensibly terms but not matching school ones). Lessons will continue in a more ad hoc manner, as one-off sessions.

Moving forwards & small changes

Even with most of the apps uninstalled from my phone, it seems like social media and advertising are still trying to chase me/us and get our attention, to get their messages into our heads and take over our time and attention. This doesn’t look to be heading in a healthy direction for individuals, nor likely to ease up in the foreseeable future.

Partly inspired by Sarah Wilson’s WILD podcast (see a few links below) intro advocating better quality of life through “… less bloody scrolling”, I decided to experiment with reducing my Facebook time!

Less time on socials has made for simpler days – with more time for making stuff, reading, breathing fresh air, and sudokus! After a couple of weeks, I took a stroll/scroll of the feed & comparisonitis quickly showed its judgey face. I’m thankful to my kitty for ducking in to nudge me out of the trance. Amazing how scrolling EATS YOUR TIME (it’s designed to) & doesn’t give it back, eventually spitting you out, dazed and regretful – and how is it almost (or past) bedtime?

It sure is a practise though. The lessening of TimeEatenUp does reveal awkwardness in days, sometimes the need for decisions what to actually do! I’ve noticed my own tendency to want to fill gaps, make the day ‘neat’ and ‘productive’. What even is a neat or productive day? Why is it so unfamiliar to go about a day simply being a human, doing life? Is this spaciousness?
And, why are we so avoidant of awkwardness? The only time our days don’t contain awkwardness is when we edit them down to just a few highlights! Life contains lots of natural awkwardness, I think, and perhaps we could do well to embrace awkward, not be so uncomfortable with needing to pause & think, or correct ourselves, or have a longer thought … (panicked scramble) quick let me find a screen or a snack …

As another experiment I let go of pay TV last year, which leaves me with Free to Air TV as a TV resource. I reckon I’d get more reading done if I didn’t watch TV. Baby steps…

Great things I’m reading and hearing

Here are some recent episodes of favourite Aussie podcasts I’d recommend:

  1. Sarah Wilson’s WILD podcast episode where she spoke with Emily Atkin, a climate and corruption journalist. Learn why rage is a useful emotion to tap into to deal with things-so-big-we-can’t-really-think-of-them-much-less-act (ie. the climate crisis). I think that’s also the one where they talk about the types of lying that fossil fuel companies employ. Eye opening…
  2. Here’s also a link to Sarah’s article about ScoMo’s leadership in these times of climate crisis – from TWO YEARS ago. (Lots of references). Quite disturbing to read! Here’s the one where she explains how fossil fuel companies are duping us about our plastic use, trying to make us feel guilty for our little transgressions, meanwhile getting away with their planet-destroying sized ones, often with delaying tactics. Ugh.
  3. This episode of Better Than Yesterday with Osher Günsberg features (most of) 22 big ideas for 2022. Or read all 22 on instagram. I like the idea of people with temporary jobs (politicians) having long term accountability for decisions they make, and I’d like to add an idea: “What if … we didn’t produce plastics (or anything) which we can’t deal with the byproducts/waste/aftereffects from?”
  4. On the theme: should we sue Governments who are making bad climate decisions? Here’s an article that suggests we do.
  5. With the ‘Australia Day’ holiday behind us, I’m a little disappointed with myself … to be honest, upon reading this article I’ve work to do. Some approaches to learn from in this article. Both articles are by Summer May Finlay.
  6. I like to read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown each year. My first copy of the book went astray and there’s a wait list for a library one … happily I saved up for a fresh copy & can read once more! So human, life-y, encouraging. Fun to catch up too with her research – and sometimes sisters – on her podcast, which she signs off with the warm advice to “Stay awkward, brave and kind.”
  7. Let’s wrap up the list with a bunch of good news… this list of 192 ways the world got better in 2021 from Reasons to be Cheerful, David Byrne’s good news website. Some of my faves are the earlier leafier Springtime, and kids riding bikes to school in great swathes.

I’m grateful that people in all kinds of media are saying what they see, & grateful to be able to point/link to them. What are you listening to and reading?

Thank you!

Truly thank you! I dearly appreciate your support … your interest, readership, encouragement, purchases (prints and paintings, cards, prints, calendars & lessons) – you lift my spirits and help keep the lights on.

Take enough gentleness breaks, while getting on with what you can and must.
Peace and light,
Meg x o

 

 

PS I’ve just updated my inventory of 2022 calendars. Now the year has begun, most stockists have a couple left and are lightly discounting, so I am too. Go here to grab one of the last calendars!

PS2 If you want first dibs on my 2022 exhibition (<< more on that soon, woohoo! #impressedwithmyownplanning) artwork, join my mailing list, the Tangerine eNews Tribe shall hear first …  On my mailing list you also get my blog posts (like this one) direct to your inbox once a month, and access to the downloadable, printout-able art gifts in the Tangerine Treasury! I’ve had heaps of nice feedback on being on the mailing list. I love this one:

“I absolutely love all of the color and joy in your emails. When I see a new one, I don’t know whether to open it first (Eat dessert first) or leave it for last (Save the best for last). Either way, it’s been a long time since I’ve so enjoyed venturing into a new area.” ~ Barb”

Pictures 73 – 76 of my 100 Pictures Project

Posted on by November 29, 2021

Hello lovelies! Thanks for being here!

Here are the next four pictures in my #100PicturesProject … these four have all gone to good homes (ie. sold) as it happens.

73 Picked Pears

I picked these pears, from a pear tree! Why is that noteworthy? Most of the other pears I’ve featured in paintings have been supermarket pears! Which are great. And, they often don’t have that extra bit of branch and leaf that is so delightful to draw.

Do you recognise that disrupted pattern of fly door that indicates a cat has claw-levitated it’s way up the screen?

 

 

 

 

 

74 Buerre Bosc Pears and Dahlias

Someone grew the dahlias in their garden and gave them to me.

After a delightful stretch of packham pear paintings I wanted to try a different type of pear. This type (great for cooking) are called buerre bosc … don’t they have a coolly distinct tall shape, and a different green colour than the packhams?

75 Grumpy Cat “Chilled and friendly”

This sweet beastie loved the garden and was super loved by its people. His name was Grumpy, but his nature was “…chilled and friendly” :)

76 Nasturtiums in Blue and White Vase 2

This is a classic one… with blue and white china and nasturtiums. i don’t seem to be the only one who appreciates nasturtiums. Many people say to me “I LOVE nasturtiums!” So. Do. I… with their specific scent and cheery profusion :)

That’s the thing with being a living artist. you follow your interests or curiosities, ie. nasturtiums, or cats or blue vases. By the time I’m an elder, there’ll probably be 5, 10 or a dozen completely different pictures with the same title, just numbered. My organisational software will be ‘chockers’ (full). Let’s give it a shout out… it’s called Artwork Archive and is made by a techy grown son for his artist mother, and subsequently has grown to serve other artists for their organising requirements – it’s just what I need to keep track of over 200 sold and unsold paintings, limited edition lino prints and giclee prints!

Upcoming things: The Last of the Creatives (next Sun Dec 5, 9am-1pm), Willunga Artisans and Handmade Market Dec 11, and get on my mailing list (or keep an eye out for the next newsletter if you’re already on there) as I’ll announce the next art lesson dates shortly.

Take care of yourself, and each other, ok?

Love and peace to you this fine day.
Meg :)

Pictures 70, 71 and 72 of my 100 Pictures Project

Posted on by October 8, 2021

Welcome, kindred spirit! Here are three more pictures in my 100 Pictures Project, this sunny afternoon! All have gone to good homes, as it happens…

70 – Pomegranates for Hannah – sold

Thinking of different times & situations, this still life includes a broad facsimile tribute to Hannah Cohoon’s intricate work The Tree of Life in the background, along with the wonderful colour of fresh pomegranates and lushly patterned fabric.

Researching for an art lesson early last year (immediately prior to the initial covid changes, though unbeknownst to us), I was reading about Hannah Cohoon, an artist in a Shaker community, in which often people did not sign their names to art they received in spiritual visions then created. Thankfully, Hannah did put her name to her picture so we can know about her now!

This painting sold (from Fleurieu Arthouse where I have a display panel) this Winter to a long time member of the bold tribe, who added it to her art collection.

 

Pic 71 – Garden Flowers (Yellows) – sold in 2020

Common garden flowers are one of my greatest inspirations! Yours too?

These marigolds and nasturtiums caught my eye, and inspired an informal still life. In the arrangement you can (just) see the marigold seeds scattered on the polka dotty fabric, too!

Alongside is a ripening pear :)

This one-of-a-kind watercolour went to a good home (ie. sold) in my Plenty 20 exhibition last year at Mockingbird Lounge.

 

Pic 72 – Kitty portrait from a photo: Boysie

 

This painting, of a friend’s dear kitty, Boysie, was completed in 2019, and the patterns allude to some of my friend’s interests!

 

What else is going to be happening?

  1. Art Lesson next Thursday! There are 4… wait, now just 2 … spots left (of 8) for the October 14 session … is one of them for you? Use the link to book your spot! Bookings close Sunday night or when the class is full, whichever is first.
  2. If you’d like to find out about new art and lessons first, sign up to get my artist eNewsletter, [Tangerine Juice], which flies mostly monthly-ish from the heart of my studio direct to your inbox!
  3. 2022 Calendars – have you got yours? They’re available in stores (click this link to find a stockist) and online.
  4. The October Willunga Artisans & Handmade Market is this Saturday. I’m not going to be at this one… if you want anything from me before the end of October, message me, and you can pick it up from another stall holder. Julia L, please contact me about your order (back in July) of a 2022 calendar – I don’t have your contact info! Do you know a Julia L <3 who ordered a 2022 calendar a month or two back? Please can you ask her to reach out?
  5. I’ll be at a Halloween Cat Show (real cats, and a Halloween theme) on Oct 31. And another cat show on November 7. More about those soon…
  6. Which brings us back to November Willunga Artisans & Handmade Market on 13 November … it’s not far off!
  7. I’ve been accepted into the Murray Bridge Regional Gallery Sixth Street Handmade Makers Market…  14th November, 10am – 3pm. That’s a fun day!

 

Fingers Crossed

Hopefully everything will somehow be ok. Or maybe it already is? Despite the impression we gain from watching the “news” and hearing about political and capitalist shermozzles, there are LOTS and LOTS of good people in the world, doing good things. … I’m going to keep practising noticing them, acknowledging them, supporting them! I know you do/will, too! Plus do our best to BE them!

For example, supporting makers and other local small businesses means a LOT. I like the Just a card message, which is:

JUST A CARD is a grassroots campaign on a mission to encourage people to support, value and buy from artists, makers, independent shops and small businesses. Every sale, even just a card, is vital to their prosperity and survival.

Thanks for reading this!

Somehow, things are shit and things are wonderful too, right?
Take care!
Meg :)

 

PS How cool… I just read on Hannah Cohoon’s wiki page (linked to earlier) that:

She is mostly known for her paintings, but she also composed music.

What a legend!

Numbers 66, 67 and 68 of my 100 Pictures Project

Posted on by September 9, 2021

Welcome to the next instalment!

I’m in the 90s of this project (in real time (woot – almost at the finish line!)) and slowly, surely catching up (in blog time)! Join my mailing list to be first to see my latest creations – next newsletter I’ll share fresh new nasturtium still lifes… I hope you like nasturtiums too, ‘cos I don’t seem to get sick of them!  :)

These three pictures were completed in early 2020 and a couple are featured in calendars…

66 Gum Blossom and Geometry

Some intuited geometrics in the background make me think of my mentor, Ruth Tuck. She was a teacher of both art and maths. I like that. It reminds me that they are not mutually exclusive realms. (It’s gonna take all of us, working together, not, “Oh, I’m this and you’re that and never the twain shall meet…”)

If this bold art is calling to you, the original is available now (unframed as of this writing). Contact me if you’d like a closer look in real life, and I can bring it to Willunga Artisans and Handmade Market for you this Saturday. Or, if you’re interstate/overseas, I can hook you up with a link and postage info…

67 Wavy Glass and Marimekko

Helping a friend clear out her barn blessed me with this wonderful wavy glass piece with its own combination of reflection and refraction.

This picture was included in my 2020 exhibition Plenty 20 (just after South Australia’s first wave of lockdown last year!) and bold souls with the 2021 Plenty Calendar will know this picture from the March page.

If this picture resonates with you and you’d like to give it a good home, the original is available now for AUD $525 including (already done) custom framing. Message me and I can bring it to Willunga Artisans Market for you to pick up! Great wedding, engagement or housewarming gift! :D

 

68 Bonnie – custom cat portrait

 

Watercolour Portrait of a ginger black and white kitty, seated on a newspaper, with green beans laid out behind her. background is stripes and there’s a decorated border at the top

Isn’t Bonnie a gorgeous cat?

Being a commissioned cat portrait this dear kitty painting has already gone to her fur-ever home.

Bonnie is featured in the Blue Cat Friends calendar of 2022 :)

Lessons

Join my email list to hear first when a new lesson gets scheduled … Find out even ‘first-er’ if you email me that you’re interested in the art lessons … that way I can let you know when I email the current peeps.

Calendars

The 2022 Bold Art Calendars are out in shops and galleries! If you want to research first, click this to check them out online!

Be.Slower. More lockdowns, Mother Nature and what are we doing?

I put up a post that said:

Mother Nature is probably going to keep Slowing Us Down until we understand that we need to Be.Slower.

I imagine Mother Nature has more variants up her sleeve if she needs to make her point!

Personally, much of my creative work is reasonably self-contained, and I was able to utilise (even enjoy?) the snap short lockdown in SA a few weeks ago. After I brought a bit more Organised to my studio, I somehow found the brain space to complete a started-2-years-ago kitty picture! Yey! It has sold and gone to a good home – like a kitten – and you’ll see it here when I’m introducing number 91 of my #100PicturesProject … Or, in a week or so if you’re on my mailing list. :)

Still working on the idea of clearing the decks for ones self and only doing what you can do. “It takes as long as it takes.” Haha. I’m working on it!

Side note: Phones are innocuous-looking little slabs, aren’t they?

Speak soon!
Meg :)

 

 

PS LINKS! Calendars are here. Join my mailing list here. Cards are here.
PS 2 Remember: Willunga Artisans and Handmade Market this Saturday 9am-1pm.

Pictures 63, 64 and 65 of my 100 Pictures Project

Posted on by August 9, 2021

Ducking in to say hi [Hi!] and catch up on the records of my #100PicturesProject. In real time, I’m already in the 90s of the project – nearly finished! [In future, I’m gonna take on more ‘wieldy’ projects!]

Picture 63: Green cup and Child’s Daisies

 

This was inspired by a soft yet rich coloured, just-right-size-for-hands mug – an op shop find. When offering guests a choice of cup for their tea, it often gets chosen! The daisies were a gift from a neighbour… so tiny that their vessel is a nice old china egg-cup! This assemblage prompts a memory of a moment in life… The original is available for sale as of this writing, so if it draws you in, go check it out in person at Artworx Gallery Goolwa!

 

 

Pic 64: Hafiz quote: “An awake heart…”

“An awake heart is like a sky that pours light.”

~ Hafiz

Ooh, Hafiz said some joyful human things, didn’t they? This quote does warm my heart… Yours too?

 

Picture 65: Still Life with Gourd

The gourd really was an amazing sight of orange-red and yellows – next to the pinks of the fabric it became a colour party! Naturally some delightful nasturtiums joined the still life set up too. The original of this vibrant painting sold at my 2020 SALA Exhibition. If you’re interested in a print, let me know :)

Calendar update

Due to South Australia’s recent snap little lockdown (to stem a potential delta variant getting loose), calendar production has been a little delayed. I’m now scheduled to pickup  the 2022 Bold Art Calendars later this week! Hoorah! If you’ve already ordered yours, you can pick it up this Saturday at Willunga Artisans Market (SALA event). 9am-1pm at the Willunga Show Hall.
Or, click this to order your 2022 Bold Art Calendar here at my website and I’ll post it to you early next week!

Hope you’ve done ok in lockdown if you’ve been in it again – or are in it again ugh – and hopefully it’s quietly getting towards a tipping point of vaccinated people where you are. [I got my second dose on Monday. Hoorah!]

Light and peace,
Meg :)

Update! Musical Chairs but with Paintings

Posted on by August 6, 2021

Since the recent snap lockdown, the lovely and organised gallery directors of South Australia have rallied to get their SALA exhibitions up and ready – as have the artists! I myself delivered fresh paintings for several multi-artist group shows.

The new owners, Belinda and Steve, at Artworx Gallery and Gifts at Goolwa are manifesting John and Liz’s SALA exhibition plans. They’re now showing Gracious (Rose of Sharon) and Still Life with Goblet from me, plus 76 other artists – what a huge show! – in their Art to Artworx SALA exhibition…

Pepper St Arts Centre have Sabrina and Decorated Cat by me – plus 29 other artists – in their SALA exhibition, themed Home is Where the Heart Is. I chose these two radiant-hearted cat pictures because I always appreciate a reminder that our homes are within us, in our hearts.

Willunga Artisans and Handmade Market is having a special SALA event on August 14th, 9am-1pm. We might be in the Festival (basketball) hall next to our usual venue as it will be more spacious for social distancing requirements… keep an eye out for that info closer to the day. I’ll have some of my framed originals there – keep an eye on my socials the week beforehand. If you’re drawn to Past and Future Poppies, Cuss Like Sailors, Wavy Glass and Marimekko or Soul Garden, you can see them in real life, plus others…
Of course we’ll utilise masks and social distancing :)

Fleurieu Arthouse has a mixed group exhibition – 42 artists! – for SALA. From me, a newly framed selection of Fine Art Prints, lots of cards and the originals of Arcs and Iridescence and Wassily Playing… 

The venues will have calendars as soon as I can humanly pick them up & drop them over!

All About Health now has Kandinsky’s Dream in their front treatment room.

What about lessons?

Classes will come back once a Feels Right amount of time has passed since this local delta covid flare up – all but the most essential were shut down for 7 days.

That snap ‘mini’ lockdown has also meant 2022 Bold Art Calendar printing is a little delayed… click this text or the picture below to whoosh through and order yours because the quantity margin is pretty tight this year … the earlier you order, the more likely you get the one you want, the one you really really want… Here are the covers:

Mild Evolution

I’m changing things around a bit with my art and business … To be in a front row seat when the good stuff happens, get on my mailing list. This is staying the same: you get free updates every month, sweet sweet art downloads, and first/best dibs on everything I make. Oh, did I mention, 10% off bold art calendars all year…

Have a great week!
Kindness,
Meg :)

Did Kandinsky have a Cat?

Posted on by June 18, 2021

For Julie Frahm’s and my current jewellery and painting exhibition FLOW(ER), we set ourselves three challenges (more on those here) to both respond to in our own way. Click this link to see the first, a Kandinsky painting …

I did some sketching and came up with a few initial ideas, and then got to this one…

Snippet from Tangerine Meg's sketch book. Black and white lettering and a drawing of a resting cat with fabric folds beneath it. The hand-lettering is a self-discussion of the building of a cat painting composition with circles as a motif.

… I got the essence of my graphic-y musings (mew-sings?) here in this my first response to the challenge, Wassily Playing.

So, did Wassily Kandinsky have a cat? It turns out he did. And it’s name was Vaske.
From the article: “Vaske was photographed with Kandinsky in a garden on at least one occasion and the two seemed to share a special bond. The robust orange and white cat was no doubt the inspiration behind Kandinsky’s masterpieces.”

How brilliantly coincidental that Mr Kandinsky’s real cat was reputed to be a “…robust orange and white cat”, cos my second Kandinsky-inspired cat piece, Kandinsky’s Dream, coincidentally features just one such character!

We hope you can get to our FLOW(ER) exhibition before June 26 (open everyday except Sundays) – it’s a chill-of-Winter-challenging experience seeing our heartwarming colours in real life! People who have been are saying our work is great together! :D

Speak soon!
Cheers,
Meg x o

Six Paintings from Three Challenges – FLOW(ER) exhibition 2021

Posted on by June 7, 2021

This Is For You, if you’re intrigued about the Why behind my pictures in Julie Frahm’s and my FLOW(ER) exhibition!

Knowing our work would be exhibited together, Julie and I set ourselves three challenges to respond to in our own way, own mediums, with the aim of a coherent display. It worked really well, even better than I could’ve hoped – our work is vibrant and alive together. Have you seen the exhibition… do you agree?

The challenges are: Kandinsky, Kahlo, and a tip the hat to Australian Native Flowers. We allowed ourselves to interpret the challenges however we liked.

Challenge 1: Kandinsky

Click this to see the picture Julie chose for us to respond to by Wassily Kandinsky.

Wassily Playing

This kitty’s playful pose was inspired by the adult-yet-sometimes-kittenish cat at my house and the concentric circles of Kandinsky. [I’m realist enough to know one doesn’t ‘own’ a cat! Like one doesn’t just ‘walk’ into Mordor…]

If you go to the exhibition… check out the entrancing fine background detail up close, and the colours almost glowing under the Very Good Art Lighting at T’Arts Collective :)

 

Kandinsky’s Dream

Imagining the hand-drawn yet geometric dream vibes of an artist so fascinated by colour combinations and concentric circles…

[I kept the picture width the same here for my blog, so this one looks tinier than the other pics – but in real life it’s actually the same size!]

This one’s on the easel at the exhibition.

Here’s some of Julie’s Kandinsky inspired jewellery:

Divine, right? Wearing those will warm up your Winter! Here’s Julie’s blog post about challenge #1!

Challenge 2: Frida Kahlo

Frida and Green

What if Frida was a moggy on the cover of Vogue? Good lord, would the world be awesome or what? I dearly wanted to have a go at the iconic green backgrounded photographic portrait, later used as a VOGUE cover of Frida. Here, a black and white kitty sits in her stead, rocking the red and yellow flowered Mexican shirt and lariat neckpiece.

While I painted I kind of wished Frida had been alive when her picture was used for the Vogue cover.

I’m so grateful she took lots of photos and created dozens of painted self portraits. So grateful she left so many clues and stories for us to know about her – thankful there was no decluttering zeitgeist at that time!

Decorated Cat

Inspired by Frida’s beloved Mexican embroideries … Frida loved the native handwork of her home country, and often wore skirts, blouses and jewellery made by local artisans.

I experimented with bright stitch-like patterns, decorating a calm blue kitty in her garden under the moon…

 

 

 

 

Here is some of Julie’s Frida inspired jewellery:

How I love the Many Bird earrings Julie has made… Both Julie and I danced with the bird motifs in Mexican art/jewellery.

There’s much much more at the exhibition … Go see – it’s so vibrant and alive, and might even help ward off Winter blues…

Challenge 3: Tipping our hat to Native Flowers

Native Flowers : Our way. While I adore-adore-adore native plants and animals and believe we need to protect-protect-protect them, they are rarely the motifs I play with in my art.

I have ‘my’ dear kitty (the playful one) indoors mostly, and when they’re outdoors have a lovely area that’s netted. Kitty is safe. Birds are safe. [Errant mice taking a shortcut through are not safe!]

Still Life with Gum

This still life is the only nonKitty pic of mine in the exhibition!

The almost airy fabric background hints at the movement of autumn winds, and the rainbows and and storms which blew in a corella and a magpie’s feather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gloria’s Patterns

Say the title aloud … it sounds like Glorious Patterns, right?

My native flower jumping off point was the red background shapes… some amazing red gum flower pod lids (the part which pops off and reveals the yellow flower). The pods seemed sculptural, colourful, intriguing on their own, and I wanted to create a pattern just for them – that’s the background.

Meanwhile dear kitty has a heart on her sleeve chest and is surrounded with rich joyous patterns, a cosy Autumn patchwork.

I’m writing this blog post at the start of week 2 of our exhibition, and the print of this picture has already proved popular.

Here is some of Julie’s Native Flowers : Our Way jewellery:

Delightful, right? Which is your favourite pair?

Did you know, Julie and I interviewed each other? It’s true … Click this to read my Bold Interview with Julie Frahm. Here’s Julie interviewing me on her website.

Read more about the exhibition (including location and open hours) here. To get a piece of our exhibition in your life, below you can purchase prints of my artworks. Original paintings and Julie’s jewellery are available only at the exhibition until June 26th.

Speak soon,
M x o

 

PS Click this to read more and join my art lessons :D It’s super fun, and the next lot will probably be in a different format…

Flowers, Frida, Beads and Birds … bumped in!

Posted on by June 1, 2021

Greetings, dear hearts :)

Julie Frahm and I have been conspiring, planning & creating for months to make our window exhibition happen. On Sunday we set up the display … Here we are! We did it!

The wall of colourful goodness is open now at T’Arts Collective for your perusal and delight.

Can you believe: Our names are on the window! [Haha, we hadn’t yet put away the ladder when I took this photo!]

That’s the display, through the glass (lightly). Wait ’til you see it, there’s just happiness-inducing levels of light in this venue – a great ambiance for our enthusiastic colours.

Small details: open hours 10-5 everyday ’til June 26, except Sunday and the public holiday Monday. Click this for my info page for our FLOW(ER) exhibition.
More about our three creative challenges soon…

Be well,
Meg x o

 

PS if you’re thinking to come to art lessons in June, book in now, we start Thursday!