gemolicious

Seriously. How many more words can I fit the word gem into?

(I think the answer is hundreds. Watch out.)

Gem-o-rama!

I can't stop!

Gemathon

 Progress of a gem.

Hooray!

xx

L.

gemstones and practice

Happy Thursday everyone! I thought I'd share some work that I have been agonising over. I am painting a series of gemstones for an upcoming secret(ish) project, and actually, it is REALLY HARD! This is gemstone attempt 11 and 12 - the first two that actually resemble a faceted stone (I think). If I look too hard at them, they start to resemble the soggy mess that stones 1–10 were and I can't see any form any more. 

If I squint, they actually look ok, so I think we're getting somewhere. I felt it was important to post these, because as someone who has painted in the past, I was getting really frustrated that I couldn't just 'whip up' these images. I think there is a common misconception that artists find traditional image-making (such as drawing, printmaking and photography) easy. I know I often think it myself: "pfft - I can draw, as if this photo isn't going to be excellent!" (Turns out I can't take a picture to save my life - it's rather disappointing.) 

This is gemstone number 6. Imagine what the first five looked like. Ugh. What I continually have to remind my self is to practise. We say 'art practice' do we not? I appreciate that some people may find a painting task like this simple, however it is not something that comes naturally to me. But I live by the fact that if you want to get better at something, you need to do it again and again. And then some more! 

Seeing as I was never without a pencil in my hand for the first 20 years of my life, I think drawing had to come out somewhere. However, I can honestly say that I never thought of this 'keep practising' concept until I was trying to draw milly-molly-mandy about ... five years ago. After the first disastrous attempt, I declared that it was 'too hard, I'm crap!' until my (wonderful) Husband Kent very gently suggested that I kept trying until I was happy with it. Those drawings ended up in my first ever public exhibition.

So cheesy I know, but sometimes it's good to remind yourself that effort does play a part in the things we do. I am very privileged in that I have a supportive network of friends and family who encourage me to keep trying this art business. How cross my mum would be if I had thrown out Gemstone number one and then whined about it being too hard to bother with. That thing you might be struggling with at the moment may be getting you down, but perhaps just set it aside for now. Take a breath, and give it another attempt tomorrow*. 

xx

L.

*I am already so sick of gemstones, I can't be effed even looking at another one today. Hopefully tomorrow they will be shiny and new.

nest series

Nests. I love them.

and the spring air sparkled

collage item

all shall perish under my wrath cat

mwaaah ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaa!

new work!

I finally had my patience tested with this work - it has taken me days instead of hours, and many tweezers, broken matchsticks (for the gold dots!) and pawing through numerous books to find the 'right' jewel for the masked cat's royal dress - i can't think of what it would be called (let me work on that).

This work was a huge challenge for me but i think it was worth the hard work! I love the diptych (these are two separate pieces to be shown together) and the relationship between the two.

SOLD

and i shall eat the jewels from the sky

this is a detail from kent's birthday book. it is actually i very small collage, approx 7 x 10 cm. i like it enlarged though, it could look amazing gigantic like. we'll see...

birthday book

here are some images of the book i made for kent for his birthday - i know it was over a month ago, but i thought hey! time to get some pics up there...

Vikki Kassioras

Here is a real gem (hee hee!) by Vikki Kassioras, Melbourne Jeweller. Her install at e.g. etal indicates a similar love for the mountain-side ...

I believe this ring is called 'diamond lake ring' (i could be wrong!). This particular ring series are about journeys and voyages, and the romance of landscape is inherent in each piece - a very talented lady! Be sure to check out her blog here. Vikki's show at enCOUNTER at Craft Victoria is on until May 2nd (only 3 days left!!) so get to it if you're in the city.

mountaineers

approx 18cm x 10.5cm, collage on found image.

I love mountains, they are my favourite of all natural sites. There is something inherently majestic about them, particularly due to my own concrete city I live in. Mountains represent the unknown natural world to me, a site of adventure, the polar opposite to my small inner city melbourne flat.

magic.

and the walls became the world all around

hierarchies

new work

For spacious rooms, and sunny garden
plots!
Until one day, 

SOLD

Into the pits of my heart and brain,
The stars look very cold

the lovers.
sold

[and] the earth wore another face

sold
sold
sold

SOLD
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