good day for a giveaway...

Ok so I thought I would have a giveaway, I was supposed to have one in September last year (to celebrate my birthday) but life kind of got in the way... sooo I thought today was a good day for a giveaway.

I was thinking I would giveaway three of my new pendants from my previous post. 

 

All you have to do is leave a comment by the end of Thursday 4th March NZT and I will pick a lucky winner for each pendant and post the winners on Friday 5th March.

The pendant has a matching ball chain and will come in a little cream organza bag.

new pendants...

 

I spent some of the weekend getting these new pendants ready for my etsy shop and to share with you today... the rest of the weekend I spent enjoying the Art Deco festivities (I heard of one tourist who didn't know we were celebrating our Art Deco past and thought she had stepped into a time warp).  I also spent a part of the weekend in the emergency department with Hannah, she decided to knock herself out and was taken to hospital in an ambulance with concussion.  She is feeling much better after having a huge sleep.  

That is not the first time there has been an emergency dash to the hospital.  The first was when she managed to have a piano fall on her foot at school!!! (Don't ask)  then there was the time she fell off her bike coming down Te Mata Peak.  Her father rang from the hospital and said Hannah had a few grazes, I asked  him why she was in hospital with a few grazes, he said you just better get here... turns out she was covered in blood from the few grazes! but she also had a broken nose and was delirious!... there have also been a few other incidences, broken arm, wrist and several other episodes of concussion.  Hannah hates hospitals (which is understandable)  But for me there is something about the emergency department that excites me.  I think if I weren't doing what I am doing now I might like to be a nurse or maybe Dr Quinn?  

Speaking of excitement I have just finished reading the last Harry Potter book for the fourth or fifth time, I can't remember, anyway I really like the way it makes me feel and I can't hardly wait to see the last movies.

flying jelly fish...

Well I can't believe it is Friday again and over half way through February already!!!

Here is another girl I finished yesterday... It is Art Deco weekend here again in Napier where the whole town goes mad dressing up and showing off their vintage cars, it is madness (I love it)!   So instead of her swimming cap she has her flying hat on, and of course a string of pearls.

When I went to the London Aquarium I was fascinated with the jelly fish, they were so beautiful and serene in their own little world, they were almost hypnotising.  So I have bought them into my world (although mine are actually flying jelly fish). 

I am about to do some more of these latest girls into art pendants this weekend, I cut them out last night and if I must say so myself, they are looking good...

good for my heart...

The students started back this week at work and it was so good to see them all again and a few new faces as well.  Speaking of faces, I have done a few new paintings including this one above... I am really enjoying the process of painting these, they have been good for my heart.

What I thought was going to be an ordinary weekend turned out to be a little more exciting then I expected.  It was the weekend of The Mission concert, The Mission is a nineteenth century vineyard and every year it hosts a huge concert with super stars from all over the world.  This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Motown - America's greatest record label and global music icon. To mark this occasion the legends of Motown music have reunited in a one-off world premiere event and it was staged just down the road from my house!!! 

We didn't have tickets but thought we would go along and camp outside and listen... But as luck would have it we got offered tickets in the seated section that were $205 for only $50!!!  We were so excited, we found our seats, three rows from the front!!! Once the backup bands started we were happily bopping along to the music.  After an hour or so more and more people were arriving and my friend noticed that someones ticket had the same seat number as hers... so we had a closer look at our own... we were in the wrong section!!!  we were supposed to be in section C not A.  Section C was way down the back so we quietly slunk away and claimed our proper seats... even though we were further away and the people on the stage now looked like little dots we had such a great time.  

(if you look closely you still can't see me)

And I must say thanks to all my followers... really great to see you. x

3 comfy things and a worry...

(when I was little... I had a rabbit)

I have an exhibition in October and I am starting to think about it, starting to get excited about it and starting to panic about it (I am well organised with my panic and am starting early).   I'm thinking of doing all the works the same size, I know this will annoy some people but it will be a great comfort to me.  I am wondering whether other people have favourite sizes they like to work with? or does anything go?  My favourite is 13mmx 300mm at the moment. 

I've just got the disk with my images for the greeting cards done and ready to post away... I just hope it all goes well...

I have a get together tomorrow night with my monthly art group... am looking forward to seeing these people, talking with these people and just being with these people.  Ben is a little bit excited about the get together as it is at our house and he has a few plans, he is going to be the baker and will be baking Christmas food, he's going to set up gates around the house so our guests know where to go and where they are not allowed to go (meaning his baking area).  He has also drawn a map of these gates which includes a rhino for some reason?  But unfortunately I had to use the map to get rid of a white tail (a spider that can be a little nasty) last night, it was the closest thing on hand and I had to be super efficient and quiet about it as Hannah is dead scared of spiders, luckily she was in her own 16 year old world and didn't notice a thing.  I just hope we can cope tomorrow night without the map.

completely wrecked...

I had a bit of a burst of creative energy over the weekend, it was so satisfying and I went to bed rather happy.   But then I woke up in a panic after having a dream that a whole lot of people were turning up at my house for tea, there were hundreds of them... and I was worried about what to feed them as I only had one potato and a kumera.  Dreams are so weird, whatever is happening... like having to feeding all those people, at the time is of the utmost importance and other facts like why there were hundreds of people at my house and who told them where I lived didn't seem to hold any significance whats so ever. 

Anyway back to reality... This painting above was the second one I did with the weird eyes and it really wasn't working, but I carried on with it and now I am really pleased, I think it might be my most favourite?  That seems to be another thing that I have a bit of ongoing trouble with.  I start something and it doesn't look how I planned in my mind, so I ditch it.  I am too quick to call something completely wrecked and unfixable.  Although because of this I now have this wonderful folder which is labeled 'wrecked' and it can be good to go through every now and again, with a few days and a fresh mind I can sometimes find a few treasures.

I just want you to know who I am...

(I just want you to know who I am)

I have been a bit worried... I thought that little creative part of my brain was dying (I worry about this quite often) and I was getting quite frustrated with myself.  But now I feel that familiar feeling running through me again, and this makes me smile to myself.  The more I think about it the more I realise that I have to have times where that frantic creative flow ebbs away for a while, otherwise my brain would probably explode.

I think it is also important to understand the way we work, to know these rhythms and to trust them.  To not give ourselves a hard time when things are going wrong, to listen to that inner voice and give ourselves the time we need to be ready for the next stage... whatever that may be.  

As I write this I am glad my children are sound sleepers because I am singing loudly (really loudly) to Kate Rusby, I need to do that sometimes, it helps the creative flow.

talk is her passion...

(talk is her passion and chief delight)

I have been having a little play with faces, bodies, backgrounds and techniques over the last few days.  I really wanted to try some different faces, usually I paint the faces separate to the backgrounds, so I wanted to try painting the face straight onto the background paper.  I also wanted to try different facial features, adding small details and also words, putting a little bit more of me into my work.

I showed Hannah this one last night and she said 'it was a little scary'... but I like it.  It does have a certain scariness about it though, it reminds me of some of my earlier work when I used to stitch up my girls mouths (will post more of these as they emerge and evolve).

As I was playing around last night I was aware of the big long to do list sitting next to me, yelling at me "DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME"!!!  I am amazed at how fast this list got so long.  It was only a few days ago that I was thinking I was on top of things.  So I am going to spend a little bit of time this afternoon attacking that list and then I am taking Hannah to see Avatar... I can't hardly wait!!!