Arabella...

Well... I decided to get rid of the swimming cap covered in holes and replace it with this lovely blue one, I also gave her some piggy tail tufts and a flowing cape...

I am still working on who Arabella is, although one thing I do know is that she has a strong affinity with the sea... As kids my brother and I were always in and out of water, (I guess living on an Island at the bottom of the pacific ocean you can't help but always be near the sea) my father had all sorts of diving equipment and I used to love floating on top of the water with a mask and snorkel.  It was always so relaxing and quiet, just the amplified sound of my steady breathing... I couldn't imagine being angry under water.

Simple Pleasures...

One of our video students was the runner for this very sweet love story, set on a braeburn orchard... filmed in Hawke's Bay... I just had to share.

I am in the middle of a few commissions at the moment so the seven sisters have been put on hold, although I have been getting Ariadne and Genevieve ready to list as prints (and maybe pendants)? in my etsy and felt shops... sometimes all that prep stuff can take just as much time as painting them!!!

not all ideas are good ones...

Do you ever get the feeling you are swimming through a thick fog... well that is kind of how I am feeling at the moment.  Ariadne and Genevieve came about quite quickly and I think I was expecting the next one to be the same...  I started with the idea that she would be a seafaring sister, but what I thought were good ideas in my head weren't so good once I tried them, like the picture above... a swimming cap with holes?

I think I have to also keep in mind that the 7 sisters are probably going to be a long term project and that I need to enjoy the creative process and not worry to much about dud ideas, there are bound to be lots of these, they are all part of the process... just relax and don't worry.

ideas wall...

(Genevieve and her ideas wall)

Genevieve has pinned up a few of her thoughts and ideas about the winged contraption that she made last Tuesday.  She is thinking of making a similar contraption for each of her sisters (in case of an emergency).  The other sisters look to Genevieve for guidance, she is very strong willed and knows her own mind and often has really good ideas, just as long as she is wearing her goggles, otherwise... as I said before she doesn't function in quite the same way as she does while wearing them.

I am still a little unclear of Genevieve's background both visually and actually... I am thinking she might live on a hill between the sea and a forest that merges into the outskirts of Ariadne's labyrinth, in a big tall castle like house, or maybe more like a lighthouse?  I might have to draw a map???

Genevieve...

Well... this is Genevieve, she is an inventor of handy machines, especially flying ones. 

You can usually tell when Genevieve is inventing, she will be wearing her special flying goggles (she says it helps her focus).  The other sisters think she should probably wear them all the time as she can be a little absent minded and clumsy when not inventing, but she is very handy to have around in the type of emergency where you need a device (especially a flying one) very handy indeed.


Genevieve scribbles ideas, details and notes to herself on numerous pieces of paper... and leaves these around the place in case others might also find them of interest.


I am not totally sure of Genevieve's surroundings yet? but I think the above image is on the right track... she is a steampunk kind of girl.

strength and purpose...

(every now and then Ariadne likes to collect up all her wool and loose herself in the labyrinth)

I have got Ariadne's story pretty much sorted in my head, it is now just a matter of getting it out of my head and onto paper, although I am sure it will evolve and change as time goes on.  I have also been thinking about how the 7 characters will interact with each other, the movie '9' comes to mind, how each character has strength, spirit and a purpose and together they form a strong alliance against baddies... I like that.  

A few people at work have been calling them the '7 sisters'

Next post I am going to introduce a new sister... 

I have one or two names in mind for the next sisters but if anyone has other suggestions I would really appreciate hearing them  (thanks to all who left suggestions on facebook).  

this much I know...

(I have not finished this one yet, there are a few other things I might add yet...)

I think the biggest test will be whether I can keep each girls features and characteristics the same so they are recognisable as being themselves (I think the shading on this ones face is a little darker than the first one).  So to aid this I am thinking I will keep some similar features, elements or themes for each of them...

Ariadne is always going to have a red scarf, green eyes, a viking type hat and more often than not a red dress. There will also be any one or more of the following around her, a strand of red wool, flying birds, a maze wall, sheep, signs and arrows. Ariadne is quiet and thoughtful and a little bit shy, she is very quick on her feet and is ever so clever, as she would need to be to navigate herself and others through the endless labyrinth and away from the dark beast... who lives in a dark fort on a hill in the middle of the labyrinth.

Say hello to Ariadne...

So this is Ariadne... she spends most of her days tending her sheep and wandering around the labyrinth, she carries a ball of red wool in her pocket which her mother spun for her so she can find her way out again.  Although she is quite shy she does like to help people who have found themselves lost in the labyrinth.  She would hate for them to accidentally find their way to the dark beast who lives in the middle of the labyrinth.

my first character...

Last night I started developing the story behind my first character... her name will be Ariadne and she likes mazes.  Which is what the image above is, does it look like a maze wall?  I think I might need to do a bit more shading behind the wall to show depth...and then tonight I will start on Ariadne herself.

un... un... un...

(untitled, unfinished and undecided)

I have bugs, I think they are the little blue and green spotted chest bugs... most annoying!  

I did this little painting over easter, I really like the girls face on this one and I think she will become one of the notebook girls.  Speaking of the notebooks I have decided which ones I will use (very important decision)  Hahnemuehle's little travel booklets... high quality sketch paper 140gsm, 2 x 20 sheets, 9 x 14cm portrait size, they are very unassuming and I am just hoping I don't freak out about ruining the clean, fresh, lovely, newness of them! 

I am not sure whether it is best to concentrate on one at a time or to have them all open and on the go at the same time?  Hmmmm, maybe I will do one at a time to start off with.

the plan...

(the one on the right has clear tar gel, which I am really liking, it makes the white paint underneath glow a little... They both have interesting qualities that I would like to try again, but I guess I just can't see my girls in these)?

Ok... so I have realised that I can't schedule creativity... I was so looking forward to my two days of painting, I could hardly wait. But when Friday morning came I didn't feel like rushing into it, so I did stuff around the house. I pretty much did anything I could to give me an excuse not to pick up my paint brush. I was so mad with myself... but it is silly as I know this happens, I know this is how I can be. So next time I tell everyone I am going to schedule a painting session just whisper in my ear "that's a silly idea Katherine".

But as you can see above I did do a bit of mucking around... a few paper collages. They are not quite what I was wanting, but then again I don't really think I am sure I had a true idea of what I wanted to come out of this play date? I think I am jumping too far ahead of myself and too quickly. I still want people to know it is my work they are looking at. I guess it is like when you hear a song on the radio and you really like it and want more... but then you hear the rest of the album and if it is totally different it can be quite disappointing (especially if you have forked out some money on one of those old fashioned CD things at a record store).

I guess what I am saying is I don't want to change so much that people wont recognise me in my work but I do feel like it is time to develop my work a bit further. Which is where the characters come in... I think in having 5 - 7 different personalities I can work with the soft pastel colour for one character and then bright demanding colours for another instead of trying to get all that I love into one piece. Does that make sense?  I am going to start with a little notebook for each character and then develop a name, personality and life around the notes and drawings in each book... yeah so that's the plan.

my own bunch of super heroes...

(one of three pieces I have just finished for a gallery down south)

I am so hanging out to do some painting for myself... I feel I haven't done any for so so long, and that is because I haven't!  I have been catching up with work for galleries and getting ready for a few markets that I have coming up.  So I have decided to set aside some time over Easter to paint, draw and create. I think I am worried about things not working out and then it all being a waste of time. Because at the moment time seems to be so precious, I know I will frown at myself if I have nothing to show for my two days of play except a great big bloody mess to clean up!!!

So... I have been telling myself that this will be time for developing and exploring new ideas. I really want to develop a few new background techniques and create 5 - 7 characters (I know I want one of them to a viking descendant).   I am not expecting to get all of this done in the two days, but I want to make a damn good start on it. I also want to document it in my work book, something I used to do on a regular basis, but I don't think I have done an entry so far this year, in fact probably not since my exhibition in October last year?

I have also been having an internal battle lately with what I think people want to see and what I want to do... I am not sure these are the same thing, or maybe they are? (I do worry what other people think, which can be quite exhausting). This is the reason why I want to create a series of characters that are all different but belong together, maybe represent a small part of myself that the viewer will find they can also relate to?   I see them as being my own bunch of super heroes.

Oh and by the way... I have a print up for grabs at New Zealand Handmade if anyone is interested...

whoflungdung...

I have been working like a machine this week getting work done for a few galleries and I am pleased to say I am just about finished.  Then next week I am looking forward to playing around with a few more backgrounds.  I am really looking forward to playing without the fear of deadlines, without the feeling that I should be doing something else.  I am also missing blogging on a regular basis, without new work I feel I can't do a post.

I finished this one above in between getting work done for galleries and although it is still a work in progress I am happy with it so far.   I am changing the faces a little, I really want to create some regular characters...  So when people see them they can say 'oh that's whoflungdung or whoseewhatsit'

I am also in the middle of doing some pendants for my etsy shop... and will hopefully take pictures and list them this weekend if it isn't raining!.. apparently there is a cold front heading up the country with heavy rain... good weather for watching DVDs I am thinking.