Witchetty

Card, glorious card!

As a child I loved the school storage cupboard, nothing was so wonderful as being allowed to go into the cupboard with all of the beautiful, new coloured card stacked neatly in every possible colour imaginable. I still love stationary and art supply stores and shopping for the beginning of the school year gives me a buzz. So, for the past few days I have been busy experimenting with coloured card and reproductions of my paintings. I love the results and they look really fresh and vibrant in real life.

This actually came from frustration with the process of selling cards online through one of the larger greeting card companies. Each card had to be approved and I had no way of controlling the quality of the product being offered. After 3 weeks I realized that this wasn't the direction I want my art business to take and I really need a plan.

So prints are now available in my store and over the next few weeks I will be adding bookmarks, cards and ACEO's as well. I will also be working behind the scenes on developing my brand and packaging and hopefully give my blog a face lift.

I am really excited to have a plan in place to help my business grow and even dispite the 12 hour days I have been working to get everything done, it is just so rewarding.

Monday Artday - Tropical Jungle

Acrylic on wrapped canvas 8" x 10"

The topic this week for Monday Artday is Tropical Jungle. This is my entry titled 'Taking Flight".

I based this painting on a little drawing I did about a year ago when I first started trying my hand at some art. I wanted to get the carefree and fun sense of completely letting yourself go and feel free in the moment. It is also really exciting to remind myself how far I have come wtih my art and what a wonderful journey it has been.

Available in my Etsy store.

xx Bee

Inspire Me Thursday - Medical

My Greatest Gift - 8" x 10" mixed media on canvas

This weeks prompt on Inspire Me Thursday was MEDICAL. This painting was inspired by pregnancy, which can be the most magical moment of a women's life, as well as the most clinical. I wanted to go beyond the physical and what is happening inside the womb and focus instead on what is happening in the heart and to the spirit.

It is also a very personal subject for me. I suffer from secondary infertility and spent almost 5 years trying to concieve a second child and having tests done to find a reason why it wasn't happening for my husband and myself. It is something that I have come to terms with and I now know what a wonderful miracle my daughter was. I thank God daily for my precious gift and realise that the fact she was born on Mothers Day was not a coincidence.

I hope she brings you joy. UPDATE: She is SOLD

xx Bee

Bee-lieve

Bee-lieve - Acrylic on canvas - 8" x 10"

This painting is a painting I have been going to paint for a long time, based on a small pencil illo that I created last year and have been using as my avatar. I am really happy to see her come to life.

She was also inspired by a fellow 'bee Soul' Karen Mowrey. I am a huge believer that the universe sends us messages when we are floundering a little on our chosen path. Last week I recieved a lovely email from Karen at a time when I was starting to doubt the decision to become an artist. Karen is a self confessed 'bee-soul' and was so encouraging in her emails. It continues to amaze me daily the generousity of the many visitors to my blog and thank god for the invention of the internet. I would also like to thank the many caring people who so generously left comments for my daughter on her IMT post last week. A very proud nine year old read each and every comment.

So today I chose to Bee-lieve that I am on the right path.

UPDATE: I am really happy to say that this painting SOLD not long after it was listed on Etsy.

Monday Artday - War

Lest We Forget - Mixed Media on canvas 8" x 10"

It was great timing for this weeks Monday Artday - War, as it is anzac day in Australia tomorrow. For those of you that don't know what that means, it is the day each year that the Australians and New Zealanders remember all of the service men and women that have fought in wars.

I wanted to show all of the faces of war so I began this piece with images of war collaged onto the canvas. Next a thing layer of acrylic and some pen work to create the house and the figures were painted onto water colour paper with acrylics. I hope that is represents not only the men who have fought wars, but also those that are left behind.

Well tomorrow we have a full day. It is a public holiday and we are going to the dawn service at 6am and then the main anzac day march through our city at 10am. Tomorrow night is the football at Subi oval and it will be wonderful to hear the last post played to such a large crowd. So I will be back on Monday and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

UPDATE: The painting is SOLD.

xx Bee

Greeting Cards are now available

I spent yesterday setting up a greeting card store through Greeting Card Universe and I am now happy to announce that my artwork can be purchased as cards here.

Until I decided that being an artist was what I wanted to do with my life, I thought that it was just about painting each day. What I didn't realise was how much work goes on behind the scenes doing the business of art. For any product to be offered for sale there is hours that need to go into setting up online stores, taking images, editing images and marketing your items just right. I will admit that the selling part is going to take some practice but I am really enjoying the journey and what I am learning along the way. At least when you are doing what you love you can never get bored.

So today I have a catch up day in my studio. I have art to varnish, new listings for both ebay and etsy, and I want to get a really good start on my painting for Monday Artday - War. Hopefully I will be back this afternoon with an update and some art to show you.

xx Bee

Inspire Me Thursday - Reduce Reuse Recycle (by Jade)

I hope that this is OK, but my 9 year old daughter spent yesterday with me in my art room recycling our paper scraps. This is a mixed media piece to hang in her room:

Bratz - Mixed media on canvas board 8" x 10"

Jade would really love some comments on her work.

Inspire Me Thursday - Reduce Reuse Recycle

I decided this was the perfect chance to have a play with a mixed media piece and use up some scrap pieces of paper. This was what I started with:

And after spending the most wonderfully relaxing, raining autumn afternoon painting, this was the final result:

And then this morning I decided that I didn't like the swirls glues onto the paper as they didn't look like they were part of the painting. So I added some more paint and this really is the final painting (I promise).

Wish upon a star

Acrylic and patterned paper on canvas board 8" x 10"

It is available in my Etsy Store.

xx Bee

Monday Artday and Illustration Friday

Monday Artday - Dinosaur.  Illustration Friday - Primitive

Acrylic and paper on canvas board 8" x 10". Available on Etsy.

I probably won't get back here until Monday as I have to finish painting the ceiling in our home theatre in preparation for our home open this weekend. I would much rather be painting in my studio but it needs to be done.

Have a fantastic weekend

xxx Bee

Illustration Friday - Fail

Even in the fairy tales life doesn't always go to plan. I had lots of fun with this one and experimented using old pages from a book and used pen to create the castle walls.

Materials: Acrylic, pen and paper on canvas.

Size: 25cms x 35cms (I think that is 10" x 14", sorry I am a metric girl).

STORE UPDATE: I have just list this painting on Ebay and my Etsy store has been updated today to add my Willy Wonka painting.

xx Bee