Category: artist at work
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story as art
Whenever someone says to me, “I’m so not creative” or “I haven’t got a creative bone in my body” as happened again recently, I wonder how that narrative first emerges in a person’s mind and why it takes such hold in the stories they tell about themselves. In life, we all make creative choices every…
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art workshop for canberra tree week
On Wednesday 2 May, I will be introducing the “STEP into plein air” event on behalf of NatureArt Lab, as part of Canberra Tree Week at the National Arboretum. My artist talk is followed by a three-hour art workshop held among beautiful local endangered trees and flowering plants of the Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park (STEP),…
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sketching trees at earth festival
What’s not to love about painting trees? Even better, painting trees in the beautiful surrounds of Canberra’s Australian National Botanic Gardens. I was invited to demonstrate acrylic sketching techniques as part of NatureArt Lab’s course promotion event on Saturday 21 April at the Earth Festival – celebrating sustainable living with a great vibe, music, good coffee…
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hmas adelaide commission
Presenting commissioned art to HMAS Adelaide From birds to ships! When the Ship’s Welfare Committee commissioned an original painting to showcase HMAS Adelaide’s capabilities as a Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ship, I was thrilled. I have painted ships before but not quite at this scale so I was absolutely determined to enjoy the whole experience. I…
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jerrabomberra art workshop
Tomorrow I will be hosting a one-day art workshop at Jerrabomberra Wetlands for members of the Wildlife and Botanical Artists (WABA) society. Earlier this year, I was invited to give a presentation to WABA members in the beautiful surroundings of Canberra’s Australian National Botanic Gardens. I spoke about my approach to art, techniques for gaining inspiration,…
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sketching pixie
Sketching a tree is fairly straightforward. Other subjects can be more difficult. Pixie was a very obliging subject, dozing in the late summer afternoon following a hard day’s work hauling a gypsy wagon along country roads in farmland near Bendigo, Victoria. I haven’t turned these sketches into a painting but I might one day. Sometimes the…
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colour palette
I find that I’m inspired simply by looking at my wooden box brimful of paint tubes. No matter how scuffed, squeezed, contorted, holed or shiny new they are, I love them all. My basics are Payne’s Gray, Titanium White, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Hooker’s Green (acrylic) or Terre Verte (oil), Cobalt Blue and Yellow Ochre.…
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amulet illustration
For several days, I have immersed my art table in found objects as part of the creative process to develop an amulet design for a fantasy novel. I use found objects as references for form and colour, observing the way light and shadow caress the surface. Handling the real object enhances my ability to portray it more convincingly…
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thank you birdlife members
Thank you to all the Birdlife Australia members who said hello and mentioned my ad in “Birdlife” magazine. The inaugural Australasian Bird Fair 2014 proved to be both an interesting and challenging experience. Interesting… due to all the fabulous people who visited the Art Marquee and exchanged stories of birdwatching experiences, and our fellow artists who were…
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australasian bird fair
I will be taking part in the inaugural Australasian Bird Fair 2014 in Sydney. Original paintings and prints will be available in the art marquee on 25 – 26 October. An opportunity to celebrate birds, encourage interest in birdwatching and conservation, and promote the preservation of bird habitats.
Dr Megan Spiers 