Tag: inspiration

• 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…

  artist at work, inspiration, marine art, private commission

• 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…

  artist at work, inspiration, workshop

• 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…

  artist at work, inspiration, marine art, private commission, uncategorised

• 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,…

  artist at work, workshop

• 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.…

  artist at work, artist process, workshop

• black-shouldered kite

  

  To Observe with a Steady Gaze Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) Size 25.5 cm x 30.5 cm (10 in x 12 in) Oil on raw linen, stretched, unframed SOLD This painting was inspired by several Black-shouldered Kites that I observed hunting along the Sturt Highway, Hay Plain. The birds perch on fenceposts and anything vertical as they search for…

  bird paintings, inspiration

• red-rumped parrots

  

  Love on the Line Red-Rumped Parrots (Psephotus haematonotus) Size 61 cm x 30.5 cm Oil on canvas board SOLD Birds on wire is a recurring theme in my work. I find great satisfaction in the challenge of creating a truthful portrayal of the gnarled surface of old fenceposts, rusty wire and delicate plumage, not least because I draw…

  bird paintings

• sand dunes

  Getting up close and personal with subjects is both inspirational and instructional. I lived in Coffin Bay National Park as a child and revisited this iconic peninsula in the summer of 2013. Walking barefoot in the sand, taking photographs for reference and closely observing dune vegetation and the wider landscape assists me to experience ‘place’…

  artist at work, artist process, inspiration