Tag: megan spiers
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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 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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reading tolstoy
Reading Tolstoy Size 11 cm x 6 cm Acrylic on Arches paper SOLD Exquisitely framed prints available On a cool winter’s eve, the subject of this portrait sat quietly under a lamp, reading. The scene represents the serenity and timelessness of a deep appreciation of the arts, literature and philosophy. The title of this miniature portrait…
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elwood
Elwood Size 35.5 cm x 45.5 cm (14 in x 18 in) Acrylic on canvas SOLD By all accounts, Elwood was a lovely dog. This painting was commissioned by clients who provided photographs of their beloved pet. Combining several references, I painted Elwood with his favourite toy in a characteristic pose of playful alertness. Toys,…
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techno toddler, fashionista
My art table today, where I’m working on two miniatures for this year’s Sydney Royal. They are acrylic on Hahnemuhle paper, postcard size to stay under the 100cm-square worked area limit. I’m using the same colour palette for both paintings but chose to emphasise cool colours for the boy with a tonally heavy background to draw…
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zebra finches
Brisk Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) Size 20 cm x 15 cm Oil on canvas board SOLD This small painting was inspired by an afternoon birdwatching near Orange, New South Wales. A noisy flock of Zebra Finches had gathered in trees near a railway line. These birds are gregarious and form a lifelong bond between pairs. On this particular day,…
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flock bronzewing
Desert Flight Flock Bronzewing (Phaps histrionica) Size 51 cm x 20 cm Acrylic on canvas SOLD Outback Australia is the definition of vast. Within its impressive range, the Mitchell Grasslands are amazing. Characterised by open grassy plains with few rivers and gorges, the Mitchell Grass Downs bioregion extends from central Queensland into the Northern Territory and is part…
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red-backed fairy-wrens
Harmony in Green Red-backed Fairy-wrens (Malurus melanocephalus) Size 91.4 cm x 91.4 cm (36 in x 36 in) Acrylic on canvas SOLD This painting was inspired by birdwatching in far north Queensland, where verdant hills and rainforest canopy enfold a patchwork of pasture, cane fields and banana plantations. A family group of Red-backed Fairy-wrens had taken up…
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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…
Dr Megan Spiers 