Winter

Talk about feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place...pretty much sums up where I've been hanging out lately (artistically speaking)! I mean how long can a girl be gluing old prints onto wooden blocks for!

So I figured I'd just go back to basics and started by doing some sketching! 

Then my regular class started at a local community house...I have a great bunch of students this term...and I think some of their enthusiasm has rubbed off on to me!

I've pulled out my old oils...yes oil's and yes old!!! 

I melted bees wax and added some turps to create a creamy lush medium to add to my oils, it's called cold wax and the internet is buzzing with some great abstract work using this stuff...and I've been painting some old gessoed boards that I had lying around...nothing earth shattering to show you right now, lots of troweling on and scraping off, actually LOTS of scraping off :)...but painting like this has loosened me up a bit, I'm sure the oils have healing powers!...still up against the rock, but not feeling as stuck as I was!

Still walking here lots...Rhododendron Gardens, Olinda.

I'm making lots of small collagraph plates too, using all sorts of materials as well as mark making tools like scalpels, drypoint needles and anything else in my tool box that can make an interesting mark.

I'm running a 4 week Intro to Collagraph printmaking up at the Olinda Community house, near where I live, in late August...so if your close by and interested... contact  Olinda Community House.

...and lastly, we had Seb's sister Lexi visit for a few days while her owner was away on holidays.

Lexi is on the left and thats our Seb on the right :)

Til next time...
Jo