5 Months

5 months have passed since I blogged properly. In that time I started up a tumblr blog to keep track of the images of cute puppies and kittens that I find myself obsessing over. I have also visited Great Barrier Island, made a short trip to Melbourne and turned 24. There is something I haven’t done, however, and that is paint. I haven’t made any art in the last 3 or 4 months. I haven’t picked up a brush, I haven’t even been into my studio in the last 3 months. I’ve lost my inspiration, lost my ideas, lost the motivation and desire to paint I used to feel so strongly.

I know this post is a little bit personal, but given the fact I don’t think I have all that many followers, its a good way to vent a little bit about the fear I am now feeling regarding my lack of artistic endeavours.  It scares me.  I want to paint.  I even sort of know what kind of things I want to be painting, I just don’t know how to go about translating them into paintings.  I think I’m just facing some fear of failure and it doesn’t help that I haven’t seen much success so far.  I know no one is to blame for this but myself, and I know the longer I stay out of the studio and inactive in being creative, the worse it will get.

If anyone is reading this, what do you do when you’ve lost motivation and inspiration?  How do you get back into being creative without feeling like you’re forcing it?

And because I hate a text only post, here is a sample of the types of pictures I’ve been posting on my tumblr (puppytime.tumblr.com)

Friendly Faces

The following little 4inch x 4inch cuties have been taking up some of my time in the past couple of weeks as I’m making them to show and sell alongside my new creatures at The Front Room.  People who’ve read previous posts may notice the similarity between these and the Peeper Trio I gifted to my boyfriend last year. I love making these little paintings,  and I find them so adorable that I can’t help but squee at them when I add the final touches to each.

I’m trying to think of different animals I can reconfigure to my quirky style of drawing and painting, and will also be doing these in different colour combinations and sizes for a few other upcoming projects, including the DNA Market which will be on the 3rd of July – more details on that to come!

Creatures

Since the final year of my Bachelor’s degree (in Visual Arts) I’ve been incorporating cute (and sometimes slightly odd) creatures into my landscape paintings.  Recently I was offered the opportunity to have some creatures on display and for sale at The Front Room – away from their landscape habitats!

While I’ve made small creatures before as gifts for people, it has been a challenge getting them to a standard I’m happy with for public display and sale.  I’ve spent the best part of the last two weeks learning new stitches, drawing up little sketches, and bringing some wee fellows to life.  This week I took them out for a little photo shoot, as I’ll be delivering them to the gallery next week and felt they needed some fresh air (and photo opportunities) before I part with them!

Cute! I will be endeavouring  to create more of these fun little fellows as I have another project coming up in July at which I’d like to have a whole bunch to sell! In the meantime, hopefully people are interested in them at the gallery.  If anyone reading this would like one, I can do custom colours/faces/bodies perhaps!

Adopt An Artwork

I’m not going to bother addressing my slackness, I’m just going to segue straight into this:

If you love cats as much as I do, this is the exhibition for you! If you live in Auckland, please try to come along! Adopt an Artwork is an art exhibition and silent auction to raise funds for local charity The Lonely Miaow.  It features the art of some of Auckland’s established and emergent artists, including myself!

If you want to get your hands on some lovely original artwork while also supporting a worthy cause, make your way to the Outerspace Gallery at The Depot Artspace in Devonport. It’s an easy walk from the ferry terminal, so I intend on making a lovely afternoon of the opening, but the exhibition is on til 29th April, so if you can’t make it on Saturday, there is still time after that!

If you can’t make it to the exhibition but still want to help out the lovely people at The Lonely Miaow with their selfless cause, check out their website here for info on how you can help.

My First First Thursday

First Thursdays! Last Thursday, after a week of excessively manic studio time, I put up 7 paintings in St Kevin’s Arcade along with 7 other artists.  There were also a number of crafty types and a musical backdrop provided by George FM.  Multitudes of well-dressed and generally lovely people passed through the arcade between 6 and 9pm, taking in the art and the atmosphere.

It was great to take part in such a well-organised and awesome event, and having my work in such a public arena made for pretty amazing exposure. I loved gauging peoples reactions to my paintings from a distance, and also standing by and pretending to be a viewer myself.  Quite a few of my business cards disappeared from their little holder, and while I didn’t sell anything, I’m happy with what I presented and the overall response was rather heartening.  I met some awesome people and made some great new contacts and it seems that I’m not the only person that likes my work.  I can’t wait for the next opportunity!

Thanks to Amber for taking this photo!

If  you want to check out the official First Thursdays website, you can do so here.  Hopefully there should be photos up from the event this week!

First Thursdays!

How exciting! I have been accepted to be a part of the First Thursdays event for March.  I’ll be showing a few older works (2007!) along with 3 works that I aim to finish in the next week.  That in itself will be a challenge, but it’s so great to have something to work towards so I’m feeling pretty positive about getting them done to a high standard. I’m also hoping to have time to create a few mini pieces and little friends, and everything there will be for sale!

If you’re in Auckland, come along! There will be a vast array of artists, crafty things and performers. I’m also led to believe there is Isaac’s Cider on offer, which is a refreshing beverage I can’t turn down and neither should you!

Details:

First Thursdays, Thursday March 4 2010, 6-9pm

St Kevin’s Arcade, Karangahape Road, Auckland

www.firstthursdays.co.nz

Melbourne: 2-16 December 2009

First off, apologies to anyone who noticed that I’ve been hugely absent from attending to my blog over the couple of months.  I am a poor blogger and I am going to try to make more of an effort from now on.  Summer always makes me unable to keep to schedules or make myself complete tasks, which probably also accounts for why I haven’t been into my studio since November.

However, now that January is nearly over and we are well and truly into the year 2010, I am becoming proactive and putting productivity into the forefront of my life.  But first off, let me backtrack a little and share a few (I mean quite a few…photo heavy post!) photos of my recent 2 week jaunt to Melbourne.  The weather was great and the company was truly enjoyable, and I now have even more love for this city than before.

It was a great two weeks but I feel like I never have enough time anywhere I go to see everything I want to!  I suppose I’ll just have to go back sometime soon.

And so, hopefully this post is the first in what should become more regular posting!  Tomorrow I am going to my studio to get back into creating!

Slow and not so steady

Before my 3 day working weekend, I completed two paintings.  The first, I started some weeks ago – it features sewn creatures attached to the canvas.  The second: started and finished in the same week.

My panda painting is also currently featured in an exhibition hosted by the Waitakere Trusts.  It stands out as being completely unique in the exhibition – but I’m still unsure of whether or not that’s a good thing.

The bunny painting has gone through another reincarnation and is now a continuing work in progress.  It currently looks like this:

The inspiration isn’t exactly flowing at the moment. In a few weeks time I’ll be heading to Melbourne for a 2 week pre-Christmas jaunt with Leon. Hopefully I’ll come back with some fresh ideas.

Hello Kitty Twice

Hello Kitty Electric Kettle

Hello Kitty…Cat

I like to call him MooseFace Killah.

Etsy Feature – Cute Jewellery #2

There’s always room for more accessories, so it’s time for more cute jewellery finds from Etsy!  I’m always on the hunt for original pieces, and I’ve found some more wonderful sellers on Etsy to share with you!

Gingerbread Jewelry

Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake Necklace by Gingerbread Jewelry

27 year old Natascha from New Hampshire makes delectably kawaii jewellery in a similar vein to some of the other sellers I’ve featured, yet her pieces are still completely unique and utterly adorable.  Her shop Gingerbread Jewelry has all sorts of cuteness such as pancakes, bunnies and even a burger and fries necklace, if that’s your type of thing. The shop is full of great one-of-a-kind items, separated into collections for easy browsing!

Top to bottom:

Burger and Fries Necklace

Deer Necklace

Pancake Earrings

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The Pudding Store

Petit Rabbit Necklace from The Pudding Store

As a change, I decided to include some jewellery that isn’t completely over-the-top in it’s cuteness.  The accessories by Sabine at The Pudding Store are still cute, but in a slightly more reserved way than that of my usual choices.  Of course that doesn’t mean they aren’t all completely lovely, because they are. Very lovely indeed. Plus, in case it isn’t obvious by now, I love bunnies.

Top to bottom:

Jolie Fille Gold-Plated Frame Necklace

My Little Fawn Earrings

Petit Rabbit Bracelet

Sabine also has another shop on Etsy  called  The Pudding Store Vintage which specialises in vintage clothes, shoes and accessories.

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Baby Loves Pink

My Little Secret – Animal Capsule Necklace from Baby Loves Pink

The Baby Loves Pink store on Etsy is pretty much summed up in the 3 words listed on the shop’s main page: fun, cute and colourful! The shop showcases dozens of super-cute goodies featuring food, animals and pretty much everything else that I love, and it’s not just limited to jewellery! Keep an eye out for the amazingly cute panda scarf!

Top to bottom:

Drink Milk Necklace

Kitschy Camera Necklace

Tempura Sushi Necklace

Keep updated with new additions to the Baby Loves Pink Store at the Baby Loves Pink Blog!

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The shops selected for this feature are so full of wonderful items, so it was hard to choose just a few from each to show you! Make sure to visit the stores to see all the cuteness and don’t forget to support handmade!

All photos taken from the Etsy shops of Gingerbread Jewelry, The Pudding Store and Baby Loves Pink