Here are some of my favourite art tools that I use in the studio and while out painting. You’re probably expecting me to show my favourite brushes and paints. Not this time because I want to show you the quiet helpers that make painting life that much easier.
Jan's News from the Studio August 2024
Hello there
Here's a fun fact for you - it's four months till Christmas day. Don't ask me why but I always do the countdown and tell my sisters on the 25th of the month. I love their reactions!
This month I am sharing a video of the still life painting I am currently working on. It's a beautiful colourful one of all kinds of beetroot I spotted in our local fruit + veg shop. I have shared a few of my favourite studio tools and have included a photo of my latest completed painting and some background about that painting. There is a news update about my next exhibition for you as well.
Jan's News from the Studio July 2024
Hello again
July is one of my favourite months of the year. I'm a bit weird I know, that I love winter. Here are some of the great things about July:
My birthday is in early July and I really do love celebrating my birthday. Come to think of it it's a far better option than not getting to celebrate one!
Call me an accounting / bookkeeping geek if you must but I really get a thrill about starting a new financial year. (I hope you realise I'm sharing some dark secrets about myself... I'm feeling a bit brave today.) I also get a thrill starting the new year and can't wait to start a new calendar on 1st January and consider all the possibilities for the year ahead.
While I don't like loads of rain, there is something fabulous about lying in bed in the morning with the rain bucketing outside. We have minimal rain through summer in Perth so lots of rain in winter is pretty important. According to the Bureau of Meteorology July is one of our coldest and wettest months here. The trick is timing that daily outdoor exercise in between showers.
Neutrals are the Backup Singers
My painting group participated in a really interesting workshop last month with Bridget Seaton, a local artist. It was all about making greys or neutrals. That probably sounds a bit dry to the average person, but it was truly fascinating to all of us and, as you can see from the colour charts I made in the workshop, grey is not just grey.
In the first image below, each column of grey mixes are created from a blue, a red, a yellow and adding white in increasing amounts. There are cool and warm blues, reds and yellows and this influences the resulting grey temperature.
Jan's News from the Studio June 2024
Hello again!
I am sneaking this newsletter into June... just. Phew this month has flown by! It's always a juggling game between doing some painting preparation and actual painting, working on…
Clever Tabletop for an IKEA Trolley
Jan's News from the Studio May 2024
We had such a great time hosting the Artwalk Freo open studio during the first weekend in May. Around 800 people came to our home over that weekend and while that sounds like an awful lot, at no time did it feel overwhelming. Just a steady stream of really happy appreciative people. It really did make the weekend a joy for us both.
Jan's Studio News April 2024
The exciting Artwalk Freo is on in South Fremantle (week 1 of the Artwalk) in just over a week. As you can imagine my head is filled with the "To Do" list leading up to having my studio and our home open for a whole weekend. Aside from finishing off artworks and framing, there's sprucing up the garden, sorting things out in the house, printing labels, and oh so much more. It's going to be a fun weekend showing my art.
Jan's News from the Studio March 2024
It’s just about Easter time and I have just sent my March newsletter. I talk about how I make mini paintings, show my finished paper mache vases, and tell you all about Artwalk Freo coming up very soon.
Mini Paintings How To
Mini paintings are a great option if you have little space for painting. In addition the little paintings make wonderful affordable original art. Sometimes a person would really love to buy some art but it might be beyond their budget at the time. That’s why I make the minis so that everyone can enjoy owning art.
Before I start painting, I section off a large sheet of 300gsm watercolour paper using narrow tape into 6.6cm squares, usually using washi tape which is easily removed afterwards without ripping the paper. You need to allow a little excess around the image size for framing.