I must be on the up-swing of my creative funk, because I’ve finished my first two paintings in months today.
This one is on hold for someone:
Evening Garden
It must have been the cold weather making me dream of spring for this painting (although I don’t want spring to arrive *just* yet – we need some snow down at Perisher for my ski trip!).
Spring Afternoon
I have plans to get a few more things done this holidays too – I’m painting something to donate to a charity scrapbooking day I’m attending next month, and I have some new ideas tucked away featuring owls, moons and swirly trees! I’d also like to get started on a new large canvas, but we’ll see how we go with that one.
Tell me, what’s your favourite season? I’m really a summer girl but I tend to paint a lot of spring scenes.
Today I spent the day at the Handmade Expo market at the Ipswich Turf club. I had a lovely time! It was so great to see some familiar faces and some new ones. I was thrilled to be able to meet some of my online fans in real life, and I got to talk to lots of people. It’s really helped to get the creative juices flowing again and I can’t wait to try out some new ideas this week. Many thanks to those who came to visit me! I hope to see you again at the next market on Saturday the 17th of July.
Of course going to the Handmade expo does have its down side – and I’m not talking about the early start (although that isn’t my favourite bit). First of all, I have a tendency to spend my profits before I make them. There are so many beautiful things around, it’s hard to resist! Secondly, The Handmade Expo is likely to help me to become the size of a house. Today I bought a bottle of Verdelho from Welgan Estate wines, a bottle of delicious Caramelised Fig Balsamic from Robinvale Estate, and gorged myself on fudge, cupcakes (OMG they were amazing) and woodfired pizza.
OK, OK. I know. I’ve been REALLY slack lately. No blog posts, hardly any posts on my facebook fan page. I’ve been in a bit of a creative funk lately (I blogged about it over at Handmade Spark). It’s been a tough term at school – that’s my excuse anyway.
Now that I’m on school holidays, I’m beginning to crawl out from the rock I’ve been living under, and start connecting with the art community again. So this blog post is a catch up – like at the beginning of a TV show when they tell you all the stuff that happened in the last episode. Here’s what you missed…
"Sunset Joy" - SOLD - Profits to Cerebral Palsy League
The Art for Art’s Sake exhibition was a success – my Sunset Joypainting sold and was able to raise $200 for the Cerebral Palsy league. I was proud that my little painting could make a difference!
Fabric Cards by Georgica Designs
I’ve been lucky enough to participate in another DUST team swap (Meanwhile, isn’t saying DUST team a bit like saying ATM machine?) This time I was paired up with Deb from Georgica Designs. Deb makes gorgeous fabric greeting and note cards, and I was lucky enough to receive a package of mixed cards and gift tags. They are so simple and elegant, perfect for that special person’s birthday!
In return, I’ve sent Deb her very own original painting, with a matching pendant. I’ve named it Deb’s Garden:
Deb's Garden
Karen from New Earth Soaps was kind enough to feature my Summer Field painting on her blog. I was also honoured that my Rescued painting was featured by fellow tea lover Verity on her blog, Nice Life With a Cup of Tea. I always feel blessed when someone has liked my work enough to feature it on their blog. I’ve added both Etsy stores to my favourites and look forward to ordering some of the gorgeous looking sugar body scrubs from New Earth Soaps and lovely hand-blended tea leaves from Joidetea.
If you’d like to see my artwork in person, take yourself along to Cafe @ Kitchener, where my artwork is featured along with the work of some other wonderful local artists. You can relax with a coffee while you view beautiful artwork! Many thanks to Michelle from Art Salon for letting me know about this opportunit and for doing all the running around and organising. Michelle is having a Studio sale at the moment – have a look at some of the amazing paintings she’s selling at up to 50% off (I’ve seen some of these personally and trust me they are even more beautiful in person!).
Stay tuned for more (hopefully more regular) posts from KL Bailey Art!
One of the many things I love about creating art is the opportunity it provides me to support more charities. You may remember earlier this year I donated a painting to the Young Variety’s ‘Heart Art Show’.
This year I’ve also been given the opportunity to participate in the Cerebral Palsy League‘s ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ exhibition. The Cerebral Palsy League is the largest non-government disability services provider for people with a physical disability in Queensland. Having taught a student with Cerebral Palsy I’ve seen first hand the necessity of an organisation like this, and so I’m very happy to be able to support them.
This year’s exhibition theme is ‘The Joy of Living’, and I am donating the following painting, titled Sunset Joy:
The painting will be auctioned at the Gala Opening and Cocktail Reception on Wednesday 12 May 2010 from 6:30pm, at Waterfront Place, Eagle St, Brisbane. For more details, please see the Art for Art’s Sake website.
"Mother and Child" Acrylic on Board by Tracey Potter
Mother’s Day is nearly here again – doesn’t it always sneak up on you? This week I’ve been lucky enough to be featured in two blog posts about Mother’s Day gift ideas.
Firstly, one of my favourite artists, Tracey Potter, has blogged about her Top 10 Gifts under $50 for Mother’s Day, featuring my “Pink Lemonade” pendant along with many other beautiful items including her gorgeous original painting “Mother and Child” (featured above).
Yesterday I attended my first ever BrisStyle meeting (this is my excuse for doing my Saturday Selections post on Sunday, btw). It was great to put faces to names, even though I was a little too shy to talk to everyone!
I thought it fitting that I highlight some of my favourite items by fellow BrisStyle members this week:
Top to bottom, left to right:
1. Lavender Scented Bird by Edward & Lilly. I just love these little birds! The belly of the bird is filled with lavender flowers, and hand embroidered on the front. Perfect for hanging in your wardrobe to keep it smelling lovely!
2. Old World Rose earrings by Little Yellow. Aren’t these pretty? I love the combination of the antique bronze with the cherry pink quartz rondelle. A little bit of old world style and elegance.
3. Delightful Daphne – Cream Brown and Gold Cameo Necklace by Love Chrissa. This necklace certainly is delightful! The beautiful brown and cream Cameo matches perfectly with the ivory coloured antique Cameo base. My favourite little touch is the pretty antiqued brass sparrow – it adds that little extra interest and charm to this necklace.
4. Small Shoulderbag with Eucalyptus screen print in black by PalumaPrint. Made from cotton canvas fabric in grey and black, this one of a kind bag features PalumaPrint’s original eucalyptus design. It’s simple elegant style makes this a versatile bag that would go with any outfit! With free shipping to Australia and NZ, what’s not to love?
5. Blue and White Spots Clutch by Chi Designs. I love the soft pretty polka-dot design of the Japanese linen/cotton fabric this clutch is made from. It’s large enough to fit all the essentials, making it perfect for everyday!
This month I once again participated in the DUST team swap, and once again it was a wonderful experience.
I was paired up with Briony from Petaliferous, who makes handmade, one-of-a-kind, vintage, upcycled, fun and whimsical jewellery. I was spoilt rotten – here are the goodies I received:
A purple rose Cabochon Ring – handmade for me! Not only does it look great to just wear, I’ve found it looks fabulous when I thread through the ends of a wrap top I bought at an Intimo party. So versatile!
I just love this Hot Pink Rose Cabochon necklace – I’ve been looking for a nice bright pink necklace for ages, and this one is just perfect!
My favourite item by far is this gorgeous bracelet made with handmade sparkly blue, black and silver beads. It is just my style and is *so* comfortable to wear (yes, I HAD to wear it as soon as it arrived in the mail – and I happened to be wearing blue that day too so it must have been fate).
My photos (taken late at night because I’m too impatient to wait until the weekend when I’ll have time to take daylight photos) really don’t do this beautiful jewellery justice, so please check out Briony’s store to see pieces like these and many other beautiful jewellery items.
Yesterday I spent my morning at The Handmade Expo, at the Ipswich Turf Club.
After a bit of a shaky start (I am prone to stressing out at the best of times, and a mix-up over where to set up had me freaking out just a bit) – I had a great day!
It was definitely a better venue to sell than the Suitcase Rummage was – people were expecting higher quality items. I sold quite a lot of pendants, some cards and a couple of keepsake boxes.
Keepsake boxes, pendants and cards
The best thing about the Handmade Expo was all the lovely people I met. I really enjoyed being able to meet the people buying my work and hearing their comments. It also gave me a good idea of which styles were popular. One lovely lady who purchased two of my paintings at The Coffee Club Springfield popped in to meet me, which was wonderful. A huge thank you to all those who stopped by and said hello 🙂
Original Artwork
The Handmade Expo is held every month at the Ipswich Turf Club. While I won’t be able to make the May market (I will be participating in Padua College’s Artscape Exhibition), I will be at the June Market on Saturday 26th June. I’m hoping to make it a regular event!
I’ve always been fascinated by the stars – I love looking up at the night sky, especially when I’m away from the city and the artificial light no longer dims the stars. One of my favourite childhood memories is that of looking through a neighbour’s telescope. So it’s not surprising that stars feature heavily in my artwork. Nor is it a surprise that some of my favourite Etsy items are star-themed as well. Here are a few of them:
3. Starry Night Serving / Pasta Dish by Spinster Sisters Pottery. This dish is so pretty it almost seems a shame to put food on it! Glazed in midnight blue with white crystal stars, it would make a wonderful centerpiece to the table.
4. The Original Velvet Purple Candileria by Blue Room Pottery. How cool are these? I can just imagine how pretty a room would look lit by candlelight filtered through one of these beauties, stars playing against the walls.
5. Starry Night Necklace Lapis Lazuli, Pyrite, Sterling Silver by Red Chair. If you were to trap the night sky in a string of pearls, I think it would look something like this. This stunning necklace features lapis lazuli beads, blue as the night sky, offset by the shine of Pyrite.
