happy tuesday everyone ...

so, i have started the 30 day artists challenge and it is going really well. i cannot believe how inspired i am feeling. not only am i enjoying creating little collage pieces but i am also using the collage papers to make lovely paper maiche bowls. 

i love how when i create art it opens to door to new possibilities.  using new colour palettes. making new things and 

discovering new favourites ♥

happy tuesday everyone.

i hope you get to discover something new today.

the time has come .....

well, the time has finally come. it is the eve. of me commencing the 30x30x30 artist challenge for the Treetops Montessori School in Perth, Western Australia. i am nervous, excited, pumped, happy and a little over-whelmed (all at once). i felt ok until i unpacked the canvases and looked at the "stack" in front of me. 30 of them. wow. 

how am i going to keep the ideas flowing? have i got enough paper, glue, paint, time, energy, brushes, meals in the freezer, space, ideas, enthusiasm? 

But you know what? i am going to MAKE IT HAPPEN. i have faces many interesting challenges in my life so far. this is just a new type of challenge for me. because i am putting myself out there through my art it feels a little less frightening. i feel like i can let my art talk for me. i can express myself through the use of colour, texture, photography and my own, unique style. how cool. how liberating. how great, to be experiencing new and exciting challenges at the age of 41 ! BRING ON TOMORROW. 

this chic is ready to create, create, create. 

30 times to be precise. 

good times xx

printmaking class...

okay. so as some of you may already know, i have been studying Visual Art and Contemporary Craft full time since the beginning of this year at the Great Southern Institute of Technology in Albany. i have completed units in drawing, painting, art history, installation, printmaking and digital media. it has been awesome. not only have i learned alot through art practice but i have worked along side some great fellow students and been lucky enough to have very dedicated, talented and awesome lecturers.

every wednesday i have been participating in a full day of printmaking. 

what can i say?

 this has changed the way i look at EVERYTHING. i immediately fell in love with the entire printmaking process.

"vintage dress" intaglio print

we started out with mono printing, moved on to making lino prints, then intaglio and collograph work. WOW. the process of hand drawing an image and carving/etching was something i found very therapeutic. but. it was once the ink was applied that the real magic began.

"dragonfly" intaglio print

what i found SO exciting was placing my plate (all inked up) into the press and savouring the anticipation whilst hand rolling it through the beautiful vintage press and awaiting the result once it came out the other end as i lifted the paper off to reveal the freshly produced print. MAGIC.

"dragonfly" intaglio print on tissue over mono printed background

i also really loved the energy that came from working in a class environment for printmaking. seeing the gorgeous colours everyone was mixing to apply to their plates. watching others work steadily on their work and seeing the fabulous, beautiful, detailed and exciting prints that were produced. we were all sharing a real sense of achievement.

"artichoke" intaglio print

"artichoke 2" intaglio print

these two images above are of my "artichoke" intaglio prints. they are my favourites. i have also gone a little further with these. i scanned my images and played with them in my digital media class to enhance/change some colours. then i printed them out onto archival quality paper and i have made a new range of greeting card and gift tages incorporating this new design.

i think this is what i was born to do, to take my original work and use it to create beautiful cards and pieces anyone can afford. that way i get to create the prints/paintings, people can purchase the originals, but the images can live on as an edited version of the original piece for others to enjoy. sounds good to me. what do you think of that idea??

"artichoke" series of handmade cards

below are images of my collograph work. the top image is my plate that i made from a piece of cardboard. i glued silk, lace, fibres and ribbon onto the card and then sealed it several times with shellac. this enabled me to use the plate for printing as the dried and "shellaced" (is that even a word?)  plate would now be able to be inked up without absorbing any of the said ink.

collograph plate

this first print is an example from my first run using the plate above. i love the denim-look i have achieved by using this great ink colour in combination with the textures i had on my plate. 

collograph print in denim blue

here is a black and white version of the collograph print. i am still not sure which way around i like it...

"press" collograph print in black

and here is my favourite collograph image using a variety of colours. i can just imagine this printed up onto canvas to make a beautiful cushion. the possibilities are endless !!

"press" collograph print in a variety of colours

who knew life could be this beautiful ♥

"artichoke" prints

I have been REALLY busy studying full time. one of my favourite day's this last semester has been Wednesday. because we have printmaking class ALL DAY (and because Offspring is on TV).

today, i have decided to share with you two of the prints i am most proud of. they are drypoint intaglio prints of my hand drawn artichoke. the sepia one was the first one i created. then, with the second (multi-coloured) one i tried an inking method which is traditionally called a "dolly wipe". during this process different coloured inks are rubbed into the plate and then removed gently by wiping the ink back and leaving certain colours in certain areas of the design. i think you will agree...this was a great success. i love my little artichokes. especially they are now framed.

autumn inspiration ...

today i have decided to share with you all some images of the work i have been creating whilst studying Visual Arts at the Great Southern Institute of Technology in Albany, WA.

i have been taking classes in drawing, art history, installation art, painting, printmaking and digital media. i must say it has been a pretty wild ride. i am continuously inspired by both my lecturers and the students i am working alongside. so far, the printmaking class has definitely been my favourite....what an awesome way to spend 6 hours on a wednesday!! 

our lecturer is the "uber talented" indra geidans whose work can bee seen on the turner galleries website (just click on tis link to have a peek). we first started in Indra's class by inking up some fabulous mono prints. i have posted a few images of my mono printing works below.

then, since learning mono printing techniques we moved onto using the fantastic presses at the Albany campus (which enable us to produce beautiful lino prints). learning the lino printing process has been so fulfilling, rewarding and challenging. it has given me a new focus and i find the actual cutting/carving of the lino plates very thereputic. there is nothing more satisfying than taking one of my original drawings or sketches and transferring it onto the lino plate to commence carving out the design. getting my head around how to cut the lino so that the areas where the ink sit are the printed parts and that what i am carving out is actually what will be revealed as the original paper beneath has been a real challenge. it is almost like you have to view everything as an old style "negative" of a photograph to get it right. below is a sample of one of my lino cut designs...

i will leave you all now with these lovely printmaking images to look at. if you find these intriguing, go online and have a look at some of the amazing work that is out there by artists from all around the globe. 

i am sure it will draw you in, just as it has me. 

happy browsing folks :)

exciting news for Leanne ...

As some of you may already know I have been chosen as one of the 30 artists to take part in the Treetops Montessori School's inaugural 30x30x30 challenge!!!! 

they chose the artists from just over 90 applicants, so you can imaging just how thrilled and honoured I am to have been 

invited to participate. 

click on this handy link to learn more about the challenge

I have included a "blurb" form the challenge website for you to read, but please check out the website and blog through the links I have created in this post to learn more. make sure you read up about the 30 artists who are taking part. some people are established artists and others are just emerging. I am super excited about the concept and am especially looking forward to the opening night to see all 900 works on display (on my hubby's birthday too). i think this is shaping up to be a  professional highlight for me in 2012 :)

here is the "blurb" form the people behind the challenge:

The Artists

Thirty (30) Artists, or art groups, will be challenged to complete thirty (30) works in thirty (30) days. The thirty (30) day period for the project shall be nominated by the Artist to suit their schedule, yet shall be within the period, 2nd March and 3rd September 2012. Artists are encouraged to step out of their comfort zone, try out new styles, experiment with materials, explore a new subject, take risks, work quickly and let the ideas flow. The art works do not need to be thirty (30) stand alone, finished pieces. They can be a collection of ideas, a record of an experiment in process, a study of a subject or technique, a story / narrative to share with others.

All Artists will be supplied with thirty (30) canvases (8 inches by 8 inches) on which to work, or on which to present works. The works can be of any medium including acrylic paint, oil paint, pastel, pencil, watercolour, mixed media, textile, jewellery, printmaking, photography, quilting, glass and ceramics. The only constraint is that all works shall be presented on the canvas ready for hanging. There are many options to display work to meet this criterion, such as temporarily fixing 3D objects like jewellery and textiles, or block mounting photographs and works on paper. If works are best framed at a later date by the purchaser, then they can be temporarily fixed to the canvas for display purposes only. 900 works, uniform in size but infinitely varied in content will be hung together at our unique and exciting exhibition.

Taken from www.30x30x30.org.au

Happy Weekend

Just thougth I would share this beautiful quote that I found on the most amazing event planners website. Their company is called PS I Love You and their work is simply devine. 

HAPPY WEEKEND :)

i have been an absent friend ....

hi all. it definitely would be stating the obvious to say that i have been extremely busy over the past month or so. i have been to sydney for christmas, entertained many family and friends over the summer holidays in nornalup, had the kids in 2 weeks of swimming lessons, finished off a couple of commission pieces, filled another "top-up" order for Howard Park Wines, moved house (a second home in Albany) and started studying full time .... phew, and that is the things that i can remember!!! life has been challenging and uplifting all rolled into one. i have had moments of overwhelm amongst laughter, tears and exhaustion. i am learning to adjust to living away from our main "family" home amongst the tall trees and into a city again. we are using the city unit as a base for the kids upper schooling and my study. whilst is is super exciting to have the shops, cafes and culture back on the doorstep, i must say, i miss "home" terribly. lucky i am busy busy busy...

during the next 6 months my focus will be studying Visual Art at the great southern institute of technology in albany. i am enrolled in art history/mixed media, drawing, printmaking, painting and digital media classes. SO full on, but SO much fun. i am hoping to pick up lots of new tricks, tips and techniques to incorporate into my own art work whilst "testing the water" to see if i like studying again before possibly doing a degree in fine art. i have loved every minute of my course so far and have decided to share some images with you below of some expressionist artists that have "caught my eye" this week.

kline

hoffman

and (just for you) i have included an image of a collage that one of my classmates and i completed yesterday as part of our drawing assessment. we had to do a large drawing each exploring tone and line making. we then had to cut our drawing up into different sized pieces to categorize them according to their tone (light, medium or dark). we then set about creating a collage incorporating work form the two of us which was 1m x 1m. i think you will agree, the results were pretty damn special. it was an awesome morning session, spending three hours creating and collaborating. i wonder what we will "create" next week ???

monique + leanne

in my next blog post i will be sharing with you all some VERY exciting news.....stay tuned and have a fabulous weekend :)

a little bit of goodness for CHRISTMAS ...

well, tomorrow my family and i leave for Sydney to spend christmas with my sister, her hubby and her brand new baby girl (along with my folks) ... 

WOW, it is going to be awesome:)

but, before i leave you all i thought i would share with you what i have been working on over the past few weeks.

FIRSTLY

christmas collage

i have been at work on some new collage pieces. all of these have been on 30cm x 30cm canvases or boards and i must say...i have LOVED the chance to "get messy" with the paper and glue again. this particular image above is a close up of a section of a completed piece entitled "christmas collage"....getting me into the whole christmas spirit xx

SECONDLY

owl art charm for walpole markets

these new art charms come in 1" and 1 1/2" square. they are reproductions of my original painting entitled "owl magic" which i sold at my recent Art Trail Exhibition in walpole. a very lovely local lady now has the beautiful original (70cm x 100cm) hanging in her bedroom to keep watch over her at night. the original painting was admired so much i have decided to bring her to life in my latest range of art charms. they will be available for sale at the Walpole Market on Saturday 31st December 2011, in Pioneer Park. i hope to see some of you there :)

THIRDLY

beginnings - original acrylic on canvas

today, i have completed a new comissioned work and OH BOY, has it been a challenge. the lady ordered a piece that echoed the colour palette of a previous painting of mine entitled "journey" and i did find it a whole new experience working within guidelines of size, colour and pattern. whilst i did enjoy the process i must say that letting it all "flow' and seeing what evolves is far more rewarding! but im am certainly not complaining as it is such an honour to have someone ask you to create an original piece especially for their home. i will deliver it tomorrow before heading off on holidays and i must say, i cannot wait to see it hanging in it's new home in Denmark !!

well, that is all until 2012 folks....yes, that's right. next time i will be blogging it will be a NEW YEAR. i certainly hope you all have a fantastic christmas and a fun-filled and joyous new year...until then...enjoy the "season to be jolly" xoxo

my latest addiction ...

hi all. how are you all feeling about the fact that christmas is JUST 

around the corner? i am super-excited, because we are heading to sydney 

to spend it with my gorgeous new little niece 

(who is one of the reasons i have been absent from 

the blogosphere for so long).  

she will be 6 weeks old on christmas day and my daughter 

(13) is so excited to have a "little chicken" to cuddle and love ♥

i have decided today to share with you a sample of my latest collage work 

that i am creating on boards that are 30cm x 30cm. 

it started off with me trying to get use out of leftover wet paint 

that was hanging around after painting my large paintings on canvas. 

my doting husband has cut all of the boards up for me 

and i have been loving getting the paper, the glue 

and the lino stamps out. 

here is one of the collages that i have loved 

since the minute i made it. it is currently for sale locally 

at the Nornalup Teahouse. 

i have also just used this image on the front of a gorgeous new 

square greeting card made exclusively for the 

Cellar Door of Howard Park Wines in Denmark. 

i hope you like it as much as i do..let me know what you think !

opening night success ♥

     

WOW.....what a night.

11 paintings sold, a dozen bottles of champagne downed, lots of beautiful lino-printed fabric ordered, yummy food, great friends, fantastic support from the local community and two very happy artists :)

Our Opening Night was definitely a success !!!

Finally I have caught up after a week of busy/crazy madness after our AMAZING Opening Night last Friday. Thank you so very much to all who came along to "raise a glass" and to show your support for myself and Justine.

Thank you also must go out to all of my wonderful friends and family who have supported and encouraged me so much over the past few months and helped to show me that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE...

make sure you believe in your dreams; because they really can come true!

check this out ...

do you love it????

this is a digital collage I created tonight using some of the images I have photographed ready for my up-coming exhibition next week. in order to cover all tastes and budgets i have taken small "snap shots" of my acrylic painting work as it has been evolving to create 5 x 7 inch original art prints. these will sell for the BARGAIN price of $10 each at the exhibition, allowing anyone to take home a "snippet" of original art. they are packaged up and backed with foam core board so that they can be given as gifts or simply popped straight into a frame. i think they are going to be a hit...here are some single samples below.

harmony piece

love lace piece

peaceful pods piece

not long now . . .

well...time flies when you are having fun doesn't it !!

did I say FUN ??? 

actually that is exactly what the last few weeks/months have been creating 27 pieces ready to exhibit in the 2011

"Bendigo Bank Southern Art and Craft Trail"

this week and next are all about the boring bits. paperwork, pricing, setting up, sending stories to local papers, catering etc. etc. etc.

justine and i are getting super excited...actually she is enjoying a pre-exhibition break and i am bunkering down with the fire on at home and hanging out with my gorgeous daughter (my number one fan). i did promise a "sneak peek" at pieces we have in readiness for the exhibition so i have included an image of both Justine and my work for you to see....

will leave the rest under wraps until the big "reveal"

... only 12 sleeps xoxoxox

hand printed lino cut on upcycled fabric

justine gamblin

"harmony" 

acrylic on canvas

leanne fry

we hope to see as many supporters and friends as possible at the exhibition in Walpole and i would like to take this opportunity personally to say a huge thank you to my amazing husband and children who have been so supportive and nurturing during the last few months as i painted away and dreamt of this exhibition finally coming to life ♥

invite to my first exhibition !!!

you can click on the invite above to get all the DETAILS...
i am super excited !!!

more details to follow soon and some sneak peeks of our work.

around here lately ....

morning all.

did i mention that i am taking part in my very FIRST exhibition. 

oh yes, i did that it my last post. 

of course i did. 

can you tell i am a wee bit excited ?? 

the 2011 Bendigo Bank Southern Art and Craft Trail is going to be huge. if you have not checked out the website yet, pop on over and have a look, making sure you click on the "our artists" tab.

well, it is because of this that i have been a little absent from the world of blogging for the last month or so. i have churned out 16 finished pieces so far and have a few more bubbling away. i kinda feel that if i just "go nuts" and create then it will give me the opportunity as the exhibition gets closer (which it actually now is creeping up on me ..... eeeeek ) to have the luxury of choosing what is going to work best in the gallery space and what compliments Justine's AMAZING lino-cut textile work. 

here is a current work in progress that i have put on my mantle in the living room to look at for the next week while i work out where i am going to head with it next....
i wonder what will appear amidst the layers of this one???

here is another one i have recently completed....
i am loving the colours on this one.

i have also been really busy setting up my very own "le-papier" shop on the fabulous Etsy site, so stay tuned for the announcement that the beautiful art charms and greeting cards are available to purchase through my very own online shop......be patient though, as i have to get the rest of my paintings finished first.

anyway...that's me. busy. painting. making exhibition invites. being mum. loading up my etsy shop. cooking. creating. exploring. never a dull moment around here lately ...

painting frenzy...

hello out there to all my friends and followers. just thought i would take some quick shots of the "works in progress" i have going on in preparation for my up-coming exhibition...yes, it's official. i am selling and exhibiting my works in a REAL exhibition this October in the nearby town of Walpole in collaboration with a friend and fellow artist, Justine Gamblin. we are taking part in the Southern Art and Craft Trail this year and are so thrilled to be part of it all. the exibition will be running from 1-16 October...more details to follow!

anyway, today i am working in the studio on some paint and collage works. i decided to take a snap of all the works together...very mixed up and random at the moment and as you can see, some pieces are completed works and others are ready for their next layers to go on....so, let the FUN begin. i am off to create some more "layered magic". chat soon peeps....xoxoxo