Wallaby Cave Revisited

It seems a lifetime ago that I began a painting featuring black-footed rock wallabies basking in the last rays of the sun at the entrance to a small cave. I ran into problems with that painting from day one as I sought to apply heavily diluted acrylic paint to canvas in the same way I'd successfully done so on watercolour paper years before. Those methods didn't translate well to canvas and I moved on to fresh subjects in a fit of exasperation. Another obstacle was that I was unsure of some details of the cave and of my ability to improvise in the absence of suitable reference photos. Worthwhile painting ideas are a precious commodity however, and although my first attempt never came to fruition, I always felt I'd return to this subject one day.

When we visited the area 12 months later I was mindful of this painting subject and, on one on our many forays up the creek and with the position of the sun in my original photos in mind, I manoeuvred my kayak into position tight against the creek's steep rock wall with the aim of securing the photographs I'd lacked before. I have an adequate collection of photos featuring the region's rock wallabies, so with a more detailed idea of the painting's backdrop I'm a little more hopeful that Wallaby Cave version 2.0 will be more successful.

With the intention of beginning my attempt in the week ahead, I'm conscious of the need to make some lifestyle changes to accommodate it. Getting more sleep is at the top of the list, the aim being to reduce the weariness I feel at the end of a long day in front of a computer screen. Hopefully, I can begin to feel a little more motivated and be a little more productive in the evenings than I have been in recent months.

Cheers

Pete

I Can Feel a Painting Coming On!

After a long absence from the easel and from this blog I'm probably no closer to picking up the paintbrushes again, although the enforced absence does serve a useful purpose in strengthening my resolve to do so as soon as I'm able (or under-employed once again!).

I'm not entirely without free time, but from experience I know that grabbing ten minutes here or an hour there just doesn't lend itself to successful artistic endeavours; strangely, I've noticed in the past that I can be an hour or more into a painting session before I feel the creative gears in my brain engage.

With work having taken precedence over the past few months, I've become aware that I reflect with increasing frequency on what it takes to feel whole, and on the impact a denial of who I am at my core has on my sense of well-being. Perhaps it's that I'm on the wrong side of 50, but striving to be my authentic self takes on new importance as I contemplate my life's direction and the forces that influence it - not all of which I have control over. Ultimately, I know that to be truly happy I need not only to be creating, but to be surrounded by creative people from whom I can draw inspiration. Until my circumstances change, the best I can manage in that regard is to keep tabs on the various blogs I follow in an effort to somehow remain connected to their authors, and to our common goals.

I can feel a painting coming on!

Cheers

Pete

Australia's Not-So-Wild Dog

With thoughts of continuing work on a painting I began several months ago, I took advantage of "half-price Wednesday" at Perth Zoo today with hopes of fluking some decent photographs of a dingo or two. A dingo will be the main character in the painting and I have some half-formed ideas about the pose I'd ideally like to depict. It was never going to be easy to secure the perfect photographic reference, but I hoped to be able to pick and choose and combine elements from several photos.

In the middle of a warm Australian day, however, this is the best I could manage. Talking to one of the zoo keepers, it seems this old fellow is fast approaching his use-by date and is slowing down somewhat, although he did make the effort to turn and look at us - perhaps he sensed we were discussing him. Next to his enclosure are promotional shots of him with his sister, who was co-tenant until her recent death, which show them in their prime and posing magnificently. Just the photographs I was looking to take myself!

With the end seemingly imminent, there are plans afoot to replace him with two new animals. The replacements have even been sourced, but until nature takes its course and he shuffles off to wherever it is old dingoes shuffle off to, he'll live out his remaining days in solitude; it's thought that two new frisky arrivals will be too upsetting for him.

In his dotage, it's said he's fussed over by the keepers and is even taken for a walk around the zoo grounds each morning before the gates are opened - at a much slower pace than was once the case.

Without wanting to sound mean-spirited, it's clear that this old guy isn't going to provide the photos I want and that I'll have to venture further afield for some livelier specimens. I can only hope he enjoys his remaining time and laps up the attention he deservedly receives from his keepers for a good while longer.

Cheers

Pete

Mind Games

Inspiration is my fickle companion in art - vitally important, but unpredictable and strong-willed. It can't be cajoled and makes an appearance only when it's good and ready. It appears from nowhere to deliver a fresh and exciting painting idea, filling me with enthusiasm for it to the exclusion of all else only to disappear again without trace, often before the idea has been fully realised. It deserts me without warning and cuts my enjoyment for the task off at the knees as it departs. From that point on I'm left stranded, with a hard slog ahead at best, and with abandonment of the painting often the ultimate outcome. Is this an inevitable state of affairs for those of us with an artistic temperament? Is there there some new mind game I don't know about that can hold inspiration captive?

As I ponder this, I'm almost driven to revert to smaller works once my current painting is done with, the thinking being that I'll be able to finish them before the spark of inspiration dies. How frustrating! How limiting!

Cheers

Pete

Missing in Action

Just a "Hi" to my faithful legion of followers and an update to let them know I haven't vanished completely - perhaps a more appropriate title would be "Mission Inaction"!

With sales of my paintings and prints non-existent so far in my revitalised artistic career, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands when a juicy computing project came my way recently. The downside is that it's meant putting aside my paintbrushes and dusting off the long-forgotten, logical and somewhat nerdy hemisphere of my brain reserved for such mundane things.

The income has been welcome even if it's been short-lived, but with the bulk of the work completed now, I'm in a position to think about my neglected paintings and how I might rekindle the spark of enthusiasm where my current egret painting is concerned. With only a few leaves and feathers left to complete, the logical part of my brain - which is currently very active - tells me it should be relatively easy to accomplish. The idle artistic side is rousing itself in protest however - perhaps it's enjoyed the time off and wants me to extend its vacation.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!

Cheers

Pete

Dreaming of a White Christmas

The summer heat hasn't arrived with a vengeance yet - at least not in my home town of Perth - but my workshop roof attracts the heat and turns it into a furnace. I had planned on some woodworking activity over the Christmas break, but the temperature in my workshop is several degrees warmer than it is outside and the thermometer there currently reads 43C!

As I read of winter's first snowfall in some of the the blogs I follow, I'm reminded of how different our environments are. Through reading those same blogs over the past year and exchanging comments with their keepers, however, it's also clear that people are much the same the world over, regardless of climate and physical surroundings. It's a comforting thought in many ways and contributes to the sense of community I've enjoyed since beginning my blog.

My thanks to each and every one of you whose artistic progress I'm able to share and to those of you who are kind enough to offer suggestions and encouragement where my own efforts are concerned. I've come to thoroughly enjoy the blogging experience and I look forward to a repeat performance during 2010.

My sincere best wishes to you and your loved ones over Christmas and the year beyond.

Cheers

Pete

In Painting Mode

With Sandi's 50th birthday celebrations out of the way I hope to ease myself back into painting mode again soon. We enjoyed having interstate visitors to help us mark the occasion, but it's meant that my painting has taken a back seat for the duration of their stay. An added distraction has been a woodworking project I attempted to complete for a friend from Melbourne to coincide with his visit. I put the brushes down a couple of weeks ago in an effort to meet that self-imposed deadline but was unsuccessful anyway as it turned out.

I hope I can finish this one soon; it seems there's a finite amount of inspiration to draw on when a painting takes as long as this one has!

Cheers

Pete