The Magic of Spring

Well so much for my amazing comeback (see my last post :) In my defence tho I certainly haven't been slacking off. I decided before getting my paints out again I'd quickly create some prints. Of course it was at this point my 'can't do anything by halves' brain took over and a few quick prints turned into a whole range of lifestyle products and a flash new website complete with shopping cart to house it all in! All of this is something that's been in my creative pipe-line for some time now.. apparently it's time had come. And while it was huge and consumed my every spare second for 2 months (yes I'm still working on the whole balance thing :) I'm so so glad I pushed through all those "I cannot do this" moments to get to the "Wow.. look what I did" ones.  

It feels like I now have an amazing base, a beautiful new space to house not only my art but my heART and soul and all the amazingness I find and learn along the way and need to pass on just incase someone else needs it too. I've taken the big leap and added a beautiful SHOP to my website where those who love my work can easily browse and safely purchase. A bit scary but I'm so excited.

And... Yay!... I have teamed with redbubble.com to created a beautifully unique range of lifestyle products including canvas prints, gift cards, cushions, clothing and more. 

So now I feel like there's nothing left to do but what I love most... paint and create. Then put it all out there for the world to see and let the universe do the rest. Wish me luck : )

Here's a taste of whats to come and how it all comes together using my original artworks and the graphic design skills I've picked up over the years.

Each painting I create goes through many layers and lives. I always try to remember to take loads of photos of it's progress so I now have a huuuge library of potential backgrounds.

Of course I also have photos of aaaall my paintings so I can digitally extract any of the flowers, leaves, stems, vases, etc. and use them for my prints.

Then I can  mix and match backgrounds and flowers and vases and words and create something unique and original and amazing all over again. The possibilities are endless... it's so much fun.

​Here's how this one came together....

​Firstly I cropped a section from this background

then I extracted the flower from this... one of my very early masterpieces :)

... and a single leaf from the top of this one...

to create this design which I looove. I tweaked the colours (notice the centre of the flower is now teal) and added the words that feel right to me. 

I then have to tweak the design and the dimensions again to suit each product and upload the files to my redbubble site.

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Here's another....

This background

This vase squished a little

Three of these flowers and a section of the table cloth.

Add a few stray leaves, a beautiful 'beautiful' across the top. Tweak. Upload. Vuala...

These are the other 3 designs I created using the same process + some of the products...

Sound easy but it's really not. It's all quite intricate and very time consuming and I'm such a perfectionist... sometimes I can spend hours and hours on a design and then scrap it because it's not working for me. I love the process tho and I hope to add lots more to my range of prints and products real soon so be sure to follow me on IG or FB to stay updated.

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So here's what else has been happening since my last update..

Most importantly.... on the home front my eldest son Albie turned 18 and at the risk of boring you with my excessive proudness I just need to say what an absolutely amazing young man he is. I don't share much about my Alb.. being an introvert like me he doesn't like me to and I respect that. So I won't embarrass him here... much :) except to say well done Alb... you should be very very proud of yourself on so many levels. And thank you... for being my rock. And good luck... the world awaits. I feel I can confidently hand your life over to you now which is all any mum could ask for and I simply cannot wait to support your exciting career path and see what comes next... go for it Alb!

Love you with all my oh so proud mum heart xxx

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I found a very cool site where you can create an avatar of yourself. It's so much fun....

​Try it at faceyourmanga.com.

This is my wannabe version of me :) ....

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I managed to scrape a few paintings in...

This one I did for a lovely student named Katie. I don't know Katie but a birdie told me she was holding a fundraising event for her Year10 Max Potential Project to raise awareness for Headspace... another cause that is close to my heart. So I offered to donate a painting and this is what emerged.

And I finished this one...

Well I think it's finished.
Maybe not.
Not sure the lettering is working for me.

That's what I love about my art, the process, I get to keep going, keep experimenting, trying this and that until I end up with something I truly love.

A lot like life really. If we can just learn to relax and keep going, experiment and enjoy the journey things will always work out beautifully in the end :)

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Ok well I think that's me for now.
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I'm so excited that spring is here, and as if to say "here I am" look what has magically bloomed around my lamp post in the front yard... sooooo amazingly beautiful... how lucky am I!!!

And it coincides perfectly with my own new beginnings. My new website and on-line shopping, the launch of my new product range, and... I've taken the big leap and re-arranged my work week so I now work just 4 days leaving me a day to paint and create which is more amazing than I can find words for.... yeeeaaah :) !!! I'm very excited... I really do feel like right now.. today.. is a new beginning for me. I've plowed and prepared and sown the seeds... I wonder what magic will bloom next...... 

Have a beautiful spring time everyone :)

As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life. John Lubbock