Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

I am ashamed to say that It's been  a month since I returned from Townsville where I thoroughly enjoyed a week's workshop with Sherrill Kahn, celebrated artist and author, and I am just getting around to reviewing my photos.  The  sample of Sherrill's work pictured above is a good example of the art techniques and composition and design principles we learnt.   Having been inspired by Sherrill's  books prior to the workshop,  I had doubts about whether I had chosen the right class.as I have had very little experience with paint. However, I soon found myself experimenting with so many different techniques both on paper and fabric. Sherrill gave us many demonstrations over the five days, and we had plenty of time to try each technique ourselves. I have a pile of great samples! One of  my favourite techniques was to use inexpensive hair gel with paint .... this is still a work in progress, but I am working on this for th...

This beautiful print is by an Australian artist. Lindy Longhurst of    Serpent Mandalas Please click the link to see more of Lindy's art although I admit this is one of my favourites.  I chose a smaller version of this for my sister's birthday gift and then I went  searching for other owl paintings and mixed media collages, depicting beautiful girls and owls. I was surprised to find so many on Etsy, so I created a treasury. It is called Owl Sisters  - just click to find some amazing art work, linking girls and owls or you can see the images in the Etsy Mini  in the side bar to the right. Some old  Australian Aboriginal beliefs assert that bats represent the souls of men and owls the souls of women. Owls are therefore sacred, because your sister is an Owl - and the Owl is your sister. A few years ago, I planned to make a series of "bird" women. I did finish the owl woman, but that is as far as I got. However, recently I have started t...

Who could resist this welcoming sign? I was told that this was the place with great coffee and scones but the recommendation didn’t mention the wonderful surprising bonus - the ART! I visited this really inviting, appealing, quirky and interesting art space last week - David Mahony Art Gallery and Coffee House - in Sandy Hollow on the Golden Highway Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Here are some facts about Sandy Hollow • Village on the Golden Highway bordering Wollemi National Park • Overshadowed by the dramatic sandstone hills of the Giant’s Leap • 255 km north of Sydney, population 140 Sandy Hollow was originally a campsite for travellers at the junction of the Goulburn River Valley and Halls Creek. The surrounding area was settled by pioneering graziers in the 1820s. The town achieved a brief moment of fame when Captain Thunderbolt, the bushranger, held up the Denman-Merriwa mail service in the 1860s. The tourist website blurb does not mention David Mahony’s sculptu...