A bit of ceramic jewellery.....

 

I have dabbled making ceramic beads for a few years now, on and off, but recently I took myself off to a ceramic jewellery workshop in Sydney.

 

 

 

It was 3 Saturdays in a row up in Rosebery, which was a bit of a hike for me, but I had waited for some months for this course to come up.

 

 

Here are some of my pieces ready for glazing and firing.

This was porcelain clay, but they were only glaze fired to earthenware temps due to the types of glaze we were using.

 

Basically the techniques taught were what I was already doing, but it did help to clear up some glazing and firing questions.

 

 

These are some earrings I made at home after the class.

 

 

 

 

I'm loving the handpainted 'folkart' look of these earrings.

 

The necklace hanging behind is also made from ceramic beads.

 

 

 

These are my 'honeycomb' beads.

 

 

 

Ceramic jewellery making is a LOT of fun.

 

Challenging.

But fun.

 

cheers

Fi

More doodle painting....

 

I've had this Marjolein Bastin book for many, many years.  Every few years I get it out and drool over it.
Sometimes I even get out my watercolour paints and 'doodle' from some of the pages.

 

 

 

It takes me back to childhood in Scotland.

 

One of the favourite activities of my sister and I was to ramble through woods and down country lanes on nature walks - seeing what treasures we could find.

Sycamore pods were a favourite.  We called them helicopters.  We would throw them up in the air and watch them fall to the ground.

 

 

 

 

More fun doodling with more traditional folk art styles.

 

 

And, of course, more folk art houses.

 

 

 

 

And tea........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you're having a great day,

cheers

Fi

A taste of Tuscany....

Hi all.

Been a bit busy lately, but I really wanted to go out to the shed today, even if just to 'doodle' a bit with the paint.

I found a pile of coasters (drink mats) on a shelf, and thought they would be just the thing to have some fun with.

First one of the rank -

 

 

A little bit of Tuscany, folk art style.

 

Not sure what I will do with these painted coasters - I suppose I could be revolutionary and just use them as coasters! (aka, drink mats).

 

cheers

Fi

A stroll down my street....

I feel so privileged to live where I do.

I have to admit though, it has taken many years of adjustment to adapt to living in Australia.

I came here from Scotland when I was 15, very resistantly I might add.

I like Scotland.  I loved the countryside.  I liked strolling along trout-filled river banks and climbing mossy hills.

I loved the smell of the air, and that special sort of light you get in the summer months.

Fields of daffodils, a woodland of bluebells, hedgehogs, red robins and badgers.

But once you have children in another country, you enter a kind of 'no mans land'.
You don't really belong to either place.

So this is why I am now happy to say, that I have found a kind of 'peace' about where I live.

We moved to the Southern Highlands area of New South Wales about 17 years ago.  Yes, I know, for a Scot, the Highlands is an apt place to be!
And what is more, I live in a very Scottish named village - Robertson.

This village has no airs or graces (although it is home to many celebrities that buy country homes here, and they are often found eating in local cafes, shopping in town, etc.  Even had Nicole Kidman and Keith whatshisname casually morning-teaing in the nearby town a few months ago).

But Robertson is unpretentious.
I can feel quite at liberty to pop down to the cafe for a coffee in my gardening clothes - and noone would bat an eyelid! Don't you just love that?

When your dog runs away in a storm (and yes, Cindy Bee, she did have a tag on), you come home to a message on the phone to tell you that it's ok, your dog is here at the pub, pick her up when  you're ready, mate.

What was that 'Cheers' song?  A place where everybody knows your name...

Anyway, I thought I would share some photos with you when I went on my stroll the other day.

These photos were taken on the road where I live. 

Maybe you can see why, being a Scot, I like it here.  It could sort of be anywhere really.

That's mostly why they filmed the 'Babe' the pig movie in this village - hard to tell what country it is.

 

 

Dandelions in profusion amongst the grass and brambles.

 

 

 

 

Picking and eating blackberries warmed by the sun - brilliant.

 

 

 

Now, in this photo, I am standing on the road taking the picture and where the red arrow is, shows where the road winds down and around the fields and farms.  It eventually winds down to some beautiful waterfalls.

 

 

 

Wild fennel

 

 

 

And look at these beauties I spied down the bottom, having a grand old time in the water.

 

 

 

There are lots of wild fowl and animal life around here.

 

 

 

Can't forget the dear old cows.

 

 

 

Hope you've enjoyed our stroll today.

Where do you live, and what do you like about it?

cheers
Fi

I've been commissioned.......

A bit of a different one for me - my friend owns an icecream and lolly shop (sweet shop to the UK'ers) up at the Old Cheese Factory and she has asked me to paint icecreams for her - with a vintage feel.

Well, the vintage is up my alley, but the icecreams, that's new.


So here goes.
Canvases prepared with gesso.

 

 

 

Dinner taken care of, thanks to the trusty crockpot.

 

 

 

Washing done.

 

 

Essential supplies brought in.

 

 

 

The process begins.

 

 

 

Building up the layers.

 

 

 

And a cherry on top.

 

 

Pink for the girls, now blue for the boys,

 

Colours blocked in.

 

 

 

Layering continues.....

 

 

 

And chocolate flake added to the top.

 

 

Have I made you hungry for icecream?

 

 

cheers

Fi

Rustic painting Ompir style....

Weather was a bit hot today, so after a bit of lunch up at the Robertson Cheese Factory, I thought I'd go to the shed and do some 'practice' painting.  

You know, the sort of thing you do when you don't have anything in particular in mind, but want to paint something.

Today's practice was some rustic bird painting in the style of Peter Ompir.

I love the simplicity of his style, yet it is very bold.  More bold than I am accustomed to.

I found this photo online of one of his bowls.

I'm not really sure what the bird was suppposed to be, but I thought I would interpret into my own bird.

Painting stylistically is a lot of fun.  

While on the rooster trail, I painted this one up.

It is really unusual for me to paint on a white background - sort of reminded me of french provincial style farmhouse painting.

I'm calling it a day now - off to cook.

What have you been painting/making lately?

cheers

Fi

Today's painting......

Well, I've had a blast this morning, painting away in the shed.

I'm combining my love of Peter Ompir style folk art, various modes of transport, and naive landscapes into one.

I couldn't help thinking there was something missing here though.

 

And so there was - a rooster.

What - don't you take your rooster on bike rides?

Now (to me anyway), it's telling a story.

I want to know where they are going.

And I want them to take me.

Have a great day.

cheers
Fi