Please note that all images and photographs on this site are copywrited to Carol Mead. I would appreciate if you ask before sharing any images in any form. Thank you

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Under the Shade

I love the Australian bush - and gum trees are a special part of my love - I love their form and their variety and never get sick of looking at them - this old gum is only minutes away from where I live - it is so beautiful and magestic

So here are a small group of cows under the shade of a tree on a hot summer afternoon

It will be available at our exhibition in 2014







Cheers
Carol

Mid Summer Afternoon

Here is the painting I completed last week - I am very happy with it ... lots of texture and hidden bits

It will be available for our exhibition

Enjoy :)

The building is the restaurant at Lanyon

Detail 
Thanks for looking
Carol

Busy last couple of weeks

Well Kristin and I have finally put in the applications to have an exhibition to both ANCA and Belconnen Arts Centre - we know that we might not get in so we decided to go for broke .... next year I have a family wedding in NZ, and Exhibition and I am running 2 retreats - that would keep me very much occupied.

The exhibition will be called Through the Lens and it is about our travels through Australia. Kristin with her trusty Canon (drool) and me with a DSLR taking photos and transposing them into mixed media canvases.

So I have been painting too and am really pleased with the results - both are taken from the gorgeous Lanyon - it is on my backdoorstep literally!! As we look onto their back paddock.

I will pop them up tomorrow once things have dried - but I love the new work and I am loving this interesting size too - 1.3 metres by 30 cm - it is really an interesting size to paint.

Mid Summer Afternoon - was a tricky one to paint because it is mainly buildings and perspective is an intersting science - but I am delighted how it turned out - and makes the restaurant the feature of the painting whihc was my intention.

Under the Shade is a lovely landscape and I am really happy with it - the colours are really interesting and though I have never painted cows before - I had a couple of glasses of champagne and found it quite easy once I overcame my fear.

So I will pop them up tomorrow

Cheers
C

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Judging at the Goulburn Show

This year I was asked to judge the art and craft at the Goulburn show so I went into Goulburn on Friday 8th March at 11am - and had a great time learning how hard it is to judge similar and really different items against eachother.

Wow - but the great thing is that it is another experience that I would not have missed.

I must say for many of us who have had paintings or other items in shows - it always is difficult to see how the judges come to the 1st, 2nd or commended prizes. Now I know that it is really difficult especially when things are so very different - such as styles, mediums, quality and presentation. Sometimes there are standouts and other times no clear winner ... it is very interesting.

So next year, instead of judging at the show, I will pop in some artwork ..... it is a lovely rural show and I do encourage you to do the same. Forms will be available on the website in November 2013.

Oh and by the way - the scrapbooking rocked!!!!

Love
C

Monday, March 4, 2013

Lanyon

I don't do figures of people but I took a great photo of the chef at Lanyon clearing the table and I had to paint it - well with the encouragement of my husband Phil - this one is my second attempt - but I learned a lot through doing this one twice

Sold at the Canberra Show 2013 into a private collection

I would love to know who has it - so if anyone knows please let me know :)

Lanyon

The birth of a Painting

 Sometimes people wonder how I create a mixed media paintings

And I have to say - they are all very different.... sometimes I use few elements and other times many more to give it the depth and texture I think it needs

But here is the birth of one painting .... it is called Sentinels and is from a photo I took in Adelaides CBD at twilight

It was entered int he Canberra Show in 2013


my studio and easel

putting in the sky background and drawing in the bulidings

The tree forms go in

deeping the shadows and clouds

applying papers

a closeup of a few papers

finished paper stage

Adding road and shading

Adding detail and glass bead medium on the trees

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Moonrise

Somtimes there is a photo that I take that just surprises me with colour and form

This is a wide narrow piece which is inspired by a photo that I took at Moonrise watching the way the moon glimmered on the leaves.

I love the way the reflections light up the countryside and then glow out to see beyond.

It is for a wedding present for someone who loves purple above any other colour and as you know it isn't easy to do purple in landscapes so much..... so when I came across a photo of this sunset I took in Tassie - I thought of her!

This painting is in a private collection gifted by the artist

Moonrise over St Mary's Tasmania

Another one of the gorgoeus Kakadu

So much is written about Kakadu - and oh they are so right - visit when you can - there is so much to see and anjoy

This is a billabong we found on Yellow River - what a sight!! I had to include a little birdlife .... there was so much more but I thought restrained was better than being too twee!




Kakadu Billabong

Drifting at Dawn

My wonderful kids gave a me present of a balloon ride over Canberra for my 50th Birthday - so after taking photos - here is the painting that I did to celebrate the experience....




Drifting at Dawn

Snowy River Brumbies

Over the last few days - the weekend and yesterday - Australia Day - I created two more huge canvases..... this one is from New years eve in 2010

The first one is from our time at the Snowy Mountains - where we were lucky enough to see wild brumbies


Snowy River Brumbies

Weathered Through the Years

Okay here we are again - in less than a week and I have finished two more huge pieces - these babies are 100cm across so they really make an impact

While I was in the Snowys recently I took a photo of an old shed - weathered with the years and probably not storing much any more

Well I knew when I saw it I would have to use it to do a mixed media piece - so yesterday I did it - lots of paper and bits and it took me a while but I am so pleased with it - the pic doesn't really do it justice .... you certainly need to peer into my paintings to see hidden meanings


This painting is sold into a private collection in NSW

Weathered Through the Years
 

Shimmer in the Afternoon

This was from a photo in Gladstone - at the Botanical Gardens. 

The light in the mid afternoon glowed across the water and the waterlilies in flower made a spectacular display. 

The old mallelucas with their fantastic bark were bowed down towards the water and everything was hot and still.

This painting has been sold into a collection in NSW

Shimmer in the Afternoon

Broome Beach

My first Beach scene for a while - but I loved working with fibres and will do it again

This is a large piece painted from a photo I took of the beach at Broome WA

 The colours are very true to life and I have used fibres as well as other mixed media items that I usually use.



Broome Beach

More Boabs

I have to say I just love boab trees
This is at moon rise a cluster of boab trees
I am really happy with this piece


Boabs at Dusk

Honeymoon Bay

This large piece is of Honeymoon Bay in Tasmania
The place is over looked by these massive limestone cliffs
The bay is a beautiful aqua and the rocks an interesting terracotta colour
As a painter who could ask for more????


Honeymoon Bay

Prison Boab

One of my very first paintings where I had a statement about the aborignal prisoners in the last century ..... sadly we have not really progressed and indigenous Australians still make a larger percentage in prison than the population statistics

If you look very closely at the boab you will see some interesting things

This is the famous Prison Boab Tree in Derby WA

Prison Boab Tree

A trip through the Queensland rainforest

I love the rainforest - the amazing plants and trees and the lovely way it sparkles

Here is a painting I did called Rainforest Path .... I do wish the photo was better

It is sold in a private collection in NSW

Rainforest Path


The Bungle Bungles

We went to the amazing Bungle Bungles in 2007 and what an impact they had on my art - I loved everything about the place and want to visit via 4 wheel drive rather than by plane next time

I will do this painting again one time as I am not really happy with it - but it is all part of the journey isn't it - sometimes you just have favourites and sometimes not.....

The colours are amazingly real thought - WOW

Bungle Bungles
Enjoy !!
Love
C

Misty Blue

I love bush walking and in particular I love our Australia Bushland... the smell, the sounds, the animals and the features

I went for a holiday to the Blue Mountains with my husband Phil and of course saw the Three Sisters. Luckily the light was just right and here is the painting I produced..... lots and lots of texture and the use of garnet paste - oh how I love this medium

Misty Blue

Thanks for looking
Cheers
C

Mixed Media Work to Share

There is a lot of great mixed media work out there - but I think I have created something quite different

My paintings are a culmination of paint, ink, paper, pastes, stamps, and lots of cutting, tearing and pasting to get the feel that I look for in a painting.

So here is a special piece which I did for the Canberra Show (2010) - it won a Highly Commended too - which I am very excited about

Donated to the PCYC for fundrainsing 2013

Billabong Symphony

I really enjoyed this piece as it is a bit out of the norm for me

Cheers
C

Transferring some images from my Tattered Inspirations Blog

Hello everyone - this is a new blog and I have decided to bring over some posts and images from my Tattered Inspirations Blog. This is because that particular blog has became more about Scrapbooking and my online supplies rather than my mixed media journey - so here it is!! and I am proud to be showing you what I am up too!

Here is a link to the mixed media posts on the blog - but a lot of these I will bring here anyway

The link .... click here