It’s the end!

By elise | Published: June 4, 2010

After two weeks of being surrounded by my lovely alternate world, tomorrow is the last day of the exhibition so if you were thinking of coming to see it – now’s the time!

There are also a few new things to see. As I have been painting throughout the show there are now two new paintings. And I have hand-coloured some of the etchings of the elephant – with a gorgeous blue in the sea (saturated near the edges and fading to the middle) and some lovely colour on the girl.

The show has sold very well and it is with a little sadness that I will be saying farewell to my paintings. The choices have been so varied… depending on the connections people have made with them. The few remaining are still getting a lot of attention and are some of my favourite works. It’s been wonderful talking to people about them all.

I’ll be painting as usual for my last hurrah and it would be wonderful to see you. I’ve loved my time at No Vacancy and I’d like to thank you all again for your support – especially to those who have made a special effort to come from far and wide, and some locals who have visited me many times. I’ll miss you and my mini studio!

From 3pm onwards, people will be starting to take home their work so come before then, if you can.

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The future is here…

By elise | Published: June 2, 2010

Because I have an iPad now. It’s like going into outer space and having solar cells or antennae implanted into your brain stem for better sbs reception. It’s the future – Here Now. Never before, ever, have I been such an early adaptor of technology. And what’s it like? Yeah, frankly it’s Cool :-) Very easy to use, beautiful screen, not a computer (it ISN’T MEANT TO BE) but nice to type on and it holds all my pictures. I will be one of the only people in the world actually using it for work. And Harbourmaster. Shortcomings – tricky to tap the screen to land the cursor in the right part of a word to change it, can’t set up different users (everyone who picks it up can see your email) and there will be other stuff. But right now I’m happy!

And in other news I’m talking today at the free CAL lectures/discussions happening in the SLV. I’ll be on around 2.15, discussing where I think we’re heading with ebooks, opportunities, issues and the challenges coming up. A favourite topic for me!

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Mondoodle 31-05-2010

By elise | Published: June 1, 2010

As we enter the last week of the exhibition, here’s a progress picture of the rabbit painting I have been working on in the gallery. It’s not quite the latest stage… I’ll post that tomorrow. But you get the idea.

In the last day of painting I gave two of them hip-flasks. Yep, they’re lads. The things coming up the street are parade floats… I hope they don’t have any bad ideas.

Painted in the gallery and Mondoodled on 31st May, 2010.

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Mondoodle 24-05-2010

By elise | Published: May 24, 2010

A guy that’s been lurking in my notebook. An aviator or perhaps skiing bear. All that really matters is the scarf, the goggles and those gloves.

Not sure when I drew him. Some images are best lost and found. I like him being on a journal page too – as if I discovered him when looking out of a bus window and sketched him quickly.

Mondoodle posted Monday May 24, 2010.

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Strangely Familiar pictures

By elise | Published: May 24, 2010

A little sneak look at the show. I’ll add more soon…

the show

the show
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 10

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Writing & Painting

By elise | Published: May 24, 2010

I’m sitting in Cafe Bagatelles on Rathdowne st. It’s become a regular Monday pilgrimage when I have writing to be done. I sit in a good corner where the glare doesn’t stop me reading the computer screen, the draft is slight, the music is quiet and I can glance up at the world beyond the window. There is a coffee to my right and a small biscuit on a small plate beside it. Were I on a red leather seat I could quite easily be the rabbit in my painting…

I had a quieter day yesterday at the exhibition. Anything would be quieter than the opening and family day! A steady flow of people came through – friends, family and strangers. I found out more stories about my pictures, saw people drawn to them in ways they didn’t expect, saw some children run around looking and another sit with his head buried in a game. You can’t win them all! And at the end of the day I painted a dark winter-blue coat on the hare in my new painting. I painted past 5pm, with the spotlight illuminating the work, the light outside dimming and a little heater warming my legs. Music played nearby and the picture stopped being a picture and started giving me ideas and possibilities – scenarios to weigh and plan. Lovely.

I’m looking forward to getting back in there on Tuesday.

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Family Day!

By elise | Published: May 22, 2010

Need I say more? Drawing, a picture scavenger hunt, lollies and a room full of children and families. Too lovely! Of course I forgot to take pictures until the end… if anyone has them from either function I’d love to see them :-)

BEAUTIFUL pictures everyone.

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What a night!

By elise | Published: May 21, 2010

I’m still on a bit of a high after an absolute knock-out of an evening! I had no idea an opening could be so much fun. We had a wonderful crowd of close to 300 people  – the wine from Crittenden Estate was Beautiful and much loved, the chocolate from Koko Black was sumptuous, we had lots of gorgeous cheese and olives, great beer and everyone looked very happy.

It was the most lovely crowd. And what I absolutely loved was looking around at a room full of people all engaging with the stories in the paintings. I heard so many ideas of what was going on – new things I had never thought of, aspects of characters, tensions, emotions, back-stories – there were people who were very emotional about some of the work and people with childhood memories that were suddenly brought back to the surface. Emma, assistant curator of contemporary art at the NGV, opened the show with a wonderful speech. She so obviously understood what I was trying to do and could see how it had come about. Peter was the MC – my most steadfast and needed supporter. I gave a speech about the work and how it came about… But for me, the most important part was the chance to thank everyone who has been so supportive, so engaged and so enthusiastic about this series of paintings. Had I not had that support this would never have happened. It is one thing to discover something I love doing and get incredible joy from – it is quite another to realise that other people love it too. And so many people!

It was an incredible experience. And because I knew I would be in a room of friends I really wasn’t anxious about it at all. And as of tonight… exactly half of the show has sold!

Tomorrow is a big day. We have the family event – which was in The Age’s EG today so I think there will be a great crowd.I’ll do more photos soon but for now I just want to say thank you! To Peter, Emma, Andrew and Tim, Crittenden, Koko Black, Avant cards, my family, my friends and everyone who has been so supportive. I’ve forgotten people, I know!

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Mondoodle 17-05-2010

By elise | Published: May 17, 2010

It’s hard to think of these when I’m in the throes of the exhibition but here we are!

A fun moment before the Thursday’s action!

17th May, 2010. It’s a card too now :-)

xx Elise

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Hot Press

By elise | Published: May 15, 2010

The word is spreading about the exhibition… (I’m colour-coding in my excitement).

“Inpress” have an article by Tony McMahon about the show out now - it’s a free street mag that you’ll find around the city. It’s really good too – a lot of depth and thought into what the show is trying to do. Excellent  :-)
And the postcards are Everywhere. Click to send one by email!
And I might be in MX on Monday!
And in The Age’s EG on Friday, advertising the Family Day in things to do on the weekend.

And that would be because it’s all happening on Thursday and beyond. Next week. NEXT WEEK . (That em-phA-sis was for me… can’t quite believe there aren’t still weeks to go…)

But first, there is a market tomorrow at the Convent. Find me in my usual spot inside, past the lovely big tree in the courtyard. Hmm. Japanese for lunch I think, and I’ll be finishing the lady in the tree painting. Me? Still painting things that will be in the exhibition? (Shuffles and looks past your shoulder. ‘What’s that?’ Then disappears.)

See you soon!

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