This is the All-Clear. If anyone visited this journal today and got a fright because you ended up somewhere bizarre (a short trip to virus land I suspect)… yes we were hacked. I sincerely hope that nothing went awry on your computers.
Thank-you to Lulu for spotting it! To Damon for passing it on and to Peter… mountains of gratefulness for fixing it. I’m reinstating all the sidebar info and hopefully nothing was lost. They’re getting sneaky! Now back to business…
I am so sorry! I’m working so hard I barely knew what day it was. Yesterday I wrote a chapter of my novel to workshop in a night class, did a lot of painting and sent out press releases late at night about the exhibition. It was a busy one!
The paintings are going well. Apparently a whole bunch of them are framed and ready to come home. I’ve almost finished the flying elephants oil and the steampunk beagle painting. And hypno-cat is getting very close. Tomorrow I hope to put the finishing touches on all three.
Here’s what I’m working on tonight.
That’s not very clear I’m sorry! But metal plates reflect like crazy… the lightest bits are what have been scratched into the copper plate (dry-point, no acid required). The darker lines are chinagraph pencil marks to orientate me on the plate… rather like sketching in pencil first.
Etched on copper in the lounge, 9.15 to midnight on Tuesday (sorry!) 4th May, 2010… masquerading as a Mondoodle.
I’ll be on top of things next week for sure!
Two markets this weekend and if you thought you knew where they would be… guess again!
Saturday May 1 @ the Prahran Fruit & Vege market 11-2pm on the Market Stage
Part of Literature Live, Children’s Literature in the Marketplace 163 Commercial Road, South Yarra 3141 [Melways Map 2L, H9]
Stonnington Council, with NEEF (the National Employment and Education Foundation), want kids to devour books as well as their fruit & veg. Mark Wilson, Elise Hurst & Kevin Burgemeestre will create an open artists’ studio on the Market stage to show sculptures, drawings and paintings; read from their books; and hand out signed copies of their books to some lucky winners.
Didn’t guess that one did you? The next is a little more predictable…
Sunday May 2nd at the gorgeous Abbotsford Convent from 10-4pm in the Community Rooms via the big-tree courtyard. Perfect place to mooch, graze and variously chillax.
At both I’ll be painting, selling and sporting newly-reddened hair. That last bit may only be of interest to me! But you’ll find me easily…
I’m having a happy night! I’ve been getting some great responses to the covers I did for the fantasy trilogy by Celine Kiernan – and have just been shown a couple of articles on the Book Smugglers blog which talk about them. The first two books are out and from what I hear, the covers are helping! Which is great because I love these books (The Poison Throne & The Crowded Shadows) and because I feel incredibly responsible. I mean, as Celine says about covers “Its all about seduction, all about how to get folks to walk over and take your particular book from a crowded shelf.” Loving the books as I did I really felt the pressure to try to make something that people would want to hold in their hands.
Forgive me for including some quotes here but I was just bursting with pride! It’s a great article. Celine’s books have gone all round the world and there are 6 different covers for the trilogy, which really means 24 different covers… the article asks here about them all.
Celine: I think of all my covers, the ones that hit the mark in all three respects (story, tone and characters) are the Australian ones. They are quite simply stunning. Australian fans often take time to praise the cover art to me, this is, I suspect, very rare.
…
It’s not immediately obvious but there are many subtle details on the AUS covers which reflect aspects of the story ( my favorite of these being the ravens that flow from cover to cover; the way Wynter is still wear Christopher’s jacket on cover three, and most especially, the way she is carrying Razi’s falchion sword: this is such a subtle and lovely symbol of a moment in book three where Wyn takes up Razi’s burden when he can go no further.) Another huge reason for my love of these covers is the inclusion of Razi – it can’t have been easy to come up with a design that included all three major characters, so many story elements, and such a strong sense of drama without cluttering the page. Lovely.
The full article is here. I am so happy that the experience for Celine was positive and that we were able to be in such close contact. It makes a big difference to be able to ask the author all those questions – I know I’d appreciate someone asking me.
And then there’s this one which is a great article about fantasy cover art – the good the bad and the ugly! I love the graph of clichéd elements of cover art – from unicorns to swords and “the completely dark cover of meaninglessness”. Mine fall under the heading (and she blushes) of “Really Awesome Cover Art In Fantasy” which, they are happy to note, also seem to sell the books.
My favourite response of all though is a reader who bought the book overseas then, on seeing the Australian covers, had to buy it again 
That’s more than I could have hoped for!
Sorry about last week’s lack of Mondoodle. It’s a little strange being up in the studio tonight. I’ve been working in the lounge for weeks now, painting of course. I’d prefer to be up here as the light’s so much better but the big canvas made me relocate. I haven’t actually worked on that for a while but it’s too much of a pain to yo-yo all of my clobber back upstairs and down – the paints, the reference material and the easels. Yes, I seem to always have three set up at the one time. One lovely studio easel (although the upright post hits the roof up here) and two sketch easels. Seems I can’t just work on one thing at a time when I paint in oils either!
I like this peaceful moment. I can imagine his chest rising and falling as he breathes and the lovely warmth of him. A protector and a friend. Wouldn’t it be lovely if bears could purr.
Monday 24th May, 2010. Posted in the lamp-lit studio at 11pm with the smell of fresh cinnamon tea-cake still in the air.
I can’t paint without music. I mean, I probably can but I wouldn’t want to. It’s the same with illustrating books and so it turns out that every book gets a soundtrack of music that keeps me in the mood.
For this exhibition I seem to be hooked on…
Sarah Blasko – especially As Day Follows Night (but all of hers really)
Jazz – Ella & Louis, Django Reinhardt, Manouche, big band swing… something with a beat that gets in your bones.
And my current obsession – Emilie Simon’s Vegetal.
Which made me wonder – what music inspires you? Is there something you can’t work without? And does it change with different projects?
While I’m working away on paintings there is also a lot of organisation happening behind the scenes. And I am thrilled to report that we now have a Victorian winery sponsoring the opening of the exhibition.
The Crittenden Estate on the Mornington Peninsula has been stupendous in throwing their support behind the exhibition and will be treating us to some of their beautiful wine on the night. Do check out their website and drop in if you are heading that way. It looks like a little slice of heaven. Thank you Crittenden!
Some of you have met him, many of you have heard of him, but probably all of you have seen him in my drawings, even if you didn’t know it. He was difficult cat with a grand wild streak who, despite himself, loved us a lot and kept me company while I drew for over 12 years. He had more character than 12 cats put together and will have to have a book written about him one day. We never actually called him orlando… it didn’t suit him. He was always little Pud or Mouser, depending on the activities of the day. And he will be very sorely missed.
We have two markets this weekend and we have a debut…
Introducing TWO NEW PRINTS coming out ino the big wide world for the first time this weekend at the Sister’s Market in Brunswick and the Maker’s Market at the Abbotsford Convent. It looks like a stunning weekend (if it’s anything like today) so come and say hello to my new adventuring girls.
INVITATION
I have the utmost pleasure of inviting you to my exhibition, and most particularly to the two events – the sophisticated grandeur of Opening Night and to the friendly festivities of Family Day.
OPENING NIGHT
Weekend Family Event
Don’t forget, I’ll be there painting for the whole exhibition.