Gaye’s Studio News

Reflections

11 January 2024

A quiet Christmas and break from all the usual activities and busyness is the perfect environment to reflect, contemplate, review, evaluate progress and plan for 2024. Amazing how much thinking is possible without the usual distractions. I know it sounds very formal but each year I write a strategic plan to guide my work. It’s a chance to reflect on progress; allow recognition and a celebration of achievements and guide priorities for the coming year.

I am enjoying the mix of realistic sea or landscape painting with the intuitive abstract work. Seems to suit me to follow both paths.  The latter are much more fun to do and also a greater challenge as they evolve. Whereas the ‘scapes’ are more grounding.

This one #1009 is looking south from Marion Bay across the shallow waters of Porpoise Hole towards Dunalley.

At the moment I am having a break from painting and working on gelli printing  monoprints and creating collages from these. This is the gelli plate and brayer which I use with acrylic paint.

Some of the prints from this morning.

Two paintings which were half done in my last News are finished and uploaded to Bluthumb; the second being selected yesterday as a Staff Pick.  Thay are tiltles #1010 Melodrama 1 and #1011 Melodrama 2

Two others (#1012 and #1013), the early stages shown in my last News  are nearing completion. They didn’t go as I had intended, which was ‘negative space’ painting, They evolved differently. Perhaps there was too long a break in the middle.

Mid November my plein air group POGO visited Marion Bay on the east coast where I completed a small oil painting on site. I was so inspired by the scene (360 degree views from the viewing platform) I painted two larger (68 x 48 cm) works in the studio. #1009 is shown above and this one #1008, looks north towards Cape Bernier and Maria Island.

For now I am going to concentrate on four larger collages on my painting wall. Interesting to see how they go. I hope it’s fun. Have a happy New Year.