Painting finished

Self portrait, (note my arthritic fingers)

I've had a grand time working on this painting. I've just signed it and will be sending it as an entry into the Prospect Portrait Prize and hope it will be accepted as an entry.
It's quite a while since I painted but it was great to get back into painting so quickly, so wish me luck!!
I can now go back to work on my sculpture.
Ang is having a workshop on Slip  next weekend so I am looking forward to it as she will be showing photos of her trips overseas and all the wonderful pottery she has seen,

New Portrait in Oils

I have wanted to get back to some painting and when I saw that the Prospect Portrait Prize was again on this year ( as it is held every two years) I thought i would put an entry in. The entries are due by 16th September and only 25 will be selected for the exhibition, so I will have to be good to make the selection.
I envisaged painting my face with white face paint  with the eyes natural and the mouth as well.
A few years ago about the mid 90's I painted a portrait similar with a white face  so I thought I would like to do a new take on this.

Self Portrait 1995

I ordered some face paint online and asked my husband to photograph me painted in facepaint,and to make it more significent I wanted to hold a bunch of sculpting tools.
John photographed me but after looking at the results i thought it looked a bit too bland so I added black circles of face paint round the eyes and whilst i was painting I made the black colour too wet and it ran down my cheek.
I  decided to use this accident as part of the painting.
This is the work so far.

Beginning the oil painting.

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Painting so far

I'm actually enjoying the process and it's a change from sculpture.I still have my bust wrapped in plastic but i need to get a move on and complete it before the closing date.

I also received some photos from Ang that she took at the Saint Ignatius Art Show so that I could post them.
I forgot to take a camera and it was such a good opening  night.

Nude Bust in bronze

Standing beside The little 12 year old Dancer 2/3 life size

I wasn't able to set up my photos in order last time I blogged so after a rest I am trying again.

Using a mirror to see faults

A piece of foil helps to keep the shape

slowly building up the form of the veil

My photos of Mary MacKillop

Mary MacKillop died 101 years ago and there are 14 photos of her as a sister and these are the best photos to use.There are none of her in profile .

My small slab roller that I bought off my sister

My dear sister was a potter and a painter. Gwen was a great person to talk to although we lived in different states, about 800km apart.
She died of Lung cancer four years ago  and I sorely miss her as she was so enthusiastic and so supportive of my work.

Happy with the look of the face.

Work in the front of the veil.

The hands are left till the last so they don't get damaged.

Beginning the back of the veil.

Work so far, I have not worked on the bust for a while as other enquiries have taken my time this last week.
I have had an enquiry for a model for a gravestone to be to be carved in granite, so I have taken a break from the bust.

All I need to do is spray the bust with water and then wrap the piece in several layers of plastic. I usually wrap a plastic paint drop sheet round the piece I am working on and tie a couple pieces of twine to secure it in place.

Preview of work to date

  

 The face has  a distortion on the right side of the mouth .It is slightly higher  and the right cheek is not as full.Also the eye needs attention to the depth of the iris.

face

Adding band of clay at the top of veil

Adding veil

SALA Judith Rolevink's Open Sculpture Studio this weekend.

I would like to invite the public to come and see a working sculpture studio this weekend. It is part of the South Australian Living Artist program .Come and enjoy the sculptures on display and have a wine and nibbles while you are here.
Opening times are 11;00am to 4:00pm this Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st August 2011.
Follow the signs on the gate. All welcome.
The venue is at 20 Greenway Drive, Surrey Downs 5126 SA.

Refining the face

I am working on a bust of Mary MacKillop and it is progressing nicely.
I have been working on the face and a crucifix which she will eventually hold.

Smoothing the face with a wet brush.

I always work the head without hair first and the last addition is the hair but in this case she will have a coif and veil covering her head.

I have made arrangements to travel to Melbourne to patinate the "Mary MacKillop" bronze for Sydney and the foundry and I will travel to Sydney to install the sculpture at Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel  in late September.

The commemoration and unveiling will take place on the 1st anniversary of Mary's sainthood on the 17th October 2011 at the Memorial Chapel, North Sydney.

Little 12 year old Dancer (Tribute to Degas) Bronze and Granite, 107cm

This weekend the St Ignatius Art Show will take place at Norwood,  SA with Ang and I both showing work , another great Art Show to see.The school holds a Gala Opening on Friday evening.

The two sculptures I have for sale will be "Little 12 year old Dancer" and "Nude Torso"

Nude Torso, Bronze;steel, 70cm.

Please note all images are copyright.

SALA Sculpture Studio Open Days

Work on the new Mary MacKilllop

SALA is here again and I am opening my studio to the public at 20 Greenway Drive, Surrey Downs, South Australia.
The opening times are Saturday and Sunday, 13 & 14 August and 20th & 21st August 2011, 11am - 4pm.
It would be great to see you there..

New bust of Mary MacKillop

At the moment I am working on a bust of Mary MacKillop (yes again) and I am posting a few photos of the work so far.

I would like to be able to offer this sculpture to schools who want a sculpture for a prayer garden without the cost of buying a bronze. We'll see how it goes.
I am happy to talk about sculpture and how I go about making large pieces. I thought students may like to see my working methods.

Bushwalking in the Adelaide Hills and SALA

Koala on walk

My friend Cathy and I had decided to do our longer walks on Mondays and keep Wednesday walks shorter, as we both have other things to do.
We met last Monday and decided to walk across Black Hill but take a track that we haven't been on before.
The first grade is fairly steep but as you get to the top a little way along is another fork which takes you along to the "Orchard track" which we did for the first time the week before, and the track is fairly steep over the hill just about straight down to Montacute Road on the other side.
We found another track called "Eagles Court" Track" leading off this one that seemed to be very overgrown and looked as though it hasn't been in use lately.
The weather was glorious and the sky was deep blue so we had a beautiful day for winter walking as the temperature was 19 degrees C.
We saw another track to our right on the way back and thought it may lead back to close to where we were heading but when it turned to go downhill again we realized we needed to climb back up the hill off the track and we came across a koala sitting at the base of a tree.

Although I was able to stroke him he was fairly skittish and started to climb up a small sapling about 4 feet off the ground and proceeded to poo. Cathy took some photos with her phone camera as it is quite unusual for a koala to be on the ground during the day, they are usually  high up in the gum trees asleep.

I called into the TTG Craft Workshops to see how the firing of the big gas kiln worked out. I felt the work looked fairly heavily reduced as the clay colour was grey on my mugs.

I'm still needing a lot of practice with brushwork, oops I just noticed a patch I forgot to paint, funny I only just saw it.

SALA has just published all the exhibitions and open workshops and the opening of my workshop was in the publication.All welcome, come and have a glass of wine with me and look at my new studio and see some of my work on display.
The dates are 13th and 14th August and 20th and 21st August open from 11.00am till 4.00pm.
See you there.