Category: Exhibitions

Choices: a few of my favourite things

My digital works have been printed (http://www.visionimagelab.com.au) and are now at the framers (http://framingdave.com). Here is a little preview of 4 of the 8 digital works. I’ve chosen a favourite detail of each work to show you. The detail I’ve chosen is also outlined in black in the thumbnail of the work. If you mouse over the image the colour is better—I like this WordPress theme (misty lake), but the design ‘mists’ the images until you mouse over, therefore the true colour of the image is not what you see at first.

Title: ‘FAN OF THE WAVE’  Size: 80cm x 80cm

I’m a big fan of the wave! This detail shows Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’ in a central glassy bubble, from which a fan of the wave radiates.

fan_detailweb     fan_thumb

Title: ‘CENTREPIECE’  Size: 26cm x 30cm

This was an exercise in placing objects inside ‘orbs’. I used photographs of fallen poinsettia leaves, which were then digitally coloured, blended and layered. This detail shows the central ‘glow’ of the orb.

centrepiece_detail     centrepiece_thumb

Title: ‘YULE (Flor de Noche Buena)’  Size: 80cm x 80cm

I was thinking about Juju hats when I was creating this work. Representations of Poinsettia leaves have been ‘collaged’ radiating out from the centre. This detail shows the layering, which intentionally looks random.

yule_detailweb   yule_thumb

Title: ‘REIKI BALL’  Size: 30cm x 80cm

This work harks back somewhat to my set painting days at the Kirribilli pub theatre. I tended to use designs that were simple and/or geometric to give the small performance space some depth. This detail shows the digital weaving of photographed textured paper, and the ball with Seikaha wave pattern (a motif that appears in a number of works).

reikiball_detailweb   reikiball_thumb

I’ll post some details of the mixed media and painted works soon.

Hmmm…marketing

When you read the load of stuff there is on the web about being successful as an artist, most of it talks about the importance of marketing your work. Of course, that’s pretty logical. It’s just that you have to have the time and the skills to do it. And perhaps something to market.

The timeframe leading to this exhibition has been short. If I already had a body of work, I could polish and curate. What I had at the beginning of the process were some ideas about materials, subject matter and techniques—at least, some things I wanted to explore. But marketing ideas rather than resolved works isn’t ideal.

I had some business cards and exhibition postcards printed (front of postcard below). The image on the postcard developed into a digital work 30cm x 80cm (yes, admitting that the ‘detail’ was selected before the work was complete!). I’ve also completed 7 other digital works (limited editions of 10), and am now working to complete 4 mixed media/collage works and 6 paintings.

I’ve given the cards out to friends, colleagues and family and my great friends Bill and Helen are doing a bit of promotion amongst their circle. I’m very lucky that there will also be an audience of several hundred most nights because of the location of the exhibition space in the foyer of the Ensemble Theatre. I’ve developed a strategy for exhibiting and selling work online, and I’m looking forward to implementing that as soon as the exhibition is hung.

So…first steps in building a body of work, and first steps in marketing that work. I am quietly excited about this progress, not least because I have learnt quite a bit about both!

postcardweb