New Favourite Artist: Caroline Mudge

Procrastinating again this afternoon... it's too cold my brain can't focus... anyway, found the most amazing artist website, belongs to a girl called Caroline Mudge, which sounds rather fairytale. It's so beautifully laid out, has all her work from exhibitions and sketchbooks, beautifully presented, something to aspire towards when I eventually... make my own ;)

Check it out:

http://www.carolinemudge.com/index.php

I'm the Queen of Procrastina..... oh I can't be bothered

I really hope that my digital teacher doesn't read my blog, but here is one of the assignments due tomorrow that I knocked up somewhere in between a meeting at The Brewery for Renew Newcastle, baked dinner at the club and three or four vodka lime and sodas.....

I work better tipsy.. honest :P

- Emmeline

(who is off to find out who won So You Think You Can Prance before the interweb spoils me)

Limbo is Lovely

Ten and I are between houses at the moment, staying in a v. large bedroom at the back of his boss's office. Scott and Julie are so far beyond awesome for letting us stay here while we find somewhere more permanent, and the spa out the back is excellent for untangling knotted moving muscles.

I have so many stories and photos to show, a trip to Lismore and daily art classes, a tree mural at the back of Emerald Arts, the Brett Whiteley exhibition... but I can't find the cable the goes from the phone to the computer so that will have to wait.

As will everything else, am off to Benny's to play guitar hero, wish me luck ;)

-Emmeline

Easter classes at Emerald Arts

Easter Lesson Media Release

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Brochures & Catalogs art classes for kids

Easter 09 Classes

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Brochures & Catalogs easter art classes k

Crazy busy at the moment, packing to leave for Lismore (Ten's grandma's 80th) early tomorrow morning, so not much of a post, many many stories to tell and photos to show, but nachos are ready and I'm just going to go watch a movie instead k?

Mwah!

Rain rain go away, you're making everything soggy

I knew that there was a gallery at Tafe called the Front Room, but I had no idea that upstairs there was another less formal one that changes works once a fortnight.... until I stumbled upon it when I got lost.


I went back to take another look at the water the other day, from the cliff where I got my idea for the Landscape painting and found another painter had already set up there, pestered him for a bit to discover that he was not from Tafe, but was painting a landscape all the same. It was in oils and it was lovely.


Collected rocks from the cliffs at the park to grind up and use as pigment for the bottom third of the painting.

This is Demaris. Her Dad Ian sails with my Dad. He bought her volume two of Creatures and Dreams and she brought it into Emerald Arts to show me what she had done with it. I ♥ seeing how kids transform my creatures :)



My first student Rosie yesterday afternoon with a Fashion student who wandered into the studio with her latest creation on. Sorry for the blurriness so that you really can't see, but it was an amazing Victorian type skirt with beautiful ruffles.


The lesson table set up in the middle of the shop. Teaching kids classes is so much fun. First we did a quick drawnig of the Minty Green Cuddle monster so that Rosie could get an idea of the basic shape of a creature, then I taught her how to make a toy pattern and we selected the material that her Monkey would be made from (yellow felt). Then I taught her how to thread a needle and sew along a line. After that we mixed a sky blue and grass green with acrylic paint and painted a background onto a small canvas. Next week we will add a Widget.

Many leaks have sprung up at Emerald Arts thanks to the very heavy rain that Newcastle is currently "enjoying". Lost a fair bit of stock and the origami bonsai tree that was there is pretty badly damaged, but worse things have happened. The plumbers were trying to fix it today. Fingers crossed.

Ten took the morning off work and we checked out some properties as moving date is coming up fast. We saw a shoebox (seriously, our couch even wouldn't fit in the "large" living room), a house near a housing estate that had no locks on the windows (I swear I am not being a snob, I just don't like robbers), and a house that is about fifteen minutes out from town but has a dishwasher and three bedrooms that are big enough to actually fit beds in them! Zoot alors!

We'll apply for that one and keep looking I think. But no more of that, tomorrow is tafe and drawing YAY!

-Emmeline

Sleep? Who needs it :P

I'm steadily getting through the list of things I made for myself to do today, even though I was so hyped up and excited about the week to come that I hardly slept last night. I lay next to Ten thinking and dreaming until I couldn't lie still anymore, so spent the rest of the night sketching in my books and listening to podcasts on the couch.

I had no idea that Ten had taken this photo of me until I came across it just then on Facebook. We climbed out past the barrier gate so that I could show him the spot that is my landscape, then place that I see in my head that says "Newcastle" wherever I am. It's at the top of King Edward Park, about four minutes walk from my parents house. There is a little dip in the top of the cliff, where I lie in the winter sun, soaking it up, watching gulls and gliders dance above me, smelling salt, loving this place.

I was collecting rocks to grind up to (hopefully) use as pigment for the bottom part of my landscape. Can't wait to show Dallas (painting teacher) and figure out how it can be done, cos I'm sure it can, I just don't know how and don't want to wreck the painting :P

Painting is fun but the flu sucks

Feeling pretty crap today, but a hell of a lot better than I have been the past two days. I knew that taking on so much this year was going to be a very full on effort, but I didn't think I would crash so badly so soon. Caught the flu off one person and a vomiting bug off another, so spent wednesday night and most of thursday throwing up and cursing the gods rather pathetically. Had a spac at Ten because he was out at Benny's playing playstation one night and at trivia till about eleven last night. He probably thinks I'm being demanding, and he may be right, but I just wanted someone to open my juice bottle for me and maybe pat my hair for a bit. Now he's in withdrawn cranky mood and I'm pretty much at my wits end there.

It all sounds a bit negative doesn't it, but rest assured, I bounce back quicker than Ali. All the exercise and healthy eating is starting to pay off. So don't fret.

Anyway, got a steroid injection in my butt so that bronchitus/flu doesn't turn into pneumonia (which I have had a couple of times before). Woke up today feeling like a human again, if still woozy, but I was so desperate to paint again that I dragged myself into town. Moved my easel outside in the sunshine so that I could paint freely and not pass my germs onto others. I wish that other people would show the same consideration.

Let me just rant for a second... why is it that people expect a pat on the back when they turn up to work sick? I wonder how many people realise that by toughing out their flu or virus (or by failing to vaccinate their children) they are putting other members of the populace in danger. People like me. There are more people out there with a compromised immune systems than you might think. People with various forms of cancer, autoimmune diseases, even people who are stressed can have lowered immune responses.

The problem is, most people can still carry on their lives when they're sick, but then there are the sickos like me for whom a cold or flu can turn into something drastic very quickly. Usually when I get sick I'm taken out of action for a few days. On an average month I'll probably have this happen once, but now that I am out in the public more often those days are increasing. Thinking I might start wearing a dust mask to Tafe and work.

So what's the point of this little rant? I don't know really, just don't be a carrier monkey. If you can stay home from work or school, then please do so. Rest up, watch a couple of movies, then come back when your germs are gone. Or at least give me a heads up so I can run away :P

New badges that arrived at Emerald Arts yesterday. I can't tell you what it's called because I forgot to bring my consignment book home, but it's $2 and is pinned to a paint swatch.


My poor old Sculpture sketchbook after the bum got to it. So sad.


Today I decided to start painting the sand on my landscape work. It was going to be the first of several tests, but having glazed over the water part 12 times so far, I'm starting to like it so I think I will hand this one in. I'm going to paint about 10 layers of sandy colour on, then add bits of shale and sand (I think) so that the roughness contrasts with the smoothness of the water.



I think (hope) that the sandy colour goes with the water. Used the same yellow that is worked through the water part, so that it matches tonally...




Sooo shiny. Man I love this gloss varnish stuff. Thinking of doing about 30 coats all up, working irridescence and metallic inks through it, so that it has more depth.

Ugh, tired, time for a power nap I think.

<3 Emmeline

Digital painting is way cool man

It dawned on me the other day that if I learn to use Photoshop properly I could use it to create both digital versions of bookart Aaannd as a way to test out painting ideas quickly thereby saving the environment and my wallet and DAYAM art is awesome.



Before and after shot from class today. Digital. w3rd.

The leaves are not the right colour, but I spent so long making brushes that I just wanted to get the idea down before the end of class.

Em Stronach 's really glad she scanned her sketchbooks yesterday because today a bum stole my sculpture one, ripped it up at the bus station then sat on it. Seriously.

8:52pm

L.D. Semmler at 8:53pm March 24

Like WTF?

Jen Etherington at 8:57pm March 24 via Facebook Mobile

Gee. Not having much luck are you?

Joe Lynch at 9:08pm March 24

Jesus. Was it one dread?

Tegan Hunter at 9:13pm March 24

That's a punchable offence in my book.

Adam Mal Dalton at 9:23pm March 24

that is terrible. Sorry to hear it.

Em Stronach at 10:04pm March 24

Hey don't be sorry, I got it back, the grandpa of my student went all action man on it. The written on pages were yanked out. Was just a crazy old bum who apparently doesn't like fish diagrams :P

Zane Dean at 10:22pm March 24

G nobody ever steals my sketchbooks :

Em Stronach at 8:19am March 25

hehe I don't think that's a bad thing Z

Simone Sheridan at 9:45am March 25

omg.

Cameron Brown at 10:19am March 25

Holy shit. Again? You've got to keep a closer eye on your sketch books!

Em Stronach at 4:46pm March 25

Yeah I think I do C, yet another thing having a shop is teaching me quick smart. They're dicey buggers in the Mall.

New Stock at Emerald Arts: Mixtape Zine

I was introduced to Mixtape by my zinester friend Susy Pow at last years TINA zine fair, so was beyond excited to find a couple of issues under the door at Emerald Arts a few weeks ago.

It turned out Justine from Mixtape had seen my callout on We Make Zines for stock and was wondering if I would like to stock Mixtape.... WOULD I!???!! And why?

It is a very rare thing indeed to find a magazine (or zine) that is craft orientated that doesn't once (I think) mention scrapbooking or decopage or filling things with perfumed woodchips (that's what pot pourri is isn't it?).

Mixtape is contemporary, it's about making time for the small things, getting into the DIY spirit... as they say on their site "Mixtape is a collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch". It is also an excellent read, far more entertaining that Who or New Weekly. Read your celebrity gossip online and buy mixtape instead ;)

I have back copies of all issues, but not for long. Mixtape themselves will not be printing back issues in the future, rather offering them online (which is itself a lovely and green business idea)... so get it while it's hot at Emerald Arts ;)

-Emmeline

My Sketchbooks

I was scanning in some watercolour tests for my painting class that I thought I might modify/collage digitally for another class... when I thought, maybe I should start scanning in pages from my sketchbooks, incase the unthinkable happens and I lose another... so here you go, some stuff from my sketchbooks (all done while at Tafe or studying at Emerald Arts)

For drawing class we had an excursion to Centennial Park, which is right behind St John's Anglican church where I was christened when I was 13... because I wanted to be confirmed at the Cathedral... and now after almost thirty years of being a total book nerd and doing a lot of research on the subject... I can't believe I wanted to be inducted into religion so badly. Just so Meh about the whole thing. Anyway, the drawing above was made with three different widths of artline markers, the one below of willow charcoal

Yeah, you know how I mentioned that I am a massive book nerd? I'm pretty sure that Tafe is turning me into a huge art nerd as well. Just as well I look hot in glasses :P

I found the Bauhaus syllabus in the library. First fell in love with the Bauhaus principles when I was at Uni studying graphic design. Just makes so much sense.

A painting test done in my General Drawing sketchbook (note to self: draw a cartoon general for the title page). But still... it's drawing with the wrong end of a paintbrush...

Different images that I think are good examples of line. Still needs something in the bottom left corner. Mushrooms are mine. Slowly growing to bear eating them in foods beside sssStroganoff and Risotto. Dayam... that's definitely what I should cook tonight. Tasty.

Landscape ideas for the painting class. Here's hoping lots of people buy things at Emerald Arts so I can afford the canvas to trial all my ideas ;)

Watercolour test for painting class... these are actually in each subject books, so I could work on a page while all the others dried. Hopefully the teachers don't mind if I sometimes put stuff from other subjects into their sketchbook. They're going to be pretty swamped with stuff anyway, given that I compulsively do stuff in them day in and day out. Probably used to it come to think of it.

Sculpture sketchbook. The wooden fish (named Rex after Rex Hunt) is coming along swimmingly.... har har...

This is my favourite of the watercolour tests. I washed the page with a really light pink first then loaded up the brush from the stronger pigment red and just touched the tip of it to the page. Definitely going to try this again, with different shapes. Really starting to like watercolour now.

Right then, off to have an afternoon hanging out washing and doing interwebs research for class. Here's hoping the free wireless is on in town soon (how much does Renew Newcastle rock!) so that I can use the internet on days besides Monday... which is supposedly me day orf :P