Art Mind

I’m so thrilled to have had my first guest post published over at Art Mind. If you have popped over from Mitsy’s, welcome! I hope you decide to have a look around, perhaps even push that follow button so you don’t miss out on any of the exciting things that are brewing…

For those of you, who hang out here regularly – hi, hope you enjoyed your weekend! Do pop over to Art Mind for a look, not only will you find my guest post, but also a fabulous informative blog, with lots of great articles and inspiring tutorials.

Radiant Red Shadows

A shaft of early morning sun captured my Little Guy’s shadow on the red couch. It offered the opportunity for me to take some great shadow shots and for a lesson about shadows with a fascinated little boy.

The light was beautiful, amazing, I haven’t played with these shots to make them glow like that, the only editing I have done is a little tiny bit of cropping and the rounded borders.

I have been so keen for Shadow Shot Sunday to come around this week; I have been itching to share these! I wonder what the other shadow chasers have found this week. If you’re curious, pop over to Hey Harriet, Tracy is a wonderful hostess; she would be thrilled to have you.

Back to Class

I’m heading back to the class room this afternoon for another one of the Artisan Wonderland workshops.

Last time I did a felt slipper making class and this afternoon I am trying PMC.

Precious Metal Clay is like plasticine while you work it but after kiln firing it is just like normal silver. The workshop out line indicates we will be making a stone set ring. I can’t wait, I love learning new things and learning is especially good when you walk away with a new piece of jewellery too!

I meeting up with a special blogger in class too…

Love Thy Flower

I’m back in the groove with my little watercolours. I don’t know for sure why I stopped doing them. Perhaps it was because I put a bit too much pressure on myself to try to come up with a consistent look for them. I think for now I am just going to go with the flow and work on whatever captures my imagination!

"Love Thy Flower"

Kylie Marie Stevens

15 x 21 cm

Watercolour and pencil on watercolour paper

$20

Like this quirky little thing… It gained its title over on my facebook fan page. Thanks Renee! It’s so nice to have other people help me come up with titles some times; it’s not my strong point!!

Arriving

I think I may have arrived at the end of the “Adrift” series with yesterday’s new painting titled “Arriving”.

"Arriving"

Kylie Marie Stevens

40.7 x 50.9cm

oil on canvas

will be available for sale - details soon...

I’ve really enjoyed delving into this series, but almost as soon as this was completed I felt called to move on. I plan on embarking on another series with “Namaste” a painting from a couple of months ago as the starting point.

"Namaste"

Kylie Marie Stevens

90 x 90 cm

oil on canvas

2010

SOLD

What a great place to be in for My Creative Space day, feeling good about the end of one project and excited about embarking on another! I hope your creative space is exciting and positive too. See you at Kirsty’s!

Ducking and Diving…

Wordless Wednesday.

I’ve been destroying my sketch book…

The pages were disappointingly thin. So I ripped the guts out, cut watercolour paper to size, rebound it with waxed thread and then gave it a new canvas cover. The only original element is the cardboard from the cover and you won’t even see that in the end!  Thank you Kelly for the inspiration, links and support!

I think I shall be making more little sketch books in this way, I think they would be fabulous for little travel journals etc…

A funny little painting that started life as one thing and turned into another...The Animation!

I have been contemplating ways to try to share a little more of my process with you. I’ve been toying with the thought of videoing myself, but that seemed like a bit of an overwhelming learning curve!!

Then I discovered this nifty program on My Poppet, via Cam’s post the other day.

So I present to you, my very first animation.

You can see I started out with one idea, didn’t like how it was turning out and just let it evolve.

An Evolution

Kylie Marie Stevens

oil on canvas

30 x 33.9 cm

2010

I’m still not sure if this painting really hits the mark….What do you think? Hit or miss?

Time to pop over to the hostess with the mostest for some creative window shopping on My Creative Space day.

My plans for tomorrow….

Payne’s Grey, Indian Yellow and three lovely little canvases… I’m easing back into a more “normal” pace. I may still be a bit quiet around these parts for a few days, but I hope to catch up with you all properly soon.

Hello Yellow

My yellow Creative Colour Challenge piece is finished…just a tad the wrong side of the deadline!

"Hello Yellow"

Kylie Marie Stevens

Oil on canvas

300 x 250mm

2010

$60

It is completely different than the image that was in my head when I embarked on this challenge.
 
I broke all of my rules and tried to paint when I wasn’t really interested in painting and with a really tight time frame, so surprise, surprise it didn’t work!  Then I had a play and a scrape about and added some more elements and it got worse. So I did the first sensible thing I’d done all day and walked away! 
 
When I approached it with a fresh eye and a new idea I was able to rescue it and turn it into something I’m happy with.
 
This week’s colour is Raspberry Red – hopefully my lesson is learned and I won’t leave it until the last minute!

Get well wishes….

One of my favourite bloggers is in need of some get well super quickly wishes….

So blow on this Ms Curly Pops and hopefully you will be back in you own bed before you know it.

psst there is another lovely blogger in hospital this morning, but for a very different reason… Just waiting for permission to spill all the very exciting beans!!!

EDITED TO ADD – special announcement now made over here. Please pop by and add you congratulations.

Country graveyard shadows….

I like to wander and explore in old country graveyards, on a recent visit I realised it was good shadow hunting territory…... William & Wilhemina Schulze rest together here, sharing shadows as the sun passes overhead.

To find out what the other shadow hunters have been up to this week head on over to Hey Harriet.

Anticipation and Admiration Fill My Creative Space this Week.

I can’t stop admiring Monday’s painting “Approach” the latest in my “Adrift” series.

“Approach”

Kylie Marie Stevens

Oil on canvas

840 x 760mm

2010

I’ve never worked in a series like this before, I am really enjoying it. It is giving me the opportunity to sink right into the style and become comfortable. Do you work in series, or is it all one offs for you? Are you enjoying this “Adrift” series or are you thinking “enough already- move on”?  Do you have a favourite?

I am anticipating painting a monochromatic piece in yellow for the first week of The Creative Colour Challenge . YELLOW, this is really pushing me out of my comfort zone – exactly why I signed up!!

So challenges and comfort surround me at the moment, but I am enjoying it all, I hope you are feeling the same way in your creative space. I’m off to Kirsty’s now for my favourite blog hopping day of the week – My Creative Space Day - hooray!

Want to invest in some original art – before I become famous!?!

I’m very excited, I just took another baby step on my path. I loaded a Paintings Available for Sale album over on facebook.

If you’re curious to have a sticky beak just click here…

And while you’re over there why not click the “like” button at the top of the page, so you get my Chasing Purple Dreams updates on your facebook page?

Thanks for indulging my big shameless plug, while I'm at it can I just add……

Please feel free to share this with any one you know who may want an opportunity to get in on the ground floor by purchasing original art directly from an emerging artist!!

Guess what I’ve been up to????

Ok, ok, it won’t take much of a stretch of your imagination with this picky! If you want to see some work in progress shots pop over here. I’ll share a finished photo when I can get it out into the natural light for a photo shoot.

It feels so good to be on the mend. I hope over the next few days I can catch up on what you guys have been up to and get some things crossed off my to do list – like write a canvas stretching tutorial!