Exhibition at the Side Gallery

Exhibition at The Side Gallery, Red Hill

29 August - 13 September, 2019

garden.

The exhibition was a wonderful experience. Leesa Hickey, gallery owner, and Laura Brinnin, curator, were a great team to work with. They displayed the work beautifully in the space.

Thank you to everyone who visited the exhibition and purchased work. I feel so grateful.

Thank you also to the five women - Joy, Kate, Suzanne, Susan and Sharon - whose Brisbane gardens inspired the work. Below is a photo of Joy (in the black skirt) and her friend Jeanette visiting the exhibition.

Now its onto new work.

garden meadow

I am painting little weeds that I pick in the garden.

“A weed is but an unloved flower” - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

A May garden

Beautiful in May

The rain is falling, the Salvias are flowering and the garden is full of birds and bees.

“And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.
”
— Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Sharon's Garden - Begonias in the rain

Painting Begonias from Sharon’s garden on a rainy Autumn day .

“An ordinary visit to a beautiful garden always creates an extraordinary time!”
— Mehmet Murat ildan

Susan's inner city garden

Susan’s garden is hidden behind a high gate on a busy street. What a lovely surprise it is. Macadamia trees, Pomegranates, grasses, flowers, an assortment of shrubs and a huge Pepper tree.

“All art is but dirtying the paper delicately”
— John Ruskin

Suzanne's succulent garden

The prettiest succulent garden perched on the edge of a concrete driveway.

Those colours - a mix of lilac, sage green, grey ,the blush of pink……

I will be busy here for a few more weeks. Happily.

dream bird

studio friend

paper and ink

geranium in ink and geranium in paper

Geraniums in ink and paper for the Et,Al Christmas sale at Side Gallery, Redhill

Opens this Friday 7 December.

side gallery website: http://sidegallery.com.au/

kate's garden

Kate’s garden is a profusion of colours, plants, dogs, chickens, weeds and love.

For the month October Kate welcomed me into this incredible garden and let me paint flowers and plants. A happy place. Thank you Kate.

katewall.com.au - Have a look at her website and the wonderful workshops she offers from her home and garden.

Joy's Garden

Flowers picked in Joy’s Garden.

Joy lives at the end of our road. I always walk past her house and see her tending her small garden. She was delighted when I offered to paint her garden for a couple of weeks. I was delighted too. It was a wonderful couple of weeks.

The studio smelt of Nasturtiums.


Grevillea 2. Back to Nature - Collaboration

Another great collaboration with Sarah of Sustainable fashion for RANT clothing . They have used the same Grevillea print they bought last Summer but have used a natural cream background this year instead of last year’s charcoal. The fabric looks beautiful. Light and fresh and perfect for summer. The range is called Grevillea 2. Back to Nature.

Press on the link to view the range on line https://www.sustainablefashion.com.au/

Photographs by Todd Hunter Mcgaw

Sustainable Fashion is an online eco boutique showcasing sustainable design from Australia. Aimed at women who share an enjoyment in wearing comfortable designer clothing and an appreciation of the environment around them. With a commitment that extends beyond fabric selection alone, Sustainable Fashion aims to provide the ultimate in desirable garments while minimising the footprint of your wardrobe.

Rejoice in a sustainable choice for fashion.

little things

I am delighted to have two little insect paintings selected for the 'little things' exhibition in Sydney. 

Finalists exhibition will be held at Saint Cloche Gallery, 37 MacDonald St, Paddington.

29 August - 9 September, 2018.

Gallery hours Wed-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm.

Little Things Art Prize was founded by Marnie Ross in 2015.  Artists are invited to submit creative expressions of the ‘Little Things’ that make them happy or feel grateful. The science of Positive Psychology emphasises the benefits such focusing of our attention contributes to our health and happiness.  As well as inspiring community creative engagement, the resulting finalists exhibition is a celebration of the artwork displayed and a shared positive experience.

under the paw paw tree

Lesley Kendall – under the pawpaw tree ,Winter 2018

Observing the decaying leaf a landscape emerges. The brush traces fine lines on the watery surface.

The essence of drawing is the line exploring space – Andy Goldsworthy

Art works by Lesley Kendall displayed at the Woolloongabba Art Gallery, Brisbane,  7 - 18 August

http://wag.com.au/

winter flowers

winter flowers in the studio....

“I must have flowers, always, and always”
— Claude Monet

endings and beginnings

The art exhibition last week was a lovely ending to two years working in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens as artist in residence. The exhibition was held in the Richard Randall art studio nestled in the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Garden . All the watercolour and ink paintings were done in the garden during 2017.  Sculptures of birds, insects and plants made out of paper, ceramic and natural materials were also on display.

I will miss the beautiful Brisbane botanic gardens. They have been my inspiration for two years.

Now to clean my studio and get ready for a new project working with nature.

2017 draws to a close

Have a wonderful holiday.

Thank you for your support this year.

See you in 2018.

Les

Apron off.....

Endangered Species - Eucalytpus infera

For the past couple of months I have been painting specimens from the Eucalyptus Infera. Jason Halford  from the seed bank (which is situated in the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Garden ) has been supplying me with specimens. We are hoping to make a trip next week to see the trees growing in their natural habitat. I am looking forward to meeting the trees I have been painting. 

The Eucalyptus infera is listed as a vulnerable plant species.

 

Collaboration with RANT clothing - 'Grevillea' fabric

I had the wonderful opportunity this year to collaborate with Brisbane fashion designer Sarah Garrett-Hodoniczky of the fashion label RANT clothing. 

Combining the artwork of selected Grevillea specimens at the gardens and digitally printing them on pure cotton, a range of comfortable summer styles have been designed by Sarah at RANT for the new range.

To view the range please go to RANT clothing website - www.rantclothing.com.au

All garments are 100% made in Brisbane.

 

(Photographs taken in the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Garden by Todd Hunter Mcgaw)

 

ink workshop in the botanic garden

Photos of students wonderful work from the Ink workshop in the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Garden last weekend. They created wonderful inky images from botanical specimens.

 

I will be doing another ink workshop on the 6th September ( see 'workshop' page of the website)

 

bird call

Birds I have encountered in the botanical garden......... more sightings to come

The birds are made using recycled materials in the studio.

“I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.”  Emily Dickinson