Pleasantly productive

Poor blog. Totally neglected by Miss I'm-too-busy-hanging-out-on-Facebook-to-update-you. 

Anyway, the art is ticking along nicely and I have been updating my Facebook page fairly regularly. Gotten right back into painting and drawing with these newbies:

'Cara' - I'm going to turn her into a larger piece on nicer paper. I do hate it when I'm sketching on crappy paper and it turns out nice. Damn!

'Dorothea' - no idea why this one ended up named after my Mum (though I guess it's appropriate for Mother's Day) but I love her flowers and freckly face. 

'Dia de Muertos' - I've always loved sugar skulls and the whole Day of the Dead (Mexico, not George Romero) look. I started her last year but only finished her off a few weeks ago. 

'Octavia' - I adore octopi. I tried to rescue quite a large one that had pretty much beached itself a few years back in Tasmania. 

OK blog, consider yourself updated. Now, back to Facebook...

xxxk

Let's try this again, shall we.

It's been a couple of years since I've been game to call myself an artist. I've dabbled once or twice in that time, but it felt more like I was going through the motions and hoping to reignite that arty spark (not to be confused with a farty spark - something completely different).

But since seeing Bec Winnel's solo show Muliebrity, I've gotten back into the swing of things. Maybe it was from catching up with my old art mates or seeing how amazing Bec's work has become. Whatever it was, since then I've been looking at things with an eye to draw them and generally being an artist again. 

So I've been working on this one in oils:

And spent tonight watching (OK, listening to and occassionally glancing up at) Alien 3 while sketching this one on wood panel:  

And over the last few weeks, there's been a stack of practise in a variety of styles. I figure if I give other styles a go, I'll probably learn something I can apply to my usual work.

 Meanwhile, I can't figure out WTF is going on with Blogger. The alignment is out no matter what I tweak and the giant gaps between pics and text are driving me batty. Grumph.   

Maybe I should stick with pen and paper.

xk

Pimped.

My lovely friend Catherine has recently been pimping my art out on Facebook.

Problem is I keep having to explain that I'm not making new stuff and not really selling old stuff. Until I remembered this morning that I do still have two shops that run themselves.

A shoe shop (yay shoes) that sells this kind of stuff:



And an art print shop that sells this kind of stuff:



Funnily enough I only remembered when I took a look at my battered old pair of Keds and decided I needed to buy a new pair of shoes from myself.

xk

Dear Ink and Butter Fingers

Please don't ruin this for me, guys.

I know you love to drip in the wrong spot or think it's hilarious to spontaneously drop the brush (usually when it's laden with bright blue) on the artwork, but it would be nice if just once you guys could coordinate your efforts to produce something nice.






xk

Two good things

Firstly I finally got my grubby mitts on my latest painting purchase - Laninya by Bec Winnel.

Bec and I have been mates for years so I managed to call dibbs on this piece while it was still a work in progress (I knew if she made it to the gallery unsold, I'd miss out!).

The final piece looks absolutely stunning. She's sitting above our computer desk, and Bill and I frequently find ourselves just leaning back in our chairs to stare at her. Thanks Bec!


Laninya by Bec Winnel

Laninya by Bec Winnel

Secondly, after spending a lovely afternoon with Bec (and Olive) and the girls from Just Another Agency, Toby and Melika I came away completely inspired and raring to draw.





Better yet, it doesn't seem like it's just a once off. I've dragged out the paints and inks and pencils and have a few other pieces on the go.

I'm thinking (for the near future at least), I'll just concentrate on drawing and painting and not sell anything. I think it was the pressure of having art as a second career that killed it for me. And I'm already overcommitted with career number 1.

Anyway, we'll see how this goes. Cross your fingers for me folks.

xk

Too close for comfort

To be honest I'm in two minds about making this post.

It's kind of out of character for me (and perhaps a little mean-spirited). But it's been one of those days and I've had too much wine and to hell with politeness and all that.

There's an artist on Etsy who's certainly copied my style and, in a few instances, has pretty much element-for-element copied my art.

Technically I don't believe she's breaching copyright. My understanding of copyright law is that she'd have to be actually reproducing my images. And she's not. So let's get that clear.

But she's certainly 'copying' the art (below mine are on the left, hers are on the right).

And quite frankly it's pissing me off tonight.




I called her on these two some months ago and she said she must have seen them and 'accidentally' copied them. (Sure, if you have a photographic memory.) She took them down quick smart, so I'm guessing she knew exactly what she was doing.

Anyway, I popped over to her shop tonight and noticed this one which takes the pose from 'Lydia'.



And it just annoyed me.

It's not copyright breach

But these are far too close for my liking. Particularly when she also has the nerve to copy my copyright statement:

Mine:

(c) kate lightfoot 2009
This artwork is protected by copyright which does not transfer with sale. In plain English - while you're buying a piece of artwork, you're not buying the right to copy, print or reproduce it in any way. xxx kate

Hers:

(c) mikacoach 2011
This artwork is protected by copyright which does not transfer with sale. In plain English - while you're buying a piece of artwork, you're not buying the right to copy, print or reproduce it in any way. mikacoach

Anyway, i just felt like being a crochety old woman. They're MY girls - even though I'm not drawing them these days - so don't mess with them.

*pokes tongue out*

Rant over.

xxxk

A long time between drinks

Flicking through my last few blog posts, I just noticed that I never posted the final work-in-progress pic of my first big-eyed girl oil painting.

And then I realised I'm close to hitting an anniversary.

In a couple of months it will be a full year since I've picked up a pencil or paintbrush and done any kind of art whatsoever.

A full year, people.

To be honest that makes me a little sad.

While I have no desire to create art, I miss the feeling of having made something out of a blank sheet of paper and some coloured pencil lead or paint pigment. And I was quite pleased with my oil painting - she was coming along nicely until I completely ran out of steam.

Maybe one day I'll have the urge to unpack the paints, finish her off and give her a name.

Until then, she'll just have to wait in my studio window like she has for almost a year.



xk