A small Personal Mandala I completed yesterday for a couple.

Tarot Mandalas
Set this new page up at my website for the few that I have done.

I now have these little badges/buttons available at my Etsy Shop in
9 different designs.
Bright and colourful - I'm very happy with how they've turned out!

Hello.. Well anyone who may be viewing this blog will have realised that by now - I dont post or say very much very often. Now this is because there is actually a lot going on besides getting the art done (unfortunately sometimes). I tend to work a lot - in a few different jobs at once. This includes drafting for a landscape architect and driving a loader at the local landscape supplies yard. In the lead up to Christmas its even busier...plus there are a few parties going on right now..you know warm weather, balmy evenings - general Christmas build up :) - cant complain...it's nice.

I have also had some good news that out of the 6 works I put in for the Artist's Gallery 4 have been red dotted. This makes me very happy. Especially considering the canvases and new painted works went first. Its gives me the 'go a head' for doing more. Still working busily where I can for the exhibition in Feb and also on a couple of commissions.

This is the final painting I've done for the Christmas group show at the Artists Gallery next weekend. I've got 6 works in - including 3 of the Tarot mandalas - which have come up really well framed.

"Sleepwalker"
45 x 90 cm (18" x 36")
Acrylic on Canvas
(Original now Sold)

A couple of framed Fairytale Mandalas that I'm putting in a local group 'Illustrators' show starting this weekend. The frames are done by a friend of mine Mark May who uses lovely recycled hardwood timbers.

'Rapunzel' and "Snow White"
Mixed media on paper
50 x 50 cm

Tarot Mandalas

Another 3 Tarot mandalas from the Major Arcana.
From the top "The Hanged Man", "The Fool" and 'The Emperor"
All pics 25 x 25cm. Mixed media on paper.

So slowly slowly...I have 6 works in progress. I can't finish 1 at a time. They all get done though- eventually and anyway I find it difficult to paint over something I started as if not giving it a chance at who it is.

I feel more and more when I'm working on something that it arrives from somewhere, taking on it's own shape and personality and that it has some sort of destination - somebody waiting for it at the other end that it belongs with. I talk to them - the figures and animals that I paint - and I listen out for anything I should include in the painting. I feel the loop forming between myself the painting and something/someone else invisible.

'Hibou"
45 x 90 cm (18" x 36 ")
Mixed media on canvas.

Original now sold.

For the exhibition in February 'From the Earth'. (The only photo I have till I get a decent one done.)

"Toil"
100 x 100cm ( 40" x 40")
Mixed media on canvas.

(Original now sold)

So many ideas = so many works in progress.
Working on many things at once...as per the norm.

Tarot Mandalas

Three mandalas based on the major arcana of the Tarot.
From the top:
'The Empress', 'The High Priestess' and 'Death'.
All mandalas are 25 x 25 cm, mixed media on paper.

One of a few different paintings I will be putting in for the Christmas
Group show at The Artist's Gallery in Katoomba. It begins 2nd December and runs through to the 8th January. There will be many varied artists with a good price range - so shouldn't be hard to find the perfect pressie!

"Gift"
45 x 90cm (18" x 36")
Mixed media on canvas.
(Original now Sold)

Painting in and outside these days with a few visitors from the bush - the various parrots, lorikeets and cockatoos - plus my babies - 'the boys' - and a couple of lizards or two (big ones).

So this weekend began by picking up the pieces of a Fairy Tale mandala I started months ago and want to get finished titled 'Wild Swans'. I also started working on two other canvases as well.

So..with Spring now here 'we' are preparing ourselves for an exhibition for February next year. The exhibition is called 'From the Earth' and focuses around the connection of earth and spirit. It will be a joint show with another artist called Karin Mackay who organised the 'Secret Life of Women ' exhibition earlier this year at the same gallery. This is one of two exhibitions that I will be preparing for next year and should contain about 15 new works. I'll be focusing more on the painted works on canvas - as a change from the mandalas - finally expressing a lot of drawings that have cropped up all over the place in my sketch book.

The letter 'S'. An entry for a travelling 'alphabet' journal making it's way around the world.

A Personal Mandala done for Wendy and her family. We are swapping paintings and this is the one I have chosen from her.

Am very busy these days with 'things' not art related so this is the reason for the not so many posts. I am currently working on a Personal Mandala for Wendy that is very behind (sorry Wendy!) and trying to negotiate some space for two exhibitions next year that I'm very keen and ready to do. I hope for one exhibition to focus around the complete set of the Fairytale Mandalas that I'm still working on and several new Dreamscape paintings. The second exhibition - which has just started to emerge - popping up all through my sketch book - will be based on images from the earth.

Paint it Pink Mandala Project
In support of Breast Cancer awareness.

(Mandala was chosen with 7 others to be reproduced and
distributed as greeting cards for fund raising activities.)

BMAN Exhibition

A new painting titled "Fishing" for the BMAN exhibition starting Friday 21st till 30th July at the Katoomba Civic Center.

"Fishing"
120 x 90 cm
Mixed media on canvas.

(Original now Sold)

Little Paintings

Some smaller paintings Ive done over the past couple of weeks.

'Cocoon',and 'Voyage'.
30 x 30 cm (12 x 12 inches).
Mixed media on canvas.
(Originals now sold)

'The Secret Life of Women' Exhibition

My latest painting for a group exhibition 'The Secret Life of Women' -running from 21 July until 6 August at Braemar Gallery, Springwood, Blue Mountains. The title of this work is "Flight" and falls into my Dream Series category - however - its not the good photography yet unfortunately.

I saw some of the works today and it looks like it will be a wonderful and diverse exhibition - with many artists from new to more established. The opening on the 22nd July will include entertainment from the Ruby Bloomers Women's Circus, and the Gahwazi Caravan Belly Dance Troupe - as well as this there will be a giant canvas for everyone to contribute a little piece of themselves onto.

'Flight' - 90 x 90cm (35 x 35 ").
Mixed media on canvas

(Painting sold and won People's Choice Award.)

Art Street Mandalas

Two new mandalas for the annual Art Street exhibition held in Katoomba for the Winter Magic Festival - the theme this year being 'Cycles'. The titles of these mandalas are 'Night' and 'Day'. This is the second version of 'Night' - the first was completed a few years ago.

'Night' - 100x 100cm ( 39 x 39 "). Mixed media on canvas. (original now sold)
'Day' - 90 x 90cm (35 x 35 "). Mixed media on canvas (original now sold)

Dream Series

A new image from Dream Series called 'Night Ride'.
Acrylic on canvas
91 x 122 cm ( 36 x 48 inches).

(Original now sold)

Dream Series

If you happen to pass by my website dont forget to have a little look in at my Dream Series - pretty much ongoing works. It started because - finally - I wanted to get off paper. I enjoy the bigger canvas...more expressive in many ways.

The Tinderbox Fairy Tale Mandala

'The Tinderbox' - one of the new Fairytale Mandalas . If you dont know it - here is the link to the story by Hans Christian Anderson.

Personal Mandalas

A Personal Mandala made for Jeni.

Fairy Tale Mandalas

At the moment Im working on a series of Fairytale Mandalas with 3 completed so far - 'Rapunzel', 'The Frogprince' and 'Snow White' - and 2 more just about to be completed over the next two weeks ( finally!!) - 'The Tinderbox' and "The Wild Swans'. I'll post them as I do them but in the meantime here is the picture of The Frogprince which was recently sold. It was made (like most of the mandalas) with a mixture of mediums - gouache, oil pastel and wax based pencil on paper and measures 50 x 50cm with a 40cm diameter.

I have decided to start posting updates of works in progress via this blog as an informal alternative to my website Serpentmandalas - hopefully this space will provide some interesting details and information. Above is a new image from my Dream Series yet to be added to the website. It is painted with acrylic and glass beads on canvas and measures 100 x 100cm.

(Original now Sold)