'beach hair and bare feet'...and memories resurfacing

'Beach Hair and Bare Feet'
Jo-Ann Hunt©
'The Child Within' series
H120x120cm
47x47ins
Acrylic on Canvas
sold

Helping me sort through images for a publication, my daughter suddenly 
exclaimed...'that boy in this painting looks like my cousin when he was small!'
this young man is now 21, but I had to agree ,
and to admit that unconsciously I've put his younger self
in one of my paintings.

can you see any resemblance?

 I had no idea!
this photo has been stashed
in a shoebox for 15 years!

'Beach Hair and Bare Feet'
 detail
 Jo-Ann Hunt©

Funny how the mind works...

and how visual memory can linger!

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hello!

joannstudio1 (at) gmail (dot)com     

yes I am still here....! 

I know, I know..I need to get my I.T act in order and update 

my web-presence, facebook, instagram, twitter, google-plus etc etc 

...feeling exhausted just thinking about it...and I don't have any of those! 

just this lil' blog!

work in progress
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

Feeling shell-shocked!

jeepers ...it's May already!

up to my eyeballs in paint and canvas and pelicans!

when I hunker down to paint I survive by ignoring the computer.

Three big exhibitions coming up and never enough time..... I need electric brushes!

First up is the Canterbury Art Show.

Opening Night Fri 01 May 8-11pm
Sat 02 May 10-5pm
 Sun 03 May 10-4pm

Catalogue here.....

But if you can't make it you can say hello on  .....

  joannstudio1 (at) gmail (dot)com     

...... one Exhibition down and two to go! 

    I've had my coffee break..now to get to the Studio and back to business!

                                      :)  Jo 

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Art and Fear

'The Gift'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt

The burden for the artist....is that the lawyer and doctor practice their callings.

The plumber and the carpenter know what they will be called upon to do.

They do not have to spin the work out of themselves,

discover its laws,

and then present themselves turned inside out to the public gaze.

(Anne Truitt quoted in the book 'Art and Fear' by David Bayles and Ted Orland )

'The Gift' no 2
Jo-Ann Hunt
H122x122cm
H48x48ins
Acrylic on Canvas
2007
sold

'The Gift'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt

'The Gift'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt

yes....my art is my gift....but it's also my torment.


                                                                          Jo x








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...the uglies....

this is on my easel....

and also this...

Paintings always go through an 'ugly' stage.

It's often difficult to plough on to rectify the situation,  and I'm frequently

very tempted to just smother the mess with a new layer of paint and to

start over. When my works get to this point, I know to take a photo

and down brushes and head out of the studio. Usually when I return

I can work out the steps to move forward.

But not always!

Somethimes I just park the painting in a corner, knowing that sooner

or later I will be able to make the decision to continue or to change

to a new idea and start afresh.

My studio conpanion is always totally oblivious to my dilemma.

Oh well.....back to the job.....I've got some uglies to rescue!

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....researching ti-tree....

'The Ti-Tree Tribe'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

Recently I had to make a trip to the coast specifically to photograph Ti-Tree.

I thought I knew what ti-tree looked like but realized that I needed to get into

 the ti-tree glades to move forward.

That piece above  is my favourite slice of the painting....

....and this fellow reminds me of Julius Caesar!

'The Ti-Tree Tribe'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

And how lovely are these driftwood horse sculptures....

they're on my shopping list for my new beach house....

(that I'll buy when I win the lottery!)

                                :)     Jo

Sorrento Victoria 

'Hello Summer'

I really got carried away with this one!

I use a lot of different acrylic colours, and I know that I probably use 

way more than I need. Sometimes I try to ignore my inherent rush 

to load my palette with the usual suspects, and restrict my colours 

to just a few.

'Hello Summer'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

'Hello Summer'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

'Hello Summer'
 Jo-Ann Hunt©
'The Child Within' Series
H 122x92cm
H48x36ins
Acrylic on Canvas
sold

This painting is one of those and I'm really happy with it. 

It's in my current Exhibition and has quickly found a new home.

Every artist has their signature approach to colour but sometimes 

you just need to try a different colour-menu.....

even if it means going on a colour-diet!      ........Jo   :)

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...in the zone....

Two kids on my easel....

now these two are coming together much easier.

some paintings fight you all the way...others almost paint themselves.

I'm making much faster progress with this one thank goodness!

'touch wood' this will be one of the easier ones.... I need to finish work

for my summer exhibition over Christmas.....and get as much done

before our real Summer heats up...my studio has no air-con!

...thank goodness rescue no longer needed!

Lorne Surf Club 

Lorne Beach

however.... these two gave me a lot more trouble! but think I've almost got them
to the almost-finished phase!
but still in progess! just a little tweaking now ! 

                       Jo  :)


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...and now there are six....

work in progress...slow progress

On my easel.....six kids.....this is the most kids I've ever painted 

in the one space.

it's a bit like having six kids in the kitchen....something is bound to happen!

and there are now six times the chances of me messing up!

I'm already struggling ! 

feel like I'm wrestling with the paint.... a bit like this lovely kitch carving

 on the Rye Foreshore...how many kids would have run their hands 

over its woody, knubbly  tentacles over the years. 

I love it...makes me smile!

Rye Octopus Sculpture
'Octopus Garden'  2003
 Angela Polglaze

carved from a tree trunk with chainsaws
love the orange crab ! 

for more info on Angela...(that's not her!)sculptor and power-carver...
angela-polglaze .com

Update: ... I knew these little people would give me strife.... 

the 2 on the left and the little guy all changed!


                       Jo   :)

.

...we're not happy ....

...arghhhhhh....

I've had a really bad disaster with varnish.

A painting I had submitted for the Splash Art Exhibition has dried streaky.

Painting ruined!

It's never happened before in 14 years of full-time painting.

Don't know what went wrong. I can only assume it was too humid

....I didn't change anything in the way I worked, so I'm puzzled.

And so, so disappointed.

 It now can't be sold because I need to be 110% happy  with my work.

In a dark room you probably wouldn't notice it...or from around the corner!

Maybe I can cut it up and restretch  part of it...

detail
Jo-Ann Hunt ©

this little fellow's head might be ok

....or maybe make prints?

....or teatowels?

teatowel available on Zazzle.com.au for $24.95
designed by EMangal, listed under Mona Lisa towels

If it's good enough for the Mona Lisa , perhaps I could go down that path!

Sigh.  Double SIGH  :(

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'Fun in the Sun'

'Fun in the Sun'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

'Fun in the Sun'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

My paintings usually take 8-16 weeks from first sketchy dabs to completion......

(I work on a couple at a time....when I get 'stuck' I move on)

 this painting was a Gallery request and I started dabbling way back in March,

and reached this stage in June.

looks finished but nope...still in progress!
Jo-Ann Hunt©

I thought I was happy with it....but in early-September I decided I wasn't!

Something was bothering me.

Now I'm happy....'little-yellow-girl' has thrown away her hat!

'Fun in the Sun'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

'Fun in the Sun'
Jo-Ann Hunt©
'The Child Within' Series
H120x120cm
H47x47ins
Acrylic on Canvas
sold

.... with their sunburnt noses ands zinc-cream faces, they are off to the

'School Holidays at Sorrento ' Exhibition and hopefully to their new home.

Job done!   :)   Jo

'This is the Life'

'This is the Life'
detail
Jo-Ann Hunt©

'This is the Life'...family, holidays, sunshine, time that stretches....

that was a 'dad-ism' I heard frequently growing up.

...yep, his optimism  was a bit like the character in the movie 'The Castle!'

That phrase still gives me the 'warm and fuzzies' ...

it's a feeling that is embedded in this painting...

 it went thru a few permutations.....it was a request from Manyung Gallery

for a painting with '3 boys and a girl' for one of their clients.

a beginning....06 may

a little colour....19 May

24 May....the dress has gone.....

...30 Aug...and I'm not too keen on this little fellow's head.... but how to fix it?

...so the blue hat is off and he gets a makeover....  05 September...

'This is the Life'
 Jo-Ann Hunt
'The Child Within' Series
 H120x120cm
H47.5 x 47.5ins
Acrylic on Canvas
 sold