...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  :)


.

...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   :)

.

...It's all about the Holidays'

kitesurfing lessons at St Kilda beach, Victoria

'It's all about the Holidays'
 detail
 Jo-Ann Hunt ©

'It's all about the Holidays'
 Jo-Ann Hunt ©
'The Child Within Series'
H122x102cm
H44x40ins
Acrylic on Canvas
 sold

It's all about the holidays....and I need one !
 Now!   :)  

 Jo

.

.... a part of you.....

....it seems like yesterday....

'Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.'

Anita Desai

lots of  excitement at our house ...... 

after 9 months travelling, my daughter returned home. 

unbelievable to me she travelled the globe with just a snowboard, 

a backpack (yes just one bag of clothes) and a huge heart and willingness to be open to new experiences, cultures, foods, and all you wonderful strangers out there.

From Japan, to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Spain. 

On to Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland and England.  

Then Croatia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, 

the Netherlands, Belgium and home!

She has ridden buffalos, balloons, kites, camels, pedalos, pushbikes, 

motorbikes, tuktuks, rickshaws, canoes, rafts, rubber-duckies,  

yachts and junks, planes...30 of them...trains, buses, buses  and more buses. 

And walked, and hiked, and walked some more. 

Photo:Claire J

So to all her new  ( and old) friends around the globe, who walked and rode with her, ate with her, swam and snored with her, talked, laughed, lent her some floor to sleep on,  and just helped and befriended her .... thankyou, from the bottom of my heart.

image from woodleywonderworks

And to all the warm, embracing  strangers who have served her a meal, sold her a ticket, driven the bus, given directions, and generally just helped her through your part of the world, .......another huge thankyou.

Because all of you have helped her return excited about the future, positive, adventurous, eager, confident, and supremely happy. 

What a blessing!  I'm a lucky mum......life is great! 

                                            Jo  :) 

.

The Splash Art Exhibition

The Splash Art Exhibition, Kew, Victoria

The inaugural 'Splash Art Show' looks a great success.

 It was so, so beautifully presented, with lots of wonderful artworks

thoughtfully hung  with a great eye for the detail.

the  Splash Art Show, Kew

 and two of my works found new homes... thankyou to my  new  collectors!

after the varnish disaster of last week, that made me feel a lot better!

now it's back to work preparing for the Summer Exhibitions ....

......with a different tub of varnish!

The Splash Art Show and yours-truly...feeling happy! 

.

...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  :(

.

...invited to exhibit at SplashArt.....

..a couple of months ago I received an invitation to exhibit

in the Inaugural Kew 'Splash' Art Show.

It will feature curated, contemporary art...in a big, airy, well-lit space,

and I'm so looking forward to being a part of it.

....now back to the easel, or I won't have work finished!

.

'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