Day 3 - Tall Tales

My father didn't read us bedtime stories when we were little. Instead, he told us very very tall tales.

My father's escapades in dangerous and difficult situations would have made Baron Münchhausen and Till Eulenspiegel blush with envy.

He told us his tales very earnestly and we almost always believed that they were true. Anyway, it seemed to hurt his feelings if we didn't believe them.

Day 2 - Bedtime stories

Each evening our mother read us a bedtime story.

But a story at bedtime was not enough. So during the day, I spent hours and hours looking at the big old illustrated volumes of Grimms Märchen and other books.

I might have been still too young to read, but I could make my own stories from the pictures.

Day 1 - Across the sea

Across the sea to a land far away.

Everyone speaking a language that was strange.

I loved the books which we had brought with us because even though I couldn't read yet, I knew they were in the language I understood.

New print challenge begins today

Portfolio with print exchange was finished last night. A nice way to share work with other artists.

And today I begin my 60 day print challenge, in preparation for exhibition at Sheffer Gallery in July/August. Comments and support will be greatly appreciated.

(Artists names in photo of portfolio blurred for privacy)

Bidding has begun for Red Cross Japan fundraiser auction

The Illustrators Australia fundraiser auction has commenced today and will conclude 3 April.

All the artists are donated 100% of the money raised to the Red Cross Japan and Pacific Appeal 2011 for earthquake and tsunami victims.

This is a great opportunity to buy original art and help a great cause at the same time.

Please take the time to check this out!

Illustrators for Japan

Illustrators Australia has organised a wonderful fundraiser to support the Japan earthquake victims, with 100% of proceeds being donated to Red Cross Australia's Japan and Pacific disaster Appeal 2011.

Many artists, including me, have donated works which will be auctioned on eBay. The images above and below are only a small sample of the illustrations which are being auctioned.

Have a look at the wonderful works for sale here, and please, bid on your favourite works when the auction goes live on 28 March 2011. You might snap up a bargain, and you will be supporting a great cause.

Little big prints

I am working on prints for an exhibition in July. I want to exhibit larger prints and yet, the logistics of my small workspace mean that it is difficult for me to work on large linoblocks. Not to mention that I do seem to prefer working on a small scale...

So I have decided to create a series of 'collage prints' where a whole lot of smaller linoblocks are printed together to make a larger print.

Lots of ideas going round in my mind. Hope the prints turn out interesting.

The Insomniac

The moon is still high when the insomniac wakes. Thoughts and worries churn through her mind, and all efforts to fall back asleep are in vain.

She hears the clock on the mantlepiece go tick, tick, tick, tick. When the sun is almost ready to rise and the morning bird sings its first song, she finally nods off.

But in half an hour, the alarm will wake her to begin another exhausted day.

Glass Half Empty

Optimists, they say, see their glass as 'half full' because they appreciate what they have.

My sister looks at this quite differently: she says that 'half full' means that a drink has been poured into your glass up to the half-way level and that you are happy about this. Good for you!

But if your glass is half empty, it must be empty of something. Your glass was full, but now half has gone. Where did it go? You drank it, which means that you have had half a glass of something nice and refreshing to drink. And lucky you, you've still got half left!

So the 'half empty' people have double what the 'half full' people do.

She's very clever, my sister.