Mobile Mural Studio

Spring is here at last and the 1925 Grocery mural is being painted again after much time off due to inclement weather. The focus now is on stocking the two display windows. Still got all the shadows to do in the interior of the store. This particular mural is a nightmare of detail and seems to be a hundred or so paintings all arranged to make a whole and the work is getting tedious except the close study of Edwardian and 1920's advertizing styles and colours is interesting. Another interesting thing is the local people who stop for a chat as they are walking or driving by.

Mural Painting: Waihi Junction Stores 1925

The exterior architectural design and colour scheme is done, the interior layout and shopfittings have been designed and drawn up and now I am engaged in the task of stocking my 1925 Grocery with all the essentials of the day as well as some goodies and advertizing.

The Weekly Portrait: Judy in the sky with Anthureums..

This painting is a commission, a birthday present to a beloved sister.
This is the underpainting made with chalk pastel on canvas and sealed with clear medium brushed over the pastel and all done with Judy sitting before me.
It will be finished in the studio in acrylics.
A few photos I took of Judy at the sitting will aid me in catching the facial expression which most speaks of her real self.
It's all in the eyes and mouth.
Lovely and fascinating work..

Portrait of a Neighbour

I drew this portrait of my artist friend and neighbour, Pam Griffin, while she worked at the life drawing class. Later I made a painting from the drawing showing two motifs that Pam often returns to in her paintings; the Pukeko and the Taniwha.
The Pukeko is a bird that is a common sight on the rural roads of New Zealand as it likes to live in ditches and scrub areas on the edges of farms and roads and the Taniwha is a Maori mythical monster that lives in water. Like me Pam is also a mural artist and her husband Trevor is a sculptor working mostly in stone and bone. It's kinda nice having artists living next door.
Very nice in fact..

Barbi in the studio dancing to Amy Winehouse

I have been a bit crook so no posting for a few weeks but Barbi came to visit and brought with her sunshine and happiness. There are now two mural commissions on my books, as they say and today, Sunday, I will be working on the designs for both of them and will soon have posts on Marley's Mural epicode 2 and the Rocket Park Mural episode 1. The Rocket Park is a kid's playground and I will be paintint a mural or two there in Winter. No worries, doesn't snow here but in a Southerly one can smell the Antarctic and the Great Southern Ocean on the winds that come whipping through the Karangahake Gorge and keep little old Waihi cool, man, really cool.