Art Gallery
If you've already had a good look around this site you'll probably have worked out we have some very creative people here! Not only blogs, but videos, podcasts and more.
This is a relatively new section where we hope to highlight other talents people have such as their love of painting and design, maybe quilting, crafting, basket weaving, drawing or whatever creative area they love!
PLUS... if your kids love drawing just send it in and we'll add them here too.
Please note: We're currently 'experimenting' with this category so if something isn't quite right, just let us know please!!
We didn't know it until recently but Jo Dyson - one of the funniest bloggers around - is also a very talented artist...
And while Jo tells us she's not a 'commercial/professional' artist, she did manage to sell enough artwork a few years ago to finance living on a houseboat for a month in Amsterdam!
Below is a small selection of some of her work and we hope to be able to share some more soon.
I'm often not all that comfortable with doing landscapes, but now and then I find something that creates joy and I try to capture it.
And that's the thing with any creative pursuit isn't it?... give it a go! You'll simply never ever know unless you do!
I was the shy girl who drew and scribbled all the time. At school it was my favourite subject next to writing. Never having had a formal training I will always be a hobby artist due to the fact that I was a busy mother with three children and worked, there was little time for art.
When the children were gone I had a little more spare time, so attempted painting again. I tried all styles and all mediums, some were a disaster. Yet I had re-kindled my passion, and started to sell a few. Since then have tried watercolour, folk art and pastels. I love experimenting and am often asked to do portraits and paint animals. I do not pretend to be an expert but I still enjoy it!
Apart from painting I also love being in the garden... whether that's planting and looking after another species or simply admiring the natural beauty that all plants seem to have!
Spring & summer are my favourite times of course, but thankfully here in Australia we can enjoy their beauty most of the year 'round.
I've always loved animals and how they interact with us.
And even though they can't physically speak like us, they do communicate in many different ways. But the challenges of painting any animal is like no other! - A good dog or cat might sit & stay for a minute or two, but that's about it!
But it has been fun creating these portraits and particularly pleasing when the owners of these animals see the end results.
Here are a few of the more 'whacky' pieces of art I've experimented with over the years.
These are a bit more experimental but they are what I call my 'fun' pieces. The great thing about art - unless you've been commissioned to do something specific for a business say, is that you can literally do anything you want. Sometimes it works well other times not as expected but ALWAYS fun!
The group of landscapes in this section have all been painted in Acrylics, over quite a period of time and over quite an area of the earth!
Brian Lee says "Enjoy... (I hope!)"
I love doing portraits, as much as anything because they are the one subject that requires a great deal of concentration – a line or a dot out of position can completely alter the face being painted and no longer quite look like the subject. It’s always very satisfying to finish one though, if all has worked out well.
I just love being by or close to the sea!... and who doesn't?
All these paintings are produced in Acrylics.
Produced over a lifetime as a professional artist, (Graphic Designer) below are six samples of Commercial Work for various customers, virtually all in Acrylic.
Of course working professionally in this area over the years there are way to many examples to show here but I hope you get the basic idea of what I've been up to!
Over the years doing graphic design and being an artist, I've been lucky to have worked with and created many many different styles of works. Some commercial some just for fun... and the fun part of being creative is to literally do just whatever it is that takes your fancy right?
So the following is a small sample of drawings & paintings etc with a short description about each one.
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