Chicken burgers dripping with sauce and mayo and chips smothered in chicken salt....never again! Blagh! I feel like someone has just forced some nuclear waste into my stomach and I'm either slowly rotting from the inside out or about to implode into a tiny, dense blob of dark matter. I'm on the computer so that I can be sitting hunched over around my stomach and groan while still feeling productive. Sheesh.

I've got so much on my plate at the moment and it's not leaving much time...actually any time...for art. I've had this sketch for a while now all ready to paint and just noooo time. Before I get around to it I have a commission painting to do plus loads of research for uni AND I have lots of things going on behind the scenes to do with my secret project. :D So this one may sit idly by for a bit longer. She's quite simply called "Frog Queen".

I am up to my ears in website designs. I'm revamping all of my websites...and when I say revamping I mean totally overhauling. Yay!!! This is exciting but also a lot of work. It would be a lot less work if I could just decide on a design instead of going back and forth changing bits here and adding bits there and starting something fresh one day and plotting other ideas the next. Then there are the designs that I just love except for one thing, like the background colour, so I change that and they just don't seem to work with anything else. Hmph. I'm so not supposed to be spending all this time on them either! But I get so carried away that it's hard not to.

On another note, a few months ago Ash and I came across a hideously big snake skin down by the lake on his property, which lots of people went on to identify as an Eastern Brown snake *shuddering the rolling ice down your spine shudder of utter disgust* And this thing was HUGE like probably over two metres long. So we've been dreading the coming of summer with a massive Brown snake lurking in the bushes ready to strike, and his property has heaps of bushland on it coming right up to the house. ANYWAY, today we went for a row on the lake and I spotted what looked like the fattest garden hose I have ever seen curled up on a fallen tree that was leaning into the water amongst the ferns that skirt the lake...and within a few seconds of drifting closer we saw that it was a massive, brilliant green Diamond Python! But what's more, the patterns on its skin matched those of the dried skin we found so it must have been this guy that went round leaving his PJs on the ground, not a Brown snake after all. I hope. Geez, I hope. This guy was soooooo pretty and so well camouflaged! And massive! His body was easily as thick as my upper arm in places...actually it was bigger. Maybe like my lower calf. He curled his big lazy muscle of a body round and round until his head lifted to look at us and he flicked his tongue. heehee! In a fit of originality we called him Monty then raced back to the house to get the camera. Unfortunately he was incredibly camera shy when we returned and had hidden half of his body back under the ferns. Here's what we could catch standing shakily in the prow of the small row boat and holding the camera up high while trying not to get too close...

I thought I'd report on how the fair went, since I haven't done that yet and it's been a while! It was my very first fair as a stall holder and the first public exhibition of my fantasy art and gifts, so I wasn't sure what to expect! I shared the stall with meggybee which was loads of fun! We were lucky to have two beautiful days of mild weather and setting up the stall was both fun and a learning curve...we did it much faster on the second day! There were so many wonderful stalls and exhibitions on, from swords, archery, craft and lovely food (mmmm pancakes!) to live demonstrations of falconry and jousting. So much to see! But the best thing for me by far was seeing the reaction people had to my artworks and products. It was so nice to see it in person, as opposed to getting feedback online, which is all I have had until now, apart from family and friends. Seeing people "ooh"ing and "aah"ing over my pictures (especially my little unicorn!) and holding things up for their friends to see made my heart skip inside with joy and pride that people liked what I have created! It was just such a lovely, physical confirmation of my heart's knowledge...that my artworks are what I should be doing in my life right now. I feel so good thinking there are people out there who took home prints or jewelry or gifts and are (hopefully!) enjoying them! It's a very nice feeling :) So I am definitely going to be doing more fairs in the future! I've posted a few photos from the fair on my website if you want to see them...just click on the photo below!

 

Rice Bubbles, sultanas and brown sugar. F#*% yeah.

Enchanted Designs very kindly invited me to be a featured artist on their website for July!

Soooooooo tired! I'm literally cross-eyed from being so tired. It's only 12:33am...what's wrong with me?! Could be the minute details of the drawing in front of me..why do I do it?! :D I can't wait to finish this one so that I can be rid of this fear of ruining it! One thing about falling in love with an artwork is the accompanying fear with every stroke until it's done! And my cross-eyedness isn't helping!

I've been inside all day at the computer researching and I was feeling quite drained by the afternoon. Ash had been at the other computer too doing his work, and our lovely little dog Max had been trotting back and forth between us scamming hugs whenever he could. So when we looked up this afternoon to see a brilliant light all across the trees outside cast by a magnificent setting sun, we grabbed Max and rushed outside to soak in the last of the beautiful afternoon air. Ash jumped on his motorbike and I hopped on behind, holding Max between us with one arm and holding on to Ash with the other: and then we were off! Zooming round his property (surrounded by lovely bushland and dirt roads and tracks) with Max half excited and half not knowing what was going on! He's never been on the bike before. But he loved it by the end! His cute little white hair (which is quite boofy at the moment as he needs a trim!) was all blowing back in the wind and he was making excited moaning noises as he peered over Ash's shoulder. And then when we stopped and finally put him on the ground again he couldn't stop running around, he was on such a high! :D It's amazing how refreshing something like a quick zoom on a motorbike with friends in the gorgeous, cool, Eucalypt-smelling air can be! I feel quite nice!

I've just found out that Disney is releasing a new movie and it's in the awesome 2D, broadway musical style of their films from the 1980/90s! Having grown up with these films and being diappointed when they moved away from the 2D musicals into 3D (which I still liked but they're not the same), I can't wait for this to be released! It's set in 1920s Jazz-era New Orleans (getting better and better...I LOVE jazz) and it's actually the first Disney Princess of African ethnicity. I'm so excited...I hope it's as good as it seems to be. It's even directed by the same people who did The Little Mermaid and Aladdin!

Read more at Wiki- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_and_the_Frog

I cleaned my room! :) Fiiinally. I've been meaning to do it for weeks. I had white flakes of dried gouache on the floor with the rolled up bits of eraser and god knows what else on the floor, books EVERYWHERE amid random bits of clothing (not mine either), bags, electric leads, USB cables, water bottles, paper, paper, paper, important documents under trashy recipes, all amid SO MUCH DUST! I finally found a place to cram the extra bedside table/cupboard thing I have that has sat half-crooked out into the room for ages. Not it sits firmly against a wall and looks quite neat! I can actually lean on my desk now to type without worrying what papers or drawings or art materials I'm crushing. I now know where all my product materials are that I had lost in the maze of THINGS! And yes...this is all in my bedroom! haha Most of the time I stay at Ash's house anyway so it can get left for longer and longer without me feeling the cramp and mess of it too much :d But now it feels so good to clean up!

Also today I came to an important realisation. I am such a Giles. Like a Buffy Giles. I have books and dust EVERYWHERE! I just love books so much and always get more to put on my shelves, even if I never get around to reading them, I just like to have them there incase one day I want to read random Celtic poetry from hundreds of years ago or check up on my Aztec history or read about medievalism in Fin de Siecle France. I think tweed coats, vests and spectacles are pretty cool and if I were a man Giles's age I'd wear them too. I'm obsessed with grammar and technicalities of language and think the written or spoken word is an art form, though admittedly one that is evolving and I'm a bit less stuck-in-mud!

BUT!

The thing that made me realise that I am a Giles more than anything is how technologically unaware I managed to remain pretty much until last year. I only set up my own email address at the end of 2002 when I finished high school and wanted an easy way to keep in touch with friends. That is pretty much ALL I used the internet for (email and chatting to Ash on msn...oh the delightful msn flirtations of our budding relationship! :P). Throughout uni I stayed away from the net for my assignments because until I was introduced to scholarly databases, google was the devil. I never once thought that ART might have a place online, let alone that there might actually be a whole fantasy art MOVEMENT occurring within the cyber space I was avoiding. I spent time drawing and wishing there were a way for my drawings to see more than the insides of folders stashed in my cupboards. How on earth is it that it took me until December of 2006 to realise that with a flick of a switch and a few minutes of connection time (dial-up back then!) I could have had what I've got now?! WHA? When I first came across the online fantasy art scene in 2006, I didn't even know who Jessica Galbreth or Amy Brown were. Of all the fairy artists out there, I didn't even know that the most mainstream and popular ones existed! I AM SUCH A GILES! If only I'd had a Jenny or a Willow to come and hook me up way back when :D

I was going to make a post early last week but haven't til now because I've just been feeling so apathetic. Last Tuesday night I went and saw "The Painted Veil" at the movies. It stars Naomi Watts and Edward Norton (both of whom I really respect as actors) and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I wanted to write up a whole post in my feelings about it but I just didn't think I could do them justice. The next day I visited the film's website and was even more blown away by the artistry, intelligence, respect, hard work and dedication that went into the film. I haven't seen a film like that for ages and it still, a week later, has me feeling such a deep sense of respect and gratitude that there are people out there with such a regard for literature, art, culture and the human story that they could create such a masterpiece. Wow. Anyway, I'd HIGHLY recommend seeing it, even if just for the beautifully sensitive acting or the breathtaking cinematography which captures a rural China that Westerners have not yet been able to see. I believe it's one of the first Western films that actually combines Western film production with the Chinese film industry and with Chinese crews and cast...the result is a wonderful meeting between two cultures in the modern day to tell the story of the meeting of the same cultures in the early twentieth century. BEAUTIFUL. One more thing...the love story between the two main characters is one of the most romantic, un-sappy, beautifully handled and poignant that I have seen in a long, long time. It is by no means the traditional love story and was so refreshingly REAL. I could definitely relate to it on such a real, personal level and I found it absolutely amazing. The entire film, every single tiny part that went into its production seems to have been done with such a deep and sincere respect. And that in turn is what I have for this film and the people who brought it about.

So after having said all that...the next morning I was driving Ash to work, which is not far from his house in the rural area in which I live, when all of a sudden after turning a corner we found two trucks coming toward us on our side of the road carrying demountable classrooms and not going slowly! They veered back onto their side of the road quickly and we barely sighed our relief when a massive piece of guttering, a few metres long came hurtling off the back of one of them and straight into my windscreen. If it had've been a few inches higher it might have come right through into my face and I don't like to think where Ash and I might be if it had (certainly not on this earth, that's for sure!). As it was, it was low enough to be near the stronger part of the window near the seam so that it didn't come all the way through and just smashed up the window instead. So anyway, I'm waiting now for the repair people to come and fix it (I haven't been able to drive my car all week). As it is I had to spend this morning walking home from Ash's house (he does NOT live within comfortable walking distance!) in the hot sun along the dusty main road with rattling trucks rumbling past, suffering the odd beeping of dumb-ass cars, all while I'm wearing clothes I wouldn't normally do exercise in (jeans, volleys and carrying my handbag stuffed with abnormally heavy and unnecessary items). There was no vehicle there to use and Ash had to get to work. :D So hot and tired with sore feet, I arrived home rather later than I should have (I wanted to make an early start, but being car-less kind of threw a spanner into the works there). I'm supposed to be writing a thesis abstract for my PhD as well, but after the ordeals I've been facing this hectic week, my head just doesn't want to get into gear. How do I summarise my massive, interconnecting orb of ideas into a 500 word, neat and concise statement? It's OK though, I can feel the cogs turning subconsciously and the words will appear as if out of thin air when they're ready. That's how it happens. I just hope they come before I'm supposed to hand this in to my supervisor! :D

Turn and face the strain..ch-ch-changes.... yeah anyway. Funny how there's always a song in my head that befits every mood I'm in or what I happen to be doing at the time! Yesterday was a day of changes for me, or NEW THINGS (!) at least....

1) I was in a film clip! It was all filmed last night and I'm in it and I can't wait to see the final product!

2) For this film clip I wore a corset..my first corset experience, and it was actually quite fun! Though I didn't have it done up tightly...god knows how those women used to manage!

3) For the film clip I also had to curl my hair, which is so stubbornly straight it's not funny, so its hard to curl at the best of times. Yet even harder when it's as long as mine happenned to be...I hadn't got it cut in 2 years, so thinking I could save myself some time with the curling iron I grabbed a chunk of my hair, lopped about 7 inches off it, handed the scissors to Ash and asked him to try to keep the rest in line with that length. I'd been meaning to get a hair cut anyway, so why not?! Ash's Dad stepped in to trim it for me since he used to be a hairdresser :) So now my hair feels all nice and short again (still long by most standards).

4) I made up a proto-type of a new necklace I'm going to offer on my website with my art on it and I love it! Gorgeous silver lockets with a cameo art print under a clear cabochon...yay!

Photos of my costume, curly shorter hair (I look sooo tired after a long night of filming) and close-up of my necklace...

 

My cat puts himself in the cutest places! Here my sister had left fairy wings from a party on a box beneath my bookshelf, which Cherokee decided would suit him perfectly and probably help him fly after those tasty birds in his dream adventures...

Mood: depressed, angry, frustrated, despairing, listless, hurt, confused

Reason: Last night I watched the final episode of Robin Hood Season Two. If you've seen it you know why I feel this way. If you haven't then I won't ruin it by saying anymore except that I feel so gutted in so many ways at this directorial decision that has completely trashed the legend that was so humanely, humurously, charmingly, lovingly and respectfully treated until now. I can't see how this drastic mistake can be made better in Season Three, though a part of me hopes beyond reason that it does. I've a mind to write to the directors though I'm sure they've already received more than enough of what I would say. It's times like this you feel as if you should just be able to ring anyone up and speak with them. All I would say is a big Whyyy?!!! and plead with them to turn it all around. Though the options for doing this may be a bit cheesy or chiche, I'm sure the devoted audience would much prefer this to the devastating reality they seem to have set up. :(

I'm drawing again! Woohoo!

While trying to be diligent and continue with my research, which also involves drawing up lots of time plans to better manage myself, :P I've also been working on some secret projects that hopefully soon I can show you! Well, they're not super secret...really just some cool new products that I'm in the process of designing and making :) It's very fun indeed and I've got lots of bits and pieces scattered around my desk and room, piling out of shoeboxes and drawers...I can't wait to finish the designs and release them! I'm also needing to paint again...perhaps I will switch this research day for my weekend day tomorrow. I'm loving this working at home thing!

I haven't posted here in ages so I thought I'd check in to say I'm still here! I've been ridiculously busy in so many areas...starting my PhD research is the busiest! It's full-on and also very draining when you're trying to get your vision for the thesis perfect...the vision that has to last 3 whole years! I've been reading lots and lots and trying not to fall asleep (reading makes me feel all snuggly and sleepy!). Then I've also had an awful lot of website coding and designing to do. I've got a few new products to add to my range soon and each of those has needed a fairy bit of work...and it continues. I've decided I'm going to stop announcing things in advance since something always seems to happen to make it take longer than I thought and then I just look like I can't stick to my word! Very frustrating and stressful. I'm also adding a whole lot of new original artworks for sale and reducing the price of others in a massive sale, which WILL go up at the start of next month, if nothing else! On top of that, I'm doing my wholesale website, which is proving to take a whole lot of time and energy, but I've wanted it to be finished for aaaaaages, so I'm determined to do it! I've also got commissions in the works, leaving me no time at all to breathe! I'm absolutely itching to paint something of my own! I have a list a mile long of "artworks to do next" and I haven't been able to touch it! Grrr! I want to just stop time for a bit so I can catch up to where my thoughts are stubbornly racing away. "Soon", I tell myself, "soon"....

 
(LJ was doing something weird with this post so I tried to delete it and re-post...hmph.)

I now have an Etsy store! I had no idea what it was until my sister told me about it a few months ago! It looks like so much fun and such an ecclectic range of things...it's awesome! So I listed just a few things and will list more in the future. I think this shop will be where I list my hand-crafted, unique, stranger items that don't fit so well with the rest of my main website! Check it out below...