commission

January 24, 2012 by Tara 4 Comments

This is my latest commission, for a little boy called Oscar whose christening is coming up. Because most of my best paintings happen after dark the light is crap. You’re probably getting used to that by now eh.

The brief involved quite a few ideas to play with, and in the end I went with a duck {with a crown, obviously} and a tree.

I felt like keeping it quite simple while still using the basic template of what I usually do with these kinds of commissions.

I did about fifteen sketches before starting; it wasn’t actually until I did that first Nia class that it started flowing. Sometimes it’s just like that.

But I’m cool with it now, and hopefully Oscar {and his parents and godmother} will be too.

Hmm, a touch blurry.

*****

In other news, wtf?! Picnik is going away! How am I going to do cool effects and basic edits that easily now?! NOT COOL. Anyone know something similar {we’re talking auto fix and minimal effort} that I can transition to after April 19th? If we can avoid mentioning Picasa that would be great.

Also can I just say how much I enjoyed the bidding war over Danny’s house. He’s in Bali now but I’ll inform him of the latest developments.

Filed Under: commission, mixed media art, mixed media painting Tagged With: commission, duck, oscar, tree

January 10, 2012 by Tara 9 Comments

I’ve just completed my latest commission, for what you might call my biggest collector.

This friend came to me with a piece of writing that a close friend had given her and asked me to turn it into a small painting using ‘peacock colours’.

I was a tiny bit anxious about creating such a small piece of work ~ you know me, I like ‘em LARGE, but in a joyous piece of ‘everything happens for a reason’ it turns out it was exactly what I needed to do to find out I can in fact paint very small detail, about which I was v doubtful.

Yay me. I have just the brush for the job and it was muy satisfying.

The peacock feather was actually a happy accident of sorts. I had measured out all the text really carefully in terms of placement and size, but somehow once I stuck it down it took up much less space than I’d thought! I’m really pleased about that now as the feather is a nice addition I think.

I used my fave ‘printing onto tissue paper’ technique to do the writing; originally I was going to do some freehand writing but it seemed better this way in the end.

Between you and me, the balance still feels a bit off, and this photo is NOT good, but still. It was created with much love and carefulness.

I need to go and paint something large and messy now. Laters. xx

Filed Under: commission, mixed media art, mixed media painting, paintings, process Tagged With: always remember, commission, peacock feather

December 4, 2011 by Tara 8 Comments

First of all thank you for all your kind comments about my inkbot paintings and my lotus painting. I love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

I’ve just completed a commission for a friend’s nephew. I’ve done paintings for her before, and because she’s Irish her family come up with some fabulous {and sometimes hard to spell!} names for their offspring, names that have meanings that translate easily into paintings. If you take a look at my commissions page you’ll see what I mean. And because I know you love a process post, here it is from start to finish.

Her latest nephew is called Darragh, which means both ‘oak’ and ‘wealthy’.

On my children’s paintings I like to put the initial of their name, date of birth and meaning of name if appropriate, plus any imagery of significance.

I chose acorns for the oak part, which I drew myself, and I wrote the words ‘from mighty oaks tiny acorns grow’ along the bottom.

I used acrylics, oil pastels, various papers, stamps, black pencil, white pen {obvs} and charcoal.

I’m really pleased with how it turned out, as hopefully my friend and her sister will be too.

Filed Under: collage, commission Tagged With: blues, collage, commission, Darragh, oak, wealthy

October 23, 2011 by Tara 13 Comments

So I think it’s finished. {That’s an outright lie; I want it to be finished. Very badly.}

Anyway as I was saying, I think it’s finished. ‘It’ being my brother’s requested birthday painting.

Parts of this painting are so gorgeous I know I was in flow when they appeared. Other parts…notsomuch. Actual tears have been shed over this one. And it pains me to consider giving a painting that I am not totally in love with. It feels like cheating him of my best effort. But there is also such a thing as overkill, and since I feel I’ve already gone there on the Unmentionable Area, I figure that it’s at a point now where it can be loved despite its perceived flaws. {There’s one of those nice little painting/life analogies.}

As if to compound my frustration, it does not photograph well and therefore does not edit well. The nebulous blob on the right hand side is much darker and less nebulous in real life, and it’s all a bit less painful to look at than it is here. I’m sort of counting on the fact that my bro has not been looking at this every day like I have, and may therefore see more to love in it. The words ‘now is the perfect time’ appeared in my head {as they do sometimes} the other day, and it felt meaningful to both me and him to have that in the painting.

And actually, I have given it my best effort. It’s full of love for my brother, including all the nebulous, harder to love parts.

Filed Under: acrylic painting, art, commission, mixed media art, mixed media painting, painting, paintings Tagged With: blue, brother, commission, painting

October 17, 2011 by Tara 6 Comments

Wowser, where have I been?! I think that’s about the longest gap since I started blogging three years ago (not counting travelling). Like apparently everyone I know, my life suddenly exploded with activity and newness recently. Last week was I think my busiest of the year thus far; I could tell because I kept finding myself looking for windows to spend some time on my own. For someone as naturally reclusive as I am, one or two hours here and there wasn’t cutting it. I had a lot of fun ~ there was the photoshoot for Style at Home magazine, various coffees and meetings up with friends and family, a lot of internal work {which tends to disguise itself by looking like doing nothing on the outside}, a total revamp of the roof terrace, Reiki and lots of other not very interesting little things.

There’s been so much going on externally and internally, most days I don’t know which way up I am, but it’s all good. Since the big shift last Monday/Tuesday things have suddenly lurched into warp speed . I’m trying to find a metaphor that will work here but none is forthcoming so I’ll just do a little show and tell instead. My brother asked for a painting for his birthday (9th Nov), and so far it’s going very well. The brief was ‘use blues’. A boy of few words, my brother.

I have thrown a bunch of media and techniques at it, including collage, acrylic inks and paints, mesh, stamps both ready made and improvised, stencils, spray paint…

…oil pastels, other pastels, pencil, love…

The spray paint/stencil combo was a revelation. I had to restrain myself from covering the entire thing in sprayed on numbers and letters. I think I may have got a little high from the smell also.

And this is where we’re at now.

I’m happy with all of it bar that massive circle-in-a-square area. I like it but it feels unfinished. I am confident that it will reveal to me what it needs though. I’d like to put some words on it and am waiting to hear back from Ben whether there are any that have particular meaning to him. In the meantime, I have chores to do and a beach to visit.

Filed Under: art, commission, intuitive painting, mixed media art, mixed media painting, painting, paintings Tagged With: blues, mixed media painting, painting

June 6, 2011 by Tara 7 Comments

So I finished Mr Seahorse. Thank you so much to those of you who offered advice and suggestions; it really helped kick start my creative juices. I turned it upside down, considered adding white, orange and green, and had a little chat with my muse (or Spirit if you prefer) about it.Then I did a glaze of Turquois Phthalo (a deep translucent turquoise) over the entire background and finally I know it’s finished. The background and subject were too similar in colour and tone, but now the seahorse stands out better and my left brain is happy that his surroundings are appropriately sea-coloured.

For some reason I can’t seem to edit the photo to look how it actually looks in real life, but this is as close as I can get!

Filed Under: commission, mixed media painting

June 3, 2011 by Tara 4 Comments

A friend of mine asked me to do a painting for a friend of hers’ birthday. The criteria were: there must be a seahorse and there must be purple.
I’d done a seahorse painting for my parents a long time ago, and this was apparently enough to convince my friend to do one for her.
I think it would fair to say I’ve hated every layer so far.
Which is not the same thing as saying that I haven’t put love and care into it by the way. The good thing about layers of course is that you can cover them up, if necessary.I’m not sure why it didn’t feel like it was gelling the whole way through.
Possibly because I don’t normally paint specific objects.Also it’s an object without a context, which for some reason makes me feel uncomfortable. But I didn’t want to do a twee little scene that looked too ‘drawn’. I don’t normally ask for advice about how to paint my own paintings, but guys, if you have any thoughts I’d really appreciate them. My deadline is Monday, and although I could feasibly call it finished here, I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t feel 100% happy with it when I hand it over.

I’ve sent the commissioner a photo and she loves it (bless her), but something about that background isn’t working for me. If I make it lighter I worry the seahorse will just blend in too much. Why doesn’t it feel right?! I’ve stood in front of it for hours now!

Of course if you want to say you think it’s fabulous, that is also very cool.

Filed Under: commission

May 2, 2011 by Tara 8 Comments

I had a commission off the back of the last ones I did, after I posted on Facebook about them (note to self about FB as useful advertising method). It induced equal amounts of joy and fear, as commissions are wont to do. For me, anyway.The brief was a painting for a baby named Isla Rose, in aqua colours (yay!) who likes giraffes, and there needed to be a fairy because it was being given to her by her fairy godmother.It mostly came together very nicely.There was a (thankfully) very brief Ugly Phase, and in the end I am really quite pleased with it, especially the the fairy sending the stars up across the canvas.Of course a couple of bits pop out at me that bug me and become all I can see, but a quick show and tell with a trusted confidante set me straight. (Thanks Kaz.)
Now comes the really nerve wracking part; showing it to the fairy godmother!

EDIT: She loved it! Yay!

Filed Under: commission

March 25, 2011 by Tara 4 Comments

I love doing commissions. There’s an element of nerves, but once I get in my stride it’s all good. I did these two little paintings below for a friend of mine to give to her twin niece and nephew, after she absolutely RAVED over the one I did for her little boy Senan (above). On reflection I wish I’d moved the word ‘beautiful’ up a bit on Aoibheann’s.The names are Irish. Do not ask me to pronounce them!

There has been quite a lot of interest since I posted these on my Facebook page, so I’ve made a separate page for these commissions here on my blog (see tabs at the top) and also on my website . You can also see them in my Etsy shop.

If you would like to have one made for you please contact me

Filed Under: commission, mixed media art, mixed media painting

April 24, 2009 by Tara 2 Comments

My friend Lyane commissioned me to make name plaques after seeing this:It’s taken me a flipping age to get them finished. I have no idea why as they are simple and quick to make. I still have a few issues with the backing; on the Love brooch I used a very thick piece of primed canvas, but of course there’s none of that left, so I’ve sort of had to experiment. Ever the professional.
Truth be told, my love affair with felt has somewhat been taken over in recent weeks by my my new love of mixed media art.Yes, I am a bit fickle. Or, as I prefer to think of it, open minded.

Filed Under: commission