The Jealous Curator's "Fancy Schmancy Gallery"

 "The Art of War" triptych.  Above: Napoleon's Dumb Bell.

 Above: Bag o Money.

Above: The King's Spinach.

Danielle Krysa, AKA The Jealous Curator now has an online gallery, sweetly named Fancy Schmancy.
I was rather honoured to be one of six artists asked to contribute a special work to the first show, in response to the theme "west".  Danielle explains why she chose the theme here.  
Meanwhile, I will explain how I responded to the theme here:
The word "west" immediately calls to mind western films.  And when I think of western films I think of cliches and visual symbols of masculinity, which are things that I love to explore.  I decided to go beyond the western and collect as many interesting symbols of masculinity that I could find, and create an absurd being who consisted only of these symbols.  In the end, I found so many that I had to make three. (Acrylic on wood; each is around A4 size, and they are sold as a set.)

My work in Metal magazine

My work has been featured in a rather glamorous Spanish magazine called Metal!  Thank you very much Lluís Giménez.  It's a good excuse to finally visit the country itself.

A few goings on.....

Hi!  Sorry I haven't been around here much.  I've been quite busy!  DP Asleep with Nick Cave and Martin Amis, and Packaged Good above are both part of Modern Times' Home exhibition this month.

Above: The little pieces above are part of my first exhibition in the US, starting later this month and running until the end of January at Sager Braudis Gallery in Columbia, Missouri.  

Above: Gardening Australia magazine, November.  A quiet riot for writer Michael McCoy this month!

Above: A small detail of my painting for The Little Bookroom's inaugural exhibition, "The Book That Got Me": featuring brand new work by seven local illustrators, inspired by the very first book that "got" them.  (The only problem: it was a near impossible task to choose just one!)  Starts Saturday November 5.

Above: these two painted ladies (acrylic on wood, around A4 size, shown here slightly overlapped) are at the Corner Store Merchants' "Garden Party" exhibition, running in conjunction with the Castlemaine Festival of Gardens until November 19.  I haven't had a chance to get up there, but anything that the Fleming sisters put their hands to has GOT to be good!!!!

My work in InStyle magazine

 My Librarian painted bat and Illustrator's Wheel of Fortune have appeared in this month's InStyle magazine!  That particular Librarian has sold, but I have made a similar one especially, and it is now in my Etsy shop.  The Wheel is there, too.

Thank you, Jemma Waud!

Paintings in progress

Some details of paintings in progress, and shots of my studio as it looks now with my table at a different angle.  (Rearranging furniture is fun....)

The Jealous Curator's "Art For Your Ear" podcast

What a great honour and pleasure it was to chat with superstar Danielle Krysa (AKA The Jealous Curator) over Skype the other day.  Well, it wasn't entirely a pleasure: in order  to download Skype I had to update my Mac's operating system after six years of laziness/ avoidance, which caused an avalanche of computer calamities that I am still dealing with.  But you wouldn't know it if you listened to our lovely conversation!  And don't just listen to ours -- listen to the sixty-five other creative types Danielle has spoken to over the last couple of years.  It is an absolute treat!  I can't wait.  Thanks so much, Danielle.

Here is the link: http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2016/09/02/i-guess-i-better-be-an-artist-now/
You can listen to it via i-tunes, too.

Tip of the day: update your operating system regularly.

A Finalist in the McGivern Prize!

I am SO excited that my 90 x 60 cm acrylic on wood painting #readmymind, above, has been chosen as one of 29 finalists in the 2016 McGivern Prize!  This year's theme is 'text', and I must admit that I have pretty much put every textual idea I have ever had into it.
The overall winner will be announced early September.  To have my work displayed on the same walls as many of my favourite Australian artists is reward enough for me!  For more details on the exhibition and opening night, click here.

Some old and new stuff

Above: I found this bunch of painted plywood baby accoutrements in a drawer the other day.  They were intended for an exhibition about babies in various parts of the world, but were never used.  I have now placed them in the Etsy shop.  Perhaps someone out there could turn them into a mobile or bunting?

Above: Two painted bats, also in my Etsy shop.  Based on words that were spoken to me by a man about ten years ago.  My current circumstances forced me to recall them recently.

Above and below: some beautiful Queenslanders, whose portraits I had the pleasure of painting recently.

Above: my house was on Apartment Therapy last week!  Thanks so much to Natalie Jeffcott for the beautiful photos, one of which I have shoddily cropped here.

Above: a painting I am still working on.  I thought I would show it to you as I am feeling pleased with how the cat turned out.  Finally I can paint a cat.  Hooray!

New in the shop

New things in my Etsy shop this week.

Above: the first of my new series of burning houses, all based on dwellings found around Melbourne.  This one is in Princes Hill, and is actually a group of flats.  (I have been criticised for depicting houses on fire.  Fear not: the flame is metaphoric.)

Above: I am in a wintry mood at the moment.  A slightly glum librarian, wearing a fair isle jumper seemed the right subject for this particular vintage bat.  (Thanks again The Earwig!!)

 Above: in the meantime, this stripey number seemed to call out for a handsome African Pitta.  I am continuing my fascination with metallic paint in the hope that its glow will keep me warm in my cold studio, and make my humble bats seem a little glamorous. SOLD.

Above: a wooden Mortadella Man.  I always enjoy working with food.  He may be the first in a series.

Above and below: wooden books, somewhat larger than actual size.  A 1970s hardback edition of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, and a vintage paperback edition of Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

They can all be found here.

Working in the cold

 Yesterday's lunch, above.

Above: a wooden bat painted gold with flowers.  (SOLD.)
I enjoyed painting a humble bat with fancy metallic paint and will make another soon.

New bedroom decor, above and below.  Joan of Arc guards my side of the bed, with her copy of Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.  Upon The Beloved's request, his hero Charles Darwin guards the other side, while reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.  (I will be keeping the guards employed here for now but the painted wooden books will be in my Etsy shop by the end of June.)

Above: a happy detail from a relatively large and intricate artwork that I have been working on.

 Above: a small portrait that I painted recently for Open Room in Malvern.

Above: Gardening Australia magazine editorial illustration.  The potting shed has become a plant crypt.

Hello, it's been a while

Hi!  Sorry I have been posting lately.  I didn't realise it had been so long, though.  

Above: Marlboro Man, left on the shelf.  And in the Etsy shop.

Above: various self initiated and commissioned portraits in progress.  All acrylic on wood.  Or wooden bats.

Above: my accoutrements in Frankie magazine last month!  Very exciting and weird to see my stuff all out on display.  And beautifully arranged and photographed.

 Above and below: work in progress for a Boom Gallery group exhibition in June!