Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Marsh Fairy

Tuesday painting news!

Over a few nights this week I've been painting away on an 8x10" painting I call "Marsh Fairy". I had this idea to create a fairy with interesting butterfly/moth wings. Let me tell you, there are a lot of different butterfly wings out there! Her wings ended up being a mesh of both butterfly and moth.

Motif Science Biology  - Butterflies of the World Chart

At first I wasn't sure what I was going to have in the background, I liked the idea of the stripey tree, and somehow it became sort of a sinister swampy looking backdrop. I like it.

"Marsh Fairy" Original Painting by Jaz Higgins
"Marsh Fairy"

"Marsh Fairy" Original Painting by Jaz Higgins - Side View
Side View of "Marsh Fairy"
I've popped her up in my eBay store HERE.

Because we are getting our house ready for sale at the moment, I decided to clear up some space by putting my original "Sunflower Fairy" painting up for auction! Now is your chance to grab her for a steal!

Sunflower Fairy
"Sunflower Fairy"
Sunflower Fairy Side
Side view of "Sunflower Fairy"
Miss 5's school fete is coming up, and like a good Artist Mummy I've promised to donate some art to the art auction and craft stall, so today (while also trying to keep the house clean with Baby A in it!), I will be busily getting some goodies ready. I'm thinking along the lines of notecards or bookmarks for the craft stall and some beautifully framed prints for the auction??

Wish me luck! :)

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Sunday, March 16, 2014

"Easter Fairy Princess"

It's rather late Sunday night (ok 10:24pm, but it feels late!), and I thought I would check in with a quick blog post while the babies are asleep and the house is unusually quiet...

We've been busily working away on getting our house ready for sale. As you can see in the photo below, I got plenty of painting done today. Just white walls though - not the interesting canvas paintings that I would like to be doing! It seems like the longer I spend away from the canvas, the more ideas go swirling around in my head until I just can't take it anymore and need to pick up a brush. Or a pencil at the very least! But for today - it's been boring white walls. I even had to paint over my favourite pink striped wall :(

http://distilleryimage2.ak.instagram.com/2ea355c0acd611e398c50ef84884b0d6_8.jpg
Boring white wall paint everywhere.

I finished off the fun Easter themed painting I was working on last week. She is aptly called "Easter Fairy Princess" - which is a rather obvious name it may seem - but the painting itself is a bit, well, obvious. She is a beautiful Easter princess - with a love for everything commercially 'Easter'. As I walk around the shops at the moment, I'm loving the fluffy bunnies, coloured eggs and pastels everywhere! This one has definitely inspired me to play with more pastel coloured palettes in the future.

ART PRINT - "Easter Fairy Princess" by Jaz Higgins - 8"x10"
"Easter Fairy Princess"
 
The original painting has already sold, however there are 8x10" prints available HERE.

Tonight I spotted a rainbow moon! It really was magical - and I hope to incorporate it into a painting sometime soon. It looked something like this:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7333/9857837353_a0c3c2f31b_z.jpg
Image © Masahiro Iizuka
It really is now time for bed, 
so I wish you all an exciting and productive week ahead!

Goodnight!


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Friday, March 7, 2014

In Bed With Peter Alexander

My love affair with pyjama king Peter Alexander began right back around 1999 when I read a magazine article about how an Aussie man started a mail order pyjama business from his Mum's kitchen table. In 1999, when the internet was only taking baby steps, the idea of building a business empire from your kitchen table seemed like a pretty wild dream. Plus, I was 15, and what did I know about business? Nothing. All I did know was that I loved Peter Alexander's pyjamas (even though I couldn't afford them with my Hungry Jacks job), and I felt incredibly inspired to one day build a fun and creative business from my kitchen table. I realised that there are real people out there who get to be creative every day and make money from it, and it can start with just a little dream at home.

Fast forward to December 2013, while I was doing some Christmas shopping, Peter Alexander showed up unexpectedly to the store I was in! I jumped at the chance to meet him and get a photo with Baby A.

http://distilleryimage3.ak.instagram.com/4e66519662ee11e3b1c01217e3ae60a3_8.jpg
Peter and I with our babies.

 Having a fangirl moment, I told him how I had followed him for a long time, and how inspirational I've found him to be. He was genuinely interested in what I had to say and immediately told me he would send me out his book that outlines his business journey. It's a book that is very hard to find anywhere now. I quickly scribbled my address down, and really didn't expect much at all. After all, he's super busy and probably lost the bit of scrap paper I'd written my address on.

However, true to his promise, in the next couple of weeks this arrived at my door!


How cool is that!? I was very impressed. Thanks Peter!!!

Ironically, I don't actually have a kitchen table to work from here at home. Our place is much too small and my little studio area is where the kitchen table might be. I am busily working on my dreams from there though. Now, I just have to work out a way to get some of my fairy and mermaid designs on to his pyjamas...

;)


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Monday, March 3, 2014

"Cloudy Night Fairy"

The past week I've been mainly working on commissioned paintings. Hopefully I will share some with you very soon, once I've got the ok with the clients. We've also been painting our house! This past weekend I sadly had to paint over my chalkboard wall next to my desk and work area. It's been really handy, but we're painting the entire house in one colour, and it was time to paint over it.

http://distilleryimage3.ak.instagram.com/924429d0a1a311e3b8a312566eba8eff_8.jpg
Goodbye blackboard wall!

In between commissioned paintings I've also been working on a couple of 8x10" pieces. I finished "Cloudy Night Fairy" on Friday night, but have only just had the chance to scan her in and list her for sale tonight. 

"Cloudy Night Fairy" Painting by Jaz Higgins
"Cloudy Night Fairy"

I'm loving her batty wings!


 Today I began working on an Easter themed painting. Not an Easter painting in the biblical sense, but rather focusing on the more commercial (superficial?) Easter fluff. Everywhere I go there seems to be bunnies, eggs, and hot cross buns, so I guess it's only natural that I have pastel coloured Eastery dreams floating around in my head.

http://distilleryimage9.ak.instagram.com/fbd08b06a26f11e3aba80edc38dbd115_8.jpg
The beginnings of an Easter themed painting.

This week got off to a rough start with my Dad being involved a motorbike accident yesterday. Thankfully he's fine (mostly!), but it was a scary start to the week none the less. I need to explain to him that he's not 16 anymore. He really needs to cut out the extreme sports antics.

I'm off to get some orders ready to post tomorrow and catch up on The Oscars.

Goodnight!

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