Blessing in Disguise?

Disaster or a blessing in disguise? Mr.Rainbow conked out on me a few nights ago...

Am hoping all will be well, as there was no major 'crash-bang-boom' when I pulled over thinking that something just wasn't quite right... He’s currently getting looked at by some heavy duty mechanics... so PLEASE send all the good energy you have so I can get him back on the road AFFORDABLY. Thx!

So that’s the disaster, where are the blessings you ask?

i. Got an AWESOME tow truck driver who came & saved me from the side of the road.

Rod, Owner of Murwillumbh Towing

 ii. Forced to be on foot, had a beautiful walk through the sugar cane fields near Murwillumbah.

iii. Spent a couple of nights at Paul’s (always lovely), where I enjoyed the opportunity of getting to know Jonny, Sand & their little one better.

iv. And the last, and probably the most unexpected blessing of all is my new move into the ‘Upper Saloon’ of the Sphinx Bus!

Have been giving it quite the creative constructive overhaul the last couple of days...

Ripped a number of nasty timber panels off the walls, which were growing mould, gathering dust & cobwebs, hiding various critters & nests… If anybody had been home, I’m sure they would’ve gotten a good laugh as there were a few good shrieks out of me… especially when a particularly large, fast and very hairy looking spider scuttled out! 

But now that the saloon has been ‘Jenny-fied’ it’s quite lush & habitable, looking & smelling beautiful, I truly enjoyed waking up in the sky among the trees this morning :D

SPHINX BUS...continued

I LOVE this Pheonix painting of Sam's

So much so that I have decided to incorporate it into the painting! Was originally thinking that I would paint two of them, one male & one female facing each other as sentinels or guardians of the land. But the bus isn't symmetrical... so maybe paint them on the back of the bus? Not really enough room...hmmm...

She's still incomplete, but looking pretty gorgeous so far!

Decided to paint her in flight, soaring over the land :D

I also followed through on the idea of the low lying mists... 

 ...really feel as though it helps soften & pull the scene together.

Another butterfly added :D

Aiming to have a bunch of butterflies, at least one of every colour of the rainbow!

SPHINX BUS

A couple of more days worth of work has been done on the Sphinx Bus and am completely stoked with the outcome so far! 

 

The base landscaped background is now down, rolling hills & mountains based very loosely on those in the surrounding area; Sphinx Rock itself, Blue Knob Mountain, Mt.Burrell, Mt.Nardi… 

I love how the spring water has worked out, the colourful drips of paint from the hills have worked well as reflections in the water. Now to add some fun pieces!

The local wildlife; butterflies, birds, frogs, kangaroos, wallabies...

Some hippie rainbow symbology…

Some Quotes...

The start of a couple of love hearts that will ripple through the water…

Am also contemplating putting some low lying clouds & mist in the foreground of the mountains… as is often the case in the early mornings around here.

If anyone has any favorite quotes, please feel free to offer some suggestions!

ART RESIDENCY - The Second Attempt!

The Sphinx Bus is almost painting itself already!

Am definitely on the right track now, bright, bold & beautiful :D

[ and yes... the drips are on purpose. ]

ART RESIDENCY - The First Attempt

Sphinx Rocks Community, Northern NSW

Am feeling very un-inspired by the colours I have available for this bus project…

Paint colours are dull... pastel...

...with very minimal contrast. Not a good combination.

Not only feeling un-inspired & unhappy with the initial paint down, am also feeling daunted & blocked by the sheer size of the project [ it is a double decker bus afterall! ] and the idea that it’s a landscape [ as anyone even remotely familiar with me knows, I hate landscapes! ].

So am trying to think of the bus as just a really big ‘canvas’ and to look at it as something other than a landscape, which is definitely a challenge.

After putting some paint down, trying a few different angles & paint combinations, doing some on-line research, walking the property, taking photos… am still feeing blocked, un-inspired & unhappy with the initial paint down…

So have decided on a complete do-over!  

To that effect the ‘canvas’ has been re-primed, the back of the bus is washed and a second coat of luscious off-white cream quality has been painted on.

Not an inkling of the old work shows through, no primer streaks, and although I doubt anyone else can see it, there’s a definite glow to this new base, AND Sam has supplied me with some brighter colours to play with :D

Sam's Art Bus is now the newly dubbed 'Sphinx Bus'

Am feeling better about it all already, wish me luck in my second attempt tomorrow!

ART RESIDENCY - The Art Bus

Sphinx Rocks Community, Northern NSW

Paint has been organised, checked, colour co-ordinated & aligned for ease of use.

Bus is primed & ready to go!

What is an 'Art Residency'?

I’ve received a few queries as to what exactly an ‘Art Residency’ is…

“Artist-in-Residence Programs offers artists, curators, and all manner of creative people the essential time and place to stay and work away from the pressures and habits of every-day life, so that they can apply singular focus to their chosen art practice.

Each program has its own background, atmosphere and requirements, with working periods differing enormously. There are also a lot of differences in financial resources, housing and studio facilities, application procedures, selection procedures, coaching and exhibiting.”

Now the Art Residencies I have found myself are quite a bit more casual with no application processes required. Just new friends & acquaintances who have things (buses, walls, signs) that they’d like to get creatively painted!

My first Art Residency is with Sam “Sphinx” on Sphinx Rocks Community. Sam is a remarkable older French-Australian with diverse interests who regularly welcomes WWOOFers onto his land.

Of course now some of you may ask, “What is a WWOOFer?”

WWOOF stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms, www.wwoof.com.au

Where individuals are generally required to work for 4 to 6 hours on the property/in the garden each day in exchange for your keep (receiving all meals and accommodation without the exchange of money).

So instead of working on the land for a set period of time, I’ve been given an art project to complete within the month, in exchange I get to park Mr.Rainbow on a beautiful piece of land, meet lots of new fascinating people, get fed and live a creative lifestyle :D

The project that Sam & I have agreed upon are that I shall paint a mural on his double decker bus that is set up as a place for his WWOOFers to stay while here.

Since receiving this first opportunity with Sam, I have now arranged to do another Art Residency with Talitha in Cawongla and potentially another with Paul in Cabarita!

Am very excited about all these fun prospects!

Jen

MY FIRST ART RESIDENCY!

Sphinx Rocks Community, Northern NSW

Finally after almost two weeks of rain, the sun has returned and I can get started on my first Art Residency Project.... 

Painting a mural on the outside of Sam's double decker bus!

But first there's a bit of cleaning up to do!

Some rubbish & timber needs to be moved...

...and she needs a bit of a wash...

Am so excited! The bus has been measured, a sketch has been drawn, I've pulled a pile of ideas out of Sam's head, he's picked up all the cleaning supplies and Mr.Rainbow & I have picked up the paint. 

The Lismore Tip Shop

 Mr.Rainbow's floor was filled!

 Sadly, as suspected only about half of the paint I picked up is useable, but hey, still not bad for only $20! and I've still more than enough to finish the project :D