Where in the world is Georgette?

…She’s back in New Zealand.

My apologies for the radio silence from me all year. 2019 has started off with a bang!

It started with our engagement at the end of last year. Mark proposed at our favourite sailing spot - Charteris Bay in Lyttelton Harbour. Down by the waters edge at the boat ramp, the love of my life asked me to marry him, and of course I said YES! This made for an extra happy New Years Eve!

We wanted to celebrate our engagement with family and friends at our home, but needed to do alterations to our deck first. There’s nothing like a deadline to get things done! So all of January saw us demolishing and completely re-building half of the deck! The party was on a perfect Summer’s day so everyone got to enjoy our handiwork.

Mark and I building the deck.

Mark and I at our engagement party standing on the deck.

Japan adventures

In March we flew to Japan for 2 1/2 weeks of adventure, culture, history and craziness. Highlights included: tree skiing at Kiroro ( in Hokkaido), a cooking lesson in Osaka, singing Karaoke with the locals till 3am, dressing up in a kimono in Kyoto, and the madness of the robot restaurant in Tokyo.

If you are visiting Japan I highly recommend the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and teamLab Borderless Tokyo (Digital Art Museum) - this exhibition was full of colourful interactive projections, lights, lanterns and fun. An exhibition you can easily get lost in!

While in Japan I decided to treat myself with a visit to Pigment - the most stunning, well designed art store I have ever seen. The Japanese have an effortlessly elegant approach of presentation, and Pigment was no exception. I treated myself to some beautiful traditional sumi brushes, bamboo paper and a gold leaf kit. I am looking forward to trying these out!

What’s on the easel?

I have been busy working on the Nasbey landscape oil painting. I am now in the final stages. My list of things left to do is getting smaller and smaller which makes it very exciting. These final details are sometimes subtle and the colour is critical to get right. Therefore I can no longer paint at night as the fake light plays with the colours. So I have a policy to only paint during daylight hours, which means I have to wait to the weekends. I am looking forward to the Easter break to get some day light hours on the piece. Here is it now on the easel. Not far to go! Stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by.

Working in progress, Naseby oil painting, 1620x760mm.

---

Artist Retreat in Hinewai Reserve

I recently went on my first artist retreat. I have come back completely recharged and inspired - I hope this feeling lasts!

This will be a memory I will treasure - full of adventure, relaxation, education, and inspiration!

I drove to Hinewai Reserve in the South Eastern corner of Banks Peninsula on the Friday night. The weather had packed it in that day but I was hopeful it would clear. Tricia welcomed me with a hug - we had been communicating for a few months and had the chance to meet in person a couple of weekends earlier at the Pegasus Art Show. Tricia, Paul and I sat at their kitchen table and ate feta (made by Paul) and crackers. We got on so well, it felt like I had known them both for years.

The following morning I drove to the top of the hill at sunrise to take a photo of the view for a friend. Hoping for clearer weather, I was met by a dusting of snow - not quite what I was anticipating but made for nice scenery!

Sunrise the first morning.

As part of the Artist Retreat, the artist helps in the garden in the morning in exchange for staying at the reserve. As it was still raining Tricia found an inside task for us to do by the fire. What a great idea! While we cleaned the leaves and ink off plant tags, the sun came out and revealed the beauty of Hinewai.

After we finished cleaning the tags, I headed out for a walk in the reserve. The trees were calming and I soaked in the fresh air from the ferns. It felt like it washed away the stress from the working week. When I returned to my cabin I realised I had dropped a glove in the forest - it was as though the forest didn’t want me to leave yet! Luckily I didn’t have to search too far.

(Tap to see more pics above).

Before our art session I wandered around to find inspiration. I wanted the artwork to be a direct inspiration from the area.

(Tap to see more pics above).

My inspiration for my first sketch. Paul & Tricia’s Kakariki birds which I photographed moments before our art session.

Inside the house again, Tricia and I started ‘Arting’ as Tricia puts it :) I started an ink and wash drawing of the Kakariki birds that Paul and Tricia breed. Such gorgeous green and red feathers - how could I not. Tricia worked on some garden inspired artworks for a garden themed exhibition she is hosting at the house.

Start of the Kakariki sketch.

Tricia’s artist friend Tori Batt arrived with artworks for the upcoming exhibition. It was wonderful to meet her and the three of us chatted about art related things by the fire, drinking tea and eating freshly baked lemon cupcakes. It felt like we could talk all night if we let ourselves. So lovely to have like minded artists all in one room. Tori give me an artist proof of her first zine she had just finished which I will treasure. Thank you Tori - you can find her work here.

Paul invited me to join him to feed the Kakariki some broom flowers. WOW! I took the camera into the aviary and snapped away happily. What gorgeous birds! And the best inspiration to finish off my drawing.

(Tap to see more pics above).

Further progress on the Kakariki sketch.

The next morning I was up the hill again and sadly it was worse weather for a sunrise. Cloudy and sad looking - ah well it got me out of bed and awake!

Sunrise day two.

By the time I finished breakfast the weather was good enough for Tricia and I to get stuck into the garden where I had a lesson on Hydrangea pruning. Thank you Tricia for holding off your pruning specially to teach me how a pro does it.

Then I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go with Paul out to the headland. Paul needed to check the rain gauges as part of the data that is collected on the Hinewai Reserve. I helped by holding the wind meter - which was really fun! On the way back Paul gave me a botany lesson of some of the plants and trees in the area.

(Tap to see more pics above).

Me at the mouth of Otanerito Bay. Wind gusts of up to 78.5 kph!

After a spot of lunch Tricia and I were ‘Arting’ again by the fire. I got a sneak peak at some new work that Tricia is developing - some absolutely stunning pencil drawings of animals and insects.

While we were working away Paul came inside and said to me “I think this is the type of pet you’d like” and placed a weta down onto my hand. I freaked for a second as I imagined the little feet were going to tickle my hand. Tricia captured hilarious photos of my reaction on camera. Here is one of the better ones once I had composed myself!

How lucky am I to hold this rare and special weta. This is an Akaroa Tree Weta, which resides only in the South Eastern corner of Banks peninsula. It is considered New Zealand’s rarest weta so I feel very privileged indeed to get to see one up close - let alone hold one.

After the excitement of the weta we placed her back out side and I finished off my drawing of the artist retreat cabin. I later gifted this artwork to Tricia to hang in the cabin.

My time at Hinewai was so special. Full of great yarns, creating art, exploring and tapping into the calming effect of nature and the beauty of being out of cellphone reception - away from my normal routines and distractions from technology. I have felt much calmer this week and when I do feel myself getting stressed I say to myself “Hinewai, Hinewai”, exhaling slowly.

I would thoroughly recommend the Hinewai Artist Retreat to artists wanting to escape, recharge and gain inspiration. Tricia and Paul are the most welcoming hosts. If you want to get in touch with Tricia you can email her on otanerito@gmail.com or reach out on her Facebook page ‘Tricia Hewlett Artist’

My finished drawing of the Artist Retreat Cabin.

I had to show the Kakariki the finished bird sketch.

The finished Karariki sketch.

---

Tractor Heaven Oil Painting - Time Lapse

A time lapse of a painting I created in 2017. Watch 'Tractor Heaven' come to live throughout the layers.

This is a view of Paton's Rock beach in the Golden Bay area of New Zealand's South Island. I was holidaying here one summer and was very curious as to why the tractor would sit out there for hours.

If you watch closely you can see when I changed the size of the tractor dramatically. 

‘Tractor Heaven’ 2017, Oil on panel, 200 x 200mm , (7.8 inx 7.8 in)

Finished and sitting on the easel.

---

Journey to Sunlight - Oil Painting

It's not often that the client is living in the same house. My good friend and flatmate Matt commissioned me to paint a scene that he had photographed from Mt Hutt looking down on the Rakaia Gorge. With the patchwork nature of the Canterbury Plains I knew it was going to be a challenge! And one I couldn't hide from the client :)

During the painting process there are times when it looks nothing like the final outcome. But the painter has the proceeding layers mapped out in their head. Thankfully Matt enjoyed watching the painting throughout each of the stages.

Below you can see some of the steps throughout the project. I have also created a time lapse of the painting coming together.

Early stages.

Detail of brushwork.

Working at night requires extra lighting.

Colour matching is so much easier outside.

Journey to Sunlight, 2018, Oil on canvas, 900 x 450mm (35.4 in x 17.7 in)

---

Landscape Oil Painting - Mt Aspiring

This painting was such a thrill to create. I worked from a photograph I took from a helicopter of Mt Aspiring, New Zealand. How lucky I felt to see this magnificent mountain up close! 

Watch this artwork come together from sketch through to the final result.

To read more about this painting see an earlier post here.

Mt Aspiring, 2017, Oil on canvas, 700 x 400mm , (27.5 in x 15.7 in)

---

Painting Time Lapse - The entire process

Wahoo!! My first ever time lapse of the entire painting process!! I've learned so much and made so many mistakes along the way from filming to editing and spent waay to long selecting the 'right song' but here it is.

I wanted to show the whole process from prepping the board right through signing it off. Still getting the hang of filming there were some mishaps along the way. I missed most of the sketching as I hadn't properly hit record and I took 20 minutes of blurry film as I hadn't focused the scene.

Compressing many hours of film down to 1 minute is quite the task. What I found super interesting while editing was that well over half the time the brush is not on the canvas. I didn't calculate the percentage but it was rather high. There is a lot of thinking that happens when painting, always planning your next move, and as you know there is no handy undo button.

---

Grazing in Glentunnel - Landscape Oil Painting

It's not every day you get to 'break into' a house to deliver a painting. This was the surprise waiting for the client arriving home from her honeymoon. By 'break into' I mean - let in by the house-sitter to hang the painting in place.

Grazing in Glentunnel insitu above the fire place.

I started this commission in January, it was to be a surprise wedding gift. So I have been itching to reveal the results - but only after the client had seen it first! Thankfully they arrived home yesterday.

I am stoked with how this painting worked out and I am truly going to miss it. I find the colours so typically 'kiwi' and restful yet there is also an energy to vibrant colours. I took a series of photos out at the farm to work from. I returned home thinking I hadn't quite captured the true essence of the place but after a little merging of different shots I came up with a composition that both I and the client were happy with.

This was my first time painting a cow I'm quite happy with how this came out. Check out some of the detail photos below.

Grazing in Glentunnel, 2017, Oil on canvas, 700 x 400mm , (27.5 in x 15.7 in)

Detail photos - click on the right side of the photo to see more.

---

Mt Aspiring - Work in progress

I am currently working on a landscape of Mt Aspiring, New Zealand. I took this photo from a helicopter as we were crossing the Southern Alps. My brother-in-law took my sister, partner and I on a trip in 2014 and I still cherish the memory of that trip, even though, I was a bit scared of the helicopter wobbling about in what was actually a very still day (thank fully). I am happy with progress and I will show the finished piece soon.

View fullsize

Work in progress on Mt Aspiring, Oil on canvas.

---