art

Happy birthday, Diva.

| Anna Cull

My husband had a significant birthday this week. As some of you know, we perform regularly at a local open mic night. What is not widely known, however, is how much of a diva my darling can be when we’re learning songs. He is very talented. I’m in awe of his ability to hear a song, pick up a guitar and play it. Beautifully. Nonetheless, he is at times a DIVA — Demanding, Irrational, Volatile and Antagonistic.

So I painted this tee shirt for his birthday.

Perhaps I should add that he not only approved the design prior to painting, he also couldn’t wait to wear it to open mic night! Happy birthday, my darling Diva : )

Shoot it, Sketch it: Paradise

| Anna Cull
Paradise in Golden Bay – acrylic on board, 250 x 320 mm, 2012
Bird of Paradise, 2011

I had a lot of fun painting this week’s Shoot it, Sketch it. It’s one that I’ve been meaning to do for almost a year (ever since I took the photo last Christmas). My only real problem was deciding when it was finished. Even now, I’m still not entirely sure that it is — but there comes a point when you simply have to walk away and start the next project…

This is what the painting looked like at various stages. I kept telling myself: just a little darker here, a bit lighter there… How CAN you tell when something is finished?

Follow the links to see other Shoot it, Sketch it offerings from Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch and Poppytump.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Sun shadow

| Anna Cull

Sun Shadow triptych – acrylic, ink and digital, 2012.

Photos of the solar eclipse, 14 November 2012.

Last week’s partial solar eclipse as seen from Christchurch, New Zealand. The photographs were taken at about 10:00, 10:30 (at its peak) and 11:00 a.m. I didn’t have a fancy solar filter so these are photos of the shadow of the sun. They’re not the most spectacular shots of the event (!) but they did inspire this week’s painting : )

Follow the links to see what Bec from Clouds of Colour and Alana from The Little Leaf have done for Shoot it, Sketch it this week.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Little bear

| Anna Cull

Little bear in a pretty cabinet – ink and watercolour, 150 x 180 mm, 2012.

I will admit to getting a bit carried away with this week’s Shoot it, Sketch it. I like all the lost edges in this drawing — I wanted to make it look really old and a bit mysterious…

This little bear sits inside a tall wooden cabinet full of treasures and family heirlooms. The original image (below) is another one of my phone photos. It was taken through the glass of the cabinet door. I cropped the image to remove the elements I didn’t want (namely my reflection and that of the heat pump on the wall). I could’ve solved the reflection problem by taking the photo again with the door open but I really like the bookcase and the globe in the ‘background’.

original photo

Check out what Bec from Clouds of Colour and Alana from The Little Leaf have done for Shoot it, Sketch it this week too.