‘Canterbury’ is a new note card/art card available from my Etsy shop. The original was painted a couple of years ago and has always been a bit of a favourite. It began life as a digital background for a student project in 2011 (see below) and I liked it so much that I decided to paint it. And print it. And frame it.
The landscape is based on several different photographs rather than a single location but it is still a typical Canterbury scene, even if I did leave out the rivers, the houses, and the sheep.
Canterbury poster background – original digital illustration, 2011Canterbury – acrylic on canvas, 405 x 305 mm, 2013
“The most joyous painting is not done for the art world, it is done for the inner world.” Michael Leunig
The quote is from Holy Fool, a wonderful book crammed full of Michael Leunig’s art ― not his cartoons but his playful, colourful, joyful paintings and drawings. Highly recommended.
It’s been a long time coming but I’ve finally turned some of my drawings and paintings into note cards. They are all 6” x 4” because that’s a nice size for framing.
The really hard part has been limiting myself to a dozen designs for my first printing. The following are now available from my Etsy shop:
The Christchurch Art Show has come and gone… and what a fantastic event it was!
It was a privilege to be part of such a wonderful event. I met a lot of very talented artists and spent the weekend surrounded by beautiful art, quirky and unusual art, colourful and inspirational art…
We set everything up on Thursday afternoon. The installation went mostly according to plan with only a few minor adjustments (I was given a corner spot and had to swap the panels over so that my table, portfolio and business cards were on the right, see below). The plan continued to evolve over the weekend.
Opening night was a lot of fun — wine, cheese, good conversation — and the three (long) show days ended up going by very quickly. I was thrilled to discover that The New Zealand Artist magazine posted a photo of me and my work on their Facebook page. I’ve made dozens of new artist friends, I must’ve spoken to hundreds of people, and I even sold a couple of paintings while I was there. Yes, I’m very happy with my first art show.
The exhibition plan wasn’t the only thing that evolved over the weekend… I went from feeling like the new kid on the first day of school (will they like me? will I fit in?) to having a real sense of belonging. Going into the weekend was like coming to the high point of a very steep learning curve. I’m now buzzing with ideas and entertaining all sorts of possibilities : )
The Christchurch Art Show 2015, opening night
My thanks to you all for your kind words and encouragement and for supporting me on my big adventure. And yes, I’ve already started planning for next year’s show. First thing’s first though, I really need to catch up on some sleep.
Friday will be the third anniversary of my little blog. My, how time flies!
Three years ago, I graduated from Design and Arts College NZ with a Diploma in Communication Arts and Design (graphic design). I started this blog as a way of putting my student projects online ― and then I wondered what to do next:
‘The Great Job Hunt’ 2012 (click on image to embiggen)
There were graphic design jobs (logos, business cards, posters), a couple of research projects (when I considered becoming a children’s book illustrator), and I even entered a few design competitions (which I didn’t win):
Love the shape you’re in – mixed media, poster design competition, 2012Lilac Wolf NZ – mixed media, logo design competition, 2012
Nothing motivated me quite like my blog, though, to experiment and really explore my options. In particular, there were the ‘Shoot it, Sketch it’ posts…
Straven Road photograph with ‘tilt shift’ effect – Christchurch, 2013A letter to my teenage self, 2012
Two years ago, I started getting more serious about painting. I taught myself about underpainting and painted on canvas for the first time:
The colour of snow – underpainting and final painting, 2013
I began my ‘In the Style of…’ posts and was inspired by some of my favourite artists and illustrators to experiment and see things differently:
Gold – acrylic on paper, 2013. Inspired by André François.Tram – ink and digital, 2013. Inspired by Fougasse.
I was thrilled when, out of the blue, I got my first commission…
Peonies triptych – acrylic on canvas, 2013
…and over the moon when someone asked to buy one of my ‘Shoot it, Sketch it’ paintings:
Sparkle and shine – acrylic on canvas, 2013
About a year ago, I opened my Etsy shop… and sold my first painting online!
Redwoods – acrylic on canvas, 2013
2014 was also, rather astonishingly, the year I passed the ‘1000 followers’ milestone on WordPress:
Thank You, 1000 followers, 2014
Since then, it’s been more of the same, really ― I’ve painted and sketched, posted ‘Wordless Wednesday’ photographs and inspirational quotes, I participated in my first craft market late last year…
Art and crafts mini market, Christmas 2014
…and I’m still happily working from home as a graphic designer:
Cashmere Road Studio Flat, business card design, 2014
Phew!
Now I’m getting ready for my first big (proper big) art show… but I’ll tell you more about that next week. Thanks for reading : )
[No, I’m not Australian… Wandarrah is an aboriginal word meaning ‘meeting place’ and Australian Wandarrah is group of Etsy* sellers and buyers from Australia and New Zealand. One of our members has started a WordPress blog and my interview has just been posted.]
If you’re interested in reading about me and my Etsy shop, here’s the link: Anna Cull Art interview.
*Etsy is an online marketplace that specialises in handmade or vintage items and supplies.
Anna Cull ~ Art & Music 