Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Awards

Well I finished my entry for the MMCAA at six thirty Sunday night with Monday being the final day for delivery. (Its tradition to cut it fine.) I had been working on this painting over a period of a few months altho I had been working on other stuff during this time also. There is a limit of two entries so as a second choice I was going to enter my Kiwi painting except I sold it two days before the entries closed. That left only "The Golden Fish" as my second entry. I have an exhibition on in the "Next Door Gallery" in Birkenhead at the moment but the fish painting was too large to transport up there.

Long Story Short - my goldfish painting was selected for the exhibition and my new painting titled "Eroding Paradise" was not selected! Whats with that?!!! But I am not complaining. There were nearly three hundred entries and only sixty chosen for the exhibition and the judge Henry Symonds only chose one painting per artist. And on the awards night he gave a fab lecture which I felt quite priveledged to attend....til next year.

Critters for Cages

Been playing around with my Birdcage sculptures lately (although technically they are "assemblages" more than sculptures.) My paintings I take seriously and put a lot of forethought into whereas the birdcages I am just totally having fun with.

At the moment I am working on the "captives" to go inside them, I feel a little like Victor Frankenstein creating creepy little monstors that take on a life of their own. I start with a concept and they just morph as I go, wings are added, limbs are modified or just lopped off and replaced with something else and slowly a deliciously macabre little creature evolves.
They are to be exhibited as part of the Whakatane Summer Arts Festival on during Anniversary Weekend in January. There goes my reputation as small children run screaming from the hall.......


This one is my favourite so far...yet to install the engine...obviously!