"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home" (Twyla Tharp)

Artist Blogs ....

 Another year has gone by and it's been a very productive one. I started my blog in January this year as a personal diary of my journey studying botanical art and in particular the SBA Distance Diploma Course.  I was encouraged  to try this after seeing a few botanical artists blogging their own experiences and felt it might be helpful to combine artwork with technology. The interesting outcome from this blog is I that managed to have one of my artworks selected for the cover of a book after the author googled images.  I wasn't sure how to go about the negotiation process and spent time learning about copyright and ownership of artwork. 

Watercolour painting of Persimmon chosen for cover
© Vicki Lee Johnston




Other artists can be a great source of encouragement and knowledge and it is so helpful to connect to the online network and see what's around you. 
One of the most recent surprises was being nominated for the 
Making A Mark Awards for Best Portrayal of Nature in an art blog.
To achieve this you must be nominated by a fellow art blogger -  the artist who nominated my work was Jessica Rosemary Shepherd.  The ironic thing about this is that it was Jessica's blog Inky Leaves which first attracted me to blogging - I have found it so helpful to follow her progress in the SBA Course as she is a year ahead of me ... 
There have been many ups and downs for her and it has made me feel more comfortable about the course and the efforts required.  When you see how tiny her workspace is, her efforts at juggling her full time work with assignment deadlines ... it is actually reassuring to see that for so many of us, no matter how experienced, we do feel similar frustrations.

The nominated artwork as a work in progress- Alyogyne huegelii 'West Coast Gem'
© Vicki Lee Johnston

The voting has finished and my artwork recevied the least votes but it certainly is an honour to be nominated ... and has capped off a very difficult year in a lovely way.  Here are all the nominated artworks in each category of the Making A Mark Blog Awards:
Best Artwork on a Blog

I would really encourage those of you considering starting a blog to do so if you are able .. it has added so much to my artistic journey and I believe it really is a great way to network  - I see how well it works and may lead to all kinds of possibilities.

© Vicki Lee Johnston

I want to thank you for your support and in particular the lovely comments - art can be a very isolating experience at times.  I have a very busy year ahead with the course ....  so for the New Year I wish you all peace, health and happiness ... much inspiration and many completed artworks! 



A place to call your own ....


When I started this wonderful journey two years ago I was drawing and painting at my dining room table - in a room with light coming in from three sides.  You would think this is a great situation because of the natural daylight but it can play havoc with the lighting of your subject and result in endless confusion as the daylight changes and hence your highlights and shadows shift.  Not to mention the chaos on the table where you're supposed to eat family meals and the mad rush to clean everything up before dinner is served!



After struggling for a while over the inevitable conflict of whether the dining area is now an art table or a place for gathering  - we set up a corner of the formal lounge room to become my artist studio ... being the 'good' room it wasn't being used anyway so we bought an old dining table, used an old side table as a return to hold my jars of water and paints and voila - a place to call my own.  The natural light was coming from one  source and I positioned the table so the window was on my left.



However I still had some difficulty with lighting.  I always light my subjects at a forty five degree angle from the left to give the most flattering highlights and shadows ... the plant was well lit but my artwork was not.  I used a variety of lamps in the house until I realised my work time was limited to the bright daylight hours ...




I was pretty desperate with my last assignment and struggling to see the very fine detail.  A few of my artist friends were using good lighting and I felt it was time to invest in something better.  I found this extendable arm magnifying lamp - very easy to position anywhere over your work without getting in the way.  The light is amazing - a natural daylight bulb which helps to see your work clearly and work for longer without getting tired eyes from straining to see.

Very happy with my workspace now ... I am away from the noise of the household, I can play my favourite music and paint without interruption except for my beautiful dog Gracie at my feet.  At the end of the day I can just shut the door to the mess on my table, knowing it will still be there for me tomorrow...