Blue bouquet

Just popping in with a little bouquet to brighten your day.....

Frazzled

I'm feeling a little like this at the moment.....

I'm frazzled. Too much to do and too little time. Which means no-one gets the best of me. I know I'm by no means alone, and we all have the same issues. So I'm taking a little blog break....to refresh, recharge and renew. And hopefully sort out that hair situation :)

See you soon,

Gold fever

My taste in interiors usually tends towards the natural, but lately I'm in the middle of a full-blown affair with gold. Not too much, mind; just a smattering here and there is all it takes. I'm loving the combination of coral and gold in particular, but just about any hue can benefit from a little glitz and glamour. I've even started a Pinterest board dedicated to all things shiny and pretty - here are but a few:

 Such an unexpected combination...lashings of white, a touch of france, a little wishbone, and a statement piece in gold. Love it

via Massucco Warner Miller

Florence + pink + gold = winning!

I'm so smitten that more than a couple of my new paintings feature one of my very favourite materials - gold leaf. So much fun, and always eye-catching. Gold fever has taken hold.

Hope your weekend is golden. Catch you soon,

for image sources please visit my Pinterest page. 

Island style in Greenwich Village

What do you get when you mix David Flint Wood's island style with Brooke Shields' refined tastes? A richly-layered blend of island luxe, traditional style and modern sensibilities...

Over to you - what do you think? Discuss.....

images courtesy Architectural Digest and India Hicks

♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥

With ❤ from me to you. Hope you all have a great day!

Plumes, paintings.. and Interlopers

I'm always on the lookout for a pretty feather. Living in a rural area, there are often lots to be found. My chicky babes are starting to moult, which means feathers galore. And our spectacularly coloured wild birds - rainbow lorikeets, galahs, cockatoos, and rosellas to name a few - often leave behind a lovely gift.

Lately, a little kingfisher has taken up residency in one of our gum trees. For those who aren't familiar with them, kingfishers are similar to mini kookaburras, but with lovely blue plumage. I'm hoping to find a feather left for me, but until then I've taken some artistic licence and painted my own version:

'Kingfisher'

watercolour on paper

210mm x 297mm

original sold, prints available in my Etsy store

Speaking of artistic licence, sometimes paintings seem to take on a life of their own. One of my goals for the year is to leave some time each week just for creating - no set plan, no set ideas, just playing around. I'd been asked to paint some peacock feathers, and I have quite a few on the go, but this one took an unexpected turn. Instead of the usual brilliant blues and greens like the others I've done, this one is a study in white. Black & white is always a winner in my book, so why not white peacock feathers with a twist? This one is painted using gouache and ink for something different:

'Plume'

Gouache and ink on paper

210mm x 297mm

I've decided to release a limited number of original watercolours over the next few months, as well as more limited edition prints. As a rule, I tend to sell prints only, unless they're commissions. As I've had so many enquiries, please feel free to send me an email if you'd like to know when these are released, and I'll add you to my mailing list. I'm also planning on some regular newletters, so drop me a line if that interests you as well.

Here's a few of my collection of feathers that are likely to make an appearance in a painting over the next few months. The white feathers (with the lovely yellow tint) are from our white cockatoos. They nest in a massive gum tree (commonly known around here as the Nursery Tree, as it seems every critter sets up shop in its many hollow branches), and every day I find feathers on the ground. So pretty. The darkest ones are from my hen, Gladys, who, along with her cronies, sits outside my studio while I paint:

Sadly, we're down to only three chooks nowdays. The Mr calls the henhouse the retirement village, as our guys seem to live longer than any others I've ever known. Our oldest (and sweetest) girl, Doris, died last year at the ripe old age of 13, which is pretty good going in chook years. Only one of the girls still lays, bless her, but I wouldn't be without them - their entertainment value alone is well worth it.

our sweet Doris on the right, along with Hot & Spicy (the black and gold Wyandottes) and Gladys. 

We seem to have a bit of mexican stand-off happening atm. The Interlopers (the newbies from next door) have taken to visiting our place, which is not taken too kindly by our lot. Don't need a chicken whisperer to know what they're thinking - the body language speaks volumes. Will try to get a good shot if I can - priceless.

So after a terribly rambling post, that's it for me. I'm off to finish a commission for a lovely lady, so I'll see you next week with all the deets. 

Have a good one,

Surf's up

We're a family of beach lovers, and the crew are partial to a spot of surfing. The Mr has just bought himself yet another board to add to his growing collection, and my youngest daughter has apparently found her next birthday present:

She can't choose between the black..... 

or the aqua...... 

...and who can blame her - I'm tempted to buy one just for decoration! Find yours at Coco Republic.

Flora and fauna

Flowers are a constant source of inspiration for me. The colours, shapes and perfumes are so many and varied I think it would take a lifetime to paint every one I loved. But I'm working on it. One of my girls works part-time in a florist, and she brings home something gorgeous every week. Bliss. Here's a little look at a few pieces I have on the go:

How about some pretty lisianthus? They go so well with Louis Vuitton, don't you think?

Prints will soon be available in my Etsy store.

Or maybe hot pink orchids are more your style? No problem at all.

And these oriental lilies will soon be the star of a new, larger work on paper:

As for the fauna? Well, you'll just have to pop in tomorrow for those :)

Who knew?

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a seminar by celebrity designer, Martyn Lawrence Bullard. Anyone familiar with the programme 'Million Dollar Decorators' will recognise Martyn, so I jumped at the chance to hear him chat about his work and his high-profile clients. He was delightful - warm, witty and funny, and his stories were very entertaining! Think tales of design consultations in Cher's ornate bed (once owned by Natasha Rambova, the lesbian wife of Rudolph Valentino), holidays with Elton John, and dinner with Sharon and Ozzie Osbourne. I was too enthralled to take a single photo, but here are a few I borrowed:

Here's the man of the hour

And look - Decoration and Design have shared a backstage video of Martyn after his seminar. 

I was familiar with many of Martyn's celebrity clients, but the big surprise was the home of Kid Rock. Who knew a hard-core rocker would choose a pretty plantation-style home like this?

photos courtesy Tim Street Porter via Martyn Lawrence Bullard

...and here's a pretty corner of Ellen Pompeo's home:

courtesy elle decor

If you'd like to see more of Martyn's work, his new book "Live, Love, Decorate' is chock-full of his trademark style. 

Martyn also revealed that the second series of Million Dollar Decorators is currently in production. I know - very exciting! Nothing like living vicariously, is there?