- Random Thoughts...

- Random Thoughts...

My Proof - Part 5

11/18/2009

Okay, a few more things I need to add to the proof series.

We both love New Zealand very, very much and now are only a few days away from leaving it. We are definitely having mixed feelings about going back even though we are very excited to see everyone. But there are still little things occurring that tell us that we are doing the right thing to go, just as there were things happening in the beginning that made us know we were doing the right thing to come here three years ago

Manawatu Art Expo 2009

8/24/2009

In July, I was a part of a three day art expo in the Manawatu in which I sold seven pieces, one custom print and two commissions! I was very suprised by the success and the warm reception I received. I was invited to work as a guest artist doing a demonstration on both the Friday and the Saturday, and that was definitely a lot of fun. I did more talking in two days straight than I normally do in a week, and although I had pamphlets and information sheets to hand out, there were still an endless amount of questions about my work and scratchboard in general. It was exciting to see how interested the public were in my work, and the outstanding amount of sales was really exciting! It was also a really good opportunity to spend some time with other artists in their booths who generally work in other mediums (I was the only scratchboard artist there - as seems to be the usual!). So much to learn and only one lifetime to do it in!

My Proof - Part 4

7/27/2009

On my first day of teaching, three particular kids crowded the doorway of my room to introduce themselves and say 'Welcome to NZ'. They were the Harvey's! They said they lived only a few doors down and that I was to come over to meet the rest of the family and "play on mom's piano". So a couple days later we did just that. I met a lovely lady named Geraldine who opened her home to me and said I could traipse down the hill to her place any time when I wanted to play the piano. We did have an old piano in our new home, but the tuner took one look at it and said it wasn't worth fixing, as it was too old and had a massive crack in the soundboard. So lucky me, having being spoiled enough to have a piano at my fingertips all my life, and having not ever coped very well without one, could still go over to her place to play. She had 2 uprights she had acquired, and a lovely grand she discovered somewhere else.

My Proof - Part 3

7/20/2009

Somewhere in our correspondence with our new landlady, I mentioned that I taught music. She responded by saying that she was the counselor at the local college, which was coincidentally looking for a music teacher. She suggested I forward her my CV and she would pass it along to the principal. (12) So instead of looking for work upon arrival I had an interview waiting for me. After about a month of being in New Zealand, I began teaching itinerant piano lessons one day per week.

My Proof - Part 2

7/11/2009

That autumn (2006) we continued our plans to leave. We told friends and families, and jokingly said that everybody would be able to come and visit because we would find a place that had lots of room for lots of company! We made plans to do lots of exploring on the weekends when we were able, and even said we would find a 4x4 so we could explore even the inaccessible corners of NZ. We joked that we would find a nice rural place with a woodstove, and Ryan being a true Canadian lumberjack, said he wanted to chop his own wood, just like he did at home. We weren't serious or thinking twice about any of the plans we were spouting off.

My Proof - Part 1

7/8/2009

This is going to be the beginnings of a little series I've been meaning to put into writing for my own personal satisfaction for quite some time. I'm not crazy about blogs, but I suppose this is as good a place as any to put it for now. Lots of people who know parts of these stories have kept telling me I need to write them down. There are lots of different components to this whole thing, so it might take me a while to get through all of it. I don't know how many parts it will end up being broken into.

I'm calling it 'My Proof' for a particular reason. I know in the larger, secular world there is large debate about proof of an intelligent being, proof of God, proof of evolution, medical proof to support different theories. And in the smaller Christian world, there is also debate about proof of God's presence - does He still show Himself to be as present in our lives as in the stories of old? Well, this is my proof. Take it as you like.

My Trade with Lorna

6/22/2009

My trade from Lorna has arrived this morning all the way from Canada!! It was like Christmas opening up her package! This is so perfect for me and seeing this amazing lady's work in real life definitely inspires me to do better. She has such an incredible, consistent touch. I can't wait to meet her! And now I am the very proud owner of one of her originals! I can't wait to frame it and hang it on my wall. You should go to www.lornahannett.ca to see more of her internationally recognized, award winning pieces!! Thank you Lorna! I love it.

My Trade with Rodman

6/8/2009

This is the great surprise I got in the mail the other day. Rodman's board arrived from Indianapolis that he did for me for our trade of originals. It is very, very cool and it's really neat to see this amazing artist's work in real life. He's absolutely incredible with a scalpel and an airbrush and I'm thrilled to have a piece of his original work. A little picture never does justice, but when you look at it up close you can see beads of dew glistening on the web and the finish on the board practically sparkles. It's 9x12 and he's called it "The Beautiful Accident". He also mentioned that a band member came into his studio while he was working on it for me, and liked it so much asked if they could use it for their next album cover. Very cool. My name is hidden in tiny lettering on the body of the butterfly. He also wrote a really nice message on the back with some incredible lettering and signed it. You can see more of his crazy, talented work at www.rodmansvisuals.com . Thank you Rod!

Feilding and District Art Society Awards 2009

5/22/2009

(yes that is actually the correct spelling for Feilding, oddly enough!!)
This April I entered two of my pieces in the FADAS Art Awards competition. On the opening and awards night, my "Affection" piece of the two lions was award the Premier Art award and I was presented with a $500 travel voucher from United Travel. How incredibly exciting. The judge said some really generous things about composition, attention to detail and that the artist had an incredible understanding of light. She urged everybody to go over and take a closer look afterward. It was really validating for me to hear those comments from someone who should know what they're talking about. One more step forwards for me - the whole thing was one big overwhelming compliment!

My First Art Convention - So much to learn!

5/11/2009

It's been four years since I sold my first ever piece of artwork at an equine tack shop in Alberta, but I still have to laugh at how 'green' I am. I accidentally stumbled upon an art convention invitation (Oct '08) on the internet last year here in New Zealand, and mustered up enough courage to enter three pieces in it. When the time finally came to submit the pieces to the selection committee, I was so nervous I felt sick. Ryan helped me unwrap the pieces and put them on the table, and the 3 people behind it looked at them and said, "Huh. ........<long pause> ......What is it?" I've quickly learnt that that is kinda the expected response when it comes to scratchboard in the art world, and am slowly getting better at succinctly explaning what I do. I had no clue about art pricing here, so asked for some feedback, and they said that I had probably priced them just fine, and passed all three!

As for the actual show, I had no idea what to expect....