When I first moved to Melbourne from Western Australia, I didn't know anyone, there was no family here and I had no friends here either.
I took golf lessons and I also did a short course in photography.  Back then, it was using an SLR camera.  Digital cameras weren’t really around back in those days. Years ago.  I drove up to Croydon as I had heard about a camera shop that sold excellent second hand cameras. 
Armed with my new acquisition I headed off to the photography course.  At the course we learnt about composition, values and all the technical prowess around the SLR camera.  The week before end of term we headed to Mordialloc and took shots around the creek, beach and Pompei’s boat yard.  Finally, on our last week we developed our film in the dark room.
Gosh, there was a lot to do to finally see the end result.  So much has changed in the last 28 years. Nowadays, we have these amazing phones in our pockets that produce outstanding photos.  You can quickly snap a moment in time with ease and see the results immediately.  Phones these days have better crispness and clarity than the older digital cameras, along with outstanding photo editing capacity.
Artist now have a major tool to create reference for their works and use the reference immediately.  The sun hitting the trees, the bird in flight, the cheeky smile of a child, or the light hitting a vase at that exact moment.   There is inspiration everywhere and capturing those moments in time is easier than ever before.
When I am en plein painting, often, I will take a photo to reference the light and shade before it shifts from my subject.
Do you take reference shots with your phone?  Do you have any tips?  Leave your comments below.

Featured Artwork: Glass Waters will be featured at 15-16th November 2024 Open Studios
  

I am an over packer.  I am the one who has the 'just in case' or 'extra for someone else' type of person. I can't help myself, I do it wherever I go whenever I go.  I am guilty of this misdemeanor when I go out to our monthly paint outs.  I add a few extras for anyone that may have left something at home or a new person who wasn't sure what to bring.  Suddenly, my backpack is filled with extra items, I don't use and generally no one else does either. 
So... last month I decided it was time to take the plunge and cull what wasn't required and scale down to a more manageable kit. I looked long and hard at what I really needed and set about setting up a new kit. 
Firstly, I changed from a large backpack to a sling bag. I now need to fit everything into it, leaving room for my purse, phone and keys.  This is such a great grab and go kit.

This is now what I carry:

• Mont Marte watercolour journal A5
  
• Mont Marte A5 jounal/sketchbook 
• A small primary colours watercolour kit with built in palette 
• Sketchbook
• Paper towels and rubbish bag
• Foldable water pot
• Pencil case
  • Art Spectrum Watercolour well brush
  • HB pencil
  • 2B pencil
  • Faber Castell Pitt artist Pen 0.5
  • Waterproof fine liner 0.2
  • Stabilo All Pencil aquarellable in blue, yellow, red, white, graphite
  • 1/4" flat brush

I also carry a water bottle with me should I need it. 

Only last weekend, I headed out for our monthly paint out, with my chair slung over my shoulder, my sling bag filled with my kit and a coffee in hand, I was set for a joyous scaled down morning.

Do you have a special kit for your en plein air excursions?  Feel free to share your recommendations in the comments below.

When I picked up painting again, I went straight into acrylic paint.  It was fun and forgiving and I enjoyed the medium.
Over the last couple of years, I have taken lessons in watercolour, pastels and gouache.  I love various mediums, given I do mixed media, that is a good thing!

For the last twelve months, I have been enjoying the medium of gouache. So what is gouache, I hear you ask.
Gouache is a water-based paint not dissimilar to watercolour, it is however, matte, opaque and creamy.  Being similar to watercolour, it is more opaque, which means you can layer from dark to light and correct mistakes. I love how the medium quickly dries to a matte finish, making it ideal for photographing, and scanning for prints and doesn't have that shine.  

As I have been venturing out on en plein air excursions, gouache is an ideal medium to take out and about.  It is compact enough for a small palette, dries reasonably quickly and can be activated with water.  I enjoy being able to sketch and then paint while I am out, sometimes in my sketchbook and sometimes on watercolour paper. These en plein air paintings are then reference guides for future work.  The fact I can paint in the colours of the day is ideal to capture the moment, the shadows, the highlights and the essence of the session.
   
Although you can paint larger paintings using gouache, it is often associated with smaller works from an A3 - A5 painting. Smaller work on A3 to A5 is ideal when you have limited time and space, making gouache the perfect medium. 

The artwork you see here is a small artwork on paper using gouache. This was done with an initial light translucent wash and then layered with a more creamy gouache texture to give depth to the piece. 

Have you heard of gouache or do you use it?  Leave your comments below, I would love to see your comments. 

​Featured Artwork:  The outback shed

At the time of writing, this morning was the monthly paint out on a cold, windy and drizzly morning.  It would have been oh, so easy to snuggle up in bed and not venture out into the Melbourne Autumn weather. Yet, eight of us rugged up, packed up art supplies and made our way to the park and gathered under the rotunda.  We all came with varying degrees of art kits, chairs, cushions and layers. For some it was the first time to paint en plein air, for others, it was a familiar way to spend a Saturday. 
We were all there for the enjoyment of spending some time to indulge in our love of creating, being outdoors and most importantly connecting with like-minded creatives.  The monthly paint out sessions is not about who makes the prettiest work, the best kit or has the best skills, it is about the enjoyment of connection, and the people, it is about painting and creating too.  I believe the biggest benefit of the monthly paint out is putting ourselves in the priority seat. 
It's great to take two hours once a month on a weekend to say hey everyone “I’m not available on this morning, this is my morning of meeting up and doing what I enjoy.”   The pleasure that is derived from being in the fresh air, chatting with familiar friendly faces and losing yourself on the page of the sketchbook is so fulfilling.  Sharing ideas, tips, and stories and finding out more about each other is building a new group of people to enjoy.
As we pack up and finish our hot drinks, the chatter reaches a crescendo of last-minute info and well wishes until the next time we meet. We all head off back to our various tasks for the day, helping each other to take our bits and bobs to the car, and then off we go.  And that is what meeting monthly and painting outdoors is all about, painting, people and priorities.
 
Do you want to join us?  It’s free and everyone is welcome.  Visit here to register for the next one.

I remember as a small child the gift of a point and shoot camera, the type that had a flash cube click on top. ​Pocket money was saved up for the purchase of film and then developing. Being able to capture moments in time was thrilling to me. 

My love of photography continued into adult life when I completed a  photography course which also had a component for dark room developing.  
Nowadays, we are so lucky to have a camera with us wherever we venture.  Our phone can capture those moments in time. We can capture any exciting or beautiful inspiration right then and there.  

I take many photos when we are out and about.  It may be the perfect rose bloom, an unusual colour combination, a bike leaning against an old fence, a cloudy sky, some shadows playing amongst trees or the reflection in a pond.  If you look with art in mind, it is amazing you will find something for inspiration, everywhere.

At the art classes I run, I am often asked, where do I find ideas for my artwork.  The answer is everywhere.  I take photos when I am out and about, I save photos from the web, I cut out photos from magazines that have a colour, texture or design that speaks to me. Found objects such as shells, twigs and leaves are a particular favourite. All of these combined offer me inspiration for creating a new piece of artwork. One piece or many pieces together may spark an idea for an artwork, sometimes it could be a single word that carries me away.

​Where do you find inspiration?  Leave a comment below.
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