Collaboration 2 Collections

Collections Karen’s Page

I have finally finished the last book in the collaboration.  Thank you Cathe for being so patient as I dealt with other things in my life.  This is a lovely book based on a great idea, collections.  Don’t we all have a pile of those great little treasures that you find on a walk and bring home.  Well I used to, but for some reason I don’t any more.  I think it is because I don’t have a studio at the moment and I am always carrying my art work between Melbourne and Castlemaine, but I think it could also be because I take photos now rather than collect.

So I was a little bit stumped on what to do, then I thought of other collections I have and one of my favourites is my herb collection.  I love growing, smelling, eating, cooking and drawing my herbs and no matter where I live I always have a patch of herbs.  So a few of my favourites went into my page.

Collections joint page

For the joint page I went for a walk and made a collection of some  of the things that caught my eye.  I was lucky enough to find the yellow crest feather of the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and then the breast feather of a pink Galah, another native parrot and some lovely delicate gumnuts.

The book is finished now and here are the other pages. The page below is the first page, Cathe did the lovely drawing of the paintbrushes in the jar and we all added little bits to it.  Gale the marbles, Anna the feathers (I just realised they are Galah feathers too by the look of them) and I did the gumnuts.

Collections Joint front page

Next is Cathe’s page, she has such a great design sense when she puts these pages together and I like the way she makes the lettering part of the drawing.  I am inspired by her lettering and hope I can get my own to work as well in my journals.  Her feathers are also gorgeous.

Collections Cathe’s page

Next to work in the book was Gale, she was really inspired by this and put such a great diversity of objects in her collection page. the old tool is fantastic and sits along the rest of the collection so happily.

Collections Gale’s page

Anna followed next and she was so inspired by this book that she has started her own journal of her collections.

Collections Anna’s page

So our collaboration has finished, but we have all been so inspired, challenged and rewarded by it in so many ways, I do think that we will do another one next year.  I must say that I am looking forward to it.  We have all become such good friends through it and learned a great deal from one another.

Karen

More from Bali

Balinese Door Water colour and Ink Bali 2015 Journal

Although I am now back from Bali, I still have some more drawings that I want to do in my journal.  I had a great time there, relaxing and so beautiful.  I really like the Balinese they are very welcoming and have a great sense of humour.

Breakfast over looking the rice fields Ubud Bali

One of the things that I enjoyed in our stay in Ubud was having breakfast in the outdoor restaurant overlooking the rice fields and watching flocks of little birds feasting on the just ripening grain.  It took us ages to find out what they were as there were two different colourings of the same bird.  So here is a drawing of a cinnamon munia, but there were also ones that were dark chestnut and cream.

Cinnamon Munias Water colour and ink Bali 2015 journal

The gardens at the resort were beautiful and these following two drawings were at the resort.  There were loads of heleconias, one of my favourite group of flowers as they are so architectural.  I have seen some of them in florists, but this is the first time I had seen them growing, truly bizarre shapes.

Heliconias watercolour pencil and ink Bali 2015 Journal

The first drawing in the post is of a doorway leading up to on of the villas at the resort, they had different doorways for some of the villas.  The carving and colours were just so beautiful I had to draw one.

Karen

Ubud – Come and meet our Lily pond

Lily Pond at Sapu Lidi Resort Ubud. Water colour and ink

We are spending most of our time in Ubud.  I visited quickly on my last holiday and decided to spend most of my time here on this holiday and I am so very happy that I have.  There is so much to do and see here, with slightly fewer tourist.  Ubud is more in the centre of Bali, it is seen as the cultural heart and they are so generous in sharing their culture and history.

The drawing is the view from our room.  It literally sits right on the edge of this lake/pond and I look over it from my bed and sit on the edge (another day bed) and draw.  It just doesn’t get better than this.

Water lily pond Sapu Lidi Resort Ubud

We have been watching all the wild life in and around the pond and I have tried to add them into the picture.  The stars are the water lilies, they open at night after dusk and will close again at midday.  The buds grow at incredible speed they will poke their heads up out of the water in the morning and grow at least two feet during the day and just start to open by the evening.  They will flower for a few days then slowly sink back under.

There is also the swallows that fly over the pond skimming off the bugs from the surface.  So many do this that you can hear the clack of their wings.  They tag team with the bats who take over at dusk (though they didn’t get into the picture)  There is also a water hen that stalks the lily pads at dusk and dawn and makes quite a racket.  There are some very large fish and one huge golden carp that you just see a flash of his gold back as he jumps for food.  There are also a couple of two metre water monitor lizards that cruise across the pond on a regular basis going from the bank to under the pavilion.  They will drag themselves out over the lily pads if they get in their path.  I dangled my toes in the water on the first day but not after seeing these creatures.

Water Hen on the pond near our patio. (you can see the edge of the day bed) Ubud Bali

There are also great big fat, black, shiny bumble bees with one red stripe that hover over the lily flowers drinking their nectar and amazingly bright dragonflies some red others blue.  It has been such a joy to just sit here and observe all these creatures in this gorgeous location.

Hope you liked it too.

Karen

Seminyak

Sardine restaurant at night. Acrylic paint, white pen and water-colour

All technical difficulties resolved and a new power supply for the laptop, I can now get down to the serious business of showing your what I have put in my journal so far.

Ivory Resort walk way to our room

We spent the first three days in Seminyak, a very busy part of Bali, on the coast where some of the better shopping and dining is located.  So of course we shopped and dined.  I have to say as a foodie, the dining in Bali has been fabulous.  We have not had a bad meal from high-end dining to small little cafes.

Seminyak page in journal Watercolour and ink

Our hotel was really gorgeous with lots of water features and a great day bed.  I love a good day bed and tend to spend my time on them while drawing.

Lynette and I on the day bed Ivory Resort Seminyak

We were recommended Sardine restaurant by a friend who comes to Bali all the time.  An amazing place built of bamboo and set in its own rice field. Very beautiful and it is lit like a stage a night. I wanted to capture the feel of this and so went with the black background on which I drew in white, then coloured over in water colour.  I was surprised how well it worked and am happy that I have caught the feel of looking out over these ‘decorator’ rice fields while sipping my cocktail.  (its tough on holiday)

Sardine Page Journal Water colour and ink

There were these great little geckos that would come out shyly from the roof tops to scamper across the wall above the day bed.  I found out that they were called Chichaks because that is the call they make.  Once I knew what the sound was I realised that you could hear them calling to each other in the evening.

Chichak gouache and ink

You can see I had problems with the fountain pen, the Lamy safari travelled perfectly even with ink in it, but my Noodlers flex pen had a splurt when I tried to use it on this page.  The joys of travelling with art supplies.  As long as everything is in zip lock bags I am cool with the occasional spillage.

Karen

A return to Bali

Bali Journal 2015 Front cover (and back). Water soluble crayon and ink

I have to returned to Bali for another quick vacation, this time with my sister, Lynette. We have had a tough few months as my niece has been very ill.  she is much better now, so we have scampered away from the end of a long cold Melbourne winter to sunny and warm Bali.  We can going to spa, dine and make pretty things.  For me of course this means more art, and a new journal of course.  I spent the week before we left making it.

Original Journal I made my journal from

Making the front cover, while having breakfast

This time I have re purposed a couple of purchased journals.  I took them apart as they were only stapled together, recovered the old cover and sewed them together with Coptic stitch.  Still a bit of work, but so much fun and a great way to get in the mood for my holiday.  I dug out my Balinese patterns and used them to design the cover and front page.

Spine of journal showing coptic stiching

Inside front cover. Water soluble crayon and sliver ink

Front Page water colour pencils and ink

I am a little behind on the posting, but I will catch you up with the first few days in the next post.  I have had technical difficulties with the iPad and guess who forgot to bring the charger for her lap top.  I think this will be the third that I have bought because I have forgotten to bring it.  Never mind I have to have the computer with me for work so perhaps they will pay me for this one.