Australian Adventures

I can't believe it's been 6 months since I last wrote in this blog; the time has gone soo fast! Now Christmas is approaching I am currently in Cairns (north Australia). Since starting my journey in Sydney I have visited numerous towns, met loads of fabulous people, seen a symphony at the opera house, visited numerous zoos, discovered beautiful beaches, tried eating kangaroo, seen deadly spiders, caught a taipan, held a koala, seen a shark, ridden on the amazing Scooter Roo tour, gone whale watching, seen dolphins, and even held a salt water crocodile! I can safely say I am having the time of my life!

Not forgetting art side of things, I held a market pitch at the Cairns craft fair on a Saturday air-brushing paintings of planets, animals and sunsets. This is something i'd been wanting to try since seeing street artists in Brisbane. Considering this was just my 2nd try I received great feedback from everyone and sold a decent number of paintings, I was completely covered in paint by the end of the day but it was worth it. I also designed someone a dragon tattoo and painted two giant watermelon signs for the farm I worked on in Mareeba. After completing 2 months of seasonal work (and saving up some dosh) I've booked a flight to New Zealand and will be flying on the 3rd landing in Auckland where a friend and I will be hiring a campervan to travel round the north and south islands, eventually ending up in Christchurch. I can't wait!

VIVA LA VIDA!

This will be my last blog entry for a while.

Like the seasons, my life has undergone some major changes. Doors that were previously closed are now open and I feel the urge to try something new and exciting. My Spanish summer will be cut short as I journey to Australia (arriving in the middle of the winter) to try a years working holiday (which I might extend to two providing I survive the three months of seasonal work). I can honestly say this will be the biggest thing I have ever done on my own, that if I don't try this now then I probably never will.

My adventure starts in Sydney, possibly heading up to Cairns later on in the year. Updates to the website shall vary depending on my access to the Internet and software. I hope to continue working on my art and fantasy novel.

One of my last paintings in Spain using acrylics and pastels and some miniatures and commissions.

To new food, culture, koalas and Skippy - Adios España and G’Day Australia !

Spring has Sprungith!

The Spanish Fallas has come and gone and Easters on the way. For those of you not familiar with the Fallas please check out http://www.fallasfromvalencia.com/ I highly recommend the Falla’s in Valencia – incredible craftsmanship, time and skill goes into making these sculptures but the ones in Valencia are by far the grandest - it seems such a shame to burn them!



Arty bits
My entry piece for the children’s illustrator’s competition at the London Book Fair.



There wasn’t really brief for this (at least I couldn’t find one on the website ?!) so I based my theme on Once Upon A Time - the starting point of all classic illustrations. The idea was to have the characters almost coming alive and falling out of the book, even the letters seem to be making a dash for it as the dragon and the knight battle it out and the book catches fire. I was pleased with the result, unfortunately I didn’t win the competition, but at least I have another picky for the old portfolio.

Over the last couple of months I’ve been working on some private, miniature commissions. As you can see, my commissioner’s have quite an imagination!

I’ve also made some updates to the miniature section - http://elysiumrain.com/TeenyTinyCreations.html

Hope you all have a happy Easter and enjoy the holiday!

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a super Christmas. Here is the latest card from Alex and Friends and an enlarged version of the spot the difference for those of you still looking! You can put that magnifying glass away now lol.



There are 12 differences – have fun trying to spot them!



Last but not least, some of the latest miniatures I’ve sold on ebay. To see more please follow this link to the updated miniature section of my website. http://www.elysiumrain.com/TeenyTinyCreations.html

Thank you everyone for your support and continuing interest in my work. Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year to you all x

Christmas is coming!!!

I’ve made some (rather time consuming) improvements to the website. Amazing how fast the time goes when you’re working at the pc! Most of my illustrations can now be enlarged so please look out for the L next to the sample images.

Managed to finish the Christmas card (the forth Christmas card instalment) for Alex and Friends (image will be posted after Christmas)

You can buy these lovely cards (along with the Alex and Friends birthday card) from the Alex and Friends website, http://www.alex-and-friends.co.uk/acatalog/cards.html.

A commission for a friend of mine of her families two cats, painted with acrylic and pastels. The most challenging part was actually the background because of the extreme contrast between the two cats; I had to try for something neutral/easy on the eyes. I’m quite happy with how it turned out; I hope my friend is too.

Plates, plates and more plates! I’ve taken quite a liking to painting these. I’m now focusing more on animal themes, some wolf plates are up for grabs on ebay – don’t miss your chance because these will not be repeated!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OOAK-Miniature-Wolf-Plate-by-Teeny-Tiny-Creations_W0QQitemZ280424800630QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Dolls_House_Miniatures?hash=item414a9ee176

Halloween and Holidays

With Halloween approaching I have been painting (and baking) lots of spooky miniature plates.

And the not so spooky ...

The Teeny Tiny Creations section of my website has been updated.

http://www.elysiumrain.com/TeenyTinyCreations.html

Here are some links for plates still up for grabs.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ooak-miniature-Tudor-Rose-Plates_W0QQitemZ280409585907QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Dolls_House_Miniatures?hash=item4149b6b8f3&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ooak-miniature-Fish-plates_W0QQitemZ280409578047QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Dolls_House_Miniatures?hash=item4149b69a3f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

There’s a new Alex and Friends Christmas card in the works that will hopefully be finished by the end of the month. Here is a link for cards already available to order from Alex and Friends. http://www.alex-and-friends.co.uk/acatalog/cards.html

More paintings and miniatures coming soon!

LOTS of Art and Crafts

Wow, what a summer! Like every summer out here my paints (unlike myself) have spent the last several months chilling in the fridge. Yep, you read that right; my paints (mostly my solid watercolours) have a lovely habit of melting in high temperatures. Never the less I somehow managed to do the following –

Activities for the National Honey Show - http://www.honeyshow.co.uk/

Until now, I knew very little about beehives, the brood, the super or the number of frames involved in storing honey, one things for sure, I will never see a jar of honey in the same light again!

For those of you wanting to know more, a photographic Inside a Beehive book is available through CMI Publishing with 9x7inch frame by frame photos of bees and their beehive. http://www.constructive-beekeeping.co.uk/ Cover illustration - you can imagine how long it took to paint all of those bees!

A bit of a contrast to the bee scene, I finished a painting of some butterfly koi.

We had koi when I lived in England, very beautiful and calming to look at.

I’ve recently updated the website and added a new art section - http://www.elysiumrain.com/Art%20and%20Activities.html along with my new Teeny Tiny Creations - http://www.elysiumrain.com/TeenyTinyCreations.html.

Miniatures will up for grabs on ebay later this week.