A sketch a Day 2012

I started doing this thing this year....a sketch a day. Of course I had to choose a leap year to do this. You can see them as they happen each day, on my face book art page here But here is a sneak preview of some of them :)

From top to bottom, left to right:

Werefish and his craptacular air guitaring friend
The Scarecrow and the Princess (to which I'm currently writing about)
The Scarlett Archer (inspired by my treadmilling mate Scarlett)
The Wasteland Wanderer
Up Shit Creek with a bright orange paddle and a parasol
A melancholy zombie catches an entity in front of a mirror...

Next Show

It's been a while since I've been to my blog, as I've been mainly posting to my facebook page. But its harder to write on facebook, and I've been thinking useless thoughts lately that I thought I might pen, or type, as it be.

I had a successful group show the other month at Collingwood Gallery with curator Luke Jackson, what a great experience. I went home with only one painting, Atlas. Atlas is off on another journey next month, he will be at the Mornington Peninsula Art Show, along with A Question of Faith.





The 29th of April brings another group show at Collingwood Gallery again curated by the awesome Luke Jackson. I'm in the middle of doing three works for that, but am considering a fourth work as well, one I dug up that I was originally painting for my Perceptions show last year, but never put it in as it didn't quite fit. It is based on a recurring dream that kept haunting me last year. I finally decided I would paint it, as if I paint my dreams they usually stop bugging me. I thought I had posted it on here but can't find it anywhere, so here goes.

I dreamt I was on a fast train, sleek and of shiny metal, like a giant steel snake, and it coursed its way up the mountain, leaving the burning city far behind. As we went further up the mountain, it grew colder, until finally the train stopped, it would go no further. There was no power, and the doors and windows were suddenly ajar, the cold seeping in. People around me, mostly mothers and children, began to tear the old material from the seats in the train cabin, and huddled together, draping the fabric over them in an attempt to ward off the cold. I tried to tear some off too, but none would come, and the people ignored me, as if I wasn't even there...but I was, the cold was too intense and I could feel it dig right down to my bones.

Then suddenly I was in a raging river, that surged through the burning city, destroying things as it went, forging a new path through the manmade terrain. I was slowly drowning, surfacing for air every now and then, but I was calm, and looked upon the city as it burnt and the waters carried me away.





Anyway in short that was basically my dream. Most nights in my sleep I rode the steel, snake train up the mountain, watching the city burn, until I painted it. It's not unusal for me to have post apocalyptic dreams, this one was most unusual because it was in a place I'd never dreamt of before. I timidly called the painting Tokyo Burning although I knew the city wasn't Tokyo, I knew it was in Japan. The last section of the painting, with the tree, is not part of my dream, just something I felt to put in. I only remembered this painting last night and dug around in the garage to find it.
Hopefully I can find where I originally posted this painting, as the writing that accompanied it then is better as it was fresher in my mind.

But yeah, not sure if it is worthy of exhibiting.

One of my three works in progress is my blind goddess-



Ah, so much rambling from me, back to the easel!!!

Perceptions Dual Art Show

Today is the 2nd last day of our art show. I am so completely thrilled that I did this, it has helped me in many ways - to get a body of work under my wing, and also has allowed me to breath a sigh of relief and made me realise that I can just keep plodding along in my own fashion :D There are so many paintings in my head, I will just let them stew and develop (hopefully they won't drive me too insane while I'm sleeping), and pick one out every now and then to paint. But now, my main focus is to do lots of studies - monochrome cylinders and spheres, to help learn form, still lifes, sketching, learn light and colour, shadow and drama. I am also doing another course with Erika Gofton so that is exciting!

And here are some pictures of my paintings with my awesome friends and mum (who is also awesome)! I'll be back to post individual pics of my paintings:D

Jade Zivanovic

I've changed the title of my blog to the name I'll be painting with, Jade Zivanovic, my new married name. I can't change the address unfortunately, I am still undecided whether to set up a new blog or just keep this one going.

Goddess or not?

Yesterday my great mate Maria posed for me for my Goddess painting - a painting that I've chosen to do to match my God Atlas painting that will try to depict the innate strengths and capabilities of males and females. The Goddess painting is also a direct attack against the Venus razor ad LOL I have always found it wierd that marketing directors try and tell the public that its okay to call yourself a Goddess, when a Goddess is an immortal being (mythical or not) and incredibly imperfect (in most their stories about them) yet the marketers try and depict their goddesses ('their goddesses' being the people their marketing campaigns are directed towards) as being perfect.

Yes my friends, you are perfect as you are, you don't have to frollick in the water whilst shaving your already silky smooth legs (tho you can if you want!) You don't have to call yourself a Goddess much like a man doesn't call himself a God (unless he's joking or is a total wanker) I think a little respect for the mythologies of the past is in order here. Let the Goddesses be Goddesses, and let us be mortal humans.

You are beautiful and smart whether you decide to dedicate yourself wholly to raising a beautiful family, juggling the raising of a family with your career, not having a family and focusing on your career, or if you are just living your life and enjoying your days - by yourself or with another. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Anyway that is just my thoughts :D Feel free to express your own!

Work on the show still happening and life in general

I spend each day painting painting painting. It's slow at the factory at the moment, winter - not many people buying ice creams! Which is good for me, I can clock up some kilometres with the paintbrush.

In regards to the show, at present I have four smaller paintings on the go, and two larger ones.

The four smaller paintings, for the show in August, were inspired by driving. The factory is an hour away, and I work afternoon shifts, so I spend alot of time driving, which I call my 'thinking' time, though on the way to work is more my bad attempt at singing time, the drive in the dark more for my thoughts.

And three of these paintings were inspired on the road in 2008, where I did quick paintings of them and sold them under an alias, and now return to do them a decent size and to do them justice. They fall in the surreal category I guess, and as you probably guessed it, the road is the main object in them. That and road signage! I've just kind of twisted them to fit my mental rationale at the time.

The fourth one, though featuring the road, goes away from mental thought turning towards global moral, I guess though I wanted to do a fourth one with the road, I was more influenced by the BP oil leak. So no road signs in this one! But there is a fat lady singing ;)

Married and a new show!

Well big things have happened since I was last here. My fiance Vlad and I finally tied the knot. It was a great weekend. My relatives from Western Australia flew over, some of whom I hadn't seen since I was a little girl, and the night before we had a family reunion. My family flew down from Qld (albeit my mum had already been here two weeks before to help finish up the last bits and pieces, and had spent a couple of months down here previously as well), my sister being my bridesmaid, and my best mate (since grade 3) flew down from Darwin to be my matron of honour.

The church photo was taken by my mate Cindy who is an amazing landscape and seascape photographer (and very kindly became a wedding photographer for the day - thanks Cindy!).
The old style photographs were taken by my very talented budding photographer friend Lana






The boys singing away with the Scottish and Australian flag behind them, the Serbian flag is there somewhere as well. From left to right is devet Dusan, friend Darko, my hubbie Vlad and best man (kum) Ross.


This is the church where we were married. It's such a beautiful church with gorgeous paintings.

My awesome cake made by the even more awesome Doris and Divna! Look - theres a viking ship to the side as well!

Me and Vlad on our honeymoon. We drove along the great ocean road, through to South Australia and up to Coober Pedy. This was a stop over at Mt Gambia, in the umpteen sinkhole, a very VERY beautiful garden.

Also on the news front, fellow artist and now sister in law Vesna and I are having a Dual show in August, so I am busy busy sketching and painting for that. I have nine works in progress for it, with another completed. 7 1/2 of the detailed sketches are finished for it which makes things a helluva lot easier when it comes to painting. I will post some pics soon as it won't let me put here more than five!

Viking Art Video

I couldn't sleep last night, so at about four in the morning I made this wee video with some of my art, mostly viking paintings. The music I some old stuff of my fiances that I stole from him. He just got new equipment so he's promised to make me some fancy new stuff and then I can have music on my website toooo.

I have some paintings going into the Mornington Peninsula Art Show on Easter Weekend, should be a good show, some great quality artists, and I am actually going to opening night woohooo!

Anyway, here's the link to my vid on youtube. Would love to hear your thoughts on it, I had mucho fun making it, though its a bit messy in places...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHFlbJGQh9I

And the winner is

I put all the names on bits of paper and scrunched them up and put them in a cup - and pulled two out - they were Stephen and Joey. Joey asked for the Viking ship and Stephen didn't specify, so I hope you don't mind Stephen to recieve the Elf?

If you two can email me your addresses at jade_erica@hotmail.com I'll post em off to you pronto!

Thankyou everyone for your support, would have loved to have given everyone one. Next giveaway at 100 followers!

Painting Give away. Viking Ship and Elf with Pheonix

Hi Everybody! Excuse my delay, I have only just had time to finish up one of the wee paintings and then come on here to do a post.


I will put two paintings up for give away. All you have to do is 'follow' my blog (or if you don't have a blog, subscribe to the email) and just write a comment to this post and indicate wether you would like picture 1 or 2. If you advertise this one your own blog/website/twitter whatever, let me know (link or something), and I'll give you two entries :D





1. Vikings ahoy, how'd you guess it? Of course I have to put a viking ship in. This one is a rather special painting. It's oil on linen, and has an antique wood and plasterboard frame. Its about 30cm x 40cm. It has quite good detail, will try and do another photo of the vikings in the ship pulling on the ropes (edit: done). It's very lightweight, hence I don't mind doing it as a blog give away as it won't cost too much to send with frame. Mind you, the frame is antique, so it has a few hairline cracks, most I fixed up but I'm not a restorer so can't get em all!

!


2. An elf with a baby pheonix. This is just a small one, 25cm x 30cm, on canvas board. It is a study for a larger painting that I want to do. Comes as is.

Some painting time!

After I put the rooms back together this arvo, its time for some painting!

I have reached 50 followers, but haven't put up the giveaway yet, as I'm still painting it - so stay tuned!

I'm very excited to get two very special commissions of brahman bulls. Special because they are from a friend, and double special because she wants them painted on corrugated iron, which is going to be both a learning curve and lots of fun!

I also am about to start a white angel, to match my 'First Woman, Last Angel' painting, which is a commission from the buyer of said painting. Aaaaand paint some viking ships for (hopefully) the upcoming Mornington Show. I am very pleased to say one of my Viking ships was bought by a Norwegion and has been sent to his home in Italy.

I found an awesome model wooden hull at a garage sale, for $2, so can't wait to restore it and have that sitting somewhere special, and use it for a reference for my paintings - but have yet to get started on building my viking ship!

And, though I primarily use Rembrandt and W&N artist brand paints, I am lucky enough to have stumbled across a sale at The Art Shop and bought myself some fine Mussini paints (earthen colours, siennas, ochres, transluscent browns) for only $8 a tube, and I think they are the older ones before they changed the making process, so I am a very happy chappy! And, to make me double happy, I also ordered some Venitian turpentine from them OMG cannot wait to use that with my angel painting.

Well, best get on with things.....

Jewellery Giveaway at Val Zdero Art & Jewellery

My sister in law is having a give away at her blog, she makes beautiful jewellery, all hand painted with resin finishes. To be in the chance to win this beautiful locket, just go and follow her blog and leave a comment on this post: http://valzderoart.blogspot.com/2010/02/200-followers-giveaway-celebration-d.html At her blog you can see lots of handpainted necklaces, earrings, hand wrapped wire pendents, and beautiful whimsical paintings.

Free Painting Giveaway

At 50 followers, I'll give away a free small painting to one of my followers! 7 more to go!

Reworking Lady Cerberus 'Her Plea' to VIKING -ness

Wanted to rework my Cerberus painting. This one, as you might remember, had the destroyed sunken Cerberus in the foreground, and, well, I don't think the Cerberus should be remembered like that. The Cerberus is something we are trying to save.

SO

I turned this into a viking painting....couldn'ta guessed that one comin aye?

Viking Burial ship. The lady is still the mistress of the sea, what man who has sailed upon the waters, not seen her?! She is there for all of them, sometimes loving, sometimes in anger she moves the sea beneath them, but they love her still, like they do us! lol

Portrait Study

Portrait Study of the beautiful lockstock from DA. Lots of mistakes in this I know, but I really enjoyed painting it (or maybe the enjoyment was because I had the day off work woooohoooo)

New Series starting slow

Slowly I've been getting snippets of colour and sketches for my new pieces. Pictures are being triggered by the most unusual of things, some of them are digging right down into my psyche. I'm enjoying the process. Usually having so many ideas for paintings freaks me out, as I always want them done PRONTO but I am keeping them at bay and remembering to do studies first and get it all worked before hand. Time to be smart.

Cutlery Pencil study and new viking painting

'The Mourning Tree' WIP

'Pick me!' Study in pencil

This is a study I did in tone and form. I started it in class with Erika Gofton and finished it for home work. It's not bad I think...Yes, lots of faults....I'll get better...I used black and white pencil for it.

And a new viking painting, started on a whim. Not sure where its totally going but now its dry I can start rendering the forms and adding some detail woohoo

New Paintings!

I have a back log of paintings in my head at the moment. Two new series, all big, detailed and full of atmosphere (I hope!).
One series has been started, I need to kick start the other one as well.
I'm very excited, hopefully it will also stop my post-apocalyptic dreams...or enhance them, either way is okay LOL as long as I get *some* sleep.

Lady Cerberus

The lady encapsulates the spirit of the sea and the ship. The wreckage of the ironclad monitor lies in the sea, the Victorian flag lying in the water. Painting to depict the plight of the 'Save the Cerberus' group, who are trying to raise funds to stop this piece of national history from decaying away in the breakwater.

Oil on board.

Please contact Pivotal Galleries if you'd like to purchase it, or see other work depicting the ship Cerberus, where a percentage of funds go towards helping to Save the Cerberus.

They are having a great exhibition of paintings, both from recent artists and paintings from the past, photographs and actual Cerberus things, like a 500lb shell. Opening night is this Wednesday the 7th October, and the exhibition runs until the 18th.

Cerberus Oil Painting

HMVS Cerberus. A monitor warship brought over from England to serve in Victorias first Royal Navy. She remains in the breakwater behind the Peninsula, slowly deteriorating. Pivotal Galleries is having a 'Save the Cerberus' exhibition where funds are being raised to help collect enough money to raise the Cerberus from her current sleeping grounds and erect her as a monument that everyone can enjoy and be around for many more years to come.

Cerberus Legacy (working title) 60cmx90cm oil on panel

Studies in pencil and paint

Just some studies in tone and value and trying to get things lookin right lol. Half succeeding I think.

Bayside Art Show - Brighton

These are the three paintings I dropped off yesterday for the bayside Art Show at Brighton. From left, 'For Long I have travelled' oil on panel, 'After the final Storm' Oil on panel. 12'x24' and 'My Dreams' oil on linen, 60cm x 90cm

If anyone is interested to go, the show is on at Brighton Town Hall, corner of Wilson and Carpenter Streets, Brighton. Friday 7th, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th.

Ruined Cityscape 2

Digital painting of ruined Australian city (in the future of course!). I did a tutorial from idrawgirls.com and it helped alot, however my outcome didn't have too much personality so I hope to combine the techniques I learnt with scenes like my acrylic cityscape Providence to get something decent I hope! I'm just about finished the oil painting of this it looks ok, I'm not sure if it will turn out as good in the end.

Thankyou to idrawgirls.com for sharing your knowledge with us!

Fallout Centaur

A centaur, from the Fallout game. In Fallout 1 and 2 it had both heads, and in Fallout 3 it just had the human head and no tentacularness underneath. I wanted to stick closer to the original games rather than the 3rd, but keep the hideousnes of the third game.
For those who don't know, Fallout is based on a post apocalyptic future had the world met its doom in the 50s. This is just one of the many mutated creatures roaming the world, by human hands mind.
This is a digital painting for a game Mod I'm involved in for Mount and Blade yay!

Mermaid Painting

A fun painting I did for my niece Sienna! I started it back in May as you might remember and then my sister reminded me about it LOL so I went ahead and finished it. Its ultra sparkly which you can't really see in this pic, but when the sun or light hits it it dazzles away LOL I kinda want to keep it for myself! If you click on the pic it'll open up bigger and you can see the sparkliness lol I'm going to put a scroll in that open shell coz Sienna calls them 'book shells' so I'll write a little story for the mermaid who will live in a crystal castle under the sea :D

Viking Ship Oil Painting

'And with the dawn, they emerged...'

30cmx40cm oil on linen

This one has kind of a more fantasy aspect to it, which allowed me to be a little more free in the design and how it is acting in the water, still have trouble doing the heads of the ships...oh well! I tried to make it look a little more gritty as if its been sailin for a while!

Checker Girl

I love my little Checker Girl. I am thinking of putting white checkers around the edge of her red bbackground, to give the white border more of a zing..or something. What do yous reckon? I feel more checker girls comin on! and possibly some tartain girls...lol

SALE ON NOW

There is a Sale on at my Viking Blog just scroll down to 'Crystalline Waters' and 'It is Done' these are the two on sale YAY Happy Days!

Art Shows

Off to pick up my two paintings from Belgrave (Sherwood Art Society) this arvo. Takes about 1 1/4 hrs to get there. I hate this part, driving to and from the shows with the paintings, as I am generally FAR from them LOL No wonder the professionals use couriers.
Tomorrow its pick up from the Chelsea show, which isn't so bad, only bout 40 minutes away, plus I am dragging my mate along with me for that (oh she doesn't know that yet LOL)
Anyway, I have been working mostly on little viking ship paintings, but am going to start planning out my Grim Reaper/Road journey series. It's all a blur in front of my eyes, so I can't wait to start sketching and grabbing the pieces I can see and putting it onto paper and see what becomes of it.

Acrylic Apocalypse Painting: Providence

'Providence' Acrylic on canvas. 30cm x 90cm

And the sky glowed amber and the light grew muted. The earth was barren; raped and left to die. I had seen this all in my mind, in my dreams,as I rode upon a great train that snaked up the highest mountain, while the world below me burned...

This is one of three paintings I just dropped off this evening for the Chelsea Art Show. The other two, one was a still life that I forgot to photograph (except for on m'mobile) and the third one was Cavallo Bianco di Notte

A couple of wee viking pics

Here's a couple of wee viking pics that have recently been sold. I quite like the second the most, 'For long have we travelled'.

I am really enjoying doing these, but I guess you all know that by now LOL

Fallout Super Mutant

Been doing the concept art for a fallout super mutant for the Game Mod. This is the head so far, am nearly finished the body. I've been enjoying doing him, he is using bits of cars and signs and armour lol

Acrylic geometric portrait WIP - You were Here.

Work in proggress 'You were here'. Can't decide on the background, wether to have horizontal red chequerboards jutting out towards ya, 3D planes style, or just a backdrop of red chequerboards, or is that too much for the eye, or black with with dots!!! Any thoughts on these? This is for the bsg small works show

Angel Eyes

Just stuffing around with the tablet..dreaming of own

ing a Wacom lol

She's pretty rough, speed paint, but might keep her for use further down the track. She was a nice break from working on supermutants. Gotta love them super mutants.

*edit* I was just pondering about the whole time thing, and pushing yourself further.

I started this one a few days ago, and just left it. It was initially for a contest 'good vs evil' at Deviant Art, and I was going to do a mirror image of the same person. But yeah when you leave things alone for a bit and come back to them its funny how you can push them further. I then wonder, when does the time come when you don't have wait so much time inbetween supposedly 'finishing' and actually pushing yourself to finish better than you would normally have. For example, the picture above, I pushed myself to work more on the skin colours, where they change in relation to parts of the face, what colours are harmonious in relation to the hair and the eyes, and then thinking about how in real life we change our hair, our eye colour with contacts, put eyeshadow and lipstick on, and how I can translate this to a painting yet keep it harmonious.

So I guess now, I should go back and finish the body and push myself to work on her face more, try to refine it past a speed painting. Try and get over another learning curve! Oh but my super mutant is nearly finished!!! Will finish it first heehee Now that has taken many many many hours......

Delivered these two to the Sherbrooke Art Society for their exhibition open to non-members in Belgrave. Starts next week I think. I hope they are good enough. Frames are antiques I restored, c1930.

I love Belgrave, its such a beautiful place, the air is fresh, very tropical, nature is still abundant and it seems the people live with it not against it.

Fallout Deathclaw (or Vlad in the morning)

I watched a flea scurrying across my arm, traversing the hair follicles as big to him as the old abandoned watertanks near town. A deep pitted scar caused him less problems, until he met my finger near my wrist and his little existence came to an end. I flicked the carcass, loosing sight of it as soon as it became airbound. Such a little thing, so unimportant, or so it seemed to me, doing nothing but causing me and my Betsy discomfort. Betsy pushed her dry nose against my shoulder and mooed, urging me to get up. She was thirsty...so was I. The sun had passed the halfway mark and was beginning its descent, though there were still many hot hours left in the day . I stood up for what seemed like the millionth time, and squinted across the desolate land, towards the rocky pile on the summit. Surely Fedro had found enough ropes now and was on his return. I tried not to think too much of it.
We had come across a few of them radioactive scorpians on the way, spittin and hissin at us they were. They aren't like your normal critters, no sir, you can't just squish them beneath your boots. These ones are big like a blow up pool and just as easy to pop with a sawn off shotgun. They start squirtin their poison at you from afar, and they scuttled as loudly as a happy drunk singin the top 10.
Fedro had a good ear and an aim like a bat in the stillest of nights; no, it wasn't the radscorpions that worried me. The DeathClaws, now that was another matter...


DeathClaw for the Fallout Mod. I took a photo of Vlad in the morning and added a tale (and hid the body!!!) Sketched with graphite and painted digitally in CS2, just like painting but without the drying time yay! Background is texture from the mount and blade game for which the Mod is being made for, no credit for that. But its the background we are using for the splash screen to keep in vein with the game. Oh and I thought I'd continue the story from the Brahmin pic a bit more

Viking pics!!!!

A commission piece!


'Against the wind'


'The Eyes of Death'


'In Search of Bifrost' (my favourite!)

Finally finished these four up. Yay that's four down! A zillion to go. These are available to buy at my Viking blog if anyone is interested or you know of anyone into this stuff please pass it on!

I was happy to finish these but now can't wait to start more! These are smallish ones, but I wouldn't mind doing a long panoramic one of a fleet of vikings, that would rock...just have to finish these other WIPs yet....

Happy Mothers Day to all the mums out there! and Happy Mothers Day to my mum - love you!!!