Jane Davenport

Do you ever have weeks where you experience both dizzying highs and deep-sea lows…of course you do! Well, I am having that sort of time now…

One of my favourite people in the Universe flew from her new home in Singapore to visit me in Byron. I think we laughed non-stop for 4 days! Kirst’s hubby has an exciting job that has seen them living in exotic locales for the last 6 years. I am so happy for their success with career and raising the cutest family – BUT! -( a bug selfish BUT! ) man alive, I miss her so much. long distance friendship is certainly not as nourishing as the person live and in , well…person!

As well as Kirst’s visit, I have been super inspired and painting and drawing like craaaaazy…I am working in different mediums, and finding the challenges, experimentation and discovery of new materials quit delightful…a little frustrating too…but I am getting to where I want to be. And that my friends, is a great feeling!

aaaaand, my husband has choofed off on his long awaited, meticulously unplanned surf trip to Uluwatu, Bali. The agonising over which surfboards to take has occupied much of his mind for the last month. I spoke to him last night, and he has rated the surf as the best in his life! He is loving the friendly Balinese people, the fresh seafood, hanging out with a great mate and the amazing waves of course!

Plus! My store and gallery in Byron Bay has never been busier or looked better. All the new art journal supplies are inspiring people to get creative. All pretty great right?

I suppose life has to counter-weight all these highs with a few poops to keep me from floating off on a smile balloon… seeing my friend has doubled the amount I miss her, I am feeling lonely without Angus and I backed a hire car into our vehicle…and yeah, I didn’t take the extra extortionate car insurance…and yes! in the grand scheme of life on earth, these are nothings!  But I was so enjoying the ride on cloud 9 before the free-fall…haha!

Luckily I landed on a ‘good drawing day’…and spent yesterday doing some sketches that I really love.

Anyways…I am finishing  my first watercolors in preparation for my next exhibition…here’s a sneaky peak!

from 'Above it All' - Water colour series by Jane Davenport

Spring in My Step © Jane Davenport - to purchase, click on image

How I wish this were the case. It feels as if spring had arrived! So i can make myself feel warm by looking at sunny summer memories….the ladybirds will be here soon….

Here is the latest video Angus and I just finished!
It’s me working in my Art Journal and having a lovely time.
I was playing around with ‘acrylic gel transfers’ for an online art class I am doing with Willowing. Basically, I can take one of my drawings and transfer it into my Art Journal and use it to create new work. The original sketches can stay safe and sound in their homes, and clones of them can come out to play.

Art Journalling is a wonderful way to experiment and it inspires new ideas. It is an active form of thought process for me. I have been transferring my photography in my journals as well, but I use a different process, which will be in future video. This has me considing my artwork in new and exciting ways.

Ps…my favourite part is the appearance Tinsel makes …that doglette is the cutest little critter…ever!

I can’t work out how to add the facebook badge in wordpress…something to do with Java…and the only think I know about that is how to drink it.

this is the link to my Facebook profile!

sorry – such a rookie! if you can help me – please do!

Ok, I have only just really cottoned on to the wonder that is Facebook! Since i got an ipad ( yeah, it ROCKS) i have really started enjoying ‘social networking’.
Tweeting, facebooking, forum chats… Loving it! Because it’s convenient now… Not intrusive in my work space.

This morning At 8am I was able to join in a live event with one of my favourite art teachers as she taught in New Jersey!

The camera was set up at the end of the communal workshop table, as if I was a real life participant. I was surrounded by the art supplies and class chatter and SuzIBlu would come and talk with ‘me’ every so often. We Also had a lively comments chat going on in the sidebar for the virtual participants! We were from all around the world and talking like we all knew each other.

It was cool! The future is looking very connected…I am so going to invite you all on a virtual photo shoot with me! Or how about coming to my next gallery opening? I’m soooo excited by all the possibilities!

Friend me!

Ps I am typing this on my iPhone as I walk along on the beach… Sooo blame any typos on that please…. Oooooh, look! Dolphins!!

This Follows on  from my last post of my top online creativity classes. I had to split the post this way, because it was getting too loooong!

oh, how I love a good workshop (read about my 70 plus courses here!). My ideal one would be more Matrix-like with the ‘dentist-chair-plus-spike-in-the-back-of-the-head-instant-download-into-brain-i-know-kungfu’ type deal… but then I would miss out on added bonus info from other participants in the group.

I would love to know of any classes/courses you recommend or are leading!

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1. Blogging Your Way
Summary: Blogging in your authentic voice
Course Leader: Holly Becker  blogging superstar of Decor8 and and Leslie Shewing from Color Me Pretty
Why I liked it: Holly herself is very endearing and likable and she somehow magically manages to translate that through her writing. She started each week with a podcast, and then some fantastic, in depth posts about her experience.

Her co- creator, Leslie Shewing also posted each week with photography information and lots of beautiful,inspirational images as examples. Holly had a stroke of genius by organizing a technical whizz to answer all the uploading/ downloading HTML/ blog questions. The whole look, feel and experience was very stylish, ans completely in keeping with the madly popular Decor8 blog.
The forums were incredibly active and the energy created a real buzz. I couldn’t wait to read the forums each morning. There was a huge amount of homework really, but it all related completely to our own blogs, so each student was making refinements and changes and able to get feedback throughout the course.
Our final assignment was to be split into teams and critique everyone’s blogs in our group. As a prize, for groups that did this ( our group had over 20 blogs – that’s a lot of reading!) we went in a draw to have Holly critique our blogs. My team won!

What I got out of it: excitement for blogging and confidence in putting my voice up here.
Where to find:

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2. Flying Lessons
Summary: Inspiration and insider tips to give your creative business wings!
Course Leader: Kelly Rae Roberts
Why I liked it: Kelly Rae is another blogging superstar. Her book is a best seller for the mixed-media category on Amazon. Her attitude and writing is a real joy to read. Her posts throughout the course were inspirational.

I didn’t get very involved in the comments in this course, I was too busy at the time and I regret that I wasn’t able to fully participate. But I absorbed the information and the very relaxed, down to earth way it was presented.

What I got out of it: Extreeeeeeeme gratitude for having the success I have had so far! The class was a refresher for many of the hard won life lessons i have have had. My experience of a Creative Business is very similar to Kelly Rae’s. How I wish I had a resource like this when I first started my crazy business, sorry creative business.
Where to find: I’m not sure she will be running it again for a while, but her site has an ebook edition of the course materials.

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3. SmArtist
Summary: Business tele summit for artists. “Listen, Learn, Earn”
Course Leader: Ariane
Why I liked it: Ariane invites very knowledgable speakers. It runs as a tele summit and forum. All the materials were downloadable and also sent to us on CD at the conclusion. A very professional class with lots of intense information

Ariane ‘s skill is keeping her guests on track and interesting. She asks pertinent questions and really presses the best information out of people. And it was complete information, not a bunch of speakers flogging their wares. We had a lot of course materials which have been extremely beneficial to me.

What I got out of it: most of the participants were practicing artists with a lot of diverse experience. The forums were full of lurkers ( love that phrase for a non- participant!), but those of us that did get involved, were passionate about creativity. Lots of kindred spirits from all over the world.

This year the emphasis was on Social Media and how artists can use it to share our work, getting in to galleries and ideas for ‘expanding the canvas’. There have literally been dozens of changes, refinements and actions I have made because of this valuable course. And because it was in the USA, I had to get up at 4.30am to tune in to the live sessions, so it must have been good!

Where to find: http://smartist.com/live-telesummit/home-study-edition/

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4. Artist Goal Wheel

Summary: Getting your self motivated, inspired and on target. Ebook self study with 12 months of email tip.
Course Leader:Tara Reed
Why I liked it: Tara Reed has an engaging style and is a natural teacher. her examples and real world experience make this course a pleasure to do. I really enjoyed it and I did find it very helpful…Her whole art licensing site is definitely worth checking out!

Tara Reed :www.artlicensinginfo.com

http://www.thegoalwheelforartists.com/

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Aside from just loving learning, I do keep telling myself that I will eventually have my own ecourses right here one day! Creative Photography with moi. No traveling, study as and when you please….meeting kindred spirits from a round the world…no projector for me to wrangle with to show some washed out examples on a wall. What do you think? Subscribe and I will let you know when it’s live!

P.S. I have no affiliation with any of these courses – just a genuine sharing of the LOVE!

Have you ever considered an ecourse?  Or done one?  I can’t recommend them highly enough! I have been involved in some excellent classes . These are my favorites including the why’s, where’s and who’s!

I’d love to hear your favourites and suggestions!

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1. World of Whimsy 2
Summary: Mixed media art classes with an emphasis on whimsical character drawing.
Course Leader: ‘Willowing ‘ aka Tam Lapote
Why I liked it: Tam is incredibly generous with her time. Lessons consist of  videos each week, PDFs, live upstream chat and critiques. This is where Tam really shines as he takes each persons uploaded drawings and gives very specific visual suggestions by manipulating the images in Photoshop. Can you imagine the time this must take?

I am currently doing this class, am super engaged and really enjoying the whole Group experience. There are some wonderful artists involved, lots of beginners and people rediscovering their artistic talents. It is a nurturing experience. The forum around the lessons is very active and Tam is completely involved. Having the course leader putting energy into the discussions makes such a huge difference. I have so much admiration for her. She really has created a happy place for making art.

What I got out of it: I am really having fun just being free and drawing whimsical characters! I have at least one that wants his own book…I have started experimenting with techniques…incorporating my photography – I am having so much FUN!

Where to find it:

Tam has announced that she will be offering a free art ecourse later in the year, and there are other free groups you can join on the Ning site for Mixed Media and Art Journalling. LOVELY STUFF!  If you are QUICK, you can probably join WOW 2 now – highly recommended!

Where to find:willowing.org

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2.Drawing tutorials online
Summary: hard core drawing! Chicken scratching begone!
Course Leader: Matt Archambault
Why I like it:  Matt teaches at the School Of Visual Arts in New York. His site has dozens of fantastic videos. He is a proper Illustrator with a capital I. The drawing tutorials are challenging – he makes it look easy, but drawing a skull is hard work the first time! But the anatomical lessons are JUST SO GOOD FOR YOU.

You can watch some for free before you decide if it suits you – search itunes for his free podcast.  He regularly does iphone videos of his student’s sketchbooks too, which is soooooo interesting. Every time I complete one of the videos I can feel my drawing improve. I believe that confidence and skill in drawing has a huge impact on all creative processes.
This is a subscription based site – aprox $12 per month.

What I got out of it: madly improving drawing skills.
Where to find:drawingtutorialsonline.com

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3 and 4 ‘Petite Dolls‘ And ‘Poet and Goddess‘
Summary: Mixed Media art classes.
Course Leader: Suzi Blu
Why I liked it:  SuziBlu is a bit crazy – but in a very, very good way! She is authentic, swears and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. And for a drawing class there was a lot of situational comedy.  Do a search on Youtube for suziblu and you will get a feel for her.

The classes are feature packed with video, PDF’s, and weekly critiques. Suzi calls them’Homework Appreciation Days’ now – isn’t that cool? The open semester format allows for students to join anytime. And it is run on Ning which I LOVE.  ( yep, I am a Ning-a-ling!). The way she teaches is encouraging and fun. She takes it from the absolute basics and builds from there.

What I got out of it: the simple joy of drawing and using color pencils again. Suzi included 6 bonus videos from a previous class for woodburning, which i fell in love with and i have the burns on my fingers to prove it! These classes also introduced me to a bunch of art supplies that I didn’t even know existed and I will be forever grateful!

The format of the school is under review with not as many classes being offered, but more variety within the class. So if you are reading this before the end of August 2010, and like drawing whimsical characters, get your caboose over to Suzi’s site before some of the classes are gone forever!
Next up is Mermaids… I am registered already… Splishy splashy!

Where to find: The Petite Academy.

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5   .’Mixed Media and the Girls‘
Summary: mixed media techniques
Course Leader: Wyanne

Why I liked it: I think Wyanne’s youtube videos are the best of their kind. The mixed media techniques were interesting and I love watching Wyanne create her beautiful work. Plus, her voice is very cute!

Look on Youtube for her regular videos to see if you like her style.

Her next class will be the Resin workshop – I am signed up for August – can- wait.

Where to find:www.wyanne.com

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Aside from just loving learning, I do keep telling myself that I will eventually have my own ecourses right here one day! Creative Photography with moi. No traveling, study as and when you please….meeting kindred spirits from a round the world…no projector for me to wrangle with to show some washed out examples on a wall. What do you think? Subscribe and I will let you know when it’s live!

P.S. I have no affiliation with any of these courses – just a genuine sharing of the LOVE!

Blue Suede Mantis © Jane Davenport

I was wandering aimlessly through my photo library as I searched for images, ideas and inspiration, and meandered into my praying mantis file. I have quite a collection! Looking at the images, I had the stories and location associated with each one jump into my mind.

This may be because they are so tricky to find with their perfect camouflage. Also, as the top invertebrate predator in the garden, they are relatively scarce in number and probably quite territorial. But I think the majority of the truth lies in the fact that I just like them. I admire them.  I can relate to a mantid (yes, you heard it here first). I would be hard pressed to bring back such clear recall for every bee I have seen for example, even though I am very fond of them also!

The most recent mantis I worked with was the Jade eyed gargantuan a few months ago (here).  The first mantids I worked with are featured in the featured image . In between are dozens of other individuals. I  just really love photographing them and I think it shows!  I have been asked to put a proposal together for an exhibition, and well, the answer has just presented itself – well, to me anyway!

I would love to see these charasmatic creatures staring from gallery walls en masse. I have had mantids feature in a few of my exhibitions…but I think they deserve more than that! I did have one of my mantis images towering over the entrance to  “What’s the Buzz?” exhibition at the Perth Zoo. The magnificent 2m mantis was a favourite with boys!

Anyway, I will send of my proposal and let you know what happens…

Jane

I feel very close to all my artwork. They have become my friends! And I will always care for them.

Kamikaze Bee (c) Jane Davenport - click to purchase

” Kamikaze Bee” holds such a cherished place in my heart and I need to self-celebrate a little today! This image represents the starting point of a monumental journey for me. I  created this image way back in my early bug days, on my first Christmas with my then boyfriend (now husband!).  It was during this trip that my fairly new interest in photographing bugs turned to a serious obsession.  By a quirk of destiny I took it not far from where I live now. But there was a lot of moving around and adventure before arriving back where I started!

This image won a big award in Los Angeles called a ‘Guru’ and was key in securing a scholarship to the Sante Fe Workshops in New Mexico where I had the joy of studying with John Paul Caponigro. It was on the plane coming home from that AMAZING experience and blazing with the passion and confidence to stop dreaming about becoming an artist ‘one day’ and setting about to make my own wishes come true. That I really could do it and that I would follow my bliss.

The little creature is an Australian  blue-banded digger bee. It is swift, solitary and an incredibly hard worker. Head down and bum up she collects treasure from flowers…I feel a kindred spirit there! Thanks little bee.

Choose Happiness,

x Jane

Yep, I get another year wiser this week!

Angus gave me the most DIVINE woolen rug from Las Ninas. It is Bolivian – back loomed, muted colourful yumminess. It is in my new art area and is lovely, lovely lovely. I will go and take a photo now to show you!

I have 5 studios within my studio…they seem to be breeding! So this is my ‘pondering’ studio. It is my favourite space in the world. It contains my lovely old Art Journal desk. My beloved books. A place to think with pencils, paint and paper – and no computer. ( Man alive,  the computer is a time succubus for me. )

My Bolivian wool rug!

I have been up very early, reveling in my survival of another year. I don’t feel ANY different. I still feel about 8 years old. I don’t think I have changed much since then (a bit taller!).

Have a wonderful day!

Jane Davenport art journal ©

x, Jane

Who are you now? Art Journal pages

This is coming up for me so much lately. As my focus is so much on drawing and painting, I struggle with how to mesh my other art forms into my photographic art reputation. I worry that my existing collectors will get confused!

It’s not that I am moving away from photography  it’s just that it’s winter, and the days are shorter, the light is different and well, it’s just not as pleasant out in the cold! Yes, I have a studio, but I actually start most photo sessions in the ‘wild’ outside, and fall back to the studio if the wind picks up, or if I have a finicky notion or idea to flesh out that needs a controlled environment…my cameras are in winter hibernation!

Usually I go travelling in winter, but I just love my home so much, there is no destination grabbing my attention hard enough to pull me towards it. And in this settled-in-one-place state, I am being so paint productive!

But it leaves me wondering! Am I painting Jane? Drawing Jane? Illustrating Jane? Photographic arts Jane? Making videos Jane (one imovie and I think I’m a director – hah!)? Fashion design Jane? Blogging Jane? Author Jane? Blah blah blah Jane?!

Of course I know the answer to this – I am all these things! It’s just all part of the whole. My angst sets in when I read any type of ‘art business’ blog or book. Consistency is key. People like to know what to expect. And so far I have been just so reliable. I have a consistent style with my photographic art, its just the way I see the world/want to see the world. It’s the reason I can’t be a commercial photographer – I am beyond bending my focus to outside direction! I make my work for myself and luckily lots of other people find their own stories and meanings in my images.  And I have a consistent style for each medium I use…but that’s a bunch of different consistencies!

I am not going to be able to answer my own questions right here, right now of course, just letting you into my brain space. I’d love to know your thoughts on this!

Choose happiness

x Jane

What doesn't kill you, makes you stranger. Pages from Art Journal.

Just some doodlings from me today!

choose happiness,

xJane

I Give You Butterflies ©Jane Davenport. Love it? It's available in my store!

Sophisticated Ladies © JAne Davenport

It’s been a full-on week! I have had some BIG creative projects to kick of, which always take herculean strength to get rolling. Of course once the ball is on the go, it’s easy to pick up the pace, slow down a little, alter course or change direction! But I feel as if I have been trying to shape all my creative energy into the actual ball itself. Scattered energy,  Aaaaaargh!

So at the end of my mental gymnastics week, I got ‘told off’ by an associate. I could hear in the person’s voice and the chaotic background that they were under pressure, and our conversation just kept on esculating until the person became aggressive. When I say ‘our’ conversation I am being generous, as I didn’t get to chime in…yes, we had a problem to sort out, but I was addressed as if I was a naughty child. It’s been a looong time since I have been spoken to in that tone. I was too shocked/tired/scared(!) to stand up for myself, explain or state my version of events, so I took on all the venting and finger wagging and slung away with my tail between my legs. I wonder how long I will be mentally hiding under the bed from this person!

I was worried that the situation would totally derail me from my other projects, because I felt really bad about the way I had been spoken to, and why I would not ‘fight back’.  I am just not good at confrontation and I will go a long way to avoid it. It freaks me out. I need time to think about things. I like to ponder all the angles. I take everything personally. Blech!

Anyway! pretty pink saved me from fingernail biting. I didn’t have time to worry about it all day yesterday, as I was in my Byron Bay gallery. It doesn’t happen often, but I enjoy it when I am working there! Seeing my work on the gallery walls, chatting to people, seeing what they like, what images people linger in front of,  answering curious questions about my artwork. Helping people make selections is fun!

And maybe because I was still feeling a bit shakey in the back of my brain, I was really attracted to the soft pinks and greys of, the above images “I Give You Butterflies’ and ‘Sophisticated Ladies’ hanging in the gallery. They comforted me. I am feeling a whole new level of love for these images – some of my most popular. They reminded me how lucky I am to do what I love and how hard I have worked to achieve a level of technical proficiency that allows me to get to an image I see in my head! I feel the need to create some friends for these two. Yes its winter, so finding bugjects will be a challenge, but where there is a will there is a way, right?! So after my lovely Gallery day and this chat on my blog, I am feeling all better now! Yay!

I hope you are having a lovely weekend (and nobody gives you a ticking off!)

Choose Happiness,

x Jane

You can tell when I have a commission / exhibition/ project that I am really excited about because my studio gets super-clean and totally reorganized. Instead of getting down to work and actually being productive, I start on all the little ‘chores’ that have been lurking around at the periphery. Things that are ‘sort-of’ important … really tidying my studios,  labeling/categorising images from the past months, scanning/ photographing artwork and journal pages, priming canvases, reshuffling inspiration boards, watching podcasts and queued YouTube videos…blah, blah,blah.

All this cleaning and shuffling is an important part of my creative process.

In the distant past, I used to get tempted during this phase to watch TV series and  -gasp- play video games…now that really is a waste of time!….lots of fun, but a waste of my life! So I curbed that wicked addiction through massive willpower and now I practice what I call Active Procrastination. While I am gathering and sculpting my thoughts under the surface, I do all the ‘sort-of’ important things. They need to get done eventually as they are beneficial, but they are not ‘red-hot’ important.

So although I am not actively doing my most important work, I am doing good stuff! To the onlooker, I still look productive. But inside I feel like I am dawdling and pottering around. I am organising, tidying, preparing, cleaning up.  I am not wasting my time. I relax into this process now because I know I will have my internal processes in order, my thoughts sculpted and eventually get down to the real work – usually right before the deadline -  and pour forth in a great creative deluge. Aaaah the relief!

I know that this is about to happen in the next few hours. I was invited to present a proposal for the most EXCITING commission two weeks ago. And I have since moved my whole studio around, finished a sketchbook (really!), filled my entire art journal with backgrounds and learned how to use three software programs. In the past I may have paniced a bit and beat myself up worrying about why I can’t get started on my ‘proper’ work. ! But now I understand my creative process and I have been whistling away as I Actively Procrastinate.

And today I am feeling ‘angsty’. I am getting annoyed at everything and everybody because it feels as if they are blocking me from focusing on my Proposal. My poor husband just came up to my desk, and his footsteps drove me crazy! I was SCOWLING WILDLY by the time he got to my desk – my look said “WHAT DO YOU WANT! LEAVE ME ALONE! AAARGH!!!”. And now I feel so mean, because he was very kindly bringing me a delicious coffee…! Luckily he has been on this creative path with me from the beginning, so he understands the process!.

Once I finish this post, I will have to go completely radio silent as I begin to poke, squeeze and meld my ideas/thoughts/ideas into something I can comprehend. I am often frustrated and a bit manic during this phase – the whole world stops and condenses to just me and my work.  And then Once I have bought my ideas into a coalesced form, I will shape them into the Proposal. And once I have finished  printed, PDF’ed and posted the proposal, the dancing around will commence! YAY!

What is your creative process? Have you noticed your creative patterns? I would love to hear them!

Wish me luck in creating an amazing proposal for my next large-scale outdoors art installation – it’s soo exciting…must get to it!

Choose Happiness,

x Jane

"Everyone always referred to her as a bright girl." © Jane Davenport

I am feeling very BRIGHT today…I woke up this morning with the rising sun, leaped out the front door for a 5km run,  (is this rhyming? ), then I swam for an hour…KIDDING! It is so cold today (granted it’s only Byron Bay cold – not snowing in the mountains cold) and its reminding me that the ladybirds and most of my insect friends are in hibernation or hiding…so there are few of my Bugjects to photograph. And I miss my little insect buddies!

Having a small pine-full moment…so I had a peep through my huge library of ..sigh… ladybird images ( it’s gargantuan actually , but don’t tell anybody) , and this one caught my eye. I created it in the middle of summer at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. There were flowers everywhere, it was hot and the air was buzzing with little creatures. Nice ones, not the bitey variety. Spring through summer and into the turn of autumn you will find me outside, in the gardens, poking my nose into flowers and looking at the little life. But not in winter.

HOWEVER! that means there is more time to draw and paint, and there has been a lot of that going on…. AND lots of technological advances. The Institute of Cute has a Facebook page and went from 4 friends to 160 (and counting !) in a few days with a bit of effort. AND there was the videos of course, on the IOC’s own YouTube channel (!). And today I start building my Etsy store. The excitement is palpable here in ladybird land…

Of course, there has been a little assistance. I have a magical fairy called Erin helping me. She comes in to the studio 1 day a week and it amazes me the difference in energy it makes. Angus an I both get prepared for ‘Erin Day’ in advance, and we are making videos and thinking about ‘the business end’ of the art studio which adds to the momentum. Even just the tidying up for our guest worker is of huge benefit! And on the day she is here, I think we work harder, just to ‘set a good example’.

…so I am feeling like a Bright Girl too.

Choose Happiness,
x Jane

(click here if the video isn’t showing - )

Yesterday afternoon this was my studio. Overlooking the famous surf break called ‘The Pass’ at Byron Bay. How I LOVE my home! Love, love LOVE it. Angus was out surfing, and I sat and painted at a picnic table with the birds twittering all around me and a few curious onlookers. I intended to do some writing, but painting is all that happened!

The Magician is on the new journal I made myself (hello!) with a canvas cover and lovely water colour papers interleaved with glassine and tracing paper. I drew her that morning  as a preliminary sketch for a series of paintings I am working on.  I plan on doing the front cover tomorrow…!I might draw the little bird in the nest I photographed…or maybe transfer the photo onto the canvas and paint parts of it…or not….hmmm…some more experimentation on the way. Lovely!

The little girl with bugs-on-a-string is a sketch i drew ages ago. I transferred her into my Moleskine journal  to test making a gesso transfer (fun!) and painted her all pretty. I have no idea what will go in next to her, but she will wait until she is just the perfect background for some written thoughts.

I am just ENJOYING drawing and painting so, so, so much. My Art Journal is full of sketches and painting experiments, and that is why I started making my own journals as well- so I could include different papers to play around with. I love combining it with my photography. While the paint is drying  I flit over to my camera and set up  a scenario to shoot…flit back to the canvas…draw, mix paint, make marks…delicious stuff.

Choose happiness
x Jane

P.s. Also! I found an echidna in my driveway at the studio! After a bit of gentle persuasion, we coaxed the little guy into a box and returned him to the bush! Pics coming….

Nesting-Instinct © Jane Davenport

Here is a little preview of the story I am creating with my photography at the moment….

( A cosy little nest must feel like a boat on a wild ocean when its windy.)

Choose Happiness

x Jane

Why does working on a Sunday feel so great? I feel as if I am ‘catching up’ and ‘getting ahead’ ..which is so weird really, because I work for myself, and I can only get ahead of me!

So It has been a super-productive day (to make up for my super-UN-productive day yesterday. I went shopping at my favourite paper crafts store – oh, it was awesome and I came back with such a haul of goodies. Why do art supplies make me so happy?). I have been drawing all morning, and finishing the BEST drawing of my life (I’ll wait to show you it until I’ve painted it…)…plus a few other drawings spilled out (see below). I really like drawing in my Daler Rowney A4 sketchbook. The creeeeeeeamy pages WANT to be stroked with my pencil and petted with my kneaded eraser…

Reading in the Grass. Illustration © Jane Davenport

And then I had to photograph lots of my bigger artworks. I like to record each piece at various stages of completion. I find that recording the painting frees me up mentally to fling paint with wild abandon (or thoughtful posturing – depends on my mood du jour!) because I have a backup point. It must be from all my years of using Photoshop. Works for me!

And I also started work (finally) on an idea that has been RATTLING around in my mind for a while. So I was very fixated on carrying the concept over into reality ….so when my photographic studio lights weren’t bending themselves to my will with ESP and telekinesis (oh, how I wish I had those skills!) … le freaking out… And just as I was teetering on the Brink of Tantrum…I stepped away and saw this email:

” Hi, hope fully this email will reach Jane!

I just have to say after a recent visit to the Perth Zoo, I am absolutely blown away with the displays provided by you.

I am a professional photographer, and can only say that you have an amazing gift – I can honestly say that I (and my kids of course!) absolutely loved the photos as we travelled through the zoo.

Please keep up the good work as it is appreciated very much!

Chris

CK Images
www.ckimages.com.au”

aaaaawww, cool stuff. So that bad tanty Jane instantly dissolved and smiling happy Jane, emailed to and fro with Chris and then I easily rethought the lights and moved on with resolving my project (it’s all secret, hush-hush for now… let me marinate it some more, cook it a little, simmer, bubble, sautee.)

Choose happiness

x Jane

art journal page by Jane Davenport - "Why Bugs?"

I really enjoyed posting some of my journal pages a few days ago! I carry mine with me everywhere I go. I catch ideas and pin them down before they flit away again….sort of like a flower pressing book. Anyway, I liberated some insect pages from an old World Book Encyclopedia (remember those?!!) and made a collage a while back. Played with some bright colour and shapes (messy and scrumptious).  And that was it for the time being.

Someone asked me “Why bugs” the other day…and when I was manically flipping through my journal in the attempt to distract myself  on the ROUGH flight home last night from Sydney (we didn’t hit any stray tornadoes though! Wild and weird weather…hope the Lennox Head tornado was a one off – NOT a sign of things to come!), the answers to why I just love wrangling insects for my art practice flowed on to the uncannily prepared surface.

i love these moment when ‘things’ just flow…

Choose happiness,

x Jane

Angus and I are venturing to Sydney tomorrow for a very important meeting with my favourite creative cohorts. I will be approving calendars, diaries and other exciting developments. And we are going to squeeze in a plethora of other things and meander around the exciting city.

I have to admit that I would never even consider leaving Byron Bay even just for a few days, if the weather had not finally turned to winter. It has been just so delightful…a chilly evening here and there, maybe…but love lovely loveliness….

Winter page from my art journal

But the rain has arrived, the slippers and doona are out of the cupboard!

Oh yeah! the journal! I started keeping one this year. I did a workshop with fellow Byron Bay artist Zom from pinchmetoseeifyouaredreaming. And I love the process of filling a book with drawings, thoughts, things. I sit on the beach and sketch, ponder, write lists, scribble in and tickle my cute art journals. They have become so precious and I delight in the time I spend working in them.

For some reason I decided to test every pen, pencil paint and marker. I filled many, many pages and it was a delicious experiment!

Here are a few…I just loooooove looking at the colours…rainbows

So every now and then I might share a page with you…