'Grounded' Solo Exhibition December 2022

I've been working solidly this year on new watercolour pieces for my solo exhibition Grounded which opened on Saturday 3rd December 2022. It is on at Gallery 11:11 in Epping, Sydney, with an opening celebration on the Saturday night. It is being supported by Roma Vino and Ta One Tha. Roma Vino distribute Little Giant Wines - I love their distinctive wombat label and have had a few of their lovely red wines. I look forward to trying more.

The exhibition runs from the 3rd December until the 17th December. Most of the paintings feature a quite restrained watercolour palette. They are painted using ochre, umber, Sienna pigments and even earth blues, greens and reds, along with some brighter pigments, to capture the texture and details of the subjects. It is quite a contrast to last years Drawn to Nature show that largely featured the brilliant colour of flowers. Here is a little video chatting the Melony from the gallery about these colours.

We also have some wonderful wooden turned bowls and chainsaw sculptures by Simon Begg at the gallery. I met him at a school exhibiton and bought a beautiful camphor laurel bowl. His chain-saw sculptures are delightful.

On Friday 2nd December we had a dinner and artist talk at Ta One Thai.

If you couldn't make the dinner or the opening, here is the booking link to book during the week, or to book a virtual tour. Or you can come along during the weekends without booking. Or see a virtual tour here.

At the end of the exhibition we'll have an event supported by Whale Rock Brewing on the 16th December - they will provide tastings of their boutique beer :-) 

We've printed a huge decal of my feature full-sheet watercolour 'Grounded'. This is 165cm wide and can be an amazing feature wall image. Here it is coming out from the printer.

While the exhibition was on, I taught a two-day workshop with a focus on natural objects, fungi and earth colours at the gallery. It is a wonderful space with great lighting.

I'll be at the gallery from 11 - 3 on Sunday the11th December.

With all my paintings completed, I've had time at last to begin a big update of my website, especially the Watercolour Swatches section. This was one of the first sections I put onto my website. My aim was to paint out and show every commercially available watercolour in the world. It is currently arranged by colour but I am reorganising it further by pigment and arranging each gallery alphabetically. I'll also be re-scanning many of the swatches for better colour accuracy. And I have yet more colours to add...

My blog continues to grow and has just surpassed 6,004,066  page views. I have gradually been adding the full range of every commercially available watercolour, arranged by brand. 

Both of these goals are a big task, as manufacturers add and removed colours and pigments constantly. I am very grateful to the manufacturers, retailers and individuals who have sent me samples to add to these resources. Keep them coming! I'll also be doing a review of each range over the next few months, to try to track the changes and add updates.

Happy painting!

The Affordable Art Fair, Sydney

I have been a little quiet here lately as I am working solidly on a number of new paintings for the first ever Sydney Affordable Art Fair, where I am delighted to exhibiting with Gallery 11:11. 

We will be exhibiting at the Royal Randwick Racecourse from the 2-5th June, along with over 30 galleries from across Australia. Gallery 11:11 will also be showcasing two of my fellow Sydney artists Kristine Ballard and Rebecca Anne Brady. 

On behalf of Gallery 11:11, I would like to invite you to the Royal Randwick Racecourse from 2 - 5 June, including the Opening Night. Please click here to register. Each registration is for two people, but passes are limited.

To redeem your digital tickets, simply follow these step-by-step instructions:

• Click the above link to 'Register'

• The promo code will have been automatically applied

• Select their preferred date

• Select the number of tickets, including children under 16, and click on ‘Register’

• Fill in their contact details and click on ‘Register’

• You will then be taken to the confirmation page and the e-ticket will be emailed to you

Should you have any difficulties with this process, please contact our ticket provider ‘Eventbrite’ using this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/support

Affordable Art Fair is a global family of fairs in ten cities around the world from Hamburg to Hong Kong, New York to London and now Sydney. The fair helps people discover the joy or collecting art and there will be thousands of original artworks priced between $100 and $10,000. 

If you would like more information about the programme please to check out their website 

My paintings for this exhibition are centred around a different palette from the bright florals I exhibited last December in my solo show Drawn to Nature. This body of work falls into the theme Grounded. My palette is far more earthy as I look at rocks, pebbles, tree roots, fallen leaves and dried plants. Here are some sections of a few paintings I've been working on.

This is part of a large painting inspired by rust. The title is Rust,Transposed. Largely watercolour on huge sheets of 640gsm watercolour paper, it also incorporates ink, watercolour pencils, gouache and pastel. The original image of rust on a pole becomes more like a volcanic landscape.

This detail from a full sheet watercolour painting River Stones, Daintree explores a favourite subject - stones and pebbles - that I've painted, drawn or etched since my teenage years. I love trying to capture the exact colours, cracks, crevices and textures of these many and varied stones. I sat on these river stones while sketching the rainforest then a visited the area a few years ago.

This detail is from the painting Grounded. It is a full sheet watercolour painting, and a largely tonal study of one of my favourite trees - a Morton Bay Fig in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. I've painted, etched and sketched this tree, and others like it, many times too. This shows the tree from a different direction. The full painting shows the embrace of the root system in the ground.

For those in Sydney - I hope to see you there. Now - back to my painting table :-)

For the full images of these and other work form this year, see my website here.

Drawn to Nature - Solo Exhibition

I'm delighted to announce a solo exhibition at Gallery 11:11, a wonderful teaching studio and exhibition space in Epping, Sydney. The exhibition, Drawn to Nature, runs from the 16th October to the 30th October 2021, with in-person and online viewing options available. Wherever you are in the world, you can have a look :-)

I'll be showing more than 20 watercolours, all inspired by nature. In this exhibition I have really focused on the beauty of the natural world, especially flowers, so it will be an explosion of colour. 

This exhibition contains a mix of original works on paper or canvas, and limited edition Giclée prints. There will also be a display of my sketchbooks, showing some of the original sketches created on location in the same space as the final paintings.

“My art inspiration and ideas come largely from the natural world – flowers, trees, rocks, people and landscapes – and I prefer to work from life, beginning with drawing. I enjoy the challenges of abstraction and incorporate abstracted backgrounds and features into many of my paintings.

My work covers a range of media – watercolour, pen and ink, collage, pastels, acrylic, oils and etching – often incorporating several into a single work. Of all these media, my favourite is watercolour, which I have been exploring for over 40 years. It is a remarkable medium that allows the qualities of the pigments to become an integral part of the painting, rather than just the addition of colour. I am constantly searching for new ways to incorporate watercolours and watercolour techniques into my art, including works with watercolour on canvas.”

Booking link - book a time to see the exhibition, then send an email to make it a Zoom visit.

I've added a video walkthrough to my Instagram account Janeblundellart for those who can't see it in person. To see the paintings click here.