Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Art Sydney video on NTDTV

I got approached by a Chinese TV channel at Art Sydney and they interviewed me.  I'm between: 0:56-1:06.

NTDTV video of Art Sydney 2010

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Art Sydney Thank you

To all who came and supported me at the show this year, Thank you so much.

It was a fabulous experience and an honour to be part of it again.  I had a ball.

Here are some pictures - I even got filmed by a Chinese film crew.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Gabby Malpas at Art Sydney 2010


Please come and see me on Stand S6.  from Thursday 11 Nov to Sunday 14 Nov.
I have posted a sneak preview of pictures on the Mango Frooty website here.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Early Christmas cards



It's that time in Sydney again.  In between the downpours (and when it rains here it is truly miserable), are patches of bright bright sunshine and heat.

This years theme for my Chrimbo cards is the sunny colours of a Sydney summer.  Each has a little gold star and the words: Joyeux Noël on them.  I love doing these little abstract paintings - I love the colours blending into eachother and each stroke taking up a big spot on the paper. 

Only two and a bit weeks until Art Sydney.  Can I get excited yet?

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

chunky necklaces


I'm making chunky jewellery for a friend's website.  These are designed to be fastened by ribbon allowing the wearer to determine how short or long the necklaces should be.

Coming soon to the Mango Frooty site near you!

Monday, September 27, 2010

beach bags





Beach bags... now with added stiffener, in a variety of tropical sarong and batik colours.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

more pics

And here are some magnolias.  The Sydney winter magnolias have been gone for a few weeks now - it is only now I am getting around to finishing them off.

These are larger:  39cm x 57 cm unframed.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Art Sydney 2010

The 'new improved' Art Sydney 2010 website is now live - and I'm in it - hooooray.

Well I'm excited!

Have a lovely weekend all.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Exhibition invitations and posters

I haven't posted for a while because him indoors has been back in hospital with an infected leg.  Surgery, morphine and heavy antibiotics have been the order of the week.  Thank goodness for modern medicine and fabulous hospital staff at Blacktown.

I haven't been completely idle.  I have been busy painting for Art Sydney in November, a show at St Vincent's hospital in Feb 2011 and a show at a restaurant in April 2011.

Here is a draft invite for St Vincent's, designed by my fabulous niece Emma Harris.  God this girl is talented - she makes my work look stunning.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Mango Frooty on Redbubble

Well I was put on the home page of Redbubble last night.

That was marvellous - so my art is having activity while I sleep.

It's here.

Have a great weekend all

Thursday, August 19, 2010

bags bags bags


I've been mulling over fabric bags ever since I got back from Bangkok with a suitcase full of cotton sarongs in printed tropical Thai colours and Indornesian batiks.  I also bought some fabric stiffener and not knowing how to use it, it's taken a couple of months to make these up.

The pink ikat fabric is actually from Uzbekistan - via ebay.  It has batik fabric handles with plastic tubing inside to make it more comfortable to hold.  Other handles are of thick cotton cord for a total beach look.  All bags have a patch pocket inside to hold your keys and wallet - the large ones are perfect for the beach.  the smaller ones surpirsed me with just how roomy they are - big and strong enough to carry a bottle of wine and a large sized plastic lunch container.

Oh, and did I tell you?  They go in the washing machine.

Friday, August 13, 2010

more camelias


It's camelia season in Sydney.  Pale pinks, whites, rose and deep reds are all on offer.

Of course I'm picking any overhanging numbers I come across and squirrelling them back to the kitchen table.

They don't last long - fading and dropping within a day or so.

Happy weekend all.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Tassel pendants


I have been working up new pendant ideas since I came back from Thailand with a bag full of stones.

These are loosely based on the good luck chinese bead charms with lucky knots and tassels you see often hanging in car windows.

I've teamed up Indian cut beads with my forged silver circles (such a strong feminine symbol), and jewel bright colours to put a sparkle in your outfit.

These will be around $45AU each.  Please get in touch if you are interested.

Friday, August 6, 2010

more still lifes


These ones are the big size: 39cm x 57cm.

The japonicas came from a garden in Marrickville, Sydney - I asked the homeowner if I could take some.  She seemed quite puzzled but agreed when she realised I wasn't going to rob her or ask for money.

Have a lovely weekend all.

Monday, August 2, 2010

mud crab in blackbean sauce


I like to eat what I paint.  Him indoors took me to the boathouse restaurant on Saturday night and mud crab was a special on the menu.  We got the last one.

I had not come across these things before I got to Australia.  Once you manage to crack into the extremely hard shell of the claws, you have the sweetest crab meat imaginable.  This one was smothered in blackbean and chilli sauce.

And no, you can't eat whole crab daintily.  Ever.  Uhuh.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Underground Artspace group show


Opening on 5th August from 6 - 8pm
Underground ARTSpace Gallery
Suite 1, 294 Sydney Road, Balgowlah
Sydney

Work gets delivered tomorrow.  wooohooo

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

more still lifes


Bless him indoors - he's scanned my images.

Here are copies of the latest offerings - still lifes with some background and shading.  A slightly new direction.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

still lifes


I'm moving in a new direction. I'm starting to put in backgrounds and shading to give my pictures some depth and also to make them look a bit more like still lifes.

Here are my first two offerings. On the image with the purple cloth background, the initial result was so bright it was overpowering the orchids in the foreground.

I put on a couple of dull washes and the effect looks quite like the faded patterns of a sarong. This looks quite good with the asian ceramics I think.

Monday, July 12, 2010

more work in progress



Feverish activity is on at the house. Aside from work, the project bike is being rebuilt after various bits came back from the painter and I have three exhibitions to prepare for between now and March next year - hopefully some more.

I guess this is the closest we will ever get to working together... call it 'quality time'

Wish the kitchen didn't smell of petrol though.

Friday, July 9, 2010

fish on Friday


So it's Friday again.... fish on Friday is the go.

These are mussels, sardines and our old friend: the blue swimmer crab.
Won't be buying sardines again - they really stank after only one day.

Have a lovely weekend all.