More fabric

We've returned from our annual holidays.
This year was Sri Lanka with a short stopover in Penang, Malaysia.

Here is the haul of gorgeous fabrics: have you ever seen such mad patterns and colour combinations on fabric?

Exibition and St Vincent's hospital and link to view images

My latest show is up at St Vincent's Hospital, Paddington,  Sydney.

Details, images and prices are also available on my website.

I am on holidays - currently thinking about the next body of work.

Pictures for Mother's day at Botannix

My pictures are up at Botannix Yoga Studio & café in Botany.  I went over yesterday and took some pictures of them with customers enjoying a yummy lunch or coffee with the show.

A list of works in the show and prices is available on my website.

The introduction to the show is as follows:

Dear Viewer

Thank you for looking.  I put this collection together to celebrate one of the most important people in our lives - mothers. 

Mine passed away in December 2011, a month shy of her 92nd birthday.  Bonnie Malpas was fabulous.  A classically trained pianist, she raised 10 children (two of us were adopted).  Somehow she managed to keep us all fed, clothed and schooled and in line!   For all of these years she was also following her passion: she played in a touring folk orchestra and taught piano.   It was Mum who taught me the art of living well and living with empathy, and kindness.

Mum loved flowers and birds.  She knew the names of every plant and bird.  As a gardener I have admit she was terrible but not for want of enthusiasm and instilled the love of these things in me.

I hope these pictures make you smile and/or think fondly of your mother. 

If they do, then they have done their job.

Gabby Malpas
April 2013

New Show details

Hello Mango Frooters.

It's been a while since I posted but I haven't been too idle;
There is a Mother's day show up at Botannix Yoga Studio & Café, Botany, Sydney - details are on my website here.  The show is on until Sunday, May 12.

Yesterday, the lovely girls from Art Pharmacy came around to interview me and take photos in the leadup to the Art Pharmacy 'City vs Nature' popup show in May.

Here is one of yours truly in front of works for the St Vincent's show which will be open from 4th May 2013.

Pattern repeats

I have teamed up with a very talented artist and designer: Aylie Mcdowall to produce these fabulous wallpaper fabric patterns.

Which one do you like best?

Gabby Malpas and Avant Cards

I am so excited to announce that Avant Cards, the achingly marvelous and uber hip distributor of free postcards across multiple Australian venues, has chosen the above artwork by yours truly to feature on a new run of cards coming to a venue near you (In Australia), from tomorrow.

I am just over the moon at the prospect of reaching a much wider audience with the little picture of Granny bonnets above.

You can see all the details and send an e-card of this image here.

Art Pharmacy Interview

I was fortunate enough to meet the lovely Emilya from Art Pharmacy.

She did a little interview with me about a month back and it is on her site.

Thanks Emilya and thanks all for reading.

Have a fabulous week

Click here to read the interview

Lifedrawing

And now for something completely different.

So far, I have posted up images of finished works or works in progress destined for exhibitions, commissions or galleries.

Not much has been mentioned about my process or the fact that life-drawing is a big part of my work as my images rely heavily on drawing skill.

I would love to be able to draw like Rembrandt. I have infuriated some with my dogged determination to draw in a traditional style. But I was trained this way, it taught me to look and capture and yes, I still find it hard after 25 years or so...

 

Valentine's Day giveaway and competition

Dear Mango Frooters

It is coming up to the time of year that can be fraught with sadness for so many people.  It's a commercial holiday made traditionally for lovers but I find this a bit disheartening.

For all of you out there in interweb land, who find yourselves lonely or sad for whatever reason, on February 14 2013:  THIS IS FOR YOU.

'You are Loved'.  Watercolour and pencil on Indian Khadi paper.
Artwork size: 15cm x 11cm.

If you would like a higher res version of this file to download and print, please add me to your favourites and please like my facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabby-Malpas/106341109444237?fref=ts.  My email address is opposite.

I am also running a competition to win the original artwork of this image, to enter:
Please like my facebook page (I will pick the winner out of a hat on Tuesday 26 Feb), and allow me to add you email to my mailing list.

Lotus

I love lotus.

I fell in love with these plants as soon as I saw one in the Auckland domain hothouse garden in the 70s.  There were these dinner plate-sized leaves coming straight out of the pond with these gorgeous, billowy, pink, cloud-like flowers floating above.

It has been a dream of mine to paint these beauties on large pieces of paper and although I use a lot of artistic license and google imagery, I still need to draw from life to capture the lotus mojo.

We see a lot of lotus on our travels all over SE Asia.  However, without being able to dedicate some serious hours to looking and drawing and requiring space enough for a large sheet of paper it's not really feasible.

I planted one just after Christmas when my first attempt failed in a pot.  I am so excited to see one of the leaves finally pushing up through the water to stand tall.  Hopefully others will follow.

It will be another year before it flowers though.  Back to google.