Taking a break........

.......from Sorrowful Songs for a few days. I finished the little snowflake Sukeshi doll that was Kathy's choice as her prize in my "700 Followers" giveaway. I'll be posting it off in the morning. And I made up a few more that I plan to paint over the next few days and put in my Etsy store. These are such fun to make!

We Have a Winner!

......and it is Kathy Duncan! I have emailed Kathy to let her know. Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks to all my new followers - now there are 732 of you!
There were 93 entries in the draw from here, my Facebook page and by email......this is what 93 little bits of paper with names on them look like in a bowl:

And here is a friend drawing out a name:

Congratulations, Kathy!

Meanwhile, back in the studio, I've started making a body of work for an upcoming group exhibition in December/January in The Long Gallery in Hobart (Salamanca Place).

Here's the first:

This is the first of ten "Sorrowful Songs".

"Bindi" completed...........and a giveaway!

Over on Facebook last week I announced that my blog was approaching 700 (689 to be precise) followers and that when I passed 700, I would host a giveaway. The magic 700 occurred within a day, (now up to 723 - thanks all you new followers!) so here I am announcing a giveaway! I'm making a Christmas-themed Sukeshi doll something like this for the winner:

or this:

All you have to do is leave a message with your name either here or on Facebook and I'll put you in the hat. If you prefer your privacy and don't wish to leave a message in either place, you can still enter, but you'll have to email me privately. (You can find my contact details under the header of this blog). I'll draw the winner a week from today on 18th October 2013.

Yesterday I completed this little doll - "Bindi" - here is her final photo shoot. She should be available in my Etsy store this weekend.

Happy Springtime from Bindi! (In the Southern World, anyway!)

THE WINNER!

............And it is:
Tami @ Lemontree Tales! (Number 65, chosen by one of those random number generator thingys - beats cutting up and writing names on 76 pieces of paper!)

Farewell (for a short time)

I'm heading off early in the morning to go and teach in Adelaide and then have a week or so R&R (wineries, art galleries, reading, walks, lunches.........it's going to be HARD!)
But I couldn't leave without saying "goodbye"..........and what use is a blog post without a picture or two? Remember the poly tunnel that Bob built in the late winter? Well, it's been producing really well for us. We've already harvested salad greens, bok choy, radishes, carrots and rocket and now the slower growing crops are starting to look very promising - tomatoes, capsicums, chillis, basil - all things that need a little extra warmth here in Tasmania. Here are some pictures:

We've become quite serious about eating what we produce and not really too much else. For instance, tonight our dinner was roast shoulder of veal which had been given to us (delicious!) with roast potatoes from last years' crop, new beetroot, roasted; new carrots and peas and spinach with garlic ginger and sesame oil. Apart from the condiments and the gift of meat, we produced it all!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway - there's still plenty of time, because I won't be drawing it until December 12th after I get back from Adelaide. Just go to the post before this one and leave a message there - it will be a random draw from all the responses I receive.

Hasta la vista , amigos!

Celebrate With Me!

Yes......it's giveaway time! To celebrate the major blogging milestone of passing 500 followers on my humble blog, I'm having another giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post and I will draw a random winner on December 12th. I don't know what the prize will be yet, but I will make something nice for the winner. And dear followers: Thank you! Thank you!

Meanwhile............I have been working on a new piece. NB THIS PIECE IS NOT THE GIVEAWAY PRIZE - I'LL BE MAKING SOMETHING ESPECIALLY FOR THAT. Apart from some finishing touches with paint, I think it is done. Here are some progress shots:

Working it out.

Full shot.

Closer.

Angled shot.

And a closeup of the head.

I took the colours to paint this piece from the beautifully rusted metal pieces that I have used on the torso. Working title: "Rust Never Sleeps".

 

New Work

I really like the look of hessian (burlap) and I've been trying to think of ways to incorporate it into some of my pieces. But it is very stiff, unyeilding and hard to work with on a small scale.......and it is so HAIRY. So I've been experimenting a bit. Here's a little head I made in the last couple of days where I've managed to make a kind of cap using hessian. I really like how it looks and I can't wait to get this painted so I can enhance the texture with some dry-brushing.

This piece is going to be more sculptural than doll-like and I plan to incorporate some of the hessian texture on the body. Not exactly certain how yet, but working it out is half the fun!

The finished piece will be along these lines:

Don't forget to watch this space - I'll be announcing a celebratory (500 followers) giveaway sometime next week!

We Have A Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway.......................103 people left comments and a couple of people wanted to enter without leaving a comment on the post. The winner - as chosen by a random number generator - is Tanya (post 35). Here's what she said:

"I think she is called Adelaide Maude. She is thoughtful, and calm and kind to animals. She doesn't like brussel sprouts but she adores peas from the pod" It's a lovely name and quite apt, because Adelaide is my hometown! All the names suggested were wonderful and there were quite a few there that I have never thought of so I'll be adding them to my list. Thanks to everyone for taking part. It was fun!

If you get a chance, visit Tanya's blog - it is interesting and often thought-provoking. I have been in touch with her - I'll let you all know what she chooses as her prize.

 Adelaide Maude thanks you all.

A Bit Of Fun

The community orchestra that I play in is hosting a trivia/social fun night tonight. When the call went up for a few prizes, I thought I could make something appropriate. I came up with this little "Sukeshi" doll playing the violin. Her name is "Allegretto".

There is still time to enter my giveaway - I'm drawing it on the 17th. Just go to the August 3rd post and leave a comment.
Have a great weekend!

All Done.........And The Giveaway!

This doll is now completed (except for her you-know-whats, but you know me - I usually do them last!). I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed creating this piece and at times I felt like I really was channeling Kaethe Kruse. I consider this piece a homage to the wonderful work she did.

I looked at lots of pictures of early "Doll 1's" to get ideas for the clothing. The majority of them seem to have been dressed in fairly simple, practical clothing, probably a lot like what small children of the era (early C20th) would have worn. I didn't make a direct copy of any one outfit - I just went with a general idea.

With her woollies on for a cool Spring day

Ready to play in the sunshine

OK - Now, about the 30 000 page views giveaway (I pinched this idea from my sister from when she was hosting a giveaway on her blog). This poor girl is nameless, so I'm asking you to suggest a name and leave it as a comment on this posting. Your comment will be your entry into the draw for a special hand-made prize something like this:

Or this - you get to choose:

It will be a random draw and the name the winner has suggested will become the name for the "KK" doll.
I'll do the draw in about two weeks. Good luck!

OK, So I CAN'T Count!

Well, maths was not my strong point at school. In fact I was downright BAD at it. I loved art, music, French, biology, English literature, home ec.......ANYTHING but maths! So you might forgive me for getting the numbers wrong in my previous post.............and nobody told me that 29 035 + 65 is NOT 30 000! It's only 29 100. Duh! *smacks forehead with palm of hand*. So I'm the odd few hundred short of my 30 000 page views giveaway. But never mind, it will be happening soon anyway - I've got a few things to finish off this week and then I'll be making a special little something for someone to win.


Exit stage left, mumbling "How did I get that so wrong......how embarrassing!"

One World One Heart

This year I am participating in the One World One Heart (OWOH) blog event. This is an International link-up of bloggers and it looked like a lot of fun last year, so I thought I'd participate this year, sadly, the last time it will be held.

So, to new visitors to my blog - WELCOME! I am an artist living in Tasmania at the bottom of the world - a kind of afterthought to Australia - it's smallest, but most beautiful state.

One aspect of OWOH is a giveaway "door prize". Pictured above is what I am offering to one person who leaves a comment on my blog on this post from today until the 17th Feb, when I will draw a winner using the very scientific random selection method of a number drawn out of a hat! This is one of my hand-made Zozie dolls - "Tweet"

Good luck everyone and have lots of fun on your OWOH blog crawl - I'll certainly be visiting lots in the hope that I might be lucky enough to win one of the door prizes being offered by generous bloggers all around the world!

Click on the OWOH logo in the sidebar to go to the OWOH site and connect with other participants. Big thanks to Lisa for organizing such a great event - it must entail a massive amount of work!

Mary's Prize

Here's what is on the way to Mary as her prize in my recent giveaway. This is Starchild #4 and he keeps his heart in his little pocket when he's not playing with it. Hope you like it Mary!

      Notice anything new about my blog? I thought it was about time for a change, because   I've had it looking the same way since I started it. I had fun changing it around today and giving it a facelift!                                                                                                                                         

Wintermoon - My Muse

Well, here is my latest art piece "Wintermoon : My Muse - I thought it was finished, but now I'm not so sure - I may add a little more of the floaty fabric, but not much.  Occasionally, I am quite happy with the way something turns out - in other words it comes close to what I had envisioned. This is one such piece.

I suppose it seems a little strange to be making something with such a wintry name, when it is high summer here, although the strange weather we have had lately has had me wondering where our summer went............the last three days it rained non-stop, so it was like summer disappeared. We were getting the dag end of what has devastated the state of Queensland  and by noon yesterday we were marooned in the middle of a lake, both studio and house sprang leaks - I had pots everywhere catching drips. But today a big bright sun is shining out of a flawless blue summer sky and there is a pleasant, warm breeze blowing, so all the water has just disappeared!


In case you missed it, Mary Mangini won my giveaway. Thanks to everyone who entered, (and entered, and entered!) You all made it fun. If you want another chance to win something, I'm participating in the One World, One Heart blog event at the end of the month. Click on the link in the side-bar for more info about the event.

ANNOUNCEMENT! You're A Winner

Mary Mangini - You're  a winner!




Thanks everyone who entered - you all made this so much fun and I was overwhelmed by the response. If you didn't win this time, there will be another chance shortly, because I am taking part in the "One World, One Heart" blog event at the end of this month - (click on the little thingy on the side bar to see what that is all about).

New Stuff

Here are a couple of things I've been working on: the little doll ("Essie") is just 11 1/2" (29 cms) tall. Her head and lower limbs have been sculpted in air-dry clay and covered with fabric before painting and she has a wrapped armature body. Hair is moulded and she has a cotton print dress and 100% wool felt jacket. I made her little boots from garment leather and crocheted her beret from mohair and a kind of multi-coloured boucle yarn together. I thnk she need a scarf and mittens.
No prizes for guessing which famous painting the bust is based on - this is for a challenge on one of the groups I belong to.

You can still enter my "20 000-blog-views-or-celebrate-the-new-year-or-whatever" giveaway if you like. I'm drawing the winner on 14th January. You'll need to go to the 6th January post and leave a comment - I'll be drawing the winner from all those who leave a comment.

A Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I promised to host a giveaway to celebrate
20 000 blog views. That milestone happened a while back - so to thank you, dear readers and followers, here is the promised giveaway announcement.
All you have to do to be in it is leave a comment at the end of this post. The prize winner will be randomly drawn from all the responses on January 14th and announced on that day. To make it fair I will use Greenwich mean time to do the draw, because Australia is a day ahead of the USA and Europe.
The prize will be one of these:

You can enter more than once if you want to.

Christmas Greetings!

To all my treasured followers and visitors, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and all good things in 2011.

Thank you for following my progress through this year and for all your wonderful comments - I really appreciate it! And to entice you back in 2011, I will be having a giveaway early in the New Year to celebrate 20 000 blog views - a milestone which is rapidly approaching. So watch this space!

.........And The Winner Is!

A couple of days late, but I finally conducted my May Giveaway using the latest scientific methods and technology...........ie: I wrote the numbers (1-37) on a piece of paper in a random fashion, blindfolded self (there being no-one else available), spun the piece of paper around with one hand while hovering with a pin in the other. At a predetermined moment known only to me, the pin hand descended into the paper and the number in closest proximity to where the pin pierced the paper is the winner..............And the winner is NUMBER 25 - BEE!

Bee - please email me (sue@orielstudio.com.au) so that I can arrange to send you your prize. Thanks everyone for joining in! I'll post a picture of what Bee chooses as her prize soon.

A Celebratory Giveaway!

I have noticed that my list of followers is currently at 99 - anytime now, I expect it will hit 100, which I regard as some kind of milestone. So, to celebrate, I am offering a prize - something handmade from my studio. To be in the running, please comment on this post (with your email so that I can contact you if you are the winner). To choose the winner, I will number all the comments after a cutoff next Sunday (2nd August) and draw a number out of a hat (or other suitable receptacle!)
Join in for the fun!