Australian women artists Archives

Big shoes to fill

Big Shoes to fill is a textile piece of a small orphaned red kangaroo Joey called “Debo”. The reference image came from the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs who allowed me to use this image for this piece. The finished piece is stretched over a canvas and measures 75cm x 75cm. This piece will be my entry for the Cossack Art Award 2026. As with any of my textile pieces it starts as a sketch which is then traced onto acetate. This provides my pattern for cutting the fusible webbing, and the placement of the cut out fabric pieces. I cut and place each piece of fabric onto a piece of calico, this provides a stable backing for sewing. I have chosen floral fabrics to give texture to the final piece. This part of the process takes about 4 to 6 hours. The free motion machine sewing on all my textile pieces, consists of thread painting over my placed fabric. This is the same method for every piece I do. I use only straight and zig zag stitches, and a variety of machine embroidery and cotton thread, plus metallic filament and iridised thread. In this particular piece there is a lot of gold metallic thread, I do this first as the thread is fragile and will break if I try to cover too many layers of stitching. My thread changes are too numerous to count, and my selection of colours is important for blending or “Painting“ All my work is produced on my extremely basic, “Janome My Excel 18W” machine. Once my Joey has been completed and cut out I have to work on my background. I like the look of the Alcohol inks on white cotton, it is the closest I can get to my watercolour paintings, the colours are bright and permanent. First, I soak the background fabric in Isopropyl alcohol. I dilute a small amount of the Inks with some isopropyl alcohol to paint with. I chose a more toned down background for this piece as the Joey is very bright, I wanted the red dirt, pindan colouring of the outback for the ground, and used some random shapes to create texture and gravel. The final image has Hot Fix Crystals and some seed beads, plus a splash of the gold Alcohol Ink for that little bit of shine. The eyes have a couple of hot fix crystals for the “twinkle” and just to catch the light from a distance, making the Joeys eyes look alive. The Joey is then sewn onto the background and the body quilted to ensure a firm even surface. I use wadding over the canvas and staple into place, then stretch the finished piece over that. This is more time consuming than it sounds, as the fabric can gather in places where the subject is sewn to the background. once the fabric is smooth and taut I sew calico onto the back of the frame to create a neat finish. Debo is now ready for the Cossack Art Award. Wish me luck!

What is on my Easel?

This month I have a selection of watercolours to add. The first is the Red roo joey “Debo” from the Kangaroo Sanctuary Alice Springs. This image was used in my textile piece of the same name “Big shoes to fill” with reference to the size of the feet and also the size these Kangaroos grow to be. I loved this image when I saw the photo. I have painted several kangaroos over the last decade for several different art awards. This painting will be on display at the Shire of Harvey Art Prize, in Harvey, Western Australia, on the 4th March 2026. The theme was “From the land, From the heart” so my statement read that I love the pindan colours of the Australian outback, and what could represent the outback more than a red Kangaroo. My passion is animal portraiture so this image reflects both. Here is another example of my love for Kangaroos. This gorgeous image was with permission from a reference photo by Marian Fenton Crawford, a West Australian wild life photographer. It was such a cute photo, I loved painting this one. Usually with my watercolours there is some penwork over the top, but this one I decided not to. I rather liked the softness of the fur. There are several layers to this painting, seen mostly on the white chest. This painting will be on sale at the Cellar at Vineyard 28 Another popular image for Western Australia is the Splendid Blue Fairy Wren. A tiny bird with a magnificent colour, as they fly past it is like seeing a jewel glint in the sunlight. These always prove to be a very popular subject with artists and photographers. This painting will be on sale at the Cellar at Vineyard 28. This subject is one I have painted and sewn on many occasions. After a bushfire this area of bush was a bloom with wildflowers and new growth on the Australian grass trees. I took many photographs as reference, and have taught Free Motion Sewing Workshops using these images. I have still managed to include a spattering of the Windsor and Newton Bengal Rose, you can see it in the trunks of the trees.

A family of Greyhounds and Galgos

In 2016 I was asked by a Greyhound rescue in Germany, if I could do some artwork pieces for a calendar they were thinking of getting printed. I submitted a couple of pieces and they liked them so much that the whole calendar consisted of my artwork. There were a couple of pieces from artworks I had done previously, for “Saving Wilma” auctions in New Zealand, and a couple of other portraits I had done, Daisy was one of them. From then on I was asked to do all the dogs owned by German couple, Wolfgang and Jutta Hey. Over the years I have painted several pieces that now hang in a group on their wall. All these dogs were rescued, the last being senior girl, Nouri from Galgo’s Del Sol The calendar looked spectacular, very bright and colourful, with my portraits on show in one place. I was gifted some of the calendars to donate for rescues. Wolfgang continued to keep in touch, and each time they had a new member to their family, a portrait was commissioned. With such an impressive selection of portraits it was lovely to see them arranged on the wall of Wolfgang’s home. Their newest addition is Nouri, an elderly girl of 11+ who was signed over to “Galgos del sol” with 2 others. These dogs had been kept for years in a dark room, no home comforts, and no attention or love. Nouri (GDS name was Diana) was the more outgoing of the three new arrivals. Not everybody wants to adopt a senior dog, but for Wolfgang and Jutta, this was a decision they made easily. Nouri, meaning Light, is now part of the “Hey” pack and has been welcomed by her siblings. What a wonderful end to a sad story. Nouri was one of my last portraits for 2025. Here she is obviously impressed by her portrait. Here is how the portraits look in their gallery. Valiente/Valiente – May/May, Finn, Rani, Ciroy, Fagy, Vallino.(Nouri not yet added) To see my artwork being treasured and enjoyed like this is wonderful. Thank you Wolfgang and Jutta, for your passion for Greyhound/Galgo rescue and for choosing me to capture your beautiful family.

Happy New Year

Happy new year to you all, I hope 2026 is a great year for you. This last year has been very productive, with commissions and artwork for Art prizes, I have been kept busy. I am currently working on a textile piece for the Cossack Art Awards this year, I have painted in Watercolour and Acrylic in the past for this Art Award, and decided this year to try something a little different. When it is finished I will publish the steps and finished work for you. Meanwhile, let’s take a look back at some of the work I have produced in the last 12 months. “I have your back” was a large Acrylic and Oil on Canvas for the Pinjarra Rotary Art Award, depicting 2 of my friends horses, Llewella and Persia. The owner of these horses bought the painting which hangs beautifully in their home. the Incognito Art sale was a wonderful exhibition and sale to be part of, and all in a good cause, with thousands of art works on sale. Over $200,000 was raised for programs that support artists working with disabilities. I painted 3 paintings in watercolour, all three sold in the first week.I painted some gorgeous Greyhounds in 2025 too, including Griffin, Nouri, Leo, Chickey and Bandit, Mike, Morrison, CJ, Herb and Charlotte. The final one for the year was Daisy as Santa’s little helper, for this years Christmas card design. “Peaceful slumber” was my portrait of Shadow and Charlotte, in one of their usual poses. They are a huge presence at my feet while I paint. There is definitely no missing them. “White horse“ was a painting for Vineyard 28 Cellar door. A lovely boutique winery in Harvey WA, where my work can be seen on their cellar walls. I have also designed their logo and a couple of wine labels for them. If you like award winning Italian variety wine, Vineyard 28 is definitely worth a visit. Mishka was a stunning white Samoyed with the request for a bright pink background. Charlotte, “Butter wouldn’t melt”. A study for a Paint your pet workshop, I try to demonstrate with a white subject and a black subject to show how the watercolours work, and what colours can be used. “The Old Swan Brewery, Perth WA” was a different commission, Acrylic on canvas for an Anniversary present, a memory of where they were married. The client wanted bright colours, something I could definitely offer, and this painting was certainly colourful. “Stand alone” was another colourful Acrylic for the Kondinin Art Award. I had fun working with the bright colours in the Acrylic medium. Usually with Acrylic works I tend to go natural colours. “Griffin“ was a small portrait in water based oils on canvas. I love the background colouring on this one, it sets off Griffin’s colouring perfectly “Luna” an Acrylic commission of a well loved girl Luna. Four Greyhounds Summer, Blake, Sox and Ravens from a regular client of mine, wo is building up quite an impressive collection of my work. Finally, one cat, Chook, made it to my easelAll have been an absolute pleasure to paint. So I wonder what 2026 will bring? And finally, in memory of “My Little Bird, Daisy” always in my heart.

“Paint your pet” workshop August 2025

What a great way to spend a weekend 5 ladies attended my latest workshop, in my studio in Pinjarra WA. The workshop runs from 9.30 am to 4pm both days. The first day was warm and sunny but the second day the weather turned wet and windy. Our first day was supposed to cover stretching paper to use for the weekend, but as the forecast wasn’t looking great, I pre stretched some Archers 300gm paper onto MDF boards for the ladies to use. One lady used a Langton Watercolour block in a 12 x 16 size, I use these blocks too, being gummed on all sides with just a 2 inch gap for separating the paper after use, they are convenient to use without having to stretch the paper. , Day 1: Drawing and background Day 1 starts with the drawing using a grid to enlarge an A4 photograph up to and A3/ A2 size painting. The grid is a very useful tool for this purpose creating an accurate image, that is proportionally correct to the photograph. All the backgrounds on these images are fantastic. This is a challenging workshop, the artist has to work with a completely different technique than they are used to, plus use colours in a very bold and bright way. They have to think about which colours will work together side by side, as some colours do not mix well with others, plus learning how the warm and cool colours will affect the finished painting. Day 2: painting the subject Now the fun starts. Day 2 is very full on with a lot of work to do. Using my warm and cool colour technique to create highlights and shadows, they begin to paint the subject. I do not expect them to go home having mastered this way of painting, it has taken me years to develop my style, and it is constantly being tweaked and adapted as my paintings are created. At first they are nervous to make a start, but with plenty of guidance they all create such wonderful images. Suddenly the bold and bright backgrounds are no longer the main focus as the subject emerges. Another workshop completed and 5 very happy students have taken away paintings they can all be very proud of. My aim in these workshops is to give the student the opportunity to play with colour and to learn that there are so many colours you can use to create the finished painting, even if they never use these colours like this again, just learning that black dogs, for example, are not just black, but blue, purple, green even pink, that white can also have pale tones of blue and purple in its shadows. If you are interested in attending a workshop or if you have a group that wish to attend, let me know via my contact commission form.

Reflection

Painting reflective surfaces in watercolour I love a challenge almost as I love “My Therapist,” A Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe that I have called Dixie. I have painted this , and other Harley’s in acrylic, so I used watercolour this time. The process is the same as any of my artworks, grid up a photograph for the sketch, and then I paint one small piece at a time. As the engine is the hardest and most visually complicated part I start there first. By concentrating on a small area at a time I can paint what I see, not what I think I should see. It is very easy to get distracted, and often I don’t actually see what is in the reflection until I look from a distance. For the chrome I use a mix of Art spectrum (AS) indigo, and a wash of AS Lemon yellow that I have dirtied with a tiny but of purple to make a brown tint, and diluted. There is also some AS Phthalo blue and a hint of Holbein Bamboo green, the black is a mix of Dioxazine purple and indigo. The tank is Windsor and Newton Cobalt blue light, in places with a Phthalo blue mix. This bike doesn’t have chrome but has a lot of shiny painted surfaces, the red was Daniel Smith Deep Scarlet and Pyrrol red, with a hint of Quinacridone red to create the crimson colouring. I had to change the back of the seat to add the red cover after I had painted the seat, as the client requested it be added, this was not the easiest thing to do, as the paint has a staining quality that can be hard to remove. Luckily the painted area did lift a little with water, but some of the staining remained, so the back cover is not quite the brilliant red of the tank. Not just motorbikes Now this commission was a challenge. My art journey included a BA hons degree in Graphic Design, so Typography was something we covered, and something I don’t do very often. This was commissioned as a gift for the sponsor of the car, Geo Tech, and this was made up from a couple of different photographs, and to add a degree of extra difficulty, from different angles. Luckily both client and recipient were very happy with the result. The Series 2 SS Holden Commodore was a commission for a friends Husband. This was one of the last cars produced in Australia by Holden, hence the number plate 1OVTHELST. I enjoyed this commission but had to brighten the photograph to see any subtle details in the paint work. when I had painted the bonnet it looked really abstract, I had to remind myself, paint what you see. The best part was painting the side of the car, that hint of green in the indigo worked perfectly. My colours were Indigo (AS) Bamboo Green (Holbein)and the browns made from Australian Red gold (AS) and Dioxazine Purple, (WN) with some Phthalo blue (AS) and Cobalt blue light (WN)

Going Incognito for a great cause

This year was the first year I have entered the Incognito Art Show. An amazing 20,000 pieces of art were submitted this year! three of them were mine. Every piece of artwork is A5 in size and is sold for just $100. Profits raised go towards funding programs, supporting artists working with disabilities. There are some very famous prize winning and very well known artists in this show, but that’s the beauty, you don’t know whos art you have until you have bought it. “Our mission… To support arts organisations / To provide emerging artists with professional pathways / To inspire and develop a new generation of art collectors and supporters. The Incognito Art Show is a not-for-profit organisation supporting Australian artists. We run Australia’s biggest and most inclusive art show. “ Give it a go! With this in mind I was eager to have a go. I realised that with so many art works on show, in one place and online, the art had to be bright enough to stand out on first glance, be a recognisable subject that would appeal to a wide audience, be well executed, and a good example of my individual style. So my subjects were easy. Firstly there had to be a greyhound, as greyhound lovers tend to be drawn to art with a greyhound on it, and why not!So my first image was Otis in his sunny spot. Being A5 in size the detail was important to me. I used watercolours, gouache and pen on my finished Image. Second was a Tiger. I love painting tigers, their colours and markings are so beautiful, and they also appeal to a wide audience. I have painted this close up tiger face before on an A2 size. This time I added splashes of gold Alcohol inks to catch the light. With this intense stare it is a hard image to ignore. Thirdly, “The head tilt” a beautiful brown and tan Kelpie. Kelpies have a wide appeal in Australia, the ultimate working dog and loved family pet. Their keenness to work and eager to please attitude makes them a firm favourite. I have painted many kelpies in the last decade or so, some examples were prize winners for me too, so third choice was an easy pick. This one also had that splash of gold alcohol ink to catch the light. So, how did I go? Otis and “The Sunny spot” sold on the first day! My other two sold in the first three days. I was thrilled to be able to contribute to this show and ecstatic they all sold for this great cause.Next year I will encourage more of my students to enter and get a “group pack”. My process will be the same, bright and well executed artwork, plus an appealing well known subject.

Yvonne’s Artwork

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