Friday Friends - Local Artists - Ria di Cola Art

Hello lovely Maddabling readers, what did your collective weeks hold? I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend after a most hectic week. All I hope for is a good book and some sunshine :) 

Today it is my great pleasure to introduce to you all to a new Friday Friend, local artist and very talented creative, meet Ria di Cola Art. 

I happened upon the works of Ria through social media and I want to share a few pieces that caught my attention. I love the strong women in her works, the vibrant colour and the portrayal of the female form. 

Readers, I invite you now to make a cup of tea perhaps and settle in to read The Wrap on Ria di Cola Art. Have a wonderful weekend, see you all on Wednesday for the new edition of Wednesday Wishes xo 

The Wrap on Ria di Cola Art

Hi my name is Ria di Cola, I recently moved from Perth and have settled in Albany (born and raised in Katanning).  For the first time ever I have a lovely light studio all to myself, along with looking after my 4 children (7 combined). I am working at making art my life and getting involved with the art scene in Albany.

I am a part of The Proud Love project (Make A Scene), a pop up gallery /shop. We are a group of emerging artists from Albany who create handmade, high quality, original artworks. 

Our mutual vision is to create our own hub in a shared retail gallery space, for both creative and community development. It is through this amazing collective that I have gained more confidence in my art.

I have always drawn. When everyone else was doing their maths in school I was drawing and being told off! From very young when asked what do you want to be when you grow up? It was a no brainer. An Artist! I have always viewed life and art as one inseparable whole. 

It was when I saw an exhibition by Salvador Dali in Naples Italy when I was 13,I witnessed the reaction of people and realized that by creating a piece of art I could evoke emotion in a complete stranger…this fascinated me. On finishing high school (where art was the only reason to go). I was accepted into Claremont School of Art and Design which further thrust me into the world of art. Seeing and being involved with art daily was a dream come true.

I love stories. Everyone has a story. I want my art to be more than just decoration. I have always been inspired by my children, and they feature heavily in my art…and especially now so as recently my 8 year old Jonty was diagnosed with Autism…this journey we are on, with Autism is a ride that I feel I will document through my art.

The mediums I like to use are pencil, pen, wash and oils. I find that as I am developing I am moving towards exploring mixed media. I no longer believe that only one medium should be used at a time. My influences at the moment are Margaret Woodward and Alex Powers. I like the movement and speed, by which they tell their stories.

One of my favourite pieces I have created was “Maudlin”. It got highly commended at the 2013 Great Southern Art Award. “Maudlin” was a self-portrait which I painted during the breakdown and end of my marriage. It sold straight away and I take pleasure in the fact that it now resides on a wall in Peru! It was only just by chance I met the lady who bought the painting and heard her story and realised that I had now touched someone through my art.

Dear readers, this is how you can connect with Ria di Cola Art. 

Follow her facebook page here: 

https://www.facebook.com/RiamiadicolaART

or buy lovely pieces from the Make a Scene Pop Up Store here: 

https://www.facebook.com/makeascenealbany

Friday Friends - Local Artists - Anne North

Happy Friday once again lovely readers. What have your collective weeks held? I have nothing really to report from Maddabling HQ, life is busy and the weather still chilly. This week I have a special guest blogger; (it's always nice to feature a friend) meet a very talented local artist and advocate for local arts - Anne North! 

The art that Anne creates is close to my heart, featuring our beautiful coastline, forests and native flora. We are trying to create a "modern" garden at our place, with a focus on local native plants and we like to walk the coastal walk trails, so you can understand why these pieces resonate so strongly with me. 

Read her story for yourself and see more of her beautiful paintings below. I now hand over the blogging reigns for Anne to tell you more about her work. Have a wonderful weekend everyone, see you all on Sunday (promise I won't forget) for the weekend blog post xo♥ Happy Reading! 

The Anne North Diaries

What is the real reason of painting? I do not feel any real need to prove my ‘hobby’, a hobby that I really don’t feel I have any control over. I do know of people who are hobby artists – they paint when they have a free moment; they have their lovely studio, they paint what is pretty – nothing wrong with that. 

I wish I could be like that; my studio ends up being the whole house, oil paints all over the kitchen table, easels and canvases spread across the lounge floor. For me painting has always been a compulsion that hits my brain and goes on for as long as I am in the ‘zone’. 

Something that I do know is that on some level I want to connect to nature. A statement that could not be more twee. But after painting all my life I have come to realize that there is nothing wrong with being ‘the sentimental bloke’ As a human I do not ‘have’ feelings, I ‘am’ my feelings – everything else is just chemicals and flesh.

And this is what it all comes down to, a need to express physically how those feelings connect to this outside, experiential world. I paint my Karri trees and Southern forests in a translucent manner, which requires many glazes, this shows their transitory temperament on this earth, just like ourselves – its something that we share. The physical is nothing, everything is just spirit.

To the more mundane – I had my first solo exhibition was at ‘The Arts House Gallery’ in Northbridge in 1990, and have been exhibiting in solo and group shows ever since. For the last few years I have been involved in a ‘pop-up’ shop with a number of other local artists. We do the shop just before Christmas to make a few bucks, deliberately making small and cheap hand made art products, to great success. I am on a number of committees, the most important being Newarts, which organize ‘Sculpture in the Harbour’ – a sculpture exhibition that has the sculptures embedded into the shoreline of the Princess Royal Harbour. 

I also have fun being involved in the local roller derby group, for which I am Secretary.

Friday Friends - Local Artists - Le Papier

Happy Friday to you all, and big love to all those sweethearts celebrating ♥Valentines Day♥. I haven't much planned for this weekend, but I am hoping to try making a spelt flour and almond banana bread which I will share with you in the weekend blog post.

This week it is my great pleasure to introduce to you all a new Friday Friend and local artist, the gorgeous Leanne of Le Papier. I first met Leanne at Summer Street Fair in 2013, and I was instantly in awe with her extreme creativity and the variety of beautiful things she creates. 

Browsing through the Le Papier Photo Albums, I came across some pieces that I just had to share. The first piece that caught my eye is "begin", a 20x20cm Encaustic on board. Simply stunning and unique!

The second ( and timely) is this trio of ceramic hearts, ♥ j'adore!  

The third is the Le Papier "Owl Magic" print that hangs proudly in our home.  

Dear readers, time now for you to put your feet up, enjoy a cup of tea, and take some time to read the inspirational story of Le Papier in Print.  

Happy Valentines Day to you all ♥, wishing you a wonderful weekend xo♥

Le Papier in Print

Who is behind "Le Papier"?

My name is Leanne and I live in Nornalup on the South Coast of Western Australia. I launched my creative business formally in February of 2010 but I have been creating for as long as I can remember is one way or another.

My artistic journey began…

It all started professionally in 1997 when my husband and I were living on our Beef farm in the South West. I was mother to two energetic young boys and decided to set up my own Ceramic Studio in the old sheds at our property. I had been attending Ceramic classes socially for a couple of years and decided to enrol in a Duncan Certified Ceramic Teaching course in Perth and I then became a qualified ceramic art instructor. From there I ran several classes each week at "Brentwood Designs" on our farm and spent many days and nights loading and unloading the kilns of both my own work and that of my students. This continued successfully for a couple of years (during which I had my third child) and I loved the idea of practicing art daily. 

From there I began to experiment with paint on canvas as well. I found the therapeutic qualities of painting very valuable and a great stress release from daily life and motherhood.

My other passion at this time was paper crafts. i became addicted to all things paper!! Scrapbooking, card making, paper toile etc. (as you can see, I don't stay focused on any one thing for very long !!!).

In 2004 we moved to the glorious South Coast in Walpole where my husband and I ran a Caravan Park for six years. During this time painting was my release. I found that being surrounded by so much beauty in the Walpole/Nornalup area acted as daily inspiration. I took part in a couple of local exhibitions in Walpole and Peaceful Bay whilst we were continuing to run our busy Park. 

With the sale of our park in February 2010 came the launch of my art business full time: and so began the "Le Paper" journey. I focused mainly on developing my painting skills but often found myself drawn back to paper as a medium I loved. This is why a lot of my early works incorporate collage using found papers.

I decided that it became quite heart wrenching to part with my original works so began scanning all completed work to re print and use as Art Prints, Art charms, cards and my OWN designs in my collage work. I started attending the Walpole, Denmark and Balingup market days. I also attended a brilliant Painting Retreat in Nanga which was run by the infamous Flora Bowley of Portland, Oregon in the US.

Then in 2012 I enrolled full time to study Visual Art at the Great Southern Institute of technology. Over the next two years I studied Art History, Installation, Printmaking, Ceramics, Drawing, Digital Media and Painting. 

During this time I also exhibited in the Southern Art and Craft Trail (2011, 2012 and 2013.) I also was very fortunate to be accepted to exhibit in the 30 x 30 Artists challenge in Darlington in the September of 2012 which was facilitated by the Treetops Montessori School.

Another very cool part of what I was up to over the previous two years was being involved in four very successful PoP uP Galleries in Albany showcasing my paintings, prints and art blocks as well as the Summer Street Vintage Fair in 2013 selling my paper crafts and Art Prints.

NOW I have come home to Nornalup to continue working on Commissioned works for a couple of very special clients whilst continuing to grow and develop my professional Art business.

What inspires me most is….

1. Great magazines…I am TOTALLY a magazine junkie. My favourites are Molly Makes, Frankie, Home Beautiful, Real Living, Flow and Somerset Studio.

2. Great blogs like The Design Files, Kelly Rae Roberts, Pixie Campbell, Heather Nette King, Mati Rose …… the list could go on for days. 

3.PINTEREST...of course. Trolling through this would have to be my all time favourite addiction (better than chocolate right ♥) Actually I recently had a fellow art friend say to me that she was going to have to stage a "Pintervention" due to my time wasting addiction!!! 

4. My daily surroundings continue to inspire me too. Finding beauty in the everyday things such as birds, trees, flowers, food, the seasons and the colours that around us is really easy to do.

5. Finally, but certainly not least in many ways, are my beautiful family. They all inspire me EVERY day. Their sense of adventure, hard work and fun keep me buoyant and inspired always.

The mediums I currently work with are ….

Golden fluid acrylics on canvas.

Encaustic paints on board (yummy).

Paper in every form.

My favourite piece I have ever created…

That would be a very hard choice …. but having to choose one would mean that my "dragonfly" piece that I completed for the 2012 Art Trail would be it. It was a large scaled acrylic on canvas work which incorporated old sewing pattern paper and was overlaid with a huge paper cut stencil piece of a dragonfly. AND YES, it sold on Opening night xx

Upcoming exhibitions/events….

I am currently showing my work at the very popular Vancouver Cafe in Albany. I was thrilled to be invited to exhibit there :)

I will also be painting "in-situ" at this Years Walpole Art Prize and their "Art in Action" weekend. Held on the 1st and 2nd of March in Walpole, Western Australia.

My future plans/dreams/aspirations are…

To develop my Art Practice this year by attending some workshops in Perth and the Eastern States.

To get my Business Plan and time management programme sorted (ambitious).

To continue with my plans to set up my Inaugural "Art Retreat for Women" here at my home in Nornalup. Stay tuned.

Leanne xx

Dear readers, would you like to see more? Here is how you can connect: 

Visit and read the Le Papier Blog here: 

www.le-papier.blogspot.com

and become a follower on Facebook here: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Papier

Friday Friends - Local Artists - Violet and Darby

Yay for Friday lovely Maddabling blog readers, today marks the end of the working week for most of us. What are you up to this weekend? It sounds from the forecasts being touted by the weathermen that it's going to be a scorcher in many parts of Australia. I am going to try to make some of the refrigerator jam that I featured in last weekends blog post. 

This week it is my absolute pleasure to introduce to you a dear friend of mine Sandy of Violet and Darby.  I have long been an admirer and supporter of her fabulous art. Dear readers, we love Sandy's work so much that we have two of her prints "Follow the Raven" and "Don't take life too seriously" 

and an original painting "Poppies and Ravens" from her alter painting ego GasBombGirl proudly hanging in Maddabling HQ.

I love the way that Sandy sees the world and her ability to transform that vision into works of art. 

This year marks a milestone Birthday year for Miss Maddabling, and as a special birthday gift to myself, I am enlisting the help of Sandy to create a Violet and Darby portrait just for me. I will share this with you later in the year, I promise! Readers, I will now hand over the blogging reigns to Sandy to divulge The Tale of Violet and Darby for your reading pleasure. Happy Reading, see you on Sunday for the weekend Blog Post xo♥

P.S. Readers, please remember that Sandy has kindly allowed me to use her original images on the Maddabling blog, please do not copy or reproduce these in any way, or use them without Sandy's express permission. 

The Tale of Violet and Darby 

Who is Violet and Darby ? 

I'm a part time artist, who loves creating art that permeates a feeling of nostalgia. I paint and draw portraits of adults as they were as children, using their favourite old photographs, that hopefully lend a glimpse into their personalities and past, or simply encapsulate a sweet old fashioned view of who they once were. 

I try to either stay with the a basic old styled pallet of colours associated with old images, or pursue a more colourful cartoon style, depending on the subjects style of images provided.

How and When did your handmade/artistic journey begin ?  

I've been creating for a very long time off and on,  but when I came across some old photographs of my eldest sister Ann, who had passed away from Motor Neurone in 2005, I was inspired to capture the sweet nature of what I saw. 

From there I received a request to create my nephew and his wife portraits of themselves for their newborn's nursery.  “Violet and Darby” was inspired by my Grandmothers name, who was also an artist.  I changed my art name to this, as GasBombGirl no longer captured the essence of what my art was hopefully going to portray.

I wanted to express the nature of my painting style by using an old worldish themed name that sounded both male and female.

What inspires you ?
Other artists pieces, old movies, old photographs, music, architecture, pulp magazines, colour in nature, and much more. 

I also love to paint with a movie on in the background, usually something along the theme of what I'm painting.

What mediums do you work with - do you have a favourite ? 

 I love to draw in pencil and inks, with paintings chiefly being created with acrylics on canvas and lately wood panel.  

My favourite would be to doodle and sketch my ideas out into my visual journal, and  I also use my Samsung tablet to quickly whip up some colourful doodles for fun as well.

Do you have a favourite piece that you have made/created ?

Besides the portrait of my sister titled “Annie & Albert” 

the portraits of my nephew and his wife, "Keeper of the lambs" and "Keeper of flower hill".  The pieces were created as a pair to hang in their newborns nursery.

What are your future plans/dreams/aspirations ?  I'd like to continue creating portraits of adults as children, and add in some pet portraits as well.  Whether I stay on the old world theme of paintings I'm unsure, this will depend mainly on the clients preferences.

Dear readers, do you want to see more? Here is how you can connect: 

Become a follower on facebook here: 

http://www.facebook.com/VioletandDarby

See what inspires on instagram here:

http://www.instagram.com/VioletandDarby

and visit the Violet and Darby website here: 

http://violetanddarby.tumblr.com

Friday Friends, Local Artists, Meleah Farrell Abstract Photography

Hello Friday and hello lovely Maddabling blog readers. I hope your collective weeks were wonderful. What does your weekend hold? I *need* to do some gardening, the vege patch is looking a little sad and I think I have some beetroot ready to harvest. 

This week it is my absolute pleasure to introduce to you all a wonderful local creative - Meleah Farrell; Abstract Photographer. 

I really do adore the wonderful art that Meleah makes. As part of the Art Trail, we visited her gorgeous studio on the weekend just past. Let me take you on a journey now. 

When you arrive at the Studio, you park in a woodland clearing and walk up a bush path to arrive at Meleah's studio. 

The studio is divine, it is so light and airy and is perched upon a hill.

There are lots of hidden treasures to be found, just open your eyes and mind to the fantastic images; you can also enjoy the wonderful vintage items on display in the studio! 

One thing that Meleah enjoys is playing a guessing game with her visitors, being that her art is of an abstract nature. She is happy to share with you what is behind the abstract image in her photographs, but you may have to make a guess first :) 

It was really wonderful to visit with Meleah, and discuss her craft in person, being that most of my blog posts are created through emails and I don't always get to meet the artist face to face. So a big big thank you to Meleah for this opportunity. 

PLEASE RESPECT THAT SOME OF THE IMAGES HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED AND USED HERE WITH MELEAH'S EXPRESS PERMISSION, PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE OR USE HER WORKS (SPECIFICALLY LOTUS, CAREENED, THE EMPIRE and FROM WITHIN) IN ANY WAY WITHOUT HER EXPRESS PERMISSION. 

I invite you now to share A Moment with Meleah Farrell - Abstract Photographer. See you all on Sunday night for the weekend blog post x

A Moment with Meleah Farrell;

Abstract Photographer

1.  Tell me about your creative side, how did you get started?

I developed an interest in photography in my teenage years but growing up, creativity for me was fore mostly found in dance.

It was when I was living in a small, rural fishing village in north Malaysia back in 2001 that I started to pursue photography as a hobby a little more seriously. I bought my first SLR camera, started a course via correspondence, began to learn how to take back the controls of image making, and I was hooked.

2.  What are your current sources of inspiration?

I have always taken inspiration from my everyday and the spaces around me.

Recently, some of those ‘spaces’ included the stimulating and magnetic New York City, the diverse and whimsical city of Montreal and the modestly beautiful state of Maine – all on our North American ‘vay-cay’.

My camera was glued to my side the entire time. It was such a wonderful, explorative and all inspiring month of creating and playing photographically.

3. Do you have a favourite photography technique?

Not one favourite, no. I LOVE lots!!!

The subject matter, along with the available light, tend to dictate what techniques I use, or indeed break, when creating each image.

However, I have recently been messing around with the technique of ‘bokeh’. I love the blurry, creamy like properties it produces and the playful nature of its process.

4.You recently held some creative abstract photography workshops - can you tell me a little more about them?

I was approached by the Denmark Community Resource Centre to run a series of abstract photography workshops in the lead up to its annual Photography Competition. It was hoped that the workshops (titled “Shift Your Focus”) would have its residents thinking more creatively about “what connected them to Denmark’ and see some images that reflected a different perspective of their town.

For me, it was my first time being on the ‘other side’ of a workshop forum. A little daunting at first but I absolutely enjoyed every moment. My workshoppers were a diverse bunch and it was really special to be able to share and connect with each of them through photography.

My next workshop adventures are with the Albany Summer School in January 2014.

5.You are holding an exhibition as part of the 2013 Bendigo Bank Southern Art + Craft Trail, what can you tell us about "VOID"? 

VOID is a photography exhibition exploring the spaces between, interim distances and absences in our own landscapes.

I have tried to capture the connection of those void spaces around us. Whether it be amongst clouds, though reflections, in shadows or amid bright lights…… 

With this exhibition I not only wanted to present the viewer with visually challenging images, but I wanted to deliver a finished product that side stepped the normal ‘photography print in a frame’. With VOID I have printed/mounted my imagery not only onto paper but brushed metal, textile, stone + acrylic – transforming them into jewelry, outdoor art and home wares.

6. How do you hope to see your creativity evolving in the future?

I count myself as a pretty lucky gal that I get to create every day, for a living. For the future, I just hope to continue to engage with, nurture and push my creativity.

Dear readers, do you want to see more? Here is how you can connect: 

Keep up to date with the latest happenings on Facebook here: 

http://www.facebook.com/Meleah.Farrell.Abstract.Photographer

Visit the Meleah Farrell Abstract Photography website here: 

http://www.meleahfarrell.com.au/blog/