The art of packing light is obviously not something that I have mastered and with all the travelling that I have done for work firstly as a model and then as an artist and just for pleasure that’s a real shame.   I always find that I need whatever it was that got eliminated from the suitcase, so instead I carry everything but the kitchen sink around with me and get held up at Customs & Security at every airport for some reason or another!

This Public Sculpture is part of 9 freestanding sculptures of mine at the Airdale Primary School in Port Pirie, South Australia

As you can hear we have just come home from another trip, this time to Europe for 5 weeks and what a fantastic time it was too.  Hubby did all the coordinating and organizing over the net with hotels, planes, cars, pickups and trains which worked a treat.

PAINTING INSPIRATIONS

We arrived in London where after some sightseeing caught a flight to Gothenburg, Sweden (3 nights), Sundsvall, Sweden (2 nights), Stockholm (4 nights), Katowice, Poland (2 nights), Prague, Czech Republic (4 nights), Budapest, Hungary (3 nights), Zagreb, Croatia (1 night) Dubrovnik (3 nights), Venice (2 nights) Amalfi coast (7 nights), Paris (3 nights) and then back to London before the 30 hour flight home again.

Of course there are lots of travelling tales and inspirations for future paintings and  art blogs to come but what I will start with today is the reason we undertook this trip in the first place.

ART & THE LOVE OF ITALY

This Mermaid painting sold in Japan but I think the inspiration comes from under the sea by Hotel Onda Verde, on the Amalfi coast.

Our good friend Robert had decided that Italy may be a great spot to celebrate “that” big birthday in.  His lovely wife Christina’s family comes from there so they wanted to share this wonderful country with the rest of us.  That’s how come 11 people from Australia found ourselves at the stunning hotel Onda Verde situated in between Positano and Amalfi at Praiano, a hotel fashioned into the side of a cliff overlooking the blue, blue Mediterranean sea.  Not just any hotel mind you but one where the owners, staff, rooms, ambiance, food  & drinks were second to none – just ask Pierce Brosnan or Jessica Alba, as they stayed there too just recently!

ARTFORM IN A GROUP

As if that wasn’t perfect enough we then had the good fortune of having a group who just fitted together like a glove.  All the elements were there; we had Judy who supplied the guts and hutzpa, her husband Jeff gave us irresistible one liners, Coralie sorted out any kinks in the tour/gratuities arrangements and Emma was the expert tour guide with her knowledge on everything Italian whilst her boyfriend Paul keep us amused with funny stories (my cheeks still hurt from laughing).  Carol added sensibility & practical advice and her hubby Graham was the thoughtful one (he saved me from swimming all the way to Capri) Husband Bryan was the steadying hand as always whilst Christina and Robert the perfect hosts, showing us “their” Italy on tours & boats and treating us to drinks and long lunches.  The usual Mr Grumpy was nowhere to be found and in his place was Mr Perfect and clearly I bought the birthday boy the wrong T-shirt as the photo shows! Oh and I’m not sure what I added to the group but I like to think it was a touch of enthusiasm for life!

INSPIRATIONS FOR ARTWORKS TO COME

I think perhaps all of us fell a little in love with Italy and everything Italian- their passion, the language, scenery, people, wine & Limoncello and the food.

I always thought the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach but go figure it works just the same on a woman, lol.  My mantra has always been; “Just because I am on a diet, doesn’t mean I cannot look at the menu, right?”  Yes and look I did, well what’s a hot-blooded girl to do when the “chef extraordinaire” says he is making love to you with his eyes and through his food, bringing out dish after dish and then watches every bite you take….

Oh temptations… here are a couple of quotes on the subject which amused me;

“ Nothing makes it easier to resist temptation than a proper bringing-up, a sound set of values – and witnesses.”

(Franklin P. Jones)

“Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell.”

(Author Unknown)

Till next time, happy painting and sculpting!

Love Marie xxx

If you enjoyed this  art blog you may also enjoy these about our cruising adventure;  139 Cruising on the Pacific Jewel & Art and 138 Leaving Sydney Harbour & Art and 144 Mystery Island & Art and 143 ART, LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE ISLE OF PINES and 149 Art,Lifou and Sharks

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

(c)

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/155-the-art-of-packing-light/feed/ 3 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/152-art-of-ducks-canard-in-noumea/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/152-art-of-ducks-canard-in-noumea/#comments Sun, 16 Sep 2012 08:52:30 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=3718 THE ART OF HOLIDAYING

We set sail for Noumea after leaving Lifou and had a few cocktails on deck before the silver service dinner at the Waterfront restaurant.

Had we realized it was Island night and all that entailed we would have joined in the BBQ festivities up top deck as the ship was jumping that night – we later found out.

If you like this acrylic Duck and Cat painting it is available as a free E-card on my website.  Also If you would like to recap on the previous stories of our big adventure, here is some links to my travel and art blogs; “LEAVING SYDNEY HARBOR” and  “CRUISING ON THE PACIFIC JEWEL” and “ART,LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE ISLE OF PINES

THE ART OF THE PARTY

When we finally emerged from dinner the Island Deck Party was in full swing and as you would have it – it was only me the “party animal” that still had the stamina to boogie on down lol.  But with 5 others to consider and 4 of them half my age I tried to contain myself just for a change!!  Not easily done when you have ants in your pants and love to dance and party!

The music was pumping with Grooveline and the entertainment team got everybody grooving and the Pacific Cirque did a Circus de Solae act which was amazing.  A really spectacular Island Party, so just a hint for you cruise takers – read your daily newsletter and get to the party so worth it.

In the morning the ship entered the reefs of New Caledonia through the Havannah passage then through the Woodin Canal entering the Petit Rade and berthing at Quai Des Longs Couriers in Noumea.  From there we could walk of the ship no tenders required and found our way to a tour bus to explore the island, getting an all day hop on hop off bus ticket.

THE ART OF THE FRENCH PACIFIC

The travel brochure says “Noumea combines all the flavor and ambiance of a bustling, sophisticated provincial French town with the friendly charms, adventure and heavenly climate of the Pacific Islands”.  However I was surprised to see the western influence was much stronger than the Islanders.  I think I was more expecting a New Orleans feel with the French and colored mix, eclectic and exciting.   To me it felt a bit clinical or nouveau riche.

After a market visit and seeing the aquarium we decided to take a water taxi out to Canard Island (Duck Island) This tropical paradise is very small and intimate but had a lovely restaurant and a great reef for snorkelling.  As the day was the warmest to date even I decided to snorkel.

THE ART OF SNORKELING

Hillivi and Brett decided to just chill on the lazy-boys but that was quickly nipped in the bud when they were asked to pay up for the pleasure, at some astronomical rate of $10 dollars per hour per person to lay on a chair in the sun – should one wish to have a sun umbrella for some shade that would double the price!  Lol, so we were met by some rather grumpy faces when we finished the snorkeling.  Added to that we timed our departure from the Island a bit wrong as both the water taxi as well as the ‘you beaute’ hop on hop off bus must have been on “Island Time” as the promised 10 minute intervals was more like 40 minutes.

THE ART OF SPEAKING FRENCH

What impressed me no end on the bus was Hillivi’s normally reserved farmer boyfriend Brett suddenly starting to speak French to the bus driver as the rest of us were panicking when the bus took us in the opposite direction to the cruise ship.  (Not just a little bit of French but full on – could have knocked us over with a feather LOL.)

So it was a rather flustered 6 people who finally made it back to the cruise ship with 2 minutes to spare before cast off.  We were the lucky ones, one other couple missed the ship completely and they had to sail away without them, poor buggers, that would have spoiled the holiday!! I wonder what their excuse was.

Here is a quote I think fit well here by Kimberly Johnson,

“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

All of us sweat the small stuff from time to time but really we shouldn’t, however that’s easier said than done.  So what about making a list of the things that make you happy, the things you either love to do or think about.

I have created such a list here, in no particular order mind you!  I would love to hear what makes you happy too so let me know?

This acrylic on board painting is my family and friends in Bali for my birthday surprise party that hubby had organized, which is certainly an experience that made me very happy!

But you know the things in life that causes the most happiness are mostly things that are free or at least does not cost too much.

MY HAPPINESS LIST

Time spent with my Swedish cousins

Skipping (even if you are over forty and your husband thinks it is unbecoming for a grown woman)

Puppy breath

The smell of horses

The smell of freshly cut grass

The colour and smell of flowers

Watching the sunset

Hugging someone you Love

Dinner and drinks with good friends

Being in Love

The smell of sundried sheets on the bed

A hot shower

A glass of Red Wine

Childhood memories

Fresh Flowers

Sparkling Red

Cuddling with my dogs

Tail wagging when you come home

A cuddle with my 28 year old Galah

Rain on the Roof

Hearing “Mummy I Love You” – at any age

Painting

Creating in any medium

Reading a good book

Walking on the Beach

And Just walking anytime – anywhere

Swedish Daim chocolates

Dutch extra salted liquorice

My Dads phone calls

My mother’s sense of humour

My husband’s cooking and knowing he loves me still after all these years!

Exploring a new city

Train rides

Favourite songs on the radio

Giggling and not being able to stop

Laughing so hard your face hurts

Loving someone and knowing they love you

Knowing somebody misses you

The smell of the ocean

A summer’s breeze

The view from our house

Twittering birds

Green, green grass

All the colours of nature

A favourite quotation

Seeing a good piece of art

Creating a good piece of art

Naive artists – all artists

When my paintings find a “good” home

Being offered a new artistic venture

Remembering my kids as little children

Seeing my children growing up and becoming delightful adults

Memories of my loving Grandparents

Getting a massage

Paying it forward

A gift of handmade biscuits, cakes & Rocky road

First coffee of the day

Breakfast in bed

A shoulder to lean on

Shopping with my daughter

My son tracking our travels & checking we arrive safely

My daughters planned “Mother & Daughter” surprises

A good movie

A night at the theatre

Listening to children giggle

Phone calls from my kids

Family holidays

Having an open fire

The smell of a wood oven

The smell of bread baking

Sleeping with our dogs in the bed!!

Buying a gift for someone you love

Giving a present

A drink in a Bali hut by the pool

Being busy with lots of projects on!

Meeting people who collect my paintings or read my art blogs

A cup of Belgian Hot Chocolate

My son teaching me something new

Dancing ALL night

Swimming on a hot day or night time swims

So now I hope you will go and make your own list too!  Here is a quote I like by Richard Carlson

“Learning to stop sweating the small stuff involves deciding what things to engage in and what things to ignore. From a certain perspective, life can be described as a series of mistakes, one right after another with a little space in between.”

And this one;

“Choose to be kind over being right and you’ll be right everytime.”

So till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

Here is another way to make you feel good that have made a huge difference in our lives; 153 The Art of Saturday Night

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Next stop on our cruising adventure was Lifou, and if you have just joined me and want to recap on how this P&O holiday actually started here are some links for you to read of our adventures so far and see the paintings and artworks in these travel and art blogs “LEAVING SYDNEY HARBOR” and  “CRUISING ON THE PACIFIC JEWEL” and “ART,LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE ISLE OF PINES”.

ISLAND INSPIRES AN ARTIST

Lifou is the largest island in the archipelago of Loyalty Islands.  The population is just over 10,000 people who speak French and Kanak dialects and the currency is French Pacific Franc.  It is a beautiful Island with long stretches of white sandy beaches, limestone caves, grottos and cliffs and small coves.  They say time passes more slowly than in other places and are measured by the tides, sunrises and sunsets rather than by clocks.  Not that we could enjoy that part as coming off the cruise you have strict instructions – the last tender back to the boat leaves at 4 o’clock and if you miss that you’re buggered! LOL

However we did have a gorgeous time even so, firstly we took the 25 minute walk through a little forest to the Lady of Lourdes church built by the Catholic missionaries in 1898.  Beautiful white exterior stands out against the green forest with stunning views all around, could even see the cruise ship too.

ACRYLIC PAINTING

This acrylic on canvas board painting shows the underwater experience to come, many of my paintings and sculptures yes all artworks often have a water theme.

THE ART OF STAYING ALIVE

Then we went and had a look at the snorkelling reef which we later returned to before taking another exploring walk heading to the Secret Grotto.  That was really interesting navigating through the rain forest down steep steps (felt like a scene from Tomb Raider) and into a dark dark grotto, where all of a sudden we saw a movement and were met by the white of someone’s eyes.  Turns out it was a gorgeous local man with a speech impediment apart from the obvious language barrier, however he told us all we needed to know with grunts and sign language.  Lucky he was there and had a torch or we would no doubt plunge to our deaths in a crystal clear 10 meter deep pool which was just inside the entrance of this black cave!

Our next death defying adventure was when we went on a tour to the township of We, it is a sleepy town in the bay de Chateaubriand on the east coast and is the main center of Lifou well apparently the whole of the Loyalty Islands.

The brochure boasts “try some of the local cuisine in one of the town’s restaurants or cafe.”   However all that we could find was a take away shop and a supermarket, and we were now on a guided tour mind you so our guide should have known!  We ended up buying some chips and sat on the beach and took a walk instead.

The one hour car ride was more than scary as the female driver was overtaking everything in sight one minute and then kept falling asleep and having to hang her head out the window to stay awake the next.

She delivered us back in one piece where we tried a bit of Kava (not a big hit, lol) and then headed over to the snorkelling place.  We all love snorkelling however there was a little dampener put on this thought after we heard about the “Shark attack in Lifou” which Hillivi then Googled and yes sure enough in the very place where we were going for a swim a French nurse was taken in 2007 by a Great White whilst snorkelling with a friend.

THE ART OF A SHARK-SPOTTER

Still the water was welcoming and the tide and reef provided some good protection so swimming seemed not too dangerous and I was took the post as “Chief Shark Spotter”.

So here is a quote I think fits well here by Ovid;

“Chance is always powerful, let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish”.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and maybe snorkeling to you all,

Love Marie xxx  (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Those of you familiar with my posts on Facebook and Linkedin know that I always post a quotation and one of my artworks daily with a link to my art website blogs, and you familiar with my blogs know that I always end my art blogs with a quotation!

For the most part I try to find quotations that lift you up and make you feel good.  I figure there is so much negativity in everybody’s life anyway – I mean that is just the way life is, you have to take the good with the bad.

ART AND QUOTATIONS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD

So my aim with my quotes is the same as with my art I want to make you feel good! In the process of doing that it also makes me feel good, lol so that makes us all happy right? Just like the title of this acrylic on canvas board painting called “After the rain the flowers came”, there is an upside to everything.  The glass is always half full.

ART AND QUOTES CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY

Oh I know so much emphasis should not be put on happiness, after all if we were happy all the time how would we know what happy really felt like, without having experienced disappointments and unhappiness from time to time.  Life’s inevitable ups and downs are there to make us appreciate the good bits and help us cope with the bad.  The way that I have personally coped with the bad and sad bits of my life one is to “Play Saturday Night” and here is the link to that quotes and art blog;153 The Art of Saturday Night have a look – it has been a wonderful way to make us feel better when the world seems to have turned against you.  The other is to realize that when you are really at the very end of the rope and there no end in sight to your dilemmas and worries, there is only one way to go and that is UP.  Whatever happens from this point on would have to be better than the hole you are just in.  So the next thing to come is going to be good, right!! Yea that’s the attitude!  So here are some more of my favorite quotes;

“A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love.” (Mother Teresa)

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” (Carl Bard)

“Life’s problems wouldn’t be called “hurdles” if there wasn’t a way to get over them. “(Author Unknown)

“Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure… it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.”(Robert Schuller)

“The more I practice, the luckier I get.”(Jerry Barber)

“A pessimist sees the difficult in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”(Winston Churchill)

“Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn’t expect to be paid back.”(Author Unknown)

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”(Winston Churchill)

“I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.”(Jennifer Yane)

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” ( Mae West)

Here is another quotations & art blog which may also interest you: 136 Quote and Unquote in Art

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.” (Mother Teresa)

“Swallow your pride occasionally, it’s non-fattening!”(Author Unknown)

“I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”(Author Unknown)

“Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night.”(Terri Guillemets)

“Never tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”(author Unkown)

“If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance.”(Andrea Boydston)

The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours.”(Arthur Lacey)

“For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”(Author Unknown)

And I will leave you for today with my favourite quote at the moment often attributed to William W. Purkey, however Susanna Clark sang something very similar in song called “Come from the heart” a collaboration with Guy Clark on the album Old Friends.

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.” (William W. Purkey)

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

When you are an artist who paints on a full time bases you occasionally feel that “THIS” is the best painting you have ever done and that is how I feel about this acrylic on canvas painting called “London2012”.

GICLEE PRINTS

It all started in March this year when I was approached by Mark McCormick from Giclee Link who commissioned the Olympics artwork.  Giclee Link is a young and new company founded on the principles of quality, transparency and fairness both in the way they treat their artists as well as the retailers they deal with.  Mark says “It’s our mindset that karma and the adage; what goes around comes around, will be in play”.

Mark and his partner Pam are committed professionals in the art and photography space and come from a background with Getty Images and The Art Group (UK largest publishers).

I have had tremendous support from Mark with links and images of all the buildings and preparations going on there in London, things that only the locals would have known about, which made it so much more fun for me.  I loved the collaboration and sense of humor that we shared!

FABERGE EGGS

For instance with the Royal Jubilee celebrations London was awash with Jubilee Eggs – which are a cross between Easter eggs and Faberge eggs.  In any case there was an Egg Hunt for the people of London and some took the hunt very seriously auditing their efforts on a mobile database.  There were apparently 209 eggs in total however some had been stolen and other damaged.

So that is why if you look closely on the painting you will see a Cat bugler running off with one egg and another thief in Soho with another as well as a big stash of stolen eggs in the apartment next to number 10 Downing Street.

THE ART OF AUSSIE HUMOR

Another bit of fun I had was with the controversy over the proposed basketball courts to be built in the Waltham Forest.   This area is a beautiful place where the locals treasure the natural habitat around the river and where you find the canal boats that are often pictured on postcards.  Leading up to the Olympics there was protesters there and some of them tried to stop the builders by blocking the path of their vans, so of course I had to paint that.  I actually had named the builders The Big Tosser Building Company – as us Aussies are always poking a bit of fun at the authorities and the fat cats, lol, however the Brits did not appreciate the joke so now they are just called Big Toms!

GICLEE LINK

The London2012 image has been made into Giclee Prints in a limited edition of 95 and is available through Giclee Link as the wholesale company who welcome Retail galleries, Interior and Furnishing Retailers, Multiple Retailers, Interior Designers and Online Retailers to stock their prints.

UNION ART

As well as Union Art who welcome everybody who are interested in art and specialises in limited and open editions prints, photography, sculpture and original works of art.

UNION ARTISTS

Union Art represents only the very finest contemporary, established and emerging artists in the business.  What impresses me very much about Union Art is that collectors and enthusiasts can browse their collection at any time through their website , however the added bonus is that they are available to offer help or answer any questions over the phone between the hours of 10am – 10pm 7 days a week!  They offer competitive prices together with efficient and friendly service so call them now! (London, UK, 08455441452) You may also like to visit Union Art on Facebook.

COMMISSIONED ARTWORK

I know a lot of artists do not like to do commissioned work, they feel that it is limiting and cramps their natural style.  I actually feel the opposite – it often makes me stretch myself and paint topics and themes which I may otherwise not have thought of.  Of course it is also nerve racking too, what if the client does not like the finished product and yes that is something that has happened to me too.  However all is not lost then either, in my experience as there is always someone else who will love that artwork.

RESEARCHING ARTWORKS

I really felt part of the Olympics whilst doing the research and hoped to include as many sports as possible, look closely and you will find; High Jump, Pole Vault, Running, Shot put, Discus, Javelin, Sailing, Synchronized Swimming,  Rowing, Swimming, Diving, Wind Surfing, Show Jumping, Beach Volley Ball, Basketball, Cycling, Gymnastics, Tennis, Soccer and Water Polo.  Then of course there is the concert in Hyde Park as well as the goings on in SoHo, the new model of the London Double Decker busses, the Prime Minister and his wife at number 10 as well as the Queen in a spot of bother and of course all the people from all the different races and cultures around the world.

Yep everyone is in London 2012!

So here is a quote I feel goes well here by Henry Ford;

“Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success.”

Till next time happy painting,sculpting and partaking in sports to you all,

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Have you been wondering why your favorite artist, whether it is visual art, singer, band, writer, photographer or whatever page you have already LIKED is not showing up in your HOME page anymore.

Well the reason is simple since facebook was listed on the stock exchange and did rather worse than expected they are now pulling out the big guns in how to turn a profit.

Artists are passionate people and what could be more passionate than getting married so I thought this acrylic on canvas board was a good fit for this art blog.  This naive painting “BALLOON WEDDING” is also available as Giclee Prints.

ARTIST FAN PAGE

If an ARTIST has a FAN page, facebook are requiring them to pay to have their status updates read by all their subscribers.  This is even though you have already “Liked” the page thus indicating that you would like to see their updates through your homepage regularly.  Instead the content we are currently posting goes through less than 10% of the news-feeds.  We used be able to post updates as messages but that function has been removed as has suggest pages to friends.

ARTISTS PAGES

However there is a way around this.  Go to your favorite Artists pages and hover over the button on the page where it says “LIKE” or “LIKED” and then make sure you are check marked to “show in news feed”.  This will not cost you anything nor the artist and you won’t miss updates from your favorite pages.

This week I have had several messages saying that none of my posts are coming through to my fans and friends as the same thing is also happening on our own profile pages.   With 3700 fans on my Naive Art by Marie Jonsson-Harrison and a further 2300 subscribers and over 5000 friends on my personal page (never mind 12000 followers all told on social media) I thought this strange to0.  It seems as Facebook is up to the same trick with our friends pages and trying to make you pay either by having a post highlighted, superliked,  announced or  promoted so that your friends will see it.

SUBSCRIBED TO ARTISTS OR PEOPLE IN GENERAL

So there is a way around this too.  Firstly go to the profile page of the person whose content you would like to see in your HOME page and then make sure you have subscribed to their post.   This is of course if they are not already one of your friends and are happy to have people subscribe to their content.  At the same time hover on the subscribed button and tick “all updates” and make sure the events are ticked as well such as status updates, photos, music & video.

FRIENDS NOT JUST ARTISTS

Finally the same thing is happening to you and your friends own profile pages.  At the moment Facebook is not putting your friends updates on your home page unless you have specifically asked for it.  So make sure you go to your friends profile pages and hover over the “FRIENDS” button and the dropdown list will come up – there make sure that “show in Newsfeed” is ticked.

What I find sad is that artists all create work because they have a passion; they want to make you FEEL.  Some artists like I would like to make you smile, brighten your day; make you forget your troubles for a little while, make you feel good about being alive and perhaps also make you think about something that you hadn’t thought of before.  Whether it is in regard to human condition the plight of animals, environmental or just a funny situation.

So come on EVERYBODY and support your favourite ARTISTS and brighten everybody’s day.

Here is a quote I like from the movie P.S. I Love You;

“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you,

Love Marie xxxx

So I hope this information was useful to you, however if you want to read something a bit more amusing, here is a link; 6. San Francisco Art Blog

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Today I thought I would continue the story about our recent cruise – if you have just joined me for the first time perhaps you would like to recap in these travel & art blogs “LEAVING SYDNEY HARBOR” and  “CRUISING ON THE PACIFIC JEWEL” first.

THE ART OF EXPLORATION

We first had 2 full days spent exploring every inch of the ship and I mean that literally every corridor the 6 of us like a big snake, lol.  You see we are all into exercise, the kids having grown up with a mother who jumps around like a mad woman first thing in the morning!  Luckily for me it spread to them and their partners are also on the same wave length.  So shorts and shoes on and off we went, through every one of the corridors on the ship from 4th deck to the 14^th, we went up and down stairs dodging the vacuum cleaners and staff as we went.  It was real fun and we had the giggles as we all probably looked like lunatics and took turns in being the leader and deciding the way.  When weather permitted we also went up on the top deck and did our rounds up there in the fresh air too.

THE ART OF NOT MISSING ANY MEALS

Just as well we kept that regime up as we certainly were lining up for breakfast, lunch and dinner even when we weren’t even hungry, but who can resist!  Kai’s girlfriend Sam who was still battling a touch of nausea made us laugh as immediately she sat down she would order “chips for the table” and then proceed to scoff them down to cure the seasickness.  Lol I never saw the table get even one chip and the rest of us would have to fight to get one too!  Not that we went without food either we all had 3 course meals for the most part – oh we lived like kings!

THE ART OF THE CORAL SEA

Anyway during these 2 days out at sea we had crossed the Northern part of the Tasman Sea that merges into the Coral Sea heading towards New Caledonia.  We passed south of the Capel Bank and continued North East across the Lord Howe Plateau and into the Basin de Nouvelle-Caledonie.  In the early morning of Saturday we made landfall and passed through the Boulari Passage, a gap in the coral reefs protecting New Caledonia, through Woodin Canal before anchoring off the Isle of Pines.

GICLEE PRINTS

We had brekky of course and got our tickets for the tender (which is the little boats that can take 100 or so passengers at a time across to the main land).  We were all a bit excited and looking forward to this new experience the Isle of Pines.  No secret of how it got its name, it is teeming with tall native pines as far as the eye can see which to us seemed a bit unusual for what is a tropical environment.  These pines are called Araucaria conifer trees and Captain Cook was the first European to discover the island and named it the Isle of Pines back in 1774.  The painting above is of Captain Cooks first voyage down-under and was a private commission in the style of “If I could turn back time” which was made into limited edition Giclee prints.  The original acrylic on canvas painting was used for the invitation and posters for my 1993 first solo exhibition in Japan.

MORE ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

The population of Isle of Pines is approximately 2000 with French and Kanak dialects as the language and the currency was the French Pacific Franc.  The people we met were warm and welcoming and after a little look around at the handy crafts and stalls we decided to take a tour to the main village where we thought we could find a restaurant and also look in some shops.  Lol it should have been a clue to us the puzzled faces of the driver and tour leader when we told them that we just wanted to get dropped in the middle of the town and do our own thing.  Because when we finally reached the town after twenty minutes on the bus there was no “town” to speak of.  What we found was a closed post office, one town hall, one church and maybe 10 houses all in all.  That would have been fun to wonder around in for hours, haha.  Anyway the tour itself was interesting and we followed that up with another tour for a swim in a Natural Aquarium.  I have to admit I didn’t get into the water the weather was just a touch chilly for me but the others did.  Sam was the first to put on the goggles and flippers and swam out to the middle of the lagoons crystal clear waters to inspect the underwater life.  Then she came up with a flash and screamed, warning everyone there was a rock full of snakes.  The boys of course had to go and check this out and found it was only clams, as they were closed their mouths looked like wriggly black snakes.  Although I am on Sam side here, they sure looked like snakes to me to when I saw the photo!  I still have a vivid memory of my own encounter of a sea snake in this art blog “HAPPY HOUR”.

Here is a quote by Leonardo da Vinci on the subject that I think fits perfectly here;

“Marriage is like putting your hand into a bag of snakes in the hope of pulling out an eel.”

Till next time till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

This acrylic on canvas board painting is called “Ice Skating in Central Park” and was inspired by our trip to New York a few years ago.  Here is the start of that story if you would like to recap in the paintings blog “I MISS NEW YORK”.

THE ART OF ICE-SKATING

We were in the mood for some ice skating and initially we went and had a look at the ice rink at the Rockefeller Centre but that was standing room only absolutely chockablock  full of people – not that we were planning for any laying down on the ice but you got to have some swing room right?

Perhaps that would have been the perfect place for me to skate as I have a bit of a history when it comes to ice skating.  Just to digress from New York for a moment my ice skating incident was in Melbourne some 10 or so years ago.

The kids and I had gone over there and stayed with friends and smarty pant “moi” thought I would show off a little bit.   I was born in Sweden after all and spent a lot of time skating as you do in a cold climate.  I had my own white skates when I was little and could do all the fancy spins and turns like a regular ice princess.  So I obviously thought that skating was just like riding a bike, never mind the decades that had passed in the meanwhile!

THE ART OF THE SHOW OFF

When we arrived there were some competition skaters practicing and I thought this would be my moment of glory to show off for the kids, so off I went and did my spins and turns like a prima ballerina and the kids were so impressed.  Oh mummy they said; “You are so good at it” and my head swelled even bigger as I copied the fancy turns of the practicing couple.  By now the kids accolades had completely gone to my head and I had thoughts of being asked to join a professional group for the winter Olympics or even a gold medal, the sky is the limit right?  I thought I would do some backward tricks next and that’s when I came undone – fell down HARD on my bum and broke my coccyx.

THE ART OF BEING A STAR

Yep that’s what happens when you get too big for your britches and think that you are a star; you land on your bum quick smart!

It was such a strange experience when I fell as suddenly even my hearing disappeared and it felt like I was enclosed in a glass case with the kids and all the other people outside, I could hear them talking to me and see them but all muffled and dreamlike.  Instead of glory I got 3 weeks of lying on a mattress watching telly instead, waiting for the pain to subside!  Note to self don’t be a show off!

So back to New York and this time the kids and I went skating in Central Park, to the same place where they filmed Serendipity, no showing off this time and we all stayed on our feet and afterwards enjoyed some hot chocolate.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

I really wasn’t prepared for the size of Central Park, it is so big.  We were there during December so there was lots of snow on the ground and most of the trees had lost their leaves.  Another time it would be lovely to visit when it is all green too.  We also enjoyed a horse drawn carriage around the park which was lots of fun and of course reminded us of Kramer and Seinfeld.  Lots of images for artworks and Artworks blogs, how to fit in making all the sculptures and paintings?

Here is a Danish proverb I think fits here

“Bad is never good until worse happens.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all and maybe skating,

Love Marie xxx   (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

I have always loved quotations, clever things people have said over the years that resonate with me.  They feel like a painting put into words, much like a poem with music or for that matter the perfume of flowers – yes and of course I have a painting that fits right here called “Potted Perfume”.

QUOTATIONS AN INSPIRATIONS FOR ARTWORKS

I have often used quotations as the titles of my artwork.  Such as “It’s too late to turn back now”,  or “You and me and baby makes three” or “The grass is always greener on the other side”.

I find quotes are inspirational, funny and wise and it turns out that so many people over the years were so clever with the things they said.

THE ART OF BEING OSCAR WILDE

One of my favorites is the Wit and Wisdom of Oscar Wilde an Irish writer and poet who lived from 1854 until the 1900 and become one of London’s most popular playwrights in the early 1890’s.  I am sure you have heard of his novel “The picture of Dorian Gray” which was made into a movie of the same name about a corrupt young man who somehow keeps his youthful beauty, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.  Another piece of his writing that you may be familiar with is his play “The Importance of Being Earnest” which still today plays around the world somewhere.  Oscar Wilde lived up to his name and was known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversation and truly was one of the most well-known personalities of his day.

Some of my favourite quotations from Oscar is “I always pass on good advice.  It is the only thing to do with it.  It is never of any use to oneself” and “I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability” and one thing which I am trying to avoid with all my might is “Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one’s mistakes”.

My daughter Hillivi sent this to me the author is unknown but it so speaks volumes;

Your car is German. Your vodka is Russian. Your pizza is Italian. Your vegetables are Spanish. Your kebab is Turkish. Your democracy is Greek. Your coffee is Brazilian. Your tobacco is Macedonian. Your tea is Indian. Your shirt is Chinese. Your oil is Saudi Arabian. Your electronics are Korean. Your movies are English. Your mini-series are American. Your numbers Arabic, your letters Latin. And you complain that your neighbor is an immigrant? Pull yourself together!

The way I live my life is always with the attitude that the “Cup is half full” so here are a few more for you to contemplate.  Of course they really do cross over from one category to another too.

This work “Last Supper” is one that I have painted in acrylic and also done in ceramics and mosaic and as today’s topic for my art blog touches on the history of mosaic I thought this work would be a good one to feature.

MOSAIC HISTORY

The History of Mosaic seems to begin in the ancient near east, with some of the earliest known pieces made with pebbles of contrasting colors, coming from Greece.

It was the Romans however who really developed the art of mosaic.

The first most intricate mosaic from Pompeii was made in small panels, many of which have survived the volcanic eruptions of Mt Vesuvius.  This year I was very fortunate to actually visit Italy and go and see this amazing site for myself.  Pompeii is truly remarkable and a real lesson in history, that’s for sure.

Mosaics have been used as a decorative medium on walls and columns for nearly 5000 years.

After the renaissance, the art of mosaics went into decline, but was revived in the mid 19th century.

But even before mosaic became popular, man was creating images in clay from almost the beginning of his existence.

ARTISTIC DRIVE

Sometimes the pieces were used for everyday purposes and other times just as a means of expressing his own artistic drive.

Either way it was the tactile quality of the clay that allowed the artist to combine from and texture and feelings to produce work that can be appreciated whether it was made 10000 years ago or last week.

It was in the 50s and 60s that form and function were really challenged by modern potters, experimenting with avant-gard work.

Funky pottery and individual approaches which now frees the artists own creativity and self expression.

I do believe that every human is artistic; it may just take a little time to find the medium that suits the individual.

I wish you all the best on your creative journey, whether it is purely for pleasure or profit or both.

Put your heart and soul into it , develop your passions, work hard and stay focused.

Don’t worry about setbacks, every one has them, believe in yourself and most of all enjoy creating and dreaming.

If you are passionate about your work and love doing it, then there can be no greater high, I believe.

When I had finished my first ever artwork (36. How it all began)my father bought me a set of acrylic paints and brushes as well as made me a painting case with the words “Dream on, because dreams are what art is made of” and darling dad – I couldn’t agree more.

Till next time happy painting, sculpting and mosaicing,

Love Marie xxx  (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

This acrylic painting is called the Pie Cart and I have also made a similar one in ceramic and mosaic as a commission that hung at the Adelaide Airport.  Perhaps you also have some pie carts in your town?

Here in Adelaide we have had them since 1870 in Norwood and later in the city, at one stage there were 13 of them around town.   My memory of them does not stretch that far lol, but I do remember one on Franklin Street and the other in front of the Adelaide rail way station.

THE ART OF THE PIE CART

A Pie Cart is a caravan or trailer with a window along one side where you can sit and eat, although most people stand and eat, perhaps that is because you want to test yourself, to see if you still can.  Well that is because the pie cart is usually the place to go late at night after too many drinks, when you start to get hungry and need a little help to sober up.  Of course I had to paint from experience as usual – you know I had to stay up till 2am in the morning, have too much to drink and really gage the atmosphere right?  All in the name of research of course, suffering all the way!

THE ART OF THE TECHNI-COLORED YAWN

Not that they sell too much that I could eat there anyway being a vegetarian and all.  The menu consists mainly of pies (funny about that) they did sell hot chips which I could eat and pea soup.  Speaking of which, pea soup that is, as you can see above not all people like it – or is that a reflection of too much to drink.  Here in Australia we call that a Techni-colored  yawn. LOL.  If it also looks as if someone has Casino chips and throwing money around on the painting that is because our Casino is in the same building as the Railway Station in Adelaide.

Then there was Beef pie, Camel pie, Chicken and Vegetable Pie, Chilli Steak Pie, Egg, Bacon and Tomato Pie, Lamb Pie, Steak and Kidney Pie, Roo Pie, Tuna and Vegetable Pie, also ice coffees and soft drinks as well as hot tea and coffee, donuts and some cakes.  I do have a distant memory of scoffing down a vanilla slice early in the morning way before I even had my painting research to blame that on! I am reliably informed that more recently they were also offering vegetarian pasties, spinach and fetta triangles, but the most famous of all their dishes were the Pie Floater.

THE ART OF THE CONDIMENTS

So what is that I hear you ask, well self explanatory really, a bowl of soup with a pie in the middle, often served with tomato sauce on top, you can also add other condiments such as Worcestershire sauce or vinegar.  We actually have it every Australia Day now at home, my hubby makes a great vego version with a vego pie and it is delicious.  As the Pie Floater was recognized as a South Australian Heritage Icon in 2003 by the National Trust of Australia we think it is fitting to serve it when we have overseas visitors too.  You know a bit of Aussie fun and so far it has always been a big hit.

There are 2 trains of thought how the pie floater was originally created.  One story takes it back to the Great Depression, whereby pie manufacturers would donate their left-overs to soup kitchens, who in turn would add the pie to their soups to make the meals for the homeless more substantial.

The other thought goes back even longer than that – 130 years no less as early records held by the South Australian National Trust puts the Pie Floaters origin in Port Pirie where a man named Ern “Shorty” Bradley ate one.  It is not known if it was his intention to put the pie in the soup or perhaps he dropped it into the bowl by accident, no one really knows.  But I am glad he did.

ARTISTS WHO LOVE IT

Famous people who love the Pie Floater are Joe Cocker, Billy Connolly, Nigel Mansell, Shane Warne and Angus Young from one of my favorite bands AC/DC.

Here is a Jewish Proverb by that I think fits well here;

“Worries go down better with soup”.

Although perhaps this quote by Robert Byrne hits the mark a bit more;

“Anybody who believes that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach flunked geography.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and eating to you all,

Love Marie xxx  (c)

If you liked this food and art blog you may also enjoy this one; 83 Art & Are you fond of Fondue

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/133-pie-floater/feed/ 0 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/132-age-is-just-a-state-of-mind/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/132-age-is-just-a-state-of-mind/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:15:20 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=3336 PUBLIC SCULPTURE

This artwork “Our Richest Treasures” made from handmade ceramic and mosaic is part of a public sculpture called the Federation Gateway Sculpture at the entrance to Balaklava a town in the Mid North, South Australia and celebrates the senior citizens which are among our richest treasures.   Here is some links to more about this Public Sculpture; 109 Stories behind the Wall and 121 Volunteers our Backbone

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC

The 1901 wall depict 9 separate stories and the 2001 wall tells another 8 stories of both ordinary and famous people who have connections with our district.  Their tales are told in pictures and words with my hand-made ceramic tiles surrounded by mosaic and the words which has been etched on aluminium plaque.

THE ART OF A SENIOR CITIZEN

As the Australian Government announced recently that they are going to pay employers a bonus for hiring and retaining older workers I thought this artwork of Mrs. Clare Bowers was topical for my blog this week. (More on Clare later).

The plan is to pay a $1000 bonus to employers that recruit workers aged 50 years or over for more than three months and the government are also extending programs that provide support  to employers who promote older workers and will put more funds toward career advice services and also education for mature workers.

I am one of these people that think that age is just a state of mind and the thought that there is that age discrimination in the workplace is just ridiculous.  A good mix of young and old and people from all different cultures and ways of life is the key.  You need young people who can look at a task or problem with fresh eyes and ideas and also the older person with life experience and some mileage under their belt to provide a balance in most work areas.

That said my first occupation as a Fashion Model was a very youth oriented profession, although I have looked on with amusement as there has been quite a movement there too into the older woman who still looks great. To me it does make a lot of sense to have the clothes that are aimed at the more mature bracket modelled by the women that are actually going to wear them.

THE ART OF STAYING YOUNG

From my observation it all started by Lauren Hutton being retained by Revlon during the 80’s and 90’s and then followed by the likes of Elle MacPherson, Christie Brinkley and Jerry Hall.  In the last couple of years the Couger trend has really caught on and the oldest model rumoured to be hitting the catwalk is Carmen Dell’Orefice who at 79 still looks fantastic (with a little help I presume).

Mia Freedman from Mama Mia said recently “ As far as I can tell, there are only two ages for female celebrities: Dame Judi Dench and 30. At Dame Judi’s end, it’s pretty lonely. Just her and Betty White. At the other end, it’s gridlock with everyone from Courtney Cox, 47, to Lindsay Lohan, 26, visually colliding at the age of 30.

This is weird. Especially when – like me – you fall into the twilight zone between 30 and Betty White.”

Mia does have a point and she is not suggesting that we stop dying our hair, fight wrinkles and go without makeup but she does go on to say that there is a time when you go from looking amazing for your age to looking a little weird and then seriously weird, lol.

These days the designers in New York and Paris are getting on the band wagon and hiring the older birds, much to the audiences delight who laughed,  clapped and chatted  throughout the shows which is not always the norm at these events.

THE ART OF AGING GRACEFULLY OR NOT

What has made me cross in the last couple of months though is the flack that both Demi Moore and Madonna have been getting from some reporters.  In this day and age when so many of us are careful about what we eat and stay fit and healthy.  Why shouldn’t Madonna be up there on stage for the release of her new album, dancing as if her pants were on fire!  She is probably fitter now than ever, looks great and sounds great.  Maybe there is something in the saying; “ that you are only as old as the man you feel.”

Madonna had the last laugh though as her album has shot up the hits list and went straight to number one.  MDNA is Madonnas 12^th album to top the chart, beating Elvis Presley’s record which stands at 11.  So obviously she still resonates with both the young and the older demographic.  Demi Moores story on the other hand has been a little sad as we have watched her desperate attempt to keep up with her daughter and her young friends through a haze of alcohol and drugs after her very public breakup from her much younger man.

I would be the last person to cast a stone her way as I still love to party – if there is music playing I will still dance till the sun comes up and partake in a drink or two.

THE ART OF GROWING UP

Chili Davis quote “Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional”, which brings me back to this Centenary of Federation Sculpture and Clare Bowers.

When Clare was eighty years old she was most interested to see the silos being built in her home town of Balaklava.  So on one of her shopping trips she asked one of the builders if it was possible to go to the top of the silo.  The arrangements were made and at 5pm on the allotted day the residents to the local old folks home where Clare lived, were ushered outside to a prime viewing spot on the footpath.  They were all very surprised to see Clare hoisted to the top of the silo in a safety cage.

Clare certainly had a zest for life and at the age of eighty-seven she again soared to great heights, this time as the eldest passenger of the Balaklava Gliding Club.

I think these quote fits well here the first one by Judith Regan;

“The key to successful aging is to pay as little attention to it as possible”

And the second from Henry David Thoreau who said;

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm”.

Till next time  happy painting and sculpting and staying alive to you all,

Love Marie xxxx   (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/132-age-is-just-a-state-of-mind/feed/ 1 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/127-easter-2012-and-animated-paintings/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/127-easter-2012-and-animated-paintings/#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:56:22 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=3257 ARTIST WEBSITE

So it’s the week of Easter and this year my Easter surprise was that my website crashed for 4 days!!  Apologies are in order to those of you who tried to unsuccessfully access it, nice to know that it was due to a lot of traffic, so thank you.

EASTER AND ANIMATION

Anyway the story this week is of course about Easter and this will be our third one here by the sea, time flies when you are having fun.  The animated painting is of course a scene from my background as a Swede and the Swedish Easter painting is animated and set to music by my friend Susan Flashman.  I can sense the confusion on your faces as to what witches has to do with Easter so here is the story about that.

COMMISSIONED PAINTINGS

We Swedes are weird, you know in a nice way, and it wasn’t until we immigrated to Australia that I realized that fact.     I was originally commissioned to paint a Easter painting by my American gallery a few years ago.  The owner like me is Swedish and I had free reign to paint whatever I choose as long as it was to do with Easter.

Notice something strange about it, what’s with all the witches on broomsticks I hear you say?  Well that’s perfectly normal – no little cute bunnies for us Swedes, no we have witches flying around and flying off to Blakulla (the Blue Mountain) to meet the man downstairs, you know who I mean!  I think the animation and the naive painting really suits Halloween too.

THE ART OF EASTER

When I was little in Sweden we would dress up as Easter witches, raid mums or grandma’s wardrobe for long skirts.  We wore colorful head scarves and painted our cheeks red, and then we would go from house to house in our neighborhood and knock on every door and be given lollies and sometimes fruit.  Much like the Americans do for Halloween.

PAINTING BOILED EGGS

We would also spend a day painting boiled eggs which would later be eaten during the Easter celebration together with a smorgasbord feast.  We would go and pick small branches and twigs of willow and birch (the ones with lots of soft little fury buds, so cute!) and then we would decorate it with feathers and small witches on broomsticks and other decorations much like a little Christmas tree.  Every Swedish household would have a vase of these on the table.

ORIGINAL PAINTING

The original painting was framed with the Easter eggs on the side.  Yes we would receive an Easter egg too but not one made from chocolate, instead it was made from cardboard with bright pictures on it or from plastic and usually filled to the brim with lollies and chocolates.

But of course mine was a bit different, always being the eccentric (oh yes I do admit that).  So what do you think mine was filled with, something really yummy, that I could not usually eat as much of as I would like of course….a jar of peanut butter that’s what.  Weird kid, weird Swedish kid!

This quote by Matt Lauer made me laugh today:

“Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can’t remember what they are.”

Hope you are enjoying your chocolates!

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie xxx

If you enjoyed this one you may also like another art blog on  Swedish customs 113 Art & Swedish Traditions, Another weird one

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Alf Traeger, “Wiring the shed to the farm house seemed a natural step to take for an inventive ten year old boy living on a farm opposite the Dalkey cemetery.  He never dreamed that these early tinkering would be so vital to a nation.  By 1927 Alf Traegar had invented the pedal wireless, enabling isolated outback Australians to communicate; making the flying Doctor a reality and educating thousands of youngsters through the School of the Air.”

The above paragraph is what is written on a plaque next to this ceramic and mosaic panel which is part of the Centenary of Federation Gateway Sculpture situated in Balaklava, South Australia.  If you would like to recap and see & read more about this sculpture use these links for the art blogs; “Stories behind the Wall”. & “Volunteers our backbone “

ARTISTIC VISION

According to Alf Traeger’s stepdaughter Glenda Shepherd who still lives in Balaklava where Alf grew up, after moving there from Victoria.  He was very interested from an early age in anything mechanical and surprised the whole family by building a telephone line from his house to a shed on the property some fifty meters away, at that time 1907 he was only twelve.  He had used a pitchfork as a magnet for the telephone, the diaphragms were the tops of tobacco tins and to make the microphone carbon granules he used pieces of charcoal from the stove.   Alf went on to do a mechanical & electrical engineering course and set up a small electrical business making generators and radio transmitters.  In 1925 Alf met Padre John Flynn who traveled extensively in the outback of Australia and his dream was to be able to bring medical help where ever it was needed.  His vision was a communication system that would be able to bring “Flying Doctors” to the outback.  So Alf started working on this idea and after thee years of experimenting Alf was able to produce the “Pedal Wireless”.

PEDDLING ARTIST

I was actually very fortunate to have tried out this contraption myself many years ago.  You see very close friends of ours Bill & Lorna Wilson who at one stage were the largest landowners in the Southern Hemisphere had the “Pedal Wireless” both at Frome Downs Station and Werocata in Balaklava.  The original one was battery driven but that proved costly and unreliable so therefore the pedals from a bicycle was added.  So you could sit on this contraption and peddle with the legs and the hands could tap out the message by Morse code.  Alf set up a “mother station” in Cloncurry and then installed 6 smaller “baby sets” in cattle stations and at Birdsville Hospital.  The first message was from Augustus Downs station some 300 km away but the “pedal wireless” could send and receive messages at least 800 km away.

As the Morse code was a bit tedious Alf designed a keyboard in 1931 and later it was replaced by voice.  Now the isolated people of the outback were able to reach out for help and receive a diagnosis to their ailments and immediate instruction in first aid if that was needed.

THE ART OF THE FLYING DOCTOR

From this initiative Alf was able to help John Flynn with the first Flying Doctor service called Aerial Medical Service which started in 1928 came into its own with the “pedal wireless” in 1929 and slowly found its feet.  Qantas supplied  them  with their first aircraft and in 1942 the service changed its name to the Flying Doctors Service, later on in 1955 added the Royal to the name; Royal Flying Doctors Service.

The “Pedal Wireless” also was instrumental in facilitating the long distance learning the kids of the outback enjoyed with School of the Air which started in 1951.  This meant that the school age children did not have to go away to boarding school but could be taught by teachers from far away.

So thank you very much Alfred Traeger, you did good!

So here is a quote I think fits well here by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg;

“Everyone is a genius at least once a year.  The real geniuses simply have their bright Ideas closer together”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx   (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

That is the name of my new YouTube Channel “Art and Music with Marie”, and I have just uploaded another installment of paintings and indie music in conjunction with the fabulous singer/songwriter James Abberley.

This time the song is called “Ghost” and I actually like it even better than “I’ll be a Bird” if that’s possible.

I find that the melody to Ghost just stays in my mind for hours after I have heard it and I hope that all of you like it too, as well as the paintings, sculptures, prints and public sculptures that the images shows too of course.

James Abberley says that “Ghost is a very dark song.  I wanted it to be confronting but still relevant.  Sometimes we can end up in a place that we never wanted to be in.  Sometimes you can feel like a Ghost, but there is always love and there is always someone that can see you.”

This song is also from the new album called “Some kind of Relief” and in the Indie genre as he is becoming known for and if you would like to find out more about James go to this link and have a little read.  Indie Music & James Abberley.  Also if you are in Adelaide, do not forget to catch up with James every Friday night in the front bar of the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, known just as the Gov to us locals.

ART ON YOUTUBE

I had made a couple of Youtube video clips before which also featured our two dogs Cheech and Vegas whilst we still lived at the farm and we dressed them up in all sorts of doggy clothes and put the photos in between the artwork, as I told you before you have to be a little bit crazy to be an artist!

ART AND SOCIAL NETWORKING

The new changes to YouTube, means that you can personalize the look of your YouTube site and create the feel that you want.  They have also included a new “feed” to make it more interactive as well, something I think may have been inspired by Face book.   It seems to me that a lot of the Social Networking sites are rolling out new changes at the moment, and just as quickly there are groups that form who are against that, just check out all the “I hate the changes to Face book” groups.   As someone who has only in the last couple of years learned the ropes so to speak, any new changes always take a little time to get used too.  However I read somewhere that Cyberspace is the only place in modern culture there should be nothing BUT change, it is necessary to keep the innovation alive.  So hey we better get used to it!

ART AND COMPUTERS

The younger generation take to it like ducks to water and if you Google to find some advice half the time it will be a 6 year old, lol well maybe a 10 year old that is doing the tutorial on how to use a certain function.  It reminds me of what Dolly Parton said about computers “Truth is, I wouldn’t know a gigabyte from a snakebite”, lol but she can afford to employ someone to do all the computer work for her it’s the rest of us that have to try to keep up.  I like my new telephone, my computer works just fine, my calculator is perfect, but Lord, I miss my mind!

So if you just like me need some time out and just chill why don’t you pour yourself a nice glass of wine click on my new YouTube contribution and relax with James and I.

So here is a quote just in case wine is not your drink of choice by an unknown author;

“Take life with a grain of salt, a slice of lime, and a shot of tequila.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

THE ART OF THE SMORGASBORD

This story really starts here in this art blog 62. Christmas Again & Art !!!! where we have been doing some mad dancing and other festivities.   After all these goings on we have a little drink and a break before the massive Smorgasbord eating session begins which has been prepared by my father and mother and no doubt taken them days.

The table is laden with Swedish treats; gravadlax, smoked salmon, smoked ham, meatballs, smoked sausages, omelet, sauces, salads and a wide variety of breads from a dense rye to crispbreads.

As you can see we are all gutses…

This is a section of an artwork called “Over the teeth around the gums, look out stomach here it comes” Mosaic and Ceramic

However this too is done in its own traditional way because before we tackle the smorgasbord proper we have to eat the salted herring, boiled potatoes and beetroot salad.  Now you can’t actually eat this until you have filled a small glass with brännvin (we use vodka) which has been in the freezer for days.  It does not ever freeze just is icy cold and stops any yucky taste.

ART OF THE SCHNAPPS

Firstly we load the fork up with the herring etc, and then we raise the schnapps glass and sing ” Helan Gar” (Old Swedish drinking song about, having to drink the whole one (as in shot the glass) then you don’t get to have Halvan (the other half left in the glass etc) So we sing this all the way through and then raise the glasses and shot the schnapps and then quickly eat the loaded forks contents before the whole saga starts again.

So now you know where the drunken Swedes gets it from, it’s all Santa’s fault!   Traditionally the women folk try to calm the drinking a bit by hanging on the last note of the song …tral lalalalalalalalala………………….. to make the men wait just a little bit longer for that schnapps.  By now I imagine you think we are all falling off our chairs in a drunken stupor in the Jonsson-Harrison household but oh no, you have to pace yourself and the filling of the glasses slows down to just a little sip in the bottom of it before we tackle the rest of the food.  See by now you understand where all these painting ideas of mine come from, no?

Meanwhile the kids are all asking when we are going to finish with the eating and drinking and when is Santa coming, not that you can blame them.

MORE ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

So the time has finally come and of course my father then suddenly has forgotten to buy the newspaper and has to go down the street and do that.  Typical, right in the middle of the festivities and you think he would learn don’t you because every damn time he goes out to get that newspaper Santa arrives and he always misses the whole thing!

Yes you heard right Santa actually comes to the house all dressed in red, big beard and very rosy cheeks, some years he is actually a little worse for wear,lol  or has forgotten his glasses and has to enlist the children in the giving out of the presents.  After which there will be coffee and desserts and then everyone is usually so tired and no wonder because the time would be getting close to midnight by this stage.  So that concludes the Swedish part of our Australian Christmas and then another time I will have to tell you about what happens the next day the 25^th which is the Australian Christmas and celebrated usually with my husband’s family.

Here is another joke from the website Funniest Christmas Jokes that tickled my fancy,

Jennifer was a pretty 18 year old girl.  In the week before Christmas she sauntered up to the curtain counter, and was trying to decide which of the many types of tinsel she would buy.  Finally, she made her choice and asked the spotty youth who was manning the fabric section.  ‘How much is this gold tinsel garland’.

The spotty youth pointed to the Christmas mistletoe above the counter and said, ‘This week we have a special offer, just one kiss per metre’.

‘Wow, that’s great’, said Jennifer, ‘I’ll take 12 metres’.

With expectation and anticipation written all over his face, the boy measured out the tinsel, wrapped up the garland, and gave it to Jennifer.

She then called to an old man who had been browsing through the Christmas trees and said, ‘My Grandpa will settle the bill.’

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie xxxx     (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

I had been painting for about 5 years when my gallery in Melbourne called me to let me know that a scout for a Japanese gallery had been in to see them and were very interested in showing my artwork in Nagoya.

This painting depicts my Qantas flight over to Nagoya in Japan for my first exhibition, however there was a lot of I’s to be dotted and t’s to be crossed before that first trip.  You see the Japanese do not do things by half and it took more than six months before that first contract was signed.

So in the meantime I lived on hope, as during both my days as a model and then in the art business I have come to know that you win some and you lose some, and I didn’t know which category this was going to fall into.

Firstly I had to send pictures of my artwork to Japan, price lists, mediums and sizes etc, and then they wanted to see some of the actual paintings in real life so a couple of paintings had to be sent over to Nagoya.  Then there was lots of to-ing and fro-ing about the price I was to receive for each art work and the commission for the art gallery in Melbourne.

Eventually a representative from the gallery in Japan flew to Melbourne and they flew me from Adelaide for the final meeting and signing of the contract, which was held at the Melbourne gallery who were my agent in this new art venture.

ART & KIDS

I took one of my dearest friends Christina with me as well as my two kids, Kai and Hillivi.  So off we go; Miss Hillivi my daughter  was 2 years  old at the time and had just sat down in her seat on the plane and fastened the seatbelt before she threw up all over herself, (there are quite a few stories like that with little Miss Hillivi) luckily I had Christina there to help me out.

I do know that first impressions are really important and thought my chances with the Japanese would not be enhanced by being covered in baby spew, so by now I was getting a bit worried.

ART MEETING

The problem was we had to go virtually straight from the plane to the Japanese meeting, as typically the plane was delayed.  However as one door closes another one opened and I ran into an acquaintance on the plane that said we should come to his hotel and get changed.  Saved by the man on a white horse so to speak as both I and Hillivi did not smell so good by this stage(brave man), so that offer came in very handy.

Then there was another small problem with taxis.   Here in Australia you have to have children in seatbelts and in booster chairs when travelling if the child is under 7 and of course, I had not thought of that.( I am normally very safety conscious but tell me how you get around in a new city with kids and no car.)

We eventually found a taxi driver to take us (although we had to duck in the backseat all the way) and surprisingly enough still made it to the meeting on time.  Christina, bless her cotton socks amused the kids in a café down the road whilst I against all odds and with nothing left but hope finally had that contract signed and sealed.

If you would like to know what happened on my first trip to Nagoya to attend my art exhibition there here is a link;  64. Flying to Japan (continuation of Signing the Contract)

So here is a saying from Lu Xun (writer) that I think fits rather well here.

“Hope can neither be affirmed nor denied.  Hope is like a path in the countryside:  Originally there was no path-yet, as people are walking all the time in the same spot, a way appears.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting!

Love Marie  xxx                                               (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

I must be very fascinated by teeth I think, as I always paint the big broad grins in all my paintings and sculptures, or is it that I want the whole world to be happy and gay the Laxit way! (to borrow from an old Australian commercial)

As you can see in the snippets of these artworks lots of teeth are the go.  So it goes without saying then that I have another couple of stories up my sleeve about teeth.

If you want to see the whole of this sculpture “If you remember the sixties you weren’t there” and read the art blog here is a link 10. If You Remember The Sixties, You Weren’t There, ART

ART INSPIRATIONS – OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES

When my adult teeth came along as they do round about 7 years of age I had a gap in between my front teeth, everyone said that it looked charming (but I don’t think I ever believed them)

So during my modeling years I would if the job called for, wear like a little gadget that fitted over the front teeth and made them look straight from Hollywood so to speak.

However eventually in my early thirties I decided that with the inevitable wrinkles about to land on me, perhaps it was time to finally have perfect teeth.

And so it was and they were very nice, until my daughter was around 4 years old, suddenly whilst eating a sandwich, I felt that there was something else floating about my mouth and it was not part of the sandwich filling!

Off to the bathroom mirror I went and shock and horror, one of the caps of my front tooth had come off.  Now I do not have to describe that to you, how I looked was not a pretty sight.

So I rang the dentist and had an appointment to get it fixed the next day, thank god.

However in the meantime life had to go on at home and the kids came home from school and kindy and I greeted them with one hand held firmly over my mouth.

Kai my son took it all in his stride but baby girl Hillivi, who would never accept the word NO, did not give up and asked me at every turn, to take my hand away and show her my mouth and the missing tooth.

She nagged and nagged me all day until bed time and then she said ever so sweetly as only a little 4 year old girl can do “Mummy I love you so very much and I don’t care what you look like I will love you anyway, and you are my beautiful queen, so don’t worry and just show me”

So how could I resist such comforting words and her sweetness got the better of me and I did show her very quickly.   She took a good look with her eyes as big as saucers and then she said “Oh mummy I still love you, my darling little WITCHY POO!”  Out of the mouth of babes, right?  (Where had the beautiful queen gone now, I wondered, lol?)

SCULPTURE & ART BLOGS

The above detail is from the ceramic and mosaic wall-based sculpture; “Apple juice is fine but we rather have a wine” – (Adam & Eve) If you fancy seeing my artworks of Adam & Steve as well as the art blogs, here is a couple of links; 14. Adam & Steve 2 Sculpture and 35. The First Adam and Steve Artwork

MORE PAINTING IDEAS

Another friend of mine, a lovely lady just told me her tooth story and it goes something like this.

She was 11 years old at the time and playing netball (a game similar to basketball) when she fell over and broke all of her front teeth and consequently had to have false teeth made and fitted.

Some time passed and then one day at school, those pesky teeth fell out of her mouth and broke and of course she did not want any of the boys to see her with no teeth, so even though they were broken she put them back in.

But the story does not end there, she finally got home from school and sat down to have her dinner, and you guessed it, she swallowed them!  Off to the hospital it is with the parents in tow for x-rays and the medical staff could not believe that this child had actually swallowed her false teeth until they saw the evidence before them!

So to all of you who now feel terribly worried, fear not I say and keep these words of wisdom from Benjamin Franklin (statesman) in mind.

“Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen.  Keep in the sunlight.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Wow had an awesome night and got to bed at 3.30 am a little worse for wear!  So today I have to use my face as the canvas and paint on a pretty face not in my normal naive art style though!

Last night was the Model Reunion for one of the modeling agents in town and even though I was a” ring in” (I modeled for the opposition at the time) I still had a great night.

One thing that we all commented on was that’ back in the day’ it was not a bitchy profession and most girls actually had each other’s backs covered and all got on really well. Which is why I felt quite comfortable being in the ’oppositions camp’ as it were!

This painting the’ Golden Years of Modeling’, was auctioned off on the night and I was delighted to see vigorous bidding for it, even nicer was the fact that it was bought by Sue; someone I used to model with and have not seen for maybe 20 years or so.

Sue was working at the time for a manufacturing agent called Saville Row where they designed men’s shirts and also handled a few other ranges of women’s clothes and they hired me to be the in house model/receptionist a job I shared with her.

At the time it was my first modeling job at 17 years old and I was in awe of Sue who was a couple of years older than me and very sophisticated and gorgeous. So I was really thrilled to see that my artwork will be hanging on her wall and I hope it will bring back great memories and amuse her whenever she looks at the painting.

The night was full of models, photographers, agents, journalists and advertising people some still in the business and others long ago retired.

ART IN A NATURAL WAY

I did expect to see a lot of ‘trout pouts’ but am happy to report that most of the beautiful people were still beautiful in a natural way, there may have been a tuck here or there but nothing obvious.

We had all gotten older though and some had put on a few pounds but everyone that turned up, were still gorgeous and several could still give the new girls a run for their money if they hit the catwalk.

We giggled and laughed and reminisced, drank champagne and wines, ate canapés.  The night was handled superbly by Jane Reilly from Channel 10, and there was even a 35 minute DVD of photographs and old commercials which brought back memories.  Jane and I initially met many moons ago in the Beach Girl Quest long before I was an artist.

There was loud cheering and whistling by some of the models children when they saw their mothers strut her stuff in a segment of the Rocky Horror Show, they were so proud, whilst their father tried to quiet them down.  All in all a very fun night!

We had good intentions to catch the last train home at 12pm but guess we missed that by a long shot, so taxi it was.

MORE ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

As it turned out it was a very nice ride home, our taxi driver was a turban wearing Indian sheikh a lovely chap and we chatted all the way home.

He was going home to get married in December to a girl arranged for him by his parents which is their custom.

We got on so well he actually invited us to the wedding and even offered us a place to stay.  The wedding is in the north of India in the Punjab area and takes place over several days.  The first day there will be 500 guests and the second day 800 are coming (so I guess 2 more will make little difference he thought.)

My son pointed out when I told him that no wonder there are so many coming if he invites every Tom, Dick and Harry that goes in his cab to the ceremony, lol

So perhaps this saying should be something for us all to consider by Pythagoras (philosopher)

“The oldest, shortest words-“yes” and “no”- are those which require the most thought.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all.

Love Marie  xx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/50-not-a-trout-pout-in-sight/feed/ 1