Kirsten Bailey: Art

My latest work is an acrylic on canvas, the first I’ve done since completing a commission last year.  It’s taken me a few weeks to finish, because I just didn’t want to let it go – I kept adding more and more detail.  I finally put the finishing touches on it today.  I’ve titled it “A Winter Memory”.

In other news, my painting “Persistent Illusion” has been featured on the blog Pardalote Flits.  You may remember I was paired up with Michelle from Pardalote in our most recent DUST swap.  Her hand-beaded jewellery is gorgeous and I’m honoured to be featured on her blog!
I’d love to hear some feedback on my latest painting

Tweet This Post

As promised (OK, a little later than promised, but still!) here’s my step-by-step for the creation of my latest painting, “Brave”.

Step 1 - OK I probably didn't need to show you this - the blank page. I've started using watercolour blocks instead of pads or loose sheets, and they're great! You dont' have to tape them down at all.

Step 2: Using masking fluid, I masked off the edge of the paper and created three separate panels.

Step 3 - Colour washes for the background. Here I've done the first two. I tried to give a feeling of the day passing - using the colours of sunrise, midday and twilight.

Step 4: As I wanted to convey the idea of the same tree and bird changing over time, I wanted my tree to look the same in each panel. I usually paint my trees freeform, without sketching them first. This time, I sketched a tree in pencil first, and transferred it to the 3 panels so each would be the same.

Tweet This Post

I remember when I was a kid there was an empty field (we called it “the bush” even though there were hardly any trees), where we used to love to go exploring.  One Spring the field was filled with Queen Anne’s Lace, and to my young eyes it was an amazing sight.  I gathered up armfuls of the beautiful flowers to take home to Mum – who was slightly less than impressed, and explained to me that they were weeds

I still love the simple beauty of Queen Anne’s Lace, and last weekend was inspired by the memory to create this painting:

I had a browse around Etsy for Queen Anne’s Lace themed items, and was amazed at how many beautiful things I saw!  It was really difficult to narrow it down to a few items for this week’s Saturday Selections.  Here’s what I came up with:

First up is this gorgeous Teal Green Queen Anne’s Lace Jersey Scarf by Papavier.  It looks so soft and cuddly and I love the asymmetrical design.

What better to pair such a gorgeous scarf with than this Ecofriendly Hemp Bag featuring Queen Anne’s Lace by Uzura?  The colour matches beautifully, and I love the contrast of the dark Queen Anne’s Lace on this bag compared to the light design on the scarf.  It’s eco-friendly and big enough to fit all your bits and pieces in, and maybe a bit of shopping too – perfect for taking to a handmade market!

I knew I wanted to include a pendant in this post, and there were so many beautiful ones to pick from on Etsy that I agonized over my choice for a while.  In the end, I was won over by this amazing Engraved Queen Anne’s Lace locket by Star Creations.  The detail is just incredible and I love the little bird’s nest.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane   Try doing a search for “Queen Anne’s Lace” on Etsy – there really are hundreds of beautiful things to find – and don’t forget to check out the stores of the lovely people I’ve featured today.  Have a great weekend!

Tweet This Post

It’s been a great weekend for me art-wise!

Yesterday I presented a talk and tutorial to the lovely ladies of the Springfield Lakes Art Group.  I demonstrated some of my watercolour techniques to them, and talked a little about my keepsake boxes and promoting art with Etsy.  I was really nervous but had a great time.

This is the painting I did as part of my demonstration:

Today I  finished and delivered the commissioned piece I was working on for a dear friend of mine.  It was very satisfying to see it finally hanging on the wall:

As one door closes, another opens they say – well, as I completed this commission, I received a new one – a customer wants a personalised painting similar to a painting I sold titled “When it is Dark Enough”.  I look forward to the challenge of creating a piece she’ll enjoy!

I finished two other watercolours this weekend too, titled Poppy Field and Winter’s End.  I also started work on two acrylic paintings which I hope to include in the upcoming Abundance exhibition.

I got a print done of my Sunset Storm painting for a customer in the US, and at the same time did some 4″ x 6″ prints of various paintings to make into cards.  I also put in an order for some new business cards from Moo.

As you can see, I got a LOT done this weekend – I didn’t get any housework at all done besides cooking dinner tonight, so I owe it all to my wonderful husband that I got so much arty stuff done

Tweet This Post

I’m excited to announce that I’ve been invited to write for Handmade Spark.

The site is designed for sellers and buyers to connect.  Through the blog sellers wil learn about marketing, blogging, how tos, and much more.  Buyers will find new shops and items through the handmade features posted by me and a group of writers.  Handmade Spark is also a directory where sellers can submit their links, like Twitter, Facebook , and blogs.

I’m really excited to be involved, and I hope I can bring a little something different to the website as I’m so far the only Aussie writer.

My first post is about ACEOs.  I was inspired by the fact that I made my own first batch of ACEOs this weekend.  I love the way they look on the little easel!  If you’d like to find out more about ACEOs, you can read my post on Handmade Spark.

In other news, my painting Two Hearts, One Love has been featured on a Valentine’s Day post at Calico & Co., the Indie & Handmade Blog.  There are lots of other pretty things there too!

Tweet This Post

It’s been a productive weekend!

I’ve done lot’s of work on my lastest commission, a painting for a friend:

There is a lot of detail in this one, and it is HUGE (I can only fit one panel at a time on my easel), so it’s taking me a really long time to finish, but I hope the result will be worth it in the end.

I completed another painting this weekend, and thought I’d show you the stages it went through:

Step One: Painting taped down and ready to go. I've also used tape to separate the four panels (as opposed to wrecking another brush with masking fluid).

Step Two: Spring colours - I decided on pinks, greens and yellows to represent spring.

Step Three: Summer is orange, yellow and green. You can see the paint was still wet when I took this photo.

Step Four: Browns, oranges and reds for Autumn

Step Five: Blues and whites for Winter

At this point, I left the painting to dry before removing the tape.  I painted a tree branch going across the top of the painting.  Here’s the result:

I also made some more art pendants this week, but that’s a post for another day!

Tweet This Post

I’m lucky enough to be on holidays – so what have I been doing with my time?

I finished off a commissioned painting, and delivered it to my happy customer:

Now that one’s done, I’ve started working on another commission, this one for a friend:

This is just one panel of a triptych.  I’m looking forward to seeing the finished painting on her wall!  Also a big thank you to my wonderful husband for the new easel it’s sitting on, which I got for Christmas.

Finally, I’ve also been working on some new pendants – these ones are squares and rectangles:

I’m offering a discount to my facebook fans this week – buy a keepsake box and a pendant in your choice of design for $50.  Become a fan of KL Bailey Art on facebook for more details!

Tweet This Post

I know it’s not quite Friday yet, but I thought I’d post my Friday Favourites now as I don’t know if I’ll get a chance tomorrow.

This week’s selection is inspired by this painting:

It’s actually stinking hot here right now, so I’m a little envious of my northern-hemisphere friends and their white winters   To get me into a cooler frame of mind, I’m featuring beautiful items in blue, white and silver.

First up this week is this sterling silver necklace with interchangeable amazonite and pearl pendants, by Emily Wiser Jewellery.  I love that you can wear just the white or just the blue pendant, but I think they look great together.

You may have noticed that I am very taken with swirls, and they feature heavily in my artwork.  Bearing that in mind, I’m sure it isn’t difficult to guess what caught my eye about this beautiful necklace, titled “Romantic Getaway” by Beach Glass Gone Wild!

The next blue and white beauty on my list is this gorgeous vintage vanity fair robe in periwinkle blue, from Fine Vintage Apparel.  It’s just too pretty for words!

This Silver Snowflake necklace from Inbal Jewelry and Design is just lovely.  It would make a lovely addition to a winter outfit, but I think it is so pretty I’d wear it all year round.

Last, but most definitely not least, is this stunning card featuring artwork titled “Buckwheat Branches” by IsabellaFlora.  The card is blank inside so it could be given for any occasion – it’s just beautiful!

Tweet This Post

A new painting!

If you would like to purchase this original watercolour, it is $40.  I accept paypal and bank deposit.  Contact me if you’re interested!

Oh, and don’t forget about my giveaway – there’s a $25 gift certificate for KL Bailey Art up for grabs!

Tweet This Post

This week’s inpsiration topic over at Inspire Me Thursday is “Tree”.  Well, I love trees too much to just stop at one!

I’ve actually done several tree paintings this weekend but I thought I’d space them out a bit.

This one is called “Silver White Winter”.  I did the silver detailing with glass paint.  It keeps its shine and gives the painting a textured feel.

It’s a weird painting to do at this time of year, as it was stinking hot here today, but I am listing it in my Etsy shop and hoping that it’ll be picked for a winter feature, as it is winter in the northern hemisphere where most Etsy buyers are from!

More trees to come, so stay tuned!!

Tweet This Post