I hope this finds you all fit as a fiddle and brimming with the goodness of life. I hope you've had many delightful days since I last wrote ... but can it really almost be the middle of the year? My toesies are definitely colder here in Sydney, Australia ... brrrrrrr!
Before I tell you all my news, I'd like to apologise for the email I sent to you this week in regard to the upcoming silk painting class in Sydney - I thought I had selected the email go to only Australian subscribers, but it went out to all of you. The last thing I want to do is inundate you with unnecessary emails, I am so sorry about that. (I'll create a separate list for those people who'd like to be kept updated with new class dates.)
Do you follow anyone on Twitter? To follow me, simply create a Twitter account, go to my link http://twitter.com/abfabdesigns and click the Follow button in the top left corner. You can comment and ask questions :-)
Mooshie's Musings from the Studio
Now I know that it's possible that not all of you love cats like I do, but this photo was just begging to be included here :-)
Recent handpainted silk going through Quality Control by Ms Mooshie. Notice her paws just touching the edge of the silk? Mooshie loves the feel and the bright colours :-)
News, Hues, Shoes and Views
I'm very excited to share with you that a book publishing company in New York has asked permission to use one of my photos in an upcoming book about silk painting! What a wonderful honour!
The photo they've chosen is my Serenity one, which is also available as cards and on matte board now:
Video from Silk Painting Workshop in Sydney on 30th May
We had such fun last weekend and I took lots of photos - I've turned them into a mini video, only two minutes long, if you'd like to see what we got up to :-)
At the bottom of this video you will see other images - these are other video clips I've created - click on any of them to watch the video - enjoy :-)
Next Silk Painting Workshop in Sydney is on Saturday 20th June, 2009
I am teaching an all day Silk Painting workshop in two weeks, so if you're interested and can be in Sydney on the day, let me know by email - I look forward to meeting you!
Don't think you need to be artistic or have a flair for painting - not at all!
This class is for people who think they HAVE NO SKILL at painting - and by the end of the workshop they'll be amazed at what they've created. Several people painted scarves as gifts in our last workshop, and everyone was thrilled with their results.
Silk Painting Workshops : Paris, Honolulu, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne
Are you interested in a week-long Silk Painting Adventure in any of these locations? The Adventures include silk painting on 5 days, accomodation, welcome and farewell dinners, airport transfers and many other treats.
I'm currently pencilling in dates for my proposed Silk Adventures, and would love to get some feedback - can you please pop over to this page and let me know if any of this sounds interesting to you? I'd really appreciate it - thanks!
I'm pleased to say that I'm finally starting to put my paintings online, and they'll soon be available as giclee prints and printed on canvas - here's a sample of paintings on silk:
When I lived at the top of Australia in Port Douglas (north of Cairns), I was surrounded by the beauty of the tropical rainforests and the abundance of wildlife.
I started sketching and these are some of the paintings I created.
I've been influenced by many other artists over the years, a well as the ethnic art and cultures of many lands.
The island you see is Double Island, off the coast between Port Douglas and Cairns in far north Queensland (Australia), and I loved its remoteness and beauty. The Crocodilliac reminds me of the wildlife I saw, and yes - I did get to see crocodiles!
I also love koalas and those of you who know me probably have seen one or more of my koala paintings :-)
New koala paintings will be available online VERY soon.
The Winner of June's Handpainted Silk Chiffon Scarf is ...
Martina Halpin of Ireland!
Congratulations Martina! I will email you and give you a choice of silk chiffon scarves to choose from. I hope you enjoy wearing them or giving them as gifts - and please do send a photo!
You can view the silk scarves by clicking this link:
This is just a short Email to say that I was delighted to read that I have won a silk scarf for my partner Cathy. Thank you very much!
So ... what have I been up to?
Well, I've been planning future Silk Painting Adventures overseas (details above), painting silk orders for clients, building websites for clients in my other business, and dreaming of Paris ... in fact, when I woke up yesterday, I had been talking to a new friend (the dream was in Paris) and we were having a marvellous time scouring the fabrics and notions in the fabulous little stores in the back streets of Montmartre. Oh it was such a colourful wonderful dream! I love it when that happens :-)
I've also been working on an idea for a fun handpainted silk handbag design which has been floating around in my brain for a few years, I've made the paper prototype, I have painted the silk, and now I'm trying to work out the putting-it-all-together stuff.
Here's a photo of what I've got so far ... it's rectangular, I haven't decided on the handles yet. The paper version is stapled together, and I need to come up with something far cleverer than that. :D I have lots of ideas, and I do hope to have this ready to show you in the next Abfab Silk News:
I've also been sketching and measuring for some of the new tops I've been talking about, which seem to still be ideas on my cutting board or in the process of being sewn together at the moment, but getting closer to becoming real garments.
And now ... what have you been up to the past few weeks? Have you been creative in some way? I'd love to hear what you've been doing - pop down to the end of the page to write a Comment if you'd like, I love to hear from my readers.
Next Paris Adventures : November 2009
I needed to postpone the July trip to France, and have rescheduled to November.
Do you fancy visiting Paris to meet me for one of my adventures? Dates aren't finalised yet, so if you're interested in joining me, please do email me. Eight people per Adventure, yes you can bring partners along - stay tuned for the Early Bird Pricing!
PS - I have set up the Comments at the end of the Newsletter and I'd love to hear what you think about my designs, so if you have time, send me a message - thanks!
That's it for the moment, I hope you have a faaabulous week.
From my Art Studio to your desktop,
Ciao for now,
PPS - If you like what you've read but haven't subscribed to the Abfab Silk Newsletter yet, it's really easy - simply click here to get started - you will be in the draw each month to win a fabulous handpainted silk scarf by me - Teena Hughes!
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Abfab Silk News : June 2009
I also love koalas and those of you who know me probably have seen one or more of my koala paintings :-)
Here's a photo of what I've got so far ... it's rectangular, I haven't decided on the handles yet. The paper version is stapled together, and I need to come up with something far cleverer than that. :D I have lots of ideas, and I do hope to have this ready to show you in the next Abfab Silk News:
I needed to postpone the July trip to France, and have rescheduled to November.
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