OMG OMG Oh My God!
So excited, my watercolor Whaling Morgan (just a post below) been selected by a panel to the Final of ANL Seafarers Art Prize in Melbourne! So happy for that ship, my weak attempt to celebrate the magnificence of her sails and shape and overall perfect beauty will be shown to people! The exhibition will be in Melbourne, 717 Flinders Street, from 6 to 17 of October, there are many many great maritime artworks, I'm really thrilled to be amongst them!

Just so happens, I was off work for a week, had some time to relax, reflect and paint/draw without time restriction. Oh what a life! I wish I could live like that! Had a few attempts to plein air with pastels, quite unhappy with the result to be honest - but I think I will continue, pastel is easier thing for outside - or I just love the novelty feeling)) After the second completely frustrating try to do outdoor I just let myself to relax and made a postcard-style landscape, I am usually not a big fan of this things, but it was just nesessary to have some relative success to overcome the frustration of a few recent attempts:)
And finally, I've put some of my works on BlueThumb online gallery, just in case - not like I have high hopes to live off my art)) 
And another useful thing I've done duringthis lazy week - finished off Josef Zbukvic's book on watercolor. Enourmous amount of great advice, it all is sinking in now, but sure I'll apply lots of ideas from there.

Nothing serious, weekend as it should be:) I was so lucky last week, got a whole heap of Lucas soft pastels cheap as chips - the line is disconnected and the shop was selling out the leftovers. Now have a box of colors just to play with not thinking how I throw away the expensive materials) Is that another side of being an artist - being a art materials hoarder, and constantly on hunt? Getting back to Lucas pastels, I love them totally, its soft similar to Schminke, and blends perfectly, I just need to learn and learn and learn actual graphic skills to get out the best of it. 
Another weekend deed was another tall ship, I've seen the photo of that whailing ship Charles Morgan on Pinterest, and it inspired me. Sails always do that to me - I  really think that's the most beautiful thing created by humans, though rather slow and demanding work and skill , but still. It usually the choice between beauty and common convenience. 

the new term just startded - this time I went to Royal Art Socielty School, in Lavender Bay - for the classical drawing class. I feel lately that the lack of drawing skills is seriously holding me back, so taking the evening class to refresh it was a really good idea. Besides that, I really like the environment and athmosphere there, the real studio setting, this is something I always miss. So...will see  where it takes me, at the moment I'm quite happy I picked that class.

Painted away this weekend. Went on the location on Saturday, one of my favourite spots in Sydney, Woolwich Wharf in Hunter Hill - just reconfirm that winter is not the best time for painting outside despite the lovely sunshine. The wind is strong and  chilling, hands are freezing in no time (and occasional pile of dog poo I"ve stepped into was just another drop in the bucket of reasons why I should go home. Did not evet open the easel, just sat on the parkbench (as a subject of a couple of quite curious Great Danes that tried to taste the pigment from my pallet - wondered if one them was an author of the abovementioned pile....). Overall, a miserable experience! Produced couple of sketches and escaped home, where did another tallship painting. I had a reference photo of one of the pictures on the wall of Lord Nelson pub in The Rocks, the photo there is in sepia, so I've used two colors only - Ultra and Burne Sienna, as I did not want to invent anything...was watching the Carribean Pirates with the corner of my eye, so the mood probably came from there:)

Wanted to do a quick evening paint tonight, but instead opened the book by Joseph Zbukvic and guess what...Cannot stop reading. Was so convinced in process to color sketching that almost ordered another sketchbook from Amazon (shame on them not sending some items to Oz from the US), so just kept reading. Fascinating! Have to finish all my art readings by January, so I'll get to Bathurst'19 with all shiny new knowledge and experience!
So yes, no new pics tonight.
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I sometimes use a mix chart for my colours. when I don't know what dark or grey I would need, charts come handy - I scribbled which paint is where - but that's such a mix of Russian and English, most likely noone will get it:) But practicing mixing colors helps A LOT, I should trust more the books that say it...
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Left one is mixing Ultramarine, Cadmium and Carmine reds, Ceruleum and Sienna and Emerald Green - for different darks.

End of Financial Year Sale...Hard time!:) Epic battle of Greed and Hoarding (The Toad and The Hamster from Russian idioms). Hamster won this time, as there was a sale on Arches, Shcmincke and Daler Rowney watercolor which I never tried, and I don't need pastel, but I just cannot pass by - as well I don't need paper, but that was an offer one just does not refuse.
Now I need to stop procrastinating and just paint. 
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