Artists Down Under - Australia and New Zealand - February 2023

FRONT COVER by ROSA PERRY

- Peculiar House 1

Julie Powell - Mask

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Being Ready

Al BaMass - Beauty

DOWN UNDERartists

Australia and New Zealand

Welcome to our February edition of “Artists Down Under”.

This month we celebrate Valentine’s Day. A day of showing appreciation for love and what better way for the artists to celebrate it but with a Monthly Challenge as “Hearts” as their subject. You can definitely tell our artists are all full of love by their amazing images that they produced.

Andrew Haysom has been keeping up with all of Adobe’s updates in Photoshop and this month he brings us a tutorial on “Brush Tip Outlines”. Something I am sure a lot of us didn’t know about.

Our special Interview this month that Maureen Maxwell has kindly organised is with Judi Lapsley Miller. Judi is a very talented and successful artist based in New Zealand who successfully exhibits and sells her bird photography images. Judi kindly shares her journey with us.

We are delighted to share another of the Chinese Whispers series with you. It’s amazing how the girls challenge and push each other every month while having heaps of fun.

Our Featured Artist this month that I would love to share with you is Rosa Perry. Rosa is a very talented artist and has put together a series of images called “Peculiar Houses” that she has so kindly shared with us and allowed us to feature. I know you are all going to love these.

Well that’s it from me for this month. I hope everyone has a very special Valentine’s day filled with love and happiness. Stay safe & be kind to each other.

Backgrounds: Foxy Squirrell Laitha’s Designs - Jai Johnson - White Lane Studio

Copyright 2017 © Artists in

their work.

Andrew Haysom - Echoes

Rosa Perry - Playing With Birds

Pam Henderson

RIPPLES I

RIPPLES II

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/dennis-rickard/

artists Achievements monthly down under

artists down under facebook page

The Artists Down Under Public Facebook page has been set up to allow the artists in the group to showcase their work and to enable them to share promotional information about themselves, e.g. exhbitions, awards etc...

You can find the Artists Down Under Public Facebook page at this address; https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtistsDownUnder/

So, if you are an artist in the group, don’t forget to regularly share your work and information here, and to let your friends and family know about the page if they are interested in viewing the latest art and news from the group.

If you are a reader of the magazine who does not have access to the page, please click the link above and request to join. When you request to join you will be asked to answer three simple questions that will allow us to determine if you are an eligible artist who may wish to join the group and therefore be able to post on the page, or a member of the public who can view, comment and like the work on the page. It’s a great place to see some great art from this vibrant group every day!

Hemant Kogekar - Memories of Tasmania

Jan Hannasky - Shadow Box Helen McLeod - Who Am I Today?

Maureen Maxwell - Oh No! This Can’t

Kye Thompson - Sparks

Three ADU members receive a special gift

Our very good Awake friends Teddi Rutschman of Foxey Squirrel and Diane Stafford from WhiteLaneStudio continue to give gifts as a reward for members of the Artists Down Under group who contribute to the ADU Facebook page by regularly posting their artworks and supporting other members with their comments.

Teddi, from Virginia, USA, is well known for her fantastic sets of digital designer backgrounds, masks and all kinds of wonderful elements ready for designers to add to or build a wondrous creation.

Teddi Rutshman can be found at http://www.foxeysquirrel.com/ http://www.oscraps.com/shop/Foxeysquirrel

Teddi has given a 40% discount voucher for one very lucky member to spend in her on-line shop.

Diane Stafford from Chester, UK, designs Photoshop textures and overlays for photo artists and photographers to use in their digital artworks. Diane has created another special kit just for Artists Down Under for the month of FEBRUARY.

Two artists will receive a Diane kit each. Diane Stafford can be found at https://whitelanestudio.co.uk/biolinks

The FEBRUARY lucky winners are

Teddi Rutschman (Foxy Squirrel) 40% Gift Voucher

- Gitama Day

Diane Stafford (WhiteLaneStudio) Texture & Overlay Kit

- Helen McLeod

- Margaret Kalms

Prue Wright - Our Hero

Julie Powell - Summers Day

Rosa Perry - Somewhere

Colin Killick - Rainforest Flower

LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

https://issuu.com/thephotoartisticlife/docs/issue95-final?fr=sNjkyYzI1ODEw

Congratulations to the following artists for having their images chosen to appear in the International magazine “Living The Photo Artistic Life”.

Maureen Maxwell

- Nearly Home

Gitama Day

- The Butterfly Prince

Sonia Pusey

- I’m Coming Home

- Forever More

Helen McLeod

- Floating On A Cloud

- Heart Wood

Christina Brunton

- At The Beach

- Ballet Practice

Penny De Jong

- Showcasing Tempus - A New Zodiac Sign

Ilona Abou-Zolof

- Fairyland

Rosa Perry

- Peculiar House Series

Kim Ricci

- Bird Watching

- The Messenger

Louise Smith

- Masquerade Ball

Rosa Perry - Peculiar House 1

Rosa Perry - Peculiar House 3

Rosa Perry - Peculiar House 5

Kim Ricci - The Messenger

Rosa Perry - Peculiar House 2

Rosa Perry - Peculiar House 4

Rosa Perry - Peculiar House 6

Kim Ricci - Bird Watching

Maureen Maxwell - Nearly Home

LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

Louise Smith - Masquerade Ball

Penny De Jong - Showcasing Tempus - A New Zodiac Sign

Christina Brunton - At The Beach

Sonia Pusey - Forever More

Christina Brunton - Ballet Practice

Helen McLeod

Helen McLeod - Heart

Sonia Pusey - I’m Coming Home

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Fairyland

light space and time

https://lightspacetime.art/botanicals-art-exhibition-january-2023/

Congratulations to the following Artists for their special achievements in the “Botanicals Art Exhibition” Light Space & Time competition.

Special Merit

Christina Brunton - “Mellow Yellow”

Ilona Abou-Zolof - “Pretty In Pink”

Lyn Darlington - “Beginning Of A New Day”

Special Recognition

Christina Brunton - “Wowzer”

Ilona Abou-Zolof - “Aussie Wattle”

Lyn Darlington - “Elegant”

Lyn Darlington - Elegant

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Aussie Wattle

light space and time

Christina Brunton - Mellow Yellow

Lyn Darlington - Beginning Of A New Day

Christina Brunton - Wowzer

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Pretty In Pink

https://www.fusionartps.com/8th-annual-colorful-abstractions-art-exhibition-january-2023/

5th

Ilona

Ilona

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Circled

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Cornered

Penny De Jong - Daydreaming Of Castle Magic

Prue Wright - Frosty Castle

https://www.hmvcgallery.com/exhibitions-group/

Zealandia EcoSanctuary

End of Waiapu Road, Karori, Wellington

Feb-Mar 2023

“For the Birds” is soaring back to Te Māra Toi Gallery at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne. Running through February and March, this group art exhibition features up-and-coming and established artists. Their styles may vary, but their love for native wildlife shines through. This show is a celebration of wildlife and wildspaces.

Art is selling “off-the-wall,” and will be refreshed throughout the show’s run. So if you fall in love with a piece, you can take it home on the spot! Proceeds are “For the Birds,” directly supporting Zealandia’s conservation projects. You can find the exhibition in the stairway landing between the front desk and Rātā Café. Entry is free.

Participating artists are: Hannah Shand, Rika Nagahata, Judi Lapsley Miller, Zoe Sizemore, Tyler Florance, Gill Mason, Pavee Patanasiri, Annemieke Hendriks, Maureen Kelly, Rebecca Chrystal, and Shaxu Art.

Judi is exhibiting two perky pīwakawaka pieces: “The Secret” and “Playtime”

The Secret (piwakawaka) Playtime (piwakawaka)

https://www.hmvcgallery.com/exhibitions-group/

Te Papakura Exhibition Space

New Zealand Parliament - Pāremata Aotearoa

15 Feb - 23 Mar 2023

Waiata Manu (‘Bird song’) engages the audience in the beauty and wonder of birds in sound and light through the lens and instruments of artists, digital artists, sculptors, photographers and musicians. Birds are explored through art as metaphor and allegory and the interpretations and artistic creations they inspire in us. It recognises birds as a pre-eminent symbol in New Zealand artwork and identifies both well-known and more recent artists. It explores the unique place of specific birds and bird conservation, threatened and extinct species including our role as conservators.

Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 4pm

Entry via Parliament’s Visitor Centre, ground floor of the Beehive.

Judi is exhibiting two pieces “A Hidden World (kākāpō)”, which is also the featured piece for the show, and “A Real Kiwi Joker (kiwi pukupuku).”

A Real Kiwi Joker (kiwi pukupuku)

A Hidden World (kākāpō)

MASKED

artists

DOWN UNDER

Australia and New Zealand

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION

BRUSH TIP OUTLINE

By Andrew Haysom

I’m not sure if it was just me, but for the last few releases of Photoshop CC I have had enormous problems with constantly losing the Brush cursor on the screen, it has wasted so much of my time and caused much frustration.

The good news is, in the latest version Photoshop CC 2023 Version 24.1 (December 2022) it seems to have been fixed.

Adobe have added a new preference setting in the Preferences / Cursors screen called Brush Tip Outline (see Figure 1).

[Fig 1 – Brush Tip Outline]

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT.......)

The possible settings are Thin, Normal, Bold and Extra Bold. When I updated to this version it seemed the default setting was Bold. Both the Bold and Extra Bold settings do a great job of enhancing the visibility of the brush cursor.

Changes to this setting will be reflected immediately you hit OK, you don’t need to restart Photoshop.

It’s worth repeating the meaning of some of the other settings here that were mentioned in one of my earlier articles.

There are four different brush cursors to choose from:

Standard – the small brush icon that is shown in the toolbar (not particularly useful in my opinion).

Precise – only shows a crosshair in the centre of the brush (useful for precise placement of the brush, e.g. when lettering or tracing lines).

Normal Brush Tip – shows the actual size and shape of the brush, but it’s size only represents pixels that are at least 50% opacity. So, if you’re using a soft brush, some area outside of the preview will be affected by your brush strokes.

Full Size Brush Tip – shows the actual size and shape of the brush, with the size representing the entire brush, so if using a soft brush the outer edges of the preview areas may only be slightly affected by your brush strokes.

You can use the [Caps Lock] key to switch between Precise and Normal/Full Size (or vice versa) temporarily if required. Depression of the [Caps Lock] key is a common cause of people wondering why their brush preview has disappeared!

If you’d like to always see a smaller crosshair in the centre of your brush preview, check the Show Crosshair in Brush Tip check box.

This is a very welcome update for me, that will save me much frustration. I hope it does for you too.

Andrew Haysom

DOWN artistsUNDER

Australia and New Zealand

DIGITAL ARTISTS GROUP

A COLLABORATIVE GROUP OF PHOTO ARTISTS

CHINESE WHISPERS #63

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

The poor rabbit is always running late, but this time it may be a big problem.

How can he get across the bridge?

Pam gave me a quite a challenge with this one, but ultimately it was a fun one to finish.

ENJOY!

Pam Henderson

“TOO LATE”

Maureen Maxwell

Maureen Maxwell

ROSA PERRY

PECULIAR HOUSE 5

FISHY NOOK

PERCULIAR BIRD HOUSE

MYSTICAL SEA

FROG ABODE

1. Tell us a little about yourself and where you live?

I live in Springfield Lakes, Queensland.

I’ve always been creative since childhood but it took me many years to listen to my creative soul and do something about it. It was when I became disillusioned by my career path that I finally listened to my intuition . . . and art rushed back into my life, so I made the transition from a career professional to building a life I love as an artist and I never looked back.

2. How did you become interested/get started in Photo Artistry?

My passion was photography but my poor DSLR camera mostly sat in my cupboard at home. Work was so time consuming; I hardly used my camera at all. So, I eventually decided to simply use the camera that was always on me: my iPhone. I started capturing images on the go with my iPhone, and those were fun, but I wanted to combine my other artistic skills with my photographs and the only way I could do that was with a scanner and a software editing program.

It was then I discovered Photoshop. And what a learning curve that was! I did it though. I worked at it, and eventually I could weave some magic in Photoshop, combining my photos with various scanned images — usually bits and pieces of old books, magazines, my calligraphy and sketches.

I loved the outcome of textured photos but wanted to take what I learned to the next level. And that’s when I came across Sebastian Michaels’ Creative Black & White Photo Artistry course, which was my first serious editing and artistry training course. That then led to Photoshop Artistry and the wonderful AWAKE Group.

3. What inspires you or gives you inspiration to create your art?

I am predominantly inspired by nature. Nature has a way of creating unique colour combinations which are just beautiful and amazing. I love the colours of the sky, the light of the sun, the glow of the moon and stars, the colours of the earth, all living nature – it’s a never-ending harmonious spectrum.

Animals also mean a great deal to my creativity and hold a special place in my heart, so they’re often depicted in my work.

4. Do you have a certain approach to creating your art?

My approach differs from one piece to the next. Sometimes I see an image in my mind, which I quickly capture as a note or sketch and I’ll end up planning out a composition from there and begin collecting my materials.

Other times I simply start with a blank layer in Photoshop and experiment with creating a background to get things started and then, so often it seems . . . the magic just happens. I begin combining images, and almost always the magic turns up all on its own.

I think overall, the most important thing in my creative process comes near the beginning, where I’m working out the idea for each composition, hoping to convey a story.

5. What does your art mean to you?

Art is part of who I am, how I express myself. When I create my art, I know who I am.

6. Do you think since starting in photo artistry it has changed you and if so, how?

Photo artistry has definitely changed me. I’ve learnt to follow the soft voice of my inner guide which allows me to connect all my senses and freely follow my creative impulses with the freedom to express myself in my work and create art that speaks to others.

7. Is there anyone that you draw inspiration from?

I mainly draw inspiration from my own life and being in nature.

I also draw inspiration from my beautiful art families online, ADU, AWAKE and KAIZEN, and it goes without saying that Sebastian Michaels always inspires me. If I have any doubts about my art, I know by listening to Sebastian those doubts are groundless.

8. Where do you see (or hope to see) your art taking you in the future ? What are your next steps?

I’ve been fortunate in getting some commission work and that’s been quite exciting. I hope to do more of that. I also do some graphic design work as a donation for causes and charities important to me, and that’s not only been fulfilling but has brought me some wonderful exposure.

LYNETTE PAUL

( AUSTRALIA )

PRUE WRIGHT

A LITERATE BEETLE

DOWN UNDER

Australia and New Zealand

INTERVIEW WITH JUDI LAPSLEY MILLER

By Maureen Maxwell

Thank you, Judi, for agreeing to do this interview. You’ve been an active member of ADU since the beginning and you’ve looked after the New Zealand administrative tasks for the group, as well as doing a group monthly newsletter.

You live in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, which is a modern vibrant city. I lived in Wellington for a couple of years some decades ago. I was also fortunate to visit there again in 2016. I was amazed at the transformation of the city in that time, particularly around the harbour and the wonderful Te Papa National Museum. At the time the museum had the Gallipoli Exhibition on. This was one of the most emotional, creative and incredible exhibitions I’ve seen anywhere in the world.

Bird photography is a passion of yours. We’ve had the pleasure of seeing many of your images in our magazine as well as celebrating your many exhibitions.

WHAT ATTRACTS YOU TO BIRDS, NOT ONLY TO PHOTOGRAPH THEM, BUT ALSO TO GO ON TO CREATE DELIGHTFUL STORIES THAT APPEAL TO CHILDREN AND ADULTS ALIKE?

The more I’ve learned about and spent time with birds, the more fascinated I’ve become. They are so intelligent and full of personality, especially the parrots. I’ve a background in cognitive and sensory psychology, so it is interesting to see the capabilities of other species – how we’re similar, and how we’re different. Invariably the abilities of other animals are far greater than humans have traditionally credited them with. Long gone (I hope) are the attitudes that animals are soulless automata.

Did you know that birds can do arithmetic? And that parrots name their babies? This leads me to want to tell stories about them – some factual, sometimes more fanciful, but always trying to impart the depth of their emotions and intelligence in a way we can empathise with.

WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN PHOTO ARTISTRY?

I came to photo artistry by chance, when I attended a compositing workshop by photographer Shona Jaray. I then stumbled upon Sebastian Michaels’ online photo-artistic training courses and hoovered them all up. I loved how I could more easily create art with mood and emotion than through straight photography. It’s almost magical how a nondescript photo can be transformed into an artwork.

YOU ARE A LONG TIME VOLUNTEER AT THE ZEALANDIA ECO-SANCTUARY IN WELLINGTON. MANY OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE NATIVE BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE ARE CREATED THERE. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT ZEALANDIA AND YOUR INVOLVEMENT?

Zealandia is an amazing conservation project in the heart of Wellington City, just 10 minutes from the CBD. Twenty-five years ago, a steep valley with a decommissioned reservoir was fenced to exclude mammalian predators, and many species of rare native birds were translocated within the fence. Over time, many of the bird species flourished without the introduced predators eating their food and babies. As the populations grew, they extended their range into the city and surrounds. Pest control efforts throughout Wellington have made it easier and safer for many to now breed outside the fence. We’re now the only city in the world where biodiversity is increasing!

I was living in the USA when the Zealandia project first came about, but my uncle was heavily involved. When my husband Linton and I returned to Wellington to live in 2003, my uncle took us around, and we fell in love and joined up as members. We’d been getting interested in wildlife during our time in the USA and wanted to learn more about our own native flora and fauna. So we took the extra step of also volunteering. I started off at Zealandia as a volunteer website convener, and read every article that I posted online, learning more and more about our native species. Over time, more opportunities arose, and we eventually became trusted to manage significant conservation projects there, including coordinating kākā parrot nestbox monitoring (managing a team of 20 other volunteers). Nowadays, I’m more involved with running the art gallery “Te Māra Toi” (which translates to “the garden of art”), creating the fund-raising calendar, and photography.

Playtime (piwakawaka)

INTERVIEW WITH JUDI LAPSLEY MILLER (CONT....)

MANY ART GALLERIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY HAVE HELD REGULAR EXHIBITIONS OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY AND BIRD ART STORIES. PLEASE GIVE US AN INSIGHT INTO HOW YOU APPROACH EXHIBITIONS.

It’s been a combination of making my own opportunities, networking, hard work, and good luck. Volunteering to help with the Zealandia gallery has been especially useful in learning how to run exhibitions and building those necessary networks. Joining the NZ Academy of Fine Arts was also an important step, as I built up knowledge and experience through their regular member shows.

I know many are a bit scared to put their art out there for fear of being judged, but that’s never bothered me. Art is so personal that some will love it, and some will hate it, regardless, and none of us have any control over how we feel about an artwork. Coming from a scientific background, this is in huge contrast to presenting a scientific result to peers, where their aim is to find how many flavours of wrong you are. Now that is intimidating!

Some key advice though is to always read the submission guidelines carefully. Some shows do not allow digital works, or composited works made with photos by others (especially photography exhibitions, which are very strict about it). There can also be rules about how big an edition a digital print can come from. There’s still a lot of educating to do in some circles as to what is considered best-practice in photo-artistry. Having said that, there are many exhibitions out there that are welcoming.

A Hidden World (kakapo)

The Sweethearts (scaly-breasted lorikeets)

WHAT DOES BELONGING TO OUR ARTISTS DOWN UNDER GROUP MEAN TO YOU?

Besides the amazing community support and friends, which are the biggest benefits, it helps give photo-artistry credibility and provides social proof to gallerists, collectors, and other artists interested in the genre but who are unsure or know little about it. The art world has some cognitive dissonance as to how well it tolerates bold and new art forms versus sticking with traditional tried-and-true approaches. Many artists and collectors want to be on the leading edge of a new way, but when it comes to committing time, money, and effort, caution can kick in. So, the ADU magazine serves a vital role in showing that photo-artistry isn’t a flash-in-the-pan artform, but a real and now well-established way to create compelling art. Just considering how many issues have been published is a testament to that.

PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR BACKGROUND AND YOUR OTHER INTERESTS?

All my life, I’ve loved birds, art, science, and learning, but for most of my adult life the science side has dominated, and I lost confidence in my artistic abilities. Getting back into art through photo-artistry has become an amazing way to combine all my loves! Over the past couple of years, I’ve been expanding my art by doing more painting and mixed media work in a range of media (from encaustics through to watercolour). I love moving back and forth between the physical and virtual worlds. I can take a photograph, create a watercolour painting from it, scan it, work with it digitally, print it out, embellish it with paint, and so on. There are endless possibilities! I’m never bored.

Maureen Maxwell

Her Mystery (tui)

In Fine Feather (tui)

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/bev-terawskyj/

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/lynsey-stirland-mitchell/

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kevin-sims/

( NEW ZEALAND )

monthly artistic down under

Pam Henderson - Sharing The Love

Penny De Jong - She Loves Me!

Julie Powell - Hearts

Rosa Perry - Follow Your Heart

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Hearts

Christina Brunton - Grateful Heart

Andrew Haysom - Two Hearts

Karen Waalwyk - Hearts

Prue Wright - Queen Of Hearts

Colin Campbell - Hearts

artists

DOWN UNDER

adu artists business advertisements

Helping Women with Endometriosis

50% of profit donated to endometriosis research

When I first heard about endometriosis I felt a deep compassion and need to do what I could to help. Women with endometriosis suffer debilitating pain, disruptive symptoms and often endure multiple operations simply to function normally. Few people are patient when listening to descriptions of pain, symptoms or illness. This can have the effect of silencing people who are ill.

My compassion inspires my photoart which I show in presentations to raise awareness. I joined Awake to teach me advanced Photoshop skills, specifically to expand my photoartistic skills to create imaginative and dramatic images.

My photoart opens dialogue enabling freer expression of hidden feelings, experiences too private to mention in ordinary conversation. I create photoart inspired by the concerns of women with endometriosis. Several women have said that the process of imaging their suffering has helped them to face their pain and illness. There is immense strength in being heard. I want my photoart to become visual screams!!

26 women with endometriosis have told me about their experiences. They spoke to me about their concerns and collaborated during the photo session. We explored meanings of body, ideas of self and impacts of illness together, agreeing which ideas we would explore photographically. My photos are often carefully arranged, but that doesn’t mean they are fake. They represent the personal truth and experiences of 26 women with endometriosis. These women are remembering and acting out their OWN experiences. They choose their own stance and facial expression. Women with endometriosis are the only people who truly know what endometriosis FEELS like.

Unfortunately endometriosis is relatively common; an estimated 1 in 10 women living with endometriosis, being over 175,000,000 women worldwide! And an estimated 500,000 women in Australia! Their experiences are heart-breaking. Regular illness and debilitating pain result in missed education and poor career opportunities leaving them women vulnerable to poverty.

Women with endometriosis need real medical progress to reduce their suffering. I passionately desire to raise money for endometriosis research so that faster diagnoses are made and more effective treatments are found. To raise money for endometriosis research, I host events and sell products on Redbubble. Recently I gave $3,000 to Canberra Endometriosis Centre!

Art by Margaret Kalms

Share ‘EndoWomanArt’ with your friends on social media to raise awareness and money for women’s health!

We all need clothes & household goods. Buy yourself a treat or buy a special gift for your friends. Make your shopping count!

Remember 50% of profit goes to endometriosis research!

https://www.redbubble.com/ people/EndoWomanArt/shop

Follow ‘Life with Endometriosis’: https://www.facebook.com/ LifeWithEndometriosis

See Margaret Kalms photoart, ‘Life with Endometriosis’: http://www.endowomanart.com

Margaret Kalms

Bunch Of Butterflies On Grevillea Sweatshirt

Butterflies False Colour Grey Stripes

Bunch Of Butterflies On Grevillea Pencil Case

WEBSITE: http://artistsdownunder.com.au/ http://tinyurl.com/artisitsdownunderpublic