GAYLE REICHELT - BEGINNER ART CLASSES

Gayle Reichelt is offering Beginner Art Classes at RQAS Petrie Terrace Gallery, 162 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane with 1st class commencing on 21st February 2016.

There will be three classes - general drawing, oil and acrylic painting and encaustic.

A GIFT VOUCHER CAN BE PURCHASED THAT CAN BE USED FOR ANY OF GAYLE'S ART CLASSES OR FOR PURCHASING ONE OF GAYLE REICHELT'S ARTWORKS.  

A UNIQUE CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR THAT SPECIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE 

Click on this link for details -   http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/art-classes.html

Acrylic painting

Encaustic painting

Charcoal drawing

Oil painting

Oil painting

SS Dicky - New shipwreck paintings

I haven't posted for a while, but I have been busy.    I actually now have enough paintings for my forthcoming exhibition "The Last Fleet" which will open at The Arts Centre, Gold Coast City Gallery on 6th February and continue until the end of March.   I will, however, do two more, as I would rather have too many than not enough - so that the curator can choose the best ones to hang.

The painting above is called SS Dicky - Beached Remains.  It is Oil on Canvas and the size is 66cm x 101cm.

As well, I have painted two Encaustic paintings of SS Dicky on Dicky Beach - both looking through the porthole along the beach.  The first one is looking south, and the second one is looking north.   Both are 82cm x 62cm.   The three paintings will hang together in the exhibition with Beached Remains in the centre and north and south views through the porthole will be on either side.

View The Last Fleet paintings in my website on this link. http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/store/c11/The_Last_Fleet__-_ENCAUSTIC_AND_OIL_-_current.html

Sadly SS Dicky is no longer residing on the beach where she has been since 1893 when she was driven ashore.   She was deemed to be a risk to the general public and at danger of being lost forever, so was removed in July 2015.   The remaining parts of SS Dicky will be developed as part of a park landscape at Dicky Beach.   She will join the SS Dicky propeller at Dicky Beach Park.   I must go and see her in her new home.   Many people were sad that she was taken off the beach, and I was one of the last of the many people to photograph her, and I used my photos to create these three paintings.  

S.S Dicky was a coastal trader that operated in and around Australia from at least 1887 until its loss in 1893.   S. S. Dicky was driven ashore at Caloundra Head in Moreton Bay, in the southern end of the Sunshine Coast Qld in early February 1893 .   She quickly became a local attraction and rested partially on the beach since the wrecking of the vessel.  The beach where she lay has been named "Dicky Beach"     By the 1960's, the upper deck levels had collapsed and the rusting hull (including ribs and plating) were the predominate feature.  

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Slideshow of Gayle Reichelt Art paintings in exhibition Just Below the Surface

http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/blog/gayle-reichelt-paintings-in-exhibition-just-below-the-surface

Link to a slideshow of my work in current exhibition "Just Below the Surface" with artwork by Gayle Reichelt and Bronwyn Doherty.

At Petrie Terrace Gallery, 162 Petrie Terrace, Brsane. 4000.   Exhibition dates from 12th - 24th October.  Opening night Wednesday 14th October 2015 at 7pm for 7.30pm.

All work is for sale.   If you are unable to get to the exhibition, work can be purchased online.

Underwater Anchor - likely from Charles Eaton Shipwreck

Underwater Anchor - Encaustic painting This anchor is likely to be one of two from a shipwreck called the Charles Eaton which is  situated on the Great Detached Reef in Far North Queensland.    The Charles Eaton was wrecked on 15th August 1834 but for more than a year, nothing was heard of her passengers and crew.   Gradually word started to spread in many and scattered countries that some were still alive but in captivity as slaves.  Two ships were commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to ascertain the fate of the survivors and rescue them.  Tigris was despatched  from Bombay and Isabella from Sydney in 1836.    Following is an extract the story and fate of the Charles Eaton and her passengers and crew. The Wreck of the Charles Eaton (ref: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/4443589 ) A CENTURY-OLD TRAGEDY -By "C. CORAL." One of the saddest tragedies of the straits was the wreck of the Charles Eaton in 1834.  She was a 313 ton barque  commanded by Captain G. F. Moore. She left Brisbane for Canton on July 29. A little more than a fortnight later  she was wrecked while trying to get through the reefs near the Charles Hardy group of islands, out from Cape  Grenville. In addition to the officers and crew therewere about a dozen passengers on board among whom were  Captain D'Oyley of the East India Company's Artillery, with his wife and two boys and a native Indian servant.  When the vessel crashed she fell broadside on. Two of the boats smashed, leaving only one, into which three  seamen jumped, with the carpenter and boatswain, but the captain and officers re-solved to stay on the ship as  they felt sure that the boat would have no chance.  Soon the barque became a hopeless wreck. The upper part held together, however, and there the greater number of the passengers and crew found foothold.  A raft was constructed; it was not very large and could carry only nine people, but upon it were placed Captain  D'Oyley and his family, with some other passengers and one or two officers. A week later another raft left the ship  carrying 17 persons, including the steward's boy, John Ireland and another boy named Sexton.  The Boy Survivors For more than a year the fate of the Charles Eaton was unknown. Then there drifted to Sydney stories of the arrival  at Timor and Batavia of four of the men who had escaped in the boat. The captain of a ship passing trough Torres  Strait reported too, that he had seen a white boyon an island living with the natives. Immediately the Government  of New SouthWales fitted out rescue ship, the Isabella, in the hope that there might be survivors of the Charles  Eaton. The East India  Company despatched the sloop Tigris on a similar errand. The two search vessels met at  Double Island, in Torres Strait,  after the Isabella had successfully accomplished her mission and had recovered  two of the boys -- the only two survivors – from Murray Island. The mournful tale was then told. The two boy's were John Ireland and William D'Oyley.  What happened to the  first raft that left the ship will never  be with certainty, for of its company of  nine all were killed except the two D'Oyley boys. Probably it shared the fate  of the second raft. This, after being at sea for two days and nights, drifted among some of the small islands along  the east  coast. A canoe was sighted in which a dozen or so natives could be seen. They seemed to be friendly  and the castaways were taken to an island in the vicinity.    Thoroughly exhausted, hungry, and without water, the unfortunate people lay down to sleep. Then the natives  clubbed them to death, and removed the heads of their victims, sparing only Ireland and Sexton, the two youngest.  Once more the canoe was launched, and, with their ghastly trophies and living captives, the islanders set sail for  their home in Torres Strait. Every year at the end of  the North West monsoon the fierce and warlike islanders-then  generally known as "Indians"- of Murray and other Torres Strait islands made journeys 200 miles or more down the  coast in then canoes, trading and seeking heads and returning with the South East trades. Apparently this canoe  was one of a flotilla, for when it arrived at the island of Aureed other canoes had already preceeded it, among them  one carrying the two D'Oyley lads. Here the whole party remained for some weeks. A redistribution was made, one  canoe departing with Ireland and the two year old D'Oyley boy, the other taking Sexton and the elder brother. From  then on the boys of the second party were never traced, although the people of Darnley and neighbouring islands,  who have had the circumstances of the affair handed down to them by the old people, tell one that the four lads  were remembered as having been in the islands for some time and that two were taken away before the Isabella  rescued the survivors at Murray. The two lads of the first party, however were taken to Marsden Island, in the  central part of  Torres Strait, and it was there that a Murray Islander and his wife saw them and, according to the  stories of the native rescued them in exchange for bunches of bananas. Their new owners treated them kindly; in  fact when the rescue ship came and ransomed the D'Oyley boy after having obtained the other survivors in  exchange for tomahawks, he did not want to part from his foster mother. Tragic Relics When the Isabella came down to Aureed with her two ransomed captives aboard, on the way back to Sydney, she  made a ghastly discovery. In a hut a large mask was discovered, shaped like a man's face and made of turtle shell.  These skillfully made figures were used formerly for religious rites by the Torres Strait islanders. Once a year the  people gathered at one of the chief islands to make their offerings of human heads at the "Feast of Augad-Au  Ai"  (the feast of the Great God). Acts a propitiation were made, and the young men ate human flesh to make them  brave and strong in fight. Surrounding the large figure at Aureed, and lashed to it with rope evidently from some  ship, were about a score of skulls. Most of them bore marks of violence. They were taken on boardthe Isabella, and  in Sydney their European origin was certified. Almost certainly they were the skulls of the unfortunates of the rafts.  They were interred, and in St. James's Church Sydney, a memorial tablet tells part of the melancholy story. To-day there are no people living on Aureed but the other islands of Torres Strait ​Hashtags:  #marineartistaustralia #marineart  #marine  #shipwreck  #shipwreckart  #shipwreckpaintings  #CharlesEatonShipwreck  #AustralianArtist  #QueenslandArtist  #GoldCoastArtist   #greatdetachedreef  #farnorthqueensland  #encausticpainting  #encausticart  #beeswax

Just Below the Surface - Invitation to the exhibition

You are invited to the exhibition Just Below the Surface, exhibiting works by Gayle Reichelt and Bronwyn Doherty from 13th - 25th October 2015.

Click on this link to view the invitation:  http://eepurl.com/bAK3TL


Below is an example of some of the works in the exhibition.  Artwork in the exhibition includes over 80 paintings, glass lamps and resin jewellery.

by Gayle Reichelt

by Bronwyn Doherty

by Gayle Reichelt

by Gayle Reichelt    

by Bronwyn Doherty

By Bronwyn Doherty

Data Chips - Add More Paint series

Data Chips is one of my latest acrylic works, and is quite different from my others, but I really like it.  Hopefully eventually it will find a good home.  My husband John named it because he said that it reminded him of Data Chips.    It is smaller than my other pieces, 30cm x 30cm and is painted on a stretched canvas.

http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/store/c12/_Serendipity_Series_-__2014_-_Current_ENCAUSTIC%2C_OIL_OR_ACRYLIC.html is the link on my website for Data Chips.

Below are the stages that this painting went through to get to the final image.
In stage 1, I started with a lot of black, red and blue, then added some neutral grey, making sure that there was quite a bit of texture.  I used a squeegee to apply the paint for this stage - one that's usual purpose is for cleaning windows.  It is a very handy tool for adding paint quickly to areas, and leaving bumps of texture.

When stage 1 had dried, I took out some areas with black, still using a squeegee.  I think it looks very dramatic.

Added some more blue and red to some areas, sometimes using squeegee, and other using my brayer. The brayer is another excellent tool for adding paint.  It leave quite different marks to the squeegee.

In this stage, using bray and squeegee, I added some green, blue, red and more grey.   Then I took it outside to an old table, and spattered green and yellow paint.  It is starting to look quite interesting.

More spattering with different colours, mostly red.   I love adding red as it always brings a painting to life.

More paint added it various ways.  Sometimes with brayer, other times with a paint brush or the brayer.  Still more spattering.    The colour looks a bit different in this photo because it was taken at a different time of day.  Amazing what a difference the time of day makes to photography.   I find the best time is in the mornings.   This one was taken later in the afternoon.  I added a bit of crackle medium at this stage, but I don't think it worked properly because the paint underneath was too dry, but I dribbled some on, which left a ridge that I like.

It is getting close to being finished now, and I decided it needed some strong darks.  I used prussian blue with a little cobalt mixed in it and used a stencil to make the dark marks in this stage.

I added some black to some of the ridges, and it is really starting to take shape now.

The final stage.   I added more black to the x shape at the top, and decided to call it quits.   I really love the texture in this one.  I hope people find the different stages that the painting underwent in the process interesting.

Add More Paint - Emotion with Joy

Following my first attempt inspired by the #judyschallenge project on Facebook, I liked the process so much that I have decided to create a new series of abstract works using acrylic and just applying paint either to paper or canvas.  I will call this series #Add More Paint.  Most of my artwork has been very structured, and I nearly always had an image that I would use as a starting point that I would manipulate and abstract from.   My main body of work currently is my shipwreck series, which is very structured and essentially realist.  For example, my latest shipwreck painting #Gayundah: On the Beach is inspired from an real object.   I find it exciting that I can start a painting on a blank canvas or piece of paper and just start applying paint, using different tools and any technique I can think of to add marks.  The challenge is that sometimes in the beginning, I think "my goodness, how am I going to make something interesting out of this".

My painting below "Emotion with Joy" is the piece that I am going to document today.   It has proved a very popular choice and lots of likes on Facebook and Instagram.

These are the steps that I took to complete #Emotion with Joy

First stage.  I started this one with completely different colours to what I usually choose. I chose a burgundy colour, orange, red and pink to start with. Also approached it in a completely different way, using a paintbrush and brayer to lay in the first colours.  Wasn't really impressed with the painting at this stage, but oh well, we shall see how it progresses.  It is scary using such different colours.

For my next step, I introduced some grey green, and just worked on defining some shapes. A very new approach to the start of a painting for me. Still not liking it all that much.

Next I added more colours to lighten some areas. It is looking a little brighter but not sure at all that I like this approach - although it is good to challenge myself. This one might prove to be a very interesting challenge. The good thing about this way of painting, is that I know that I can always paint over it with different colours and completely change it at any time.

For this step, I  used the brayer with yellow, orange and a different green. Then took the canvas outside and spattered the whole painting with the same colour paints. It is looking a little more interesting so not quite as unhappy as my previous stopping point. I wonder what my next step will be. Will have to contemplate for a while.

I decided that the painting need more blue, so using a couple of stencils, I added prussian blue with a little cobalt.   Hmmm, starting to really like it now.  

It is looking good now, but just needs a few more touches.   I added some yellow.    Now I really like it.  The yellow was the final touch needed to bring it to life.  

One of the most valuable things an artist must learn is when to stop.  Many a painting has been spoilt by the artist going too far and taking away the spontaneity and vibrance of a work.     When I joined #judyschallenge the aim was to add some paint each day for 30 days.   Some of the artists who joined this challenge did succeed by going through and changing their work for 30 whole days, and posted their daily results.  Sometimes at a particular stage, I thought - I would have to stop here but they diligently continued on.  I admire them for being able to stick to complete the challenge, but for myself, when I had the work at a stage where I really liked it, I just could not make myself do something different and potentially ruin what I thought was a good work.     I will continue working in this way, and maybe, just maybe I might eventually get to do 30 days.


#emotionwithjoy  #acrylicpainting  #addmorepaint

What is Encaustic

Recently I had an exhibition at the Arts Cafe at the Gold Coast City Gallery.  I exhibited 10 Encaustic paintings.

When asked about my art practice, I usually tell people that the latest passion in my artwork is that I have begun exploring the art of Encaustic.   Many people have not heard of beeswax being used in artwork, and I am frequently asked, “What is Encaustic”.  Click on the link below to see my post about the fascinating art of Encaustic.  Feel free to leave a comment, or to ask a question.

http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/blog/what-is-encaustic


Here are a few examples of some of my Encaustic paintings from my Transition Series.  Many more can be found on my website in The Last Fleet, Serendipity Series and my Miscellaneous folders -

  http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/store/c4/Transition_series_-_2014_-_current__-__ENCAUSTIC.html

Coastline

Eruption

Floating Kelp Bed

Kelp Bed

#Encaustic  #EncausticArt  #Encaustic paintings  #BeeswaxArt  #Beeswax #GoldCoastCityGallery  #TheArtsCentre

Gayundah: On the Beach

My header photo is the latest in my shipwreck series called "The Last Fleet".    This series is being prepared for a solo exhibition at the Gold Coast City Gallery from 6 February to 27 March 2016.

A link to my website to the folder with the artworks that will be in this exhibition is here:
http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/store/c11/The_Last_Fleet__-_ENCAUSTIC_AND_OIL_-_current.html

I aim to have about twenty paintings in the exhibition, and so far have completed sixteen paintings, so need to get cracking on creating 4 more.   I have the images picked out, so it is just a matter of getting them finished.

Below are the processes I used to create Gayundah:  On the Beach.    Feedback would be much appreciated.

The canvas is 2 metres x 1.2 metres.   I had the canvas made up for me by Eckersleys and initially, when I saw the size of the canvas, I panicked, thinking how am I ever going to do justice to this painting on such a large canvas.  
But, having purchased the canvas, and being strongly encouraged by my husband, I had no choice but to push on, so bit the bullet.
Me with the blank canvas.

Pencil study for the canvas.   I sometimes do a preliminary drawing for my paintings, especially when they are on a large canvas and I need to work out detail beforehand.  The pencil sketch will become an artwork in its own right eventually.

First I  photographed and scanned my drawing into my computer.

Next I project the image onto my canvas.

Then I trace the outline of the drawing with pencil.

My lovely husband John secured the canvas to my easel.    Back view.

Front view.  Oops, John secured it beautifully to the easel, but forgot to check if it was the right way up.   lol.  Lucky we both have a good sense of humour.

Then I started laying in colour.  First the sky, then I concentrated quite heavily upon the prow of the ship, adding lots of texture and colour.  This is really the main focus.  Quite nervous about painting the water as I have not often painted wanted.   Foreground just sketched in roughly at this stage.

More details added.

Getting there.  More detail added all over.  Foreground close to being finished.

The finished painting.   I am so pleased with it.  I think it is my best painting ever.   I wonder if anyone will ever want to buy it.    It is ready now to be included in my The Last Fleet exhibition in Feb/March 2016 at the Gold Coast City Gallery, Surfers Paradise.

http://www.gaylereicheltart.com/store/p273/Gayundah%3A_On_the_Beach.html  is a direct link to the painting in my website.

To give people an idea of the size of the painting.   I am standing between my pencil sketch and the finished painting.   Feeling very pleased with myself.    

The best place to store a painting if possible is on a wall.  So here it is on the wall in our loungeroom.  It looks fantastic.

#Gayundah  #HMQS Gayundah #Shipwrecks  #Marine Art #Maritime Artist #TheLastFleet  #TheArtsCafe  #GoldCoastCityGallery