My paintings on Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

As if my feature in Martha Stewart Living wasn't enough, I've also been fortunate enough to have had a cameo on Kevin Sharkey's fabulous blog.

'Kevin Sharkey is Senior Vice President and Executive Editorial Director, Decorating, and Executive Creative Director, Merchandising for MSLO.' 

In other words, Kevin is a creative genius. In a nutshell. 

my blue and white Chinoiserie paintings as seen in Martha Stewart Living were also shown on Kevin's blog....

...along with my 'Bouquet in Flow Blue' as well! 

A big thank you must again go to stylist-extraordinaire Scott, who got the party started way back in December. By the way, Scott, along with some other super-stylists, has his very own blog called Canvass. This is what they have to say..."We are editors, scavengers, stylists, crafters and writers. Together we bring you a canvassing of all things amazing, lovely, cool, chic and inspiring." Couldn't have said it better myself. Here's a taste.

100% fabulous. Check it out here.

Well, that's it for me. It's the weekend and I'm going to savour every second of it. And school hols started today as well. Love it!

Not one, but ten new paintings!

Well, it's been a big week. I've packed up and sent nine originals off to the US for a very exciting project (more on that later) and I've finally finished the latest in my 'Interior Portraits' series - 'Modern Vintage'. I absolutely loved Anthropologie's Louisa Settee as soon as I laid eyes on it, and I thought it would look great teamed with a blue and white display on the wall behind. If you look closely you might notice that the china pieces are my own 'Ginger Jar' paintings (and a chinoiserie plate which I'll be sharing soon as well). A bit like art imitating art really.

'Modern Vintage'

210mm x 297mm

watercolour and gouache on paper

for sale now in my Etsy shop

And here are the nine originals, just before they were sent on their way...

I can't share the details just yet, but as soon as they arrive safe and sound and I know they're in place, I'll be back to share the details. Can't wait to tell all....patience is so not one of my virtues!

The blues

This morning, my art studio had a super-fast mini-makeover, ready for some glamour shots. I thought you might like to see how it's looking nowdays, complete with a couple of blue and white paintings you may recognise. Although I didn't have the time (or the team of stylists) to pull off a re-do anywhere near as fabulous as Martha's, it's nice to change things up once in a while. And while blue is the order of the day now, it will probably sport pinks and oranges next week. Which is half the fun of course.

 hmm, should have ironed that cover - if only I had some minions to do that for me. Note to self - put teenagers to work pronto. 

 these particular prints are approx 11" x 20" , and framed without a mat in a 15mm profile frame. I'll be adding another three to the wall as soon as I can add more hangers - these ones promptly fell off as soon as these photos were taken!

I also want to thank each and every one of you for your lovely messages and emails about my Martha Stewart feature. You're all absolutely fabulous and I'm so happy to be able to share it with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

all photos and artwork copyright Kerri Shipp 2011

My good friend Martha Stewart...

..has featured my blue and white paintings in her little magazine. Just sayin'.

the iPad edition launched today, and it's sensational as always. Couldn't love it any harder if I tried.

A few months ago, I woke to an email from the lovely Scott, an editor for Martha Stewart Living Magazine. He said they loved my blue and white paintings, and would I be interested in sending some to New York for a feature in the magazine? Oh, and they had to be there in under four days. After I picked myself up off the floor, of course I said yes, and then spent the next few hours in a state of panic. Did I mention it was December? Or that the US had extra security in place for checking mail over the holidays? Anyway, I sent them on their way, and today I saw the end result. So thrilled. The editors used large-scale prints for the shoot, and I'm pleased to say they're now available in my Etsy shop:

'Ming in Indigo'

20" x 28" (510mm x 710mm)

available here

'Dynasty in Ming'

20" x 28" (510mm x 710mm)

available here

'Ginger Jar in Ming'

20" x 28" (510mm x 710mm)

available here

My paintings were part of a feature on blue, and the whole story is stunning - take a look:

So thank you Martha (and of course Scott!), I'm thrilled beyond belief to have my work featured in such an iconic magazine. It was sooo worth the nervous breakdown! Still pinching myself :) 

Have a great day everyone,

Spring has sprung

In spite of the fact that Autumn has just arrived here in Oz, the sun is blazing and it seems very summery to me. That's probably why I've had flowers on my mind. And the fact that I've had lots of requests for paintings of them. Of course, I aim to please, so here's a look at my latest offering:

'Bouquet in Flow Blue'

watercolour on paper, 8" x 8"

prints available now in my Etsy shop

Oh, and I've just listed the first prints of this abstract too. I've listed two sizes so far (A4 and A3 sizes or approx 8" x 11", and 11" x 16") and I'll be adding large-format prints on canvas very soon as well. If you need any more information, feel free to drop me a line.

'Sway'

watercolour on paper

visit my Etsy shop for details, or email me for more info on custom sizes

Happy Spring to those of you in the northern hemisphere - I'm sure you're all looking forward to some sunshine!

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Beat the heat

It's another scorcher here in sunny Qld today. The past few months have been anything but typical weather-wise, but the typical heat and humidity have now arrived with a vengeance. The crew and I spent most of yesterday in and out of the pool, and that's my plan for today too. Paint - swim - paint - swim....sounds pretty good to me.

I'm not the only one who enjoys a refreshing dip. My studio assistant Darcy adores it. But we have a small problem - the entry.

here he is - on guard at all times

source

I hope you're paying attention Darcy. This is how it's done. You need to run and jump at the same time. Maybe the adorable Cooper could teach him a thing or two. Darcy uses this method...

source

...but always manages to fall in head-first. And once in, he won't get out. I didn't manage to get a photo of Darcy yesterday as I was too busy trying to get him out of the pool, so I'm using these for illustrative purposes only. Hope he takes note and learns a trick or two.

source

There will be devouring of mango iceblocks by the truckload today too. And as for the painting, I'm working on a request for peonies and ginger jars - two of my favourite things.

 carolyneroehm.com

 carolyneroehm.com 

source

Hope your day has lots of loveliness in store for you too.

Into the blue...and jogging my memory

It's no secret that I love me a bit of blue. Indigo, cobalt, azure, turquoise, aqua......love 'em all. So when I saw this month's issue of Veranda magazine, it was enough to whet my appetite.

via kirstenkelli.com

I know I'm not alone here. I saw this pic on the lovely Judy's blog, Verandah House today:

...not only did I fall in love with all the gorgeous blues, it also reminded me of a commission I did some time ago. I thought I'd lost these photos when my old desktop computer died, but after some sleuthing I managed to find them. Thanks Judy!

'Into the Blue I'

'Into the Blue II and III'

Lends a whole new meaning to 'feeling blue', doesn't it?

Last chance!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day of the 20% off sale in my Etsy shop. Last orders will be posted tomorrow, and then I'll be taking a break until the 18th January. Thanks so much everyone for your overwhelming support, and I can't wait to share all my plans for the new year. I finished my very last original painting yesterday - a new addition to my blue and white Chinoiserie series:

'Ginger Jar in Cobalt'

original watercolour on paper

Right, I'm off to finish decorating the house, ready for Christmas day. Thankfully, the pool is now finished and ready to go, and although the forecast is for rain, rain and more rain, it's actually a beautiful day here today. So I'm going to make the most of it and get the place looking all pretty and festive,  and play with a few ideas I have for zhushing up the table. In general, I plan to enjoy one of the only summery days we've had in ages! 

Hope you all have a great day, and I'll catch you all soon.

New painting...at long last!

As I get ready to fly out the door for what seems like the millionth time today, I thought I'd pop in and share my latest painting. After sending myself almost blind trying to get this finished last night, I realised that:

1. I cannot paint at night, unless I'm happy for coke-bottle goggles to be a part of my wardrobe in the not-too-distant future.
2. Rushing a painting like this means blobs of blue paint appear in places they shouldn't. Which leads me to...
3. Painting at night only ends in tears...see number two above.

**Edited to add: I think I should clarify that, after making a mess of my first attempt, I started from scratch with this one. Just in case you were thinking I was trying to pass off a patched-up, less than top notch painting!**

So after all that, here it is:

"Ginger Jar in Ming"

original watercolour on paper, 210mm x 297mm

At the moment, this one is on hold for a client, otherwise I'll list it on Etsy later today.

I'll try very hard to pop in to all your lovely blogs today as well, I'm having serious withdrawals! 

See you soon,

Kerri 

Blue, white...and a couple of hippies

I've just finished another watercolour in the blue and white series I started a few days ago. My mum has been a collector of blue and white china since I was a child, so I guess it stands to reason I'm quite partial to it myself. Here's painting #2:

      I painted one without the background

   ...and one with

and here's painting #1

Oh, and aren't these hippeastrums lovely? A friend gave me some bulbs last year, and after all the rain we've had, they've burst into bloom. I think they'll make an appearance in one of my paintings very soon!

        oh, and there's a peek at the background of my next painting

It's taken me ages to load these photos - yet again, blogger is being very uncooperative. The joys of technology!