Ali J

Never Alone

"Never Alone"
76cm x 92cm
Acrylic on Canvas

This is one of my newest works for the City of Joondalup Art Exhibition opening this Wednesday night (4th of June).  I really enjoyed working on this painting, and could have continued for days.  However my deadline was 8.30am this morning (and I was still working on it at 8.45am!)

This painting has a closer bond to me then any of my other paintings.  I've used quite a lot of symbolism in the work for references and meanings that can't truly be interpreted without knowing who I am as a person.  I'll try to interpret some of the meanings for you.

The figure in the painting is quiet, but not lonely.  She is reflective of me as a person.  Rather simple, plain and searching for something.  She is either taking her jacket off, or putting it on - which we do not know.  A link to my own life right now as I'm not quite sure what path to take next.  The jacket is made up of boldly coloured peacock feathers as a reference to my family (they have peacocks) and how their love is wrapped around me, and there is plenty of it (lots of feathers with no end in sight).  Once again linking to the jacket maybe coming off or on - will I go away, or will I stay close?

The background has a tree that is old and weathered - a link to the fond love I have for history and the environment.  I'm a country girl at heart and am my most happy outdoors in the open - hence the wide open field of grass.  The tree, that may have been dead, is now coming back to life with small sprouts of leaves, showing that there will be a change in the air.  What change I do not know but it is coming.

The tree extends into the ground, behind the figure to reveal tree roots linked and joined in unison.  This reference is to my past which keeps revealling itself, yet doesn't reappear as the present.  It is my foundation, what makes me who I am today.  The links of my past are stronger then my future.  The green field is flat with no perspective or path to travel because I don't know where to find it.  There are no hills, no sun, and nothing in the distance.  Not because there is no hope, but rather that this reflects a moment in time where certains elements are just unknown to me. 

In the tree creatures and eyes peer out, watching and waiting.  No matter where I am, or what I am doing I always feel as though someone is watching me.  Everytime I walk into a room I feel eyes on me, and I'd rather slink to a corner away from the crowd so they can watch me from a distance.  There is no detail to the creatures as I can never put a face to the issues that I'm constantly fighting with my own self esteem.

The figure is wearing a simple purple dress, purple is my favourite colour.  Simple because I'm an ordinary girl who doesn't like to stand out of the crowd.  The hair of the figure is long as I've always wanted long hair that rests softly around my face.  The whole scene is surrounded by a massive blue sky of clouds and a storm brewing.  This symbolises the challenges that may lie forth in my future.

There are other meanings and references, but this is the basic outline.  My paintings aren't just of figures, I put so much secret meaning into them as I work.  The medium I use, the words I choose for collage, even down to the paper.  Each choice full of secrets and hidden meanings.  I just felt with this work that I had to share those details in order to give you a greater understanding of how much this work means to me.  It was one of those works that I just had to do before I could create anything else.  A turning point in my life.

The book that inspired the idea and the concepts was "The Bridei Chronicles" by Juliet Marillier.  A fantasy story about a witch girl and a boy destined to be king, and the love that grows between them against all odds.  The book is based on celtic lore as well as historical fact and resonates with me strongly.  I'm definitely a fan of science fiction or fantasy!!

One year and one week later......

So, it's time.  Time to look back on my life.  I can't believe it.  One year and one week ago exactly I sold my first illustration on Etsy for $15.  It took me five hours to draw, and I just listed it on Etsy out of curiousity.  It was the first work that I'd ever sold in my life.  I had just started drawing again about two months prior to that after a four year hiatus from anything creative.  Previously I studied fine art at college specialising in charcoal.  I could never have predicted that I would be here right now doing what I'm doing.  I can't believe how much my work has grown & changed, or how much my life has changed for the better. 

I look back on the person I once was and do not recognise her.  Four years ago I was 98kg, unhappy, miserable and had no direction in life.  Now I'm five dress sizes smaller, about 72kg and on top of the world.  I don't have a clear direction in life *but* I'm happy on the path that I'm travelling and I'll just take what comes as I pass.

So, for those of you who know me you'll know I'm a notes & statistics kind of girl.  I'm not sure why but it helps me set new goals to achieve and be realistic with what has passed or what may happen in the future.  So I'm going to share with you some of my statistics about my creative journey.  They are not being written as bragging rights.  I have good times, but I also have bad.  I just believe that some things should be shared & that you can learn from other people.  Everyone has their own paths to follow and no ones journey will ever be the same. 

• I started blogging on blogger in January 2007 and switched to typepad in May 2007.  Since switching to typepad I have had 42,785 hits to my blog.  My visits so far have been from 75 different countries.  (How amazing is that!!)  Some of the countries include England, Hungary, India, Peru, Slovakia, Morocco, Bahrain, Macedonia and even Vietnam. 
• I opened my Etsy store in May 2007 and sold my first item in 4 days.  Since then I've reached 500 sales, and I'm so pleased to know my treasures now reside in over 24 countries worldwide.
• I have two artworks in public collections - City of Joondalup & the Town of Vincent library here in Western Australia.
• I have been commissioned for a variety of work including Geekgirl, Thread Magazine, Lip Magazine, Mesa & Sony/BMG CD as well as private commissions.
• I have had the most amazing press features including Marie Claire, STM Magazine, Xpress Magazine, Decor8, Design*Sponge, Creative Commons and many many more.  I'm truly blessed.
• I've participated in 5 craft fairs / designer markets and whilst they may be a stressful experience for me I find them to be an invaluable tool to my growth in both my career and my life.
• I launched my website in January 2007 with many tweaks and updates along the way.   I don't know exactly how many hits I've had (I forgot to install the counters when I initially launched the site)  but I've had visitors from 45 countries including Germany, Egypt, Pakistan and Bulgaria.
• I've participated in an amazing range of exhibitions including V-Raw, Wayside Chapel, Clothespeg Exhibition, Artopia and my first solo exhibition in November 2007.  I've painted live in front of university students for V-Raw and even presented my girls in front of a room full of eager listeners for Pecha Kucha volume 1 in Perth.
• The fastest one of my items sold has been seconds - on Etsy.  I also sold one of my artworks at a gallery exhibition last year the moment it opened! 

My first illustration sold through Etsy - May 2007

My most recently completed illustration - May 2008

So much more has happened in my life, I just cannot express how priviliged I feel right now to be able to live the life I do.  To spend my days sketching and painting, or even sewing, it is so fulfilling.

I get asked quite often what I plan for the future.  To be honest I don't know.  Next month I can tell you almost everything I have planned because of my diary - but after that who knows?  I'll just have to see what happens.  Since the day I started so far every single week something has happened that is completely unexpected and absolutely miraculous.  Every single week without fail.  It may be a phone call, an interview or even a commission, but all are completely unpredictable, but so exciting!! 

On the same note my creative life isn't one big high, there are many lows.  The point to remember though is without any lows you'll never be able to know when you have a high.  I have had a million failures whether it be artwork, cancelled commissions or just anything that failed to progress to that next stage.  It is tough when that happens, but understandable as situations change and so do ideas, budgets and even communication.  Still, each one is a learning experience and for each failed proposal, a good one will eventuate.  I look forward to those.  :)  SoI'm sure that now you must be a little curious about what hasn't worked for me.  Well, here are just a few -

• An agency in Russia wanted to represent me for my illustration, but at the time I didn't feel that my portfolio was strong enough.  Then a great deal of time later I contacted another agency to represent me but was declined as my portfolio was strong but not broad enough in its subject matter.  (Rejection is great = the best thing to help you grow.)
• I was contacted about transforming one of my girls into a character.  The character would be transformed into a 3D figure and would feature in both print & television ads across America for a major furniture company.  The company the idea was presented to didn't go forward with the proposal.
• I was contacted about using some of my illustrations in designer jewellery to be stocked in stores across the United Kingdom.  The idea just didn't progress any further.
• A website wanted to feature my illustrations across the site and use me as an example for other illustrators in regards to an organization that they were starting up.  The communication was excellent, and they were very excited & specific about the illustrations they wished to display.  However upon the release of the website my images were cropped, altered, discoloured and displayed in a terrible fashion - it honestly made some of them look like crayon drawings.  I was so offended and after further communication they revealled that they intended to use my images in that way from day one and didn't think copyright laws applied to websites, so I asked for my images to be removed immediately and for all references to me to be removed also.

It's been an interesting journey to say the least.  I've learnt so much in regards to illustrating, budgeting, running a business, communication, negotiations, quoting commissions to companies, website designing and even making computer image files print ready.  I used to always think an illustrator just needed a pencil and a creative imagination.  Now I've realised that they need much more then that to stand out from all those other creative talents who also have pencils and vast imaginations.

Oh, and the other question that I get asked ALL the time, especially by school children.  Am I rich?  My answer is yes.  Financially?  Umm... no.  Unless you happen to know something I don't.  I'm rich because I'm living a dream, and I couldn't imagine myself living any other way.  Then I get asked what will happen if I ever win the Lotto.  Will I buy a mansion?  Move to the moon?  Fly all around the world?  Quit and become Paris Hilton?  My answer is no.  First of all I don't have the figure to be a Paris Hilton and secondly I honestly want to live my life exactly as I'm living it right now.  A bigger studio would be nice, as would some more art supplies, but this is my dream and this is what I want to do.

To those of you who have purchased anything from me - thankyou for helping me continue to live this dream.  For those of you who just enjoy my work - thankyou for your continued inspiration.  For those of you who don't like my work but keep visiting - thankyou for your interest in me.  For my friends and family - thankyou for your continued love and support.  For those of you who've visited me for the first time - welcome, I hope you enjoy your visit.  :)

I look forward to what the next year will bring!

When the pressure gets tough......

.... get creating.  I think I'm going through a mid life art crisis.  Struggling to solidify my style and get through a lot of commissions, work and just general plans for the next stage of my career.  I think there was bad kharma in the area I used to work in as I found it really hard to get any work completed.  Many days I'd sit there for hours, then it would result in so many works (that to me) had failed, it was quite depressing.  Even worse is that I'm such a perfectionist, and I need that magic 'it's finished' moment to happen.  Sadly no magic fairy has been visiting me lately and not a lot has gotten finished!!

Now though I think I've fixed the problem and I've moved my 'studio' to another room of the house.  It took me two days to move all my art supplies in one of our spare bedrooms, and it still isn't finished - although I'm close to it.  I'm crammed in the room but I love it, and being crowded by so much stuff just inspires me.  Like I'm living in my own secondhand store!  The only depressing part of the whole move-to-another-room was the sight of just how much art supplies I actually own.  No wonder I've always been poor!  I've decided I'm never moving house, because moving my art will need a whole truck of its own.  I've still got pencils from when I was 10 years old!!!

So anyway, I haven't shared any of the new work with you for a while because so much has been wrapped up in secrecy.  I promise I'll reveal those soon.  Until then here is a piece I finished last week.  I bought some of the most amazing canvas in the world, and it has resulted in a painting I just adore.  I'm really looking forward to pushing my work to the next level in the coming months.

"Pressure"
Acrylic on canvas
30cm x 40cm

New Artworks for the Perth College Art Exhibition

So this weekend the Perth College Art Exhibition commences.  I'm exhibiting a total of three artworks in the exhibition - one large and two small.  Initially all three were going to be seaside themed, but once I started working on one of them she kind of morphed into something a little different.

I wanted to challenge myself a little with these paintings, trying out new techniques, styles and trying to engage more interaction in the composition of the works.  I think in order to grow every artist should continually challenge themselves and try new things, so I decided that I would join the ride.  I've had various critiques of my portfolio from various agencies and art directors, so I'm taking some of their advice on board as a way to start strengthening myself as an 'adaptable' artist in all forms of mediums and concepts but still remaining true to myself.

One thing I can definitely say about these works.  Boy are they huge!!!  :)

"Passion Pop"
Mixed Media on Canvas
24" x 24"

"Cockels and Mussels"
Mixed Media on Canvas
24" x 24"

"Whispers Of The Water"
Mixed Media on Canvas
40" x 40"

Inspirations, events, painting and workspaces

I'm feeling rather inspired today.  I've been 'tagged' by someone to share with you 7 things you don't know about me.  As I've done this plenty of times in the past I've decided to take a bit of a different approach to the task.

So I bring you........... my 7 reveals of the week!  I've been inspired by other bloggers, scenes and events around me so now it is time to share some things about me.  The only condition is that everything had to happen this week to be able to share it.  :)

1. The Wedding Bouquet

Two of our friends were married on the long Easter weekend and I was the lucky lady who caught the wedding bouquet!  I've never seen my partner Chad turn so red in his life.... ;)

2. Vintage War Date Stamps

I have a keen interest in the second world war and imagine my surprise when I found a vintage library book for 50 cents complete with its original date stamps from during the war.  I've used this page as a background detail in an upcoming artwork, although I'm not quite sure yet how I'm going to tie this feature in with the concept.  The detail inspires me so much!

3. Where the Magic Flows

Every artist needs a workspace. This is one of mine.  This is a nice chunky wooden desk with plenty of drawers crammed full of half used paint tubes, paintbrushes, pens, textas and pencils.  It enables me to give the impression of a tidy workspace even though it is a disaster zone.  I love to cover the desk in images when I work.  I had to move my desk around this week and this is the new spot.  I love being able to open the blinds and look outside at all the birds searching for seeds.

 

4. This Is The Modern Age

Where would an illustrator be nowadays without their computer?  Here I catch up on e-mails, get my daily fix of inspiration from websites and blogs as well as take some time out on forums or chat rooms.  I also consult with clients and negotiate primarily through the computer - so it is absolutely essential to my business. 

The next image is my new computer desk.  Only $115 from a secondhand store!  It is huge, but works perfectly for my needs.  I've put up inspiring images around me, I have all my filing and folders on hand as well as my books.  I also have some new toys this week!  I've got a webcam and headphones so I can finally chat through the computer.  I can't wait for my first official phone call.  :)  I've also setup skype - so feel free to 'call' me.  My username is alijart.  Considering I have clients all over the world I hope that this will enable me to participate a bit easier in interviews as well as meetings and consultations.  It's amazing how much time this frees up (and finances) as we no longer need to travel, we can do it all from the comfort of our own homes.  It would be impossible for me to travel to New York for a client meeting, so give me two minutes and I've got a virtual meeting setup on the computer.  Skype enables you to call people for free (if they have skype too) or call any landline phone for a minimal fee.  That works perfectly for our home and business as we don't have a landline phone, only mobiles which can be expensive to call from.

5. Hard At Work

Here I am preparing the background to three canvases that will be part of the Perth College Art Exhibition next weekend.  The first two canvases have been covered in vintage books pages and I've intentionally chosen pages with minimal script on them.  I'm not sure how much of the paper I will leave exposed, I'll just have to start the works and see what develops.  The big canvas that you can see me working on is 40" x 40".  I like to work on the big canvases on the floor before I put them up on the easel, then I take them back down on the floor to refine the details. 

I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing for the works, I'm still refining the concepts.  Although I do know all of the subject matter will be seaside themed, and I've sketched out plenty of ideas as well as titled the works.  It is just deciding on a clear direction to move into.  The titles of the paintings will be  "Whispers Of The Water", "Cockles and Mussels" and "Passion Pop"

6. My Blythe Watches Over Me

I live a quiet life inside my workspace.  Most of the time my iPod plays a variety of music as background noise and I escape into my imagination.  I like to surround myself with characters and creatures that continually open up more paths to that world.  In the next image I have my Blythe doll seated on a wooden peg rocking chair made by my nan with some plush girl cushions.  I also have some artwork up on the wall.

7. Artwork Around The Home

I don't think anyone creative cannot have images that feed their juices up on display.  I'm in a rented house so I have to be careful about how I display the imagery I have and cannot just put up hooks where I please.  So I've just blue tacked these up to the wall.  In this image there is artwork from Catherine Campbell, LaMaga, Erin Paisley Stueber, Bec Winnel, Alexandra Lening amongst others.

The next image is on the other wall beside my computer desk.  I have a pinboard for important paperwork, although my aim when we get a new house is to have an entire wall as a pinboard because I always have too much going on in order to fit it all on a tiny board.  The images here are from The Black Apple, postcards from Frankie magazine as well as some favourite prints of my own and other bits and pieces.

I studied art at college and specialised in realistic charcoal drawings with a heavy conceptual outlook.  There was another student at the time who worked with charcoal and ink, and I fell in love with her work.  At the end of the year she sold me one of her major drawings for $15 (crazy!!).  At the moment it is just clipped up to a board on the wall, but I hope at some stage to have it framed because I love it.  Her name was Eloise, and I haven't seen any of her artwork since college.  I hope one day she exhibits or I can find an opportunity to purchase more.  Although I'd definitely pay her exactly what her artwork is worth - and not what she is willing to sell it for!

Growing up I hated being girly.  I had two brothers and wanted to be the sporty girl who was willing to take on anything.  Nowadays I'm tending to accept some of the 'cute' and 'pretty' things in life, and surrounding myself with them.  I don't care what people think of me, I just surround myself with what inspires me and gives me joy.  Here is an artwork by Kendra Binney which I've placed next to a vintage bag hanging off the wall.    Oh, this wall is in my bedroom and it is a hot pink feature wall.  I love it and the colour just bursts with joy!  Who wouldn't want to get up in the morning?

It is all about the hair - wild hair!

I'm very excited to finally release some new paintings that I've been working on.  These paintings are acrylic on canvas and were created for an exclusive limited edition range of jewellery products now being stocked at Leeloo.  More details about the range will be released in a separate post.  For now here are the paintings -

" Summer Style"

"Eventful Days"

"Growing Wild"

"An Era Gone By"

The Wheels Keep On Turning

So I've finally finished the painting for the  "We Love Ladies, All Girls Exhibition" at Gallery 696 in Melbourne.

I wasn't in the mood for a nice sweet painting, so I tried something a little alternative.  I wanted to incorporate a sense of the organic into the painting through the use of line, colour and pattern.   I love the cheetah print effect that I managed to get in the hair through cracks of the paint.   At first I wanted her to be holding a starfish in front of her face as a shield but the more I look at it, the more I think she's going to turn that starfish into a throwing star!  Beware of the water ninja - a mermaid of the modern day.

The work is mixed media on canvas measuring 14" x 18".  I used gouache, acrylic, collage, metallic pens and ink on triple primed canvas.  I've titled her "Keeper Of The Sea"

A step by step guide

I love reading about other illustrators, painters and designers and seeing their working process.  It is interesting how every person has such a unique way of creating their work in addition to their own individual style.  The sky is the limit.  So I thought I would share the process of one of the works that I finished last week.

This work was a commissioned piece for a 21st birthday present.  Initially the client contacted me detailing the deadline for the work, the size preference and the subject matter.  It was to be 40cm x 40cm canvas and an illustration of her sister and herself together.  She noted one of my previous works as an inspiration and wanted it to follow the same theme.  All communication was via e-mail so it was very important that communication was strong so that I could complete the job to the clients satisfaction.  Initially I was sent some reference photos of both figures, then I sketched out a few ideas.

These are just a couple of the pages of sketches I did.  I used the photographs and model photos for my references into the poses and facial expressions. At first I was taking too long trying to achieve a likeness to the figures, but scrapped that idea and just tried some quicker sketches to work out the composition of the final piece.

Upon approval of the sketches I then sketched the work out onto a pre prepared canvas of collaged paper.

As you can see it is very hard to see the sketched figures, but I quite like that.  My works tend to take on a life of their own in the painting process, and I like that they won't be exactly like my initial sketches.  The next step was to paint some of the major line work in.

I adore the face to the right.  It's strange how a few simple lines can already capture the exact expression of the figure.

However simple lines tend to drive me crazy and there was something about the composition that was bothering me.  So I coloured in the space for the hair.  Then did it again, and again.

The hair was refined again, with some details added in.  I felt like there was something missing..... so I had to add some colour.   The girls were crying out for some red rosy cheek love!

Then the background was added.  The painting goes through a few stages now of adding colour, tones and fine detail.  The facial features of one of the figures goes through multiple changes.  I really struggle with mouths and getting the exact expression that I want to achieve.  Detail is added into the hair, painted over, then redone again.  I've also painted a bit of skin tone into the work to reduce the white of the canvas coming through.  Oh - and I've changed the yellow shirt to sit higher on the figure.  It's very interesting seeing how a few small details can change the figures personalities ever so slightly.  Then somehow at the very last minute, it's finished!

The work is titled "Kinship".  The client was absolutely overjoyed with the work and I was told that her family cried with joy.  Stories like that really touch my heart, I'm so glad they are happy! 

In addition to fulfilling the clients wishes I also like to integrate my own little secrets into the work.  The sisters really love one another, and their closeness in all their photographs was so inspiring.  As my way of expressing their love I've added a subtle touch into the collage.  I've integrated the name of the client onto her sisters face, so not only is she looking at her, she's also a part of her.  I was quite surprised to find the name in the book that I was using for the collage, but decided it was meant to happen.

I really enjoyed this painting.  Now I've got to clean up my mess!  Here I'll share with you one of my workspaces -

Capturing the Spirit

I've just finished up another custom work.  This is an 8" x 10" acrylic painting.  This one I've had an ongoing struggle with in trying to display the difference in ages between the figures.  I was asked to paint two sisters and their dogs, I really like the end result.  I also love that I've managed to capture the personality of all of the figures in the painting.

Experimentation is always a good thing

It's a new year, so why not try out new things?  Here I decided to experiment a little, and I quite enjoy the final work.  This is a drawing with ink on pressed cork paper.  Yes, that is right.  Cork!  It is really thin, about 1 millimetre thick and curves when you hold it.  It has a slightly spongey texture and was quite interesting to draw on.  I haven't yet decided on how I'm going to make the best of the paper, it is just something I wanted to have a go of.

I just love the close up detail.  The speckled texture of the cork brings such an interesting aspect into the work, and it was interesting working with a flat palette of colour.  I could almost put it up on the wall and attach notes to it... just kidding.  :)