{ jude the obscure }

I recently completed a Christmas commission for a very lovely client; his boss's favourite flower is the 'Jude the Obscure' rose and he asked if I would paint one as his Christmas present to her. Now I don't love all roses, however  these kind are divine. So creamy and full, I'd love a big posy of these.

Image via rosy inspiration

'Obscure' name for it too, obviously comes form this Thomas Hardy novel. Perhaps I should read this over Christmas!

Image for Pinterest

Don't you think that is such a thoughtful gift - she must be a great boss! Thanks B for asking me to do this, and also for introducing me to perhaps my new favourite rose.

xx

{ reach the beach }

Summer lovin. Via Summertime & American Honey

Lots of shells. Also from Summertime & American Honey

White broderie with a tan. Via trop-ical

Way to spend a day... kayaking in the shallows! Via w-a-v-e

Coconut gelati/ everything. Via Martha Stewart

Avo on crunchy fresh bread. Via w-a-v-e

Lounging like a lizard in the sun. Via prettystuff

Panama hats. Via say YES to hoboken

Afternoon kips. Image via w-a-v-e

Collecting shells on an evening walk. Image via Aspiring Homemaker

It's now less than two weeks till we break for Christmas and head off for our annual beach holiday. I can't wait. These images are what a beach holiday is to me.... sunkissed cheeks, long afternoon kips, coconut everything, late lunches and long walks on the beach at dusk. The weather forecast is looking pretty grim however I am being optimistic and dreaming of a summer that looks and feels like this!

Flinders Beach, Stradbroke Island (on any given day). 

xx

{ under a tree & then in a marquee }

Wow, what a wedding!! Everything about the day was perfect. Best-dressed most certainly must go to these three....

And of course beautiful Phoebe in Vera Wang.... have you ever seen such an elegant, radiant and beautifully happy bride?

This is where they were married; under an ancient oak tree in Federal, NSW...

... and the view from the marquee, where we celebrated into the night.

It was one of the best days & nights ever. The next day it didn't stop, we woke to this...

This was our card to the Newly Married Couple....

By the end of it I was thoroughly exhausted from the wonderful weekend that was. 

Sorry I've been a bit out of action but I hope to be back properly next week. See you then!

xx

{ new work }

Today is the first official day or summer and also the day a few new paintings of mine have gone up in Black & Spiro. There's a pair of shoes; some words; a flower and a bottle of San Pellegrino..... all quite season appropriate I think!

'Wink & a Smile' - watercolour & ink with gold leaf

'Laelia Orchids' - watercolour & ink

'San Pellegrino' - watercolour & ink

'The Summer slippers' - watercolour & ink

You're welcome to email me if you are interested in any of the above or would like more information. I hope to have a few more coming before Christmas.

'Bikini' in pigment ink 

Tomorrow I'm off to Byron Bay to celebrate the wedding of two very special people... they are wonderful friends (also owners of my bikinis, above, which now reside at their at their gorgeous beach house!); but much more importantly they are possibly the most inspirational and just all round best-couple I know. So lots my favourite people, in my favourite place, at my most favourite time of year - I can't wait! 

Hope you all have wonderful weekends too. See you next week.

All images and artwork copyright Pip Boydell 2011.

xx

{ a while between drinks... }

Image via cocokelley

To anyone that is a regular blogger - I mean a truly dedicated one, couple of posts a week type of a deal - then I really take my hat off to you. I know from the outset it may seem to many a trivial pastime, or an odd little world for people to get absorbed into; however it actually takes a lot more commitment and time than I realised so I just wanted to apologise for my sporadic posts and my non-up-to-dated-ness - I will work on all of this!  

So. In the spirit of my post title I thought I would now give you a snapshot of a piece I have been working on this last week. It started at the exhibition... spot the vase innovation? 

Then one sunny afternoon I was looking at some pretty pictures like this...

Image via Pinterest

... was a bit parched, having a refreshing drink, and thought why not paint the bottle?

I have now collected the finished product from the framer just this afternoon as it will be part of the final little summer batch of artworks available through Black & Spiro before Christmas. Here's a sneak peek:

Anyway, there are just a few pieces this time but all quite colourful and summery - and I'm excited to have this new (albeit small!) release in time for Christmas! These last couple will be available from either tomorrow or the next day, so if you would like to hear about them once on sale email me. It might be a case of first in best dressed for these few (and I am now fully booked out till Christmas); but I'm taking commissions for 2012 and already excited about the new work in the pipeline. So if this sounds like you,  again just email me and we can make it happen!

Pip xx

Images 2, 4 and 5 copyright of Pip Boydell 2011.

{ summer colour & an update }

Moroccan table setting via Decor 4 All

Hibiscus - via my Pinterest

Decorations! Via Plenty of Colour

Beehives in Greece - via my Pinterest

Warm weather automatically takes me to a place where I crave the brightest and boldest colours of summer.  My current colour combo obsession is (clearly) pink + orange.... don't these pics make you feel like you are in the middle of a great big celebration on a sultry summer afternoon, with lots of laughter and noise and the Mediterranean sun blistering down?! So this afternoon I have been channelling these fantastically electric colours and have decided I must find a way to incorporate these into a painting of some sort. Not sure what just yet, but they look great (particularly with a bit of gold leaf!):

I shall let you know what becomes of this!

In other news, I also thought I should let you know that everything has been very well following my the opening of my exhibition Thursday week ago..... in fact so much better than I could have possibly hoped for, as we sold out of all 29 pieces just a few days after the opening. So after a couple of weeks hanging in the store, this weekend they will all be coming down and heading home with their new owners. I'm very excited to be passing my first real collection of pieces over and that they'll now be part of people's  lives and homes. What this means, though, is that there will be a few bare walls in Black & Spiro so I'm now working on a small second release of the exhibition which will go up in store over the coming weeks. We don't have a final date just yet, but to anyone that might be interested stay tuned here and also to Absolutely Beautiful Things, as Anna and I will be sure to keep you updated on timings and details of when the next pieces will be available.

In the meantime I also just wanted to say big thank you to all the lovely comments and emails I have received over the last little while. It truly makes my day to receive these lovely words from people far and wide.... so thank you for this, and also for giving me the confidence (and business!) to keep busy like a bee painting lots of paintings for you all!

Anyway, enjoy the week and I will keep you posted as this next stage progresses. 

xx

{ growing a flower }

Over the last little while I've had lots of people ask about the process behind my painting/ drawing/ creating.... as it is just that, a bit  of a cobble together of a few different mediums and approaches. So I thought I might share the process with you on of the pieces form the 'treasure' exhibition.  I kind of make it up as I am going, but it generally goes like this.....

Start with something beautiful from real life:

Then start sketching with pencil:

I don't muck around too much though before I start using the pen, as I get impatient and want to know how it's going to look. So I pull out the Copic liners - these are fabulously fine-nibbed pigment ink pens that are waterproof and don't bleed when I later paint over the top. I am a pen nerd and have about 20 of them and basically just love them. For anyone interested, neatest crispest lines you will ever draw! (I know, pen nerd).

So I use these to do much of the shading at this stage until it starts to look more like this...

Then I start to colour it with watercolour, like this:

Then I rehash it again and again, pen then paint, pen then paint, like this:

And finally, it's finished!

Hope you liked. Have a lovely Tuesday. 

Pip x

{ opening treasure }

Paintings pictured from L- R: Chanel No. 5 (sold); Magnolia; Oriental lilies (sold); Chanel 'Rouge' (sold) and Chanel 'Mademoiselle' (sold)

Paintings pictured clockwise from top left: Yellow butterfly (sold); 'Daisy'; 'Blue butterfly' (sold) & Pink feathers.

'Pink hyacinth' (top) and 'Jonquils' (bottom) - both still available!

And Anna's amazing swans - there are two of these, sitting either side of the entrance and they are both filled with pink daisies. 

I think they were my favourite thing in the shop on the night!

All these snaps are curtesy of my darling sister Harriette.

The windows - I painted the backdrops here for Anna, one in zig-zag and the other a Christmas message. (image was taken by Elouise)

On Thursday night my exhibition 'treasure' opened at Black & Spiro here in Brisbane. It's been a big week and I'd been so busy running around that I was quite exhausted by the time the night finally rolled around; however I think this was probably a blessing in disguise as it meant I didn't have too much time to get too nervous about the actual night!

But in the end it really was a great night and I don't think I could have wanted much more from it all. Anna worked her magic on the shop (have never heard so many people raving) which was the most perfect setting and complement for it all; and we had a great turn out, too, with lots of happy people streaming in through the evening and spilling out onto the street with champagne in hand. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who came on the night and all those that helped make it happen - it's so overwhelming and a little bit humbling to have  so many wonderful friends, family and Black & Spiro patrons (old & new) share it all with. I also was fortunate enough to have sold quite a few pieces on the night and in the days since, and there is now only seven left of my collection of 29 paintings. I can't quite believe it all!

So the big night is over but I've already got an even bigger list of things to do and paintings to paint, and I can't wait. This has been the single most enjoyable, fun and truly rewarding thing I have ever done and I am just so grateful to Anna for the opportunity; and to all my friends and family for their unwavering support they have given me to pursue this hair-brained little dream of mine. Because I am so very glad that I did. 

Pip xx

PS. I have had a couple of people enquire about purchasing the paintings.... I don't have an online store as yet (this is next!) however if you aren't in Brisbane but are interested in any of the pieces please contact me directly at pip_boydell@hotmail.com.