Update - My art has landed on the moon!

Update - On Feb 23rd 2024 my artwork officially landed on the moon! 🌔🚀

Those of you familiar with my journey, might recall my announcement a few years back about my paintings venturing to the MOON! That moment is finally here TODAY! On Feb 15th at 5pm AEST, a rocket will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, destined to land on the moon by February 23rd. Inside this ‘lunar lander’ will be some of my art pieces…

The story behind this journey traces back to NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return people to the moon. In collaboration with commercial and international partners, they've set the stage for a lasting lunar presence. Enter engineer and sci-fi enthusiast Dr. Samuel Peralta, who acquired space on the craft with an innovative idea—to transport his creative works to the moon. Fortunately, he opened the door for artists worldwide, establishing the Lunar Codex. This evolving collection now includes contributions from creatives spanning 162 countries, ready for launch across five lunar missions in the coming years.

Personally, I'm thrilled that digitized versions of my artwork will be aboard two of these missions, commencing with the first launch today. The artworks, as part of catalogues, will be preserved on Nanofiche - an archival medium with a lifespan spanning hundreds of thousands of years.

Needless to say, I'm beyond thrilled at the thought of my work joining this lunar library, especially as one of the first female artists to enjoy the privilege of having work on the moon!! (There have been two previous artistic items left on the moon the moon museum and fallen astronaut all from male artists)

And to the wonderful collectors of the two paintings below (you know who you are) soon you'll have an interesting talking point about your artwork 😜

‘The Liberation of Eve’

‘Quietude’

Art Residency in Canada

The universe has been eavesdropping on my artistic musings! Lately, I’ve been noticing quite a few fellow artists attending Artist Residencies all over the world. For those unacquainted with the term, a residency offers artists a temporary escape to work on a project or develop new ideas. Each residency is unique, with its own set of criteria, perks, and a special spot on the map.

As I pondered how I could join the ranks of these fortunate artists an email arrived from James Baird Gallery in Canada. James invited me to participate in a group show ‘Woman’ next September saying Kathrin Longhurst (a Sydney artist) had recommended me. Needless to say, I was thrilled and accepted immediately.

A week later, another surprise arrived from James—this time, an offer for an Artist Residency! I was genuinely taken aback! The residency is a month-long experience, in September next year, hosted by the Pouch Cove Foundation on an invitation-only basis, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate.

The foundation will provide me with my own little haven - a combined private studio and accommodation, equipped with most of the painting essentials I'll need, and ample time to create. I'll be sharing this experience with potentially nine other creatives, each with their own dedicated spaces. Pouch Cove, a snug little town nestled on the northeastern edge of Canada, promises wild and breathtaking scenery.

"Thrilled to Collaborate with UnePiece, an Award-Winning Swimwear Brand!

For the past few years, I've had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with UnePiece, a renowned swimwear company. It's been wonderful to see my artwork come to life in their stunning designer swimwear collections.

Working with UnePiece has been an incredible journey, where my art has found a new form of expression, one that allows people to wear and embrace it. Here's a glimpse of the incredible designs that have been brought to life…

'Oneness' recenlty found her new home

The inspiration for my painting "Oneness" struck me during one of my morning walks a couple of years ago. I serendipitously encountered a magnificent gum tree gracefully shedding its bark in intricate flakes and curls. Although I had witnessed this natural process countless times before, this particular moment left me utterly captivated, igniting a newfound sense of wonder and curiosity within me.

The exposed, freshly forming bark, with its sleek and vibrant orangey hues, bore such a resemblance to the delicate texture of human skin. This resemblance excited me, sparking my eagerness to explore the convergence of these two seemingly disparate concepts. Throughout my artistic journey, I have always held the belief that we are intricately tied to the cycles of renewal and rebirth, invisibly connected to the pulse of nature itself.

Creating this piece was a wonderful experience. I started by laying the foundation in Photoshop, and then worked hard to bring it to life on the canvas. It allowed me to contemplate not only the beauty of nature, but our profound interconnectedness.

‘Oneness’

Oil on canvas

76 x 60cm

The painting is named after a poem by Joie de Winter -


Following a thread,
that lay inside my head,
I fell from earth to rebirth
Waking I see a tree
abound with connectivity
Less of doing
more of being
For seeing earths true worth.
This comes from knowing
pure intentions, my heart is growing
Forgotten forsaken, its time to awaken,
For all, for oneness,
To sustain and gain
One must give to live.
Back into being
Here earth I come to lay,
Put my attention in this moment,
To listen and to play.
And practice in presence,
As my thinking shifts,
Back into being,
As I experience this!
Truth rising from my heart,
Not relived from the past,
Identity is dissolving,
And my spirit re-births.
And I become nothing,
Of logical worth,
A happening an unfolding,
A few words,
Then a laugh.

Brisbane Portrait Prize 2022

My portrait of Libby Lincoln is currently hanging in the Brisbane Portrait Prize 2022 at the Powerhouse until the end of October.

“Libby is considered to be one of Australia's most experienced arts leaders. Currently, as custodian of the Cultural Strategy 2023, she oversees arts development and cultural growth for the City of Gold Coast. Libby has curated, directed and managed major arts projects with the Brisbane Festival, Queensland Music Festival, Expressions Dance Company and the Out of the Box Festival.

As my younger sister’s best friend, I have known Libby since childhood. My admiration for Libby includes her creative and philosophical approach to life, complemented by her quirky sense of humour. In her, I see a woman who knows her own mind, comfortably expresses her individuality and is in tune with those around her.”

“Libby’

Oil on Linen

61 x 84cm

Featured in American Art Collector Magazine issue 200

Gaining exposure in the art world is difficult so when your work appears in a wonderful magazine like the American Art Collector unexpectedly (I didn’t realise for two months) along with a two-page advertisement, it’s all the more exciting!

The article featured in June issue 200 and references the four paintings from my Reminisce series currently at REHS Contemporary Gallery in New York

A big thank you to REHS Contemporary Gallery and AAC magazine 😊

 

Caring for your oil painting

How to care for your oil painting

Oil paintings need that little bit of extra care when handling and cleaning and to keep them in optimal condition

  • Dust your oil painting on a regular basis with a dry, soft and fine brush. Never use dry or moist dust cloths or feather dusters. Always wash your hands before handling an oil painting. If you believe the painting needs to be thoroughly cleaned it is best to get professional support.

  • Exposure to direct sunlight can damage your artwork. Over time the sun will change the colour and consistency of the oil paint. Similarly do not hang a painting above a fireplace or in a moist area (such as a bathroom) as rapid changes in the environment may be harmful to the painting

  • Ensure the painting is hanging securely on stable hooks. Please do not try to hang your artwork on an adhesive hook. Check that the hanging wire and hooks on the back of the artwork are safe and secure also

  • Transporting your artwork - wrap it in brown paper or glasene paper, then bubble wrap it. Place frame corners on all four corner and place the wrapped painting in a sturdy box (eg a mirror box).

  • If you need to store you artwork for a period of time make sure the storage space has a stable climate - moisture and heat are the enemy of an artwork. It is best to store the work on it’s side, drape it in cloth (eg a clean, dry moving blanket) and keep it off the ground.

New York Exhibition!!

‘INsight’ Exhibition

I am so proud and honoured to be included in this exhibition!!

This opportunity came about from a prize I received in the Art Renewal Center Salon 2021, an international exhibition that receives over 4000 entries. Each year REHS Contemporary Gallery selects a number of artists from the finalist pool of the ARC Salon (over 1900 in 2021) to contribute works for an exhibition at their prestigious gallery, located at 5 East 57th Street, New York.

The concept behind this year’s exhibition ‘INSIGHT’ sets out to explore the viewer’s connection with an artwork. The curator, Lance Rehs, says - “In nearly all the works featured in the exhibit, the subject is making eye contact with their audience. It not only creates a personal and intimate moment, but it forces us to give deeper consideration for who or what we are observing… it is in those instances we truly develop a relationship with the artist and their muse”

All five international artists being exhibited, express themselves in different styles and mediums and I’m very proud to have my work hang with such talent!

REHS Contemporary Gallery

26th MAY - 24th JUNE 2022

5 East 57th Street, 8th Floor

New York City

Artist Statement

I am intrigued by memories from my childhood – how fleeting yet important each can be. The emotions that accompany these remembering’s bring valuable insights if we are willing to delve into the shadows of our emotional landscape. My painting, over time, has become a cherished method of unearthing the wisdom to be found through soulful and emotional discoveries.

 Portraiture, and all its challenges, fascinates me and my youngest daughter Bec has become my muse in this personal exploration, a symbol of myself. 

 The ‘Reminisce’ series began when Bec was navigating the complexity of early adulthood.  Unexpectedly, my own fragile memories of these years clamoured for my attention.

 Bec, the protagonist of these paintings, is a young woman owning her sexuality and strength. The intimate, often sensual, poses invite attention, and yet at the same time the camouflage of the sunglasses seems to protect her identity, even her innocence.  The wallpaper backgrounds, suggestive of 70’s and 80’s styling, helped me to fuse the eras, past and present, and introduce a sense of nostalgia and context.

 The rendering of these works is my endeavour to heal, nurture, and release a very tumultuous time of my life, transforming my recollections into something beautiful, confident and feminine.

Interview

My recent interview as a finalist in the Boynes Emerging Artist Award 5th edition.

ARTIST ANNE-MARIE ZANETTI

Feb 4 Written By Chantal Boynes

Anne-Marie Zanetti is a familiar face amongst the finalists in the Boynes Emerging Artist Award as she earned her place as a finalist in the 4th Edition and more recently, in the 5th Edition. Congratulations to this talented Australian artist!

WHO ARE YOU?

I am wholeheartedly living my dream as a full-time artist.  My husband and I settled into a lovely suburb of Brisbane 24 years ago, this house is where we raised our family and I began my journey as an artist.  I was seven years old when my family first moved to Brisbane and, as one of six children, I filled my childhood with creative experimentation from drawing and painting to sewing and even woodworking, probably to escape the chaos! Circumstances beyond my school years led me into many varied roles…

Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine - Self Portraits Article

“How Artists See Themselves” included my work “Introspection - Self Portrait” in The Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine article Nov/Dec 2021 issue.

Artist Statement

“My art practice has become an extension of my ongoing journey to analyse and interpret the reactions I have to both my external and internal worlds. These reactions, legitimate or not, are an insight to my spiritual and psychological landscape and give me the opportunity to challenge or fortify my beliefs. The intensity of current global issues has evoked deep responses from me and have led me to question - without a sincere understanding about who we are on the inside can we live truthfully and effectively in the outside world?  This self-portrait evolved as part of my contemplation”

There were a number of artists portraits included in the article here is a selection….

Portrait Commission and the Brisbane Portrait Prize 2021

In 2019 I painted a portrait of Scott Hutchinson for the Brisbane Portrait Prize. That same year happened to be Scott’s 60th birthday and Don O’Rorke, one of Scott’s good friends, decided to buy the piece for Scott to celebrate his milestone.

In 2021, as Don now turns 60, I found myself back at the easel painting Don’s portrait! We met on a number of occasions in his beautiful home in Brookfield trying to find the right context for his sitting. As a lover of art and most comfortable in the home he has created for his family, the decision became obvious to include both his art and his home in the piece.

Each time I meet with Don I feel the sense of calm he emanates, balanced by a mischievous twinkle, and in particular wanted to capture this in the work.

Below are some photos of the recent unveiling of the painting and I am relieved to say that Don and Katie, his partner, along with a few other family members were pleased with the finished work. It’s always daunting and emotional for me to reveal the finished work as I invest so much of myself in my work.

Don has also very kindly given me permission to enter his portrait in the upcoming Brisbane Portrait Prize 2021!

‘Don’73 x 102.5cmOil on Canvas

‘Don’

73 x 102.5cm

Oil on Canvas

Photographing the process of painting a Magnolia

I completed this commission for a wonderful client a little while ago and, thankfully, I remembered to take some progress shots along the way.

As you can see in the first photo the initial step in the painting process is to draw an outline of the basic shapes of the subject onto the canvas. There are lots of ways to do this and on a large scale work such as this I prefer to use a projector. The canvas I used was linen, cut straight from a large roll I have in the studio at all times. Sometimes I will use a polyester based canvas that has been designed especially smooth for very fine detail artists. I then staple the canvas to the wall or to a large board. Some artists like to work straight onto a stretched canvas but I prefer to stretch my work after I have painted it.

Each painting is different, in this case I chose to start by roughly blocking in the black background. This helped me to get a feel of the pieces layout, size and composition more quickly. Working dark to light I then proceeded to block in the leaves and slowly build the form of the flowers. Once the block in is complete each layer of paint is then laid down with more and more detail, taking time to study carefully the light and shadow of the piece. Colour, of course, plays a major role in accomplishing the 3D effect of any realist painting and I particularly love working on a painting that has dramatic contrasts.

Whilst you may not notice a lot of difference between the last two photos this is where all the extra time and effort pay off. It is here that a painting can really come to life. I work meticulously for hours and hours glazing colours over different areas of the work, picking out highlights and really shaping the form. Like they say ‘It’s all in the detail’

The completed painting is removed from the wall or board, rolled and taken to the framers for stretching.

To give you an idea of timing, this painting (85 x 103cm) took over a month to complete and this excludes the time it took to photograph the subject, design the work or send it to the framers.

If you would like to commission something special please feel free to contact me

My Art is going to the MOON!!

The biblical story of Adam and Eve has shaped western societies perception of the roles and interaction of men and women for centuries. From the outset Eve is represented as subservient to Adam (his helper) and after they partake of the forbidden fr…

Very exciting news….

A digital version of my paintings ‘The Liberation of Eve’ and ‘Quietude’ (above) are heading to the moon!!

Dr. Samuel Peralta (Physicist, Canada), with the help Didi Menendez (Art Publisher PoetsArtists, USA), organised this amazing opportunity for a number of artists and I am so lucky and incredibly grateful, to be included. Both paintings were part of exhibitions organised by Didi in 2020 and 2021.

A time capsule containing several digital art publications is set to be aboard Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander. The launch is scheduled for July 2021 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This will be the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon since the Apollo program 50 years ago. It is also the first commercial launch to the moon IN HISTORY.

Physicist, entrepreneur, and storyteller, Samuel Peralta's fiction has hit the major bestseller lists and his poetry has won awards worldwide. Acclaimed for curating popular short story anthologies and art exhibits, he is also a songwriter and producer of prize-winning independent films.

‘Artists on the Moon’ or Annex 9 is a project carrying the works of around 800 creative artists to the Moon. Annex 9 collection includes art magazines, catalogues for art exhibitions, anthologies of art and poetry, essays, short stories, scientific documents, and biography.

Is Annex 9 the first art on the Moon? No, but it is the first time anyone has ever launched the work of women artists to the Moon and Australian artists.

You can see a full list of the artists included in the launch here:

LUNAR CODEX

For your interest the other two major items of art on the Moon:

(a) "Moon Museum" is a small ceramic wafer three-quarters by one-half inch, containing artworks by six prominent artists from the late 1960s. The artists with works in the "museum" are Robert Rauschenberg, David Novros, John Chamberlain, Claes Oldenburg, Forrest Myers and Andy Warhol. This wafer was covertly attached to a leg of the Lunar Module Intrepid, and subsequently left on the Moon during Apollo 12. Moon Museum is considered the first Space Art object.

(b) "Fallen Astronaut" is a 3.5-inch aluminum sculpture created by Paul Van Hoeydonck. It is a small stylized figure, meant to depict an astronaut in a spacesuit, intended to commemorate the astronauts and cosmonauts who have died in the advancement of space exploration. It was commissioned and placed on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 15 at Hadley Rille on August 1, 1971, next to a plaque listing the 14 men known who died.

You can read more about the scheduled launch here: https://skyandtelescope.org/.../two-lunar-lander...

International Womens Day

Sometimes opportunities come along that are just the right fit…

Late last year I was contacted by Burrinja Gallery (Vic) to ask if I would like to participate in this third edition of Women Painting Women exhibition for International Women’s Day 2021.

“Taking its inspiration from the Women Painting Women exhibitions in the United States, this is the third Australian instalment of the Women Painting Women phenomenon which celebrates traditional realist painting and the talent of female artists”

The stable of artists involved in the exhibition are all the recipients of accolades and awards both in Australia and abroad so I am thrilled and flattered to have my work hanging alongside their paintings.

Here are the links to the other artists for your interest…

Victoria: Lisa Axiotis, Dagmar Cyrulla, Jacqui Grantford, Liz Gridley, Vicki Sullivan

NSW: Kim Leutwyler, Colleen Stapleton, Sally Ryan

South Australia: Tsering Hannaford

Queensland: Elizabeth Barden, Anne-Marie Zanetti

ACT: Narelle Zeller

I have four pieces in the exhibition, all are from my Reminisce Series. If you are in Melbourne between 6th March - 11th April it will be worth a visit!

I am also participating in the ‘International Womens Day’ (IWD) pop up exhibition with Poets and Artists through 33 Contemporary Gallery with this small piece called:

‘If Only I knew”

4 x 6 inch

Oil on Canvas

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The IWD pop up will be held online through 33 Contemporary Gallery on Artsy.