February 2011 | Page 3 | Gumnut Inspired

Inspired people – Kim Manley Ort

by Liz Powley Tuesday, 8 February, 2011 5 comments

I am a middle aged Mom who discovered photography later in life. Ansel Adams was my inspiration. When my kids were little, I would take some time for myself when they napped, put on piano music and read a good book. One of those books was about the life of Ansel Adams, well-known American photographer of the West. I admired not only his photographs but the way he lived his life with integrity. After a visit to Yosemite National Park in California, where Adams did much of his photography, I decided to take my first photography class and I was hooked.

My Creative Neighbourhood – Colour in abstract

by Liz Powley Monday, 7 February, 2011 3 comments

It is only recently that I’ve come to value abstract art. Over the last year or so, I’ve found myself fascinated with creating marks on paper, card or board that don’t necessarily need to resemble anything, but have value in themselves for the effects they create.

Shadow Shot Sunday

by Liz Powley Sunday, 6 February, 2011 7 comments

This is a challenge I’ve been meaning to participate in for awhile, and I was lazing around out in the backyard (read: supervising children) when the shadows on our shed wall struck a chord and set me running for my camera. I did take a piccy of the shed wall, but didn’t stop there and ventured out into our front yard to see what else I could find.

My photography

by Liz Powley Sunday, 6 February, 2011 6 comments

My photography has been neglected of late, mainly because I’m not getting out of the house as much as I used to and I’d like a new camera. Consequently, there has been hardly any mention of it here on my blog.

So I thought I’d remedy that by doing a short post on some of my attempts at taking a decent picture.

Drawing Lab Challenge #13

by Liz Powley Saturday, 5 February, 2011 2 comments

This is the thirteenth challenge post for the Drawing Lab Challenge. Grab your copy of ‘Drawing lab for mixed media artists: 52 creative exercises to make drawing fun‘ and join us as we tackle the book together. Details of the challenge and joining can be found here. This week the challenge is… Lab 16 (Page […]

Inspired people – Melissa Dinwiddie

by Liz Powley Friday, 4 February, 2011 3 comments

Today’s inspired person is Melissa Dinwiddie. Multi-passionate creative artrenpreneur, self-coined and aptly descriptive, Melissa is the powerhouse behind both the Thriving Artists Project and 365 Days of Genius. I first encountered Melissa through a guest post on ‘The Abundant Artist’, her writing and story captured my attention with its honesty and fire. Since then I’ve been inspired by her determination, her optimism, and her certainty that, yes, you can be the person you want to be. And did I mention she does art? In multiple forms. Multi-passionate is the keyword with Melissa 😀 It is fantastic to have her here and I hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as I did.

A new art challenge – Spectrum Square

by Liz Powley Thursday, 3 February, 2011 6 comments

Are you inspired by colour? Do you sometimes see a combinations of colours that just draw you to them, demand attention in a way that sets all your creative hackles rising?

I am and I do.

So I am setting a challenge for myself and anyone who would like to join me.

Inspired People – Dana Barbieri

by Liz Powley Tuesday, 1 February, 2011 8 comments

Our first inspiring person is Dana Barbieri. I first met Dana online via her Art Biz Mama series of interviews that opened my eyes to the possibilities of being both a mother and an artist at the same time. Finding inspiration from the bottom of my newborn daughter’s nappy bin wasn’t the easiest thing at the time, so to see another mother trying and succeeding was very inspirational. Dana was one of the people who introduced me to the creative blogosphere and all the possiblities it presents and I am honoured to have her here as one of my first interviewees as I delve into the sources of inspiration.