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New video about lustre painting and magazine articleThe other week I posted a video explaining the techniques and… »
Porcelain painting and other arts in ThailandThe second post in a series about my trip to Thailand last year.… »
My porcelain feature in Swiss magazine Art and PorcelaineI'm sharing another magazine feature of my award winning porcelain… »
My porcelain feature in DECOR-magasinet from NorwayLast month I was interviewed by Editor Margrete Tennfjord for a four… »
Floating in my freedom, Abstract expressionism on porcelainFinally finished this new painting on porcelain this week, "Floating… »
Expressionist landscapes on canvas and updatesI've been really productive over the past few weeks, I've been… »
We are Soldiers of Love, Ingrid Lee, 2013 porcelain vaseI started this porcelain painting We are Soldiers of Love, late last… »
Challenge of abstract expressionist lustre on porcelainThe challenge of abstract expressionist lustre on porcelain is where… »
Finishing and starting new projects on porcelainIt's been busy few weeks, so I haven't had much chance to paint… »
Demo via skype in St PetersburgIt was 4.30 am in Melbourne and I presented a ribbon embroidery… »
Abstract expressionism on porcelain
Progress of lustre painting on porcelain
What’s on my mind
What do you think about this idea?
As you know I am lucky to be invited as a guest artist to St Petersburg to show my artwork and masterclasses…this journey has been one of soul fulfilment artistically and on many other levels. My journey to St Petersburg, Russia began with my quest to enrich my artistic soul and further explore the concepts of connectedness. So I have decided to formalise the experience 
I am writing an online magazine with a product called Issuu.com with more detail about every artwork, and what inspired the works, the processes I went through in more depth. Basically it is a portfolio for me, but with more! In essence the magazine becomes like a masterclass in itself, where you will get insight into my trialling of innovative approaches with the aim of maximising the value of the experience for yourself and clients interested in my portfolio, in a magazine format.
While this blog keeps a record of some things, I haven’t shared all the artworks I am exhibiting about my experiences in St Petersburg last year and journey as an artist, and this magazine will feature all of this plus some free tutorials. The opportunity to be able to promote myself overseas and share my artistic journey is an achievement, and based on your comments and questions about my art etc via email and facebook, I think that this will inspire many of you…and hopefully entertain also.
I will also produce a magazine for my trip to Thailand later this year…I will be a guest there to exhibit a collection of porcelain art work also and maybe more. I’m really looking forward to this exhibition as it is to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 80th Birthday in Thailand International Porcelain Painting Convention.
Thanks for sharing in my journey, please let me know what you think….the technology for the format of this magazine looks great don’t you think?!
Goldwork and paste roses on porcelain
Finally I’ve finished the paste work for this roses piece, which is part of my exhibition in St Petersburg soon. I tried a variety of approaches on test plates first for the look I wanted to achieve with the paste work. Remembering that I wanted this piece to reflect a contemporary impression of rococo roses from Catherine’s Palace….opulent gold and design. See more of the pen work and progress on this plate here.
Next to dry, then fire, and paint with burnishing gold and embellishments for scroll work to complete for a final firing…..
I’m still finishing my lustred roses set of plates, and I’ll start a new plate about Catherine II in lustres and gold paste work. If I can fit in one more plate that would be ideal Still finishing off my canvas painting of that Meissen cup and other bits too….if you haven’t guessed by now I work best under pressure and with a gazillion things going on at one time, A-type personality or typical artist, I dunno, but it works for me. Planning on going to the beach for a quick dip and play with the kids later, so that my head will clear of these paint fumes LOL 
and then I can go back to another of my many all night painting sessions! Tony Johansen, I hope you’re painting tonight, thanks for the night tweets which have been getting me through!!!
Oh, the masterclasses for demonstrating my art and process for embroidery in St Petersburg are going to be exciting!! While I’m doing demonstrations there, I will also be offering friends here on facebook to watch and join in on one of these classes as a webinar, so you can see what’s happening too. If you’d like to participate in this please message me on facebook and I can send you the link.
Also, I update a lot of pics on my fan page too, so please LIKE the page and check out more of what I’m doing there.
The Amber room is doing my head in
So, I decided to paint my impression of The Amber room and opulence in Catherine’s Palace- especially the blue room and the blue colour in general really impressed upon me…in abstract expressionism, impressionist style….this painting is doing my head in….It has taken longer to complete than anticipated, and I’ve repainted over areas so many times. I am not usually an indecisive painter, so this in itself is annoying. I think I need to look back over the original colour layouts, at the bottom. I’m only 2/3 of the way finished…I will balance more of the gold leaf work once the cup and other details are finished. It’s a diptych. The porcelain cup is a Meissen cup which was on exhibition at the Palace, and will be hanging by a ribbon- still to be painted around the gold scroll. Amber still needs final washes of highlights etc…the gold scroll work I am considering to ass line work detail onto….not sure…but there will be more gilding overall.
This painting was to not only reflect my immediate feelings to the overwhelm of this room, but to encapsulate an element of connectedness to the art of history, to time and place, to people past and present, to music and feelings and as a result to a greater sense of enlightenment. I think I’m just tired. I will take children to play, have a coffee then come back to painting…. 
the mirrored areas in the palace, the light…. looking back and forwards in time…..
I was going to paint the palace on the right hand canvas..I did, then changed my mind…MANY TIMES!!!
This is the first underpainting of ideas….
Never be afraid to be yourself…
I think I should get this tattooed on my forehead or somewhere that I won’t forget this, or maybe put it in my make up case, so I see it every morning…..
“Never be afraid to be yourself, because in the end yourself it’s all you’ll ever be.”~
(Don’t know who wrote this…sorry!)
Roses on porcelain in lustres
Change of plans…I was going to do one large rose, as shown in the photo in this morning’s post…but now that I’ve had time to think about the techniques and application I was going to do on the single large rose. I think that the design and styling will be contrived and not ‘alive.’ So, I have decided to create a series of 4 plates which incorporate a rambling spray of roses in lustres on porcelain, from photos of my beautiful roses from my garden which I photographed this year. I have decided to make the plate ‘full’ and bountiful, reflecting the heavy rococo design work of much of the interiors which I observed in Catherine’s Palace. Still maintaining a modern and contemporary style with the use of lustres and brighter colours, than classic porcelain design.
Clearly the light captured in the photos of my roses is in Australian light, and this is the only light and colour I work by, so it will be an interesting interpretation. To capture a more alive feel to the artwork, I have chosen to stick to the impressions of the roses, rather than a realistic study, but still trying to capture as much ‘light’ to the work. I have been planning in my head all day the blending possibilities…let’s see how things go! The less control over the outcome of lustres- the better they work.
Getting inspired for pink roses…now to stop dancing in my studio with Beyonce, back to painting….I want those pink boots
Experiment with lustres and roses
I’m experimenting with my new lustres to see the colours and approaches to some ideas I have for another exhibition piece. This is a free handed design in impressionist style, completed in one firing. There will be more layers of work to be completed. The colours used in this firing are Ruby Red, Pink and Light blue (my lustres are from Interdec Australia, Fay Good brand)…in various layers of dilution and blending.
Here is the first fire result:
This is the rose I will do for my final piece….this rose is from my garden.
Painting of First Night in St Petersburg….Step by step
This is another of the 13 paintings I’ll be taking for my exhibition…so I thought I’d share with you the step by step photos so you can see the development of the painting. This painting was totally inspired by the photo I took during my first evening in St Petersburg, Russia, see more on this blog post.
The finished artwork (it is still difficult to capture the transparency of the layers of gold work with a camera).
"First evening in St Petersburg," 2012. Ingrid Lee, Acrylic on canvas, 76.5cm x 61cm.
This painting is one of delight and wonder as the magic and life of this city sparkled before me. I love the technique of using gold paint as a beautiful metallic base for my artwork and I also mix this rich hue with other colours to highlight the energy and light of a subject.
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Close up of finished painting:
Gold roses on porcelain…progress
I have not had time to post on any of my blogs for weeks!!!! I’m madly painting for this exhibition. I’ve shared updates of paintings I’m taking to exhibit in St Petersburg on my facebook fan page for Ingrid Lee Artist…please like the fan page if you want to receive the updates there! So I have some spare time on my painting break to share this porcelain piece I’m working on.
The plate is 14″ (35.6 cm) oval…I’ve this plate with designed Mitsouko roses which I grow in my garden, as the main feature of this piece. This painting was inspired by the gold work at Catherine’s Palace, on my last trip to St Petersburg in 2011. Roses featured on much of the furnishings, so I decided on a contemporary design, with my favourite roses. The pen work is in burnishing gold, and the other roses will be completed in raised paste and scrolling, reflecting the rococo styling at the palace. For those of you who don’t know much about porcelain painting, the brown paint will fire in a kiln to a rich gold colour .
I’ve just finished the pen work..paste is next. I will share the final result shortly.
Some other photos of the progress of this design:
I use contrast of value and texture to create natural definition where possible.
Here are my roses ( MITSOUKO rose Large double flowers of mimosa yellow, with pale pink edging; defines Mitsouko as a soft and feminine beauty. With Guerlain soft fragrance of violets and raspberries Mitsouko™adds wonderful soft colourings to the Parfum Collection)
