Category Archives: art

the dutch door. finally.

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Well, I have good news and bad news.

First the good news.

I finally got around to painting the dutch door I made for french door into the courtyard. I made this door for a couple of reasons. I groom dogs and I do them out the back there. The courtyard is very safe and enclosed, but I would always have to close the french doors to keep them from escaping into the house, and greek french doors never have handles to open from the outside. The dutch doors allow me to keep the doors open with the flyscreen closed – and protected from little monsters running straight through it.

The other reason is that I was visited by a rat twice a few years ago.

Once was enough. Twice was beyond enough.

I like to keep the back door open all the time, flyscreen closed, to get fresh air. And rats chewed through the flyscreen. UGH.

Hence, a dutch door.

Here are the before and after pics. Before, boring old marine ply which didn’t improve with exposure to sun and rain.

And after… I gave it an undercoat of white, then an ombre blue background, finished by painting a mess of wildflowers on it and a coat of outdoor varnish. Both sides.

Pretty, ain’t it? I love it. Of course we’ll have to see how well it holds up to the weather and dogs scratching at it to escape being groomed…

For those curious about how it was done, I used brushes and house paint for the undercoat and background. Then I used acrylic paint for the flowers and grasses. For those I was very experimental. I collected various plants on my walk with Vincent that day and I used them to create the grass by dipping them in paint of various green shades and smashing them onto the wood.

I used leaves and flowers pressed into paint to create the leaves and flowers. That didn’t always work so well, so I used brushes, cardboard and anything I could think of to add more detail and shape.

In the end I think it came out very pretty. I’m sure the visiting dogs agree.

And now for the bad news.

Turns out my Australian Business Number (ABN) was cancelled due to the fact that I haven’t used it or filed any income tax since moving to Greece – since I work and pay tax in Greece. And now my junk4joy domain will be suspended till I can reinstate my ABN and upload it to my host again. Which I’m in the process of doing.

BUT… I have none of my information so its a long deep winding tunnel of frustration!

When I left Australia I left a box of documents (old tax returns etc) with my brother who put it in storage as he’s moved a couple of times so he’s unsure where it is. Plus he’s on his way Greece and had no time to go searching for it.

My old laptop corrupted a few years ago and I lost everything on it – including all that information.

So I’m kinda stuck. I’m working on it. But not in time to stop my junk4joy domain from being suspended for 30 days from May 25. I’ll be back once I have the info I need and re-link it all, but till then no more posts.

Not that you’ll miss them as I haven’t posted for over a month even with a working blog!

z

in the vibe

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It’s been a very busy time since I got back from my 2 trips to Athens. Yes, you read it right. Two trips. I got back home and had to go back. Nothing bad… Just stud duties for my little man, Vincent. We wait in hope to hear if he’ll be expecting a new brood of puppies!

Meanwhile since I got back, I put a lot of time and energy into converting my bedroom into an art studio.

I’ve been sleeping on a single bed in the living room since mom was here this summer and I got used to it. I live alone, I don’t really need a QS bed taking up all the space in the only bedroom. My house is always a studio all the time anyway, at least with a dedicated room for it I can see my kitchen table and can usually cook without having to remove art projects from the stove top.

When mom comes back in summer I’ll add a single bed to the bedroom and work around it. At least I’ll still have a space to do stuff and not have to put everything away so mom can cook and we can eat.

I also streamlined my space and mind. Mainly my mind.

I decided that I’m way too scattered (aren’t all artists?) but I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t concentrate my energy on one, or maybe two things. Wishful thinking maybe, but by putting away a lot of my other craft stuff I can concentrate on painting. Acrylics and some mixed media. And maybe some watercolours or pastels.

I’ve kept my felting stuff at home but put it all away into a cupboard (my wardrobe really) and taken all my craft stuff to the container for safe keeping. I believe think hope that by doing this I won’t get sidetracked and I’ll finally be able to have that exhibition I’ve been wanting to have for such a long time.

And it’s not like I have forever. Once mom comes at the end of May, I’ll have to put away all large work and go back to things I can fit on my small desk in the bedroom.

We do what we can with the space we have…

Other than finally being able to paint, and FINALLY getting my mojo back, I’m starting Art from Trash workshops next month and trying very hard to encourage everyone to join in and create their own stuff to enter into our Art from Trash competition to be held in June.

Lots of work. But my main focus right now is my own work, which runs a close parallel to my art from trash interests… the series of paintings I’m working on is all about the trash people leave around the island.

I’ll share images soon. For now I’m just glad to be feeling it again.

z

bored and uninspired.

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And not feeling in the least creative. Or talented.

Sad isn’t it?

I’ve done a little embroidery on my long term ‘work in progress’ jean jacket but not enough to brag about.

I made 3 acrylic backgrounds to paint on but I don’t know what I want to paint cause I’m just not inspired.

sigh.

This is the thing with me, I get into the groove and create like a mouse on speed, or I fall into a slump. They say you have to keep at it, even if what you create is crap… I tend to curl up into a ball and watch Netflix. That and chocolate – the opiates of the masses. Legal too.

I did have a brief glimmer of inspiration I made these two small acrylics…

Then, having seen a pretty amazing sketch at my friend Ada’s framing shop done in oil pastels (the work of an older woman, made years ago on cardboard) I decided to buy some.

Now, bear in mind, I hadn’t really used oil pastels before, since using crayons when I was a kid. And I dislike them. The smell, the feel, the fact that they don’t blend well get all over your hands, and if you end up with a bit on the floor they’re impossible to get off. Ugh.

Anyway, I had a play.

This is what Gumby would look like if he was a donkey and had been painted by a colour blind five year old.

My second attempt was a bit better. But I’m giving up. I’m going back to water colour, acrylic and, my favourite of all time, soft pastels.

I’ll be home soon. And not a moment too soon.

z

needle felting like crazy

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Lately it seems like all I want to do is curl up on the couch with my ‘work tray’ and coffee table and stab wool with sharp implements.

Maybe it’s because it’s been really cold and windy and not at all inviting out there…

Maybe its cause needle felting is a more immediate way to create sculptures – for instance, it’s so much quicker than papier mâché which needs to be done in stages with long periods of drying in between.

Plus, working with needle felting gives me the opportunity to make miniature stuff – something I’ve always had a passion for.

Whatever the reason, I’ve been working on these little figures most afternoons and evenings and listing them in my Etsy shop.

Here is baby boy mouse with his bunny and milk bottle.

And the baker mouse with her fresh loaves of bread and her baker’s cap.

A middle aged couple on the way to the beach with towels and soft drinks in hand.

A little gardening mouse in her ladybug boots.

A homeboy mouse with a hoodie, untied sneakers and snacks.

A ladylike mouse whipping up cream to top a pie.

And last but not least, the best Elvis impersonator of the mouse world, Elvis Mousely.

These little guys are so much fun to make. They’re done in a couple of days mostly, depending on the time I have to spend on them and the bits I need to make – like the shoes and any props I can’t buy. Sometimes I make my own clothes (like Elvis’ jacket and the aprons on the cook and gardener), or footwear which means I have to let the air dry clay I use in most cases dry. And any painting I need to do… But they’re quicker to make than the papier mâché dogs I had been making in the past. Not to say I won’t be making more of those!

My needle felting workshops are doing ok as well. Given this is a small island and a lot of people leave over winter and are too busy to do any crafts in summer, I never expected these workshops to take off, but they are great fun for those who do join in.

But I have to get back to painting and not spending all my time stabbing wool. I have 2 commissions and the series I’m working on waiting for me!

z

painting #3 in a series

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I finished the 3rd painting yesterday finally. It had only been sitting on my easel since before Christmas and I’d barely touched it.

Feels good to have it done finally.

Now a new canvas is sitting on my easel, in the living room (ie my studio) starting at me accusingly as I sit and felt, or do nothing.

I have some ideas of what will go on it, but so far all I’ve done is prepared the canvas. Better get my paints out again as I also have a cat commission to finish by next week.

For now the newest painting is hanging in my bedroom and I love it there.

I have no idea where I’ll hang the next paintings I plan on doing will do… I am fast running out of wall space. Not that I had a lot to start with…

I’ll have to think of something.

Meanwhile I continue to work on STUFF.

The felting workshop I did this week went great. We all had fun and got something to show for it at the end. It might only be a needle felted BALL, but hey, its the start of something great! You gotta learn the basic technique first and that’s what the first beginners session was about.

Next week we’ll add colours and attach parts to make the ball into something more interesting.

Then I have to plan my second beginners workshop series and add in an advanced one for those wanting to take it further.

Such fun.

z

painting #2 in a series

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I finished this one quite a while ago, its been on my wall long enough to blend in with the furniture now. Still, I hadn’t managed to share it, so here it is for your enjoyment. 🙂

Its my second in the series I’m working on (sometimes more actively than others) which are mostly on recycled canvases and picturing the beauty of our island and the ugliness of humans with their disrespect of their surroundings.

Here is painting #1 in case you missed it.

This is a subject close to my heart cause I really hate what is happening on Paros with its over-tourism and the continual construction, turning a cycladic paradise into another version of every resort island in the world.

In summer its noisy, with loud music on every side, people blocking the small streets, motorbikes, quads, traffic jamson the roads and ferries lining up in the bay spewing out black smoke.

In winter, instead of the welcome quiet, we mostly have the sounds of construction in the countryside.

I grieve for the Paros I knew growing up. But while the government cares more for what it can make from tourism and ‘growth’ and ignores the fact that it’s destroying the very thing that brings in the tourists and money, not to mention that growth without consideration for the future is like cutting off your nose to spite your face, this will continue till Paros loses its character and attraction.

But it is what it is. We can’t do anything about it. Two years ago the residents of Paros rebelled againt the beach bars taking up so much space on beaches that people who didn’t want to (or could afford to) pay for loungers and umbrellas couldn’t find space to set their towels. The media called it ‘the towel movement’. We had protests on beaches and succeeded in the municipality enforcing the limits of beach bar space and allowing space for ‘free’ beaches.

Well that backfired. The government over-rode the local municipality and gave out permits to bars as it pleased, and now keeps the money itself.*

Ah. I love the smell of corruption in the morning.

I have a ton to say about it all, but I better get off my soap box and get back to my little life and creativity. That’s what my blog is about.

So, till next time!

*I am no expert. I try to remain totally uninformed on the subject of politics. My statements are based on what I am told by people who are involved with the municipality and local government and what I can glean from other sources despite myself. Its like a car wreck… I don’t want to know but can’t help looking.

here’s something i prepared earlier

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While doing some ‘filing’ on my computer I came across some images of things I never got around to sharing on here.

Both are paintings on larger pieces of marble.

I’m having a blogger crisis.

Sometimes I wonder if I want to continue with the blog as a lot of time I don’t feel like I have much to share or anything to say that anyone would be interested in hearing. I know it’s a great way to share my work, hopefully get people interested in it, hopefully drive sales from my shops, but to be honest, I’m not sure it’s working. At all.

In the past I’ve had success with my CafePress shop, Ebay and my Etsy shop… but it seems to go in cycles. I’ll go through a period where I sell stuff and get commissions, and then for months and months nothing. Its kinda depressing really.

So I just continue to share things now and then, not as often as I used to, cause I’m busy doing stuff which I either don’t want to share or is just too boring for words. I mean, who wants to know what I’m watching on Netflix or hear about me doing the laundry or washing dishes? I certainly don’t want to know about it and I’m the one doing it. Or not. As the case may be.

Life goes on for all of us. Sometimes its creative, and sometimes its socializing, and sometimes its hibernating.

What I’ve been doing lately is mostly needle felting, with a bit of painting on the side – so many paintings unfinished – and organising workshops.

I posted my needle felted critters and some people were interested in learning to needle felt, so I decided to offer a couple of beginner workshops, adding more advanced ones later on as needed.

So far its looking promising. I have booked out the first series with some participants for the second round of beginner’s workshops.

It takes a lot of time to organise things like that cause my brain is not made for logistics… and all the different ways to spread the word and get in touch and communicate means I am posting on FB, Instagram, sending messages in Messenger, Messages, Viber and WhatsApp and then I have to keep track of who wants to do which workshop and WAAAAHHHH.

Makes me wanna sit in a corner rock backwards and forwards.

But I do love doing workshops. I love meeting new people (like I do with my sculpture workshops (you can see those on my website www.zefiart.com * and find them on TripAdvisor and Viator). And I love sharing my knowledge and skills with people who want to learn them.

* For some reason on this computer I keep getting error/unsecure site messages when I visit my website but it seems to work on the mobile and other places. I have no idea why. I’ve tried just about everything… Deleting cookies, emptying the cache, chatting with customer service at my website host. Computers confound me despite the fact that I can do a lot on them… some things are too confusing.

Anyway… I’m looking forward to a few workshops coming up, various social events I’m going to, and I’m enjoying the gorgeous weather we’ve been having on and off between bouts of rain and wind. Today is one of the glorious days it’s hard to believe isn’t spring. Oh, and I’m joining a theatre group here on Paros. I’ve always loved theatre and, although secretly I would love to act, I’m being realistic that I will probably freeze on stage, so I’m limiting my involvement to building sets and painting backdrops! That should be great fun.

Who said there’s nothing to do on Paros in winter? I think it’s very busy! Just quieter on the roads and less places to eat out. And that’s fine with me!

z

busy with my etsy shop

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Etsy sale for the month of January 2025.

I have been absent but that seems to be the way I roll lately.

I roll out of bed, walk Vincent, have coffee, get online, do minimal housework, walk Vincent, do some errands, roll onto the couch…

However, despite my seemingly endless nothingness, I have been busy needle felting. The couch has become my new workstation. As you saw in my last post, I have been infected with the needle felting bug again.

I have been spending almost every single evening with a pointy weapon in hand, stabbing at innocent balls of wool with wild abandon.

And experimenting.

So far, here is the first lot which I have managed to put up for sale in my store:

They look so cute in a group.
Bird lover and bird watcher fox.
A fisherman Jack Russell terrier.
Shy, tea drinking hedgehog.
A rabbit with his morning coffee and newspaper.
Shy teddy bear with his bunny rabbit.
And of course you’ve already met the little rat with his heart in his hands.

You can see more pics and details of each of these guys in my store.

My store has been very quiet lately, so it was time to put selected items on sale and promote it more, so please visit and share it with friends. I offer commissioned work – paintings, remade dolls – wall art for a nursery, felted and papier mache sculptures… all kinds of things.

This is a hard but wonderful time of year. I have the time to create, but no regular income. I’m loving the time at home and being able to experiment and play, but having to juggle bills sucks. Luckily, I have tons of art and craft materials on hand thanks to my inability to stop buying it! I think I have enough to keep me busy for MONTHS.

z

painting #1

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I’ve begun working on a series of paintings for the exhibition I am planning next summer. I thought I’d share the first one to whet your appetite.

This is the painting which gave me the inspiration for the series. I love old buildings, the falling down, crumbling walls, the rotting wood, the paint chipped doors and windows. The whole abandoned feel of them. It’s something I photograph every time I walk the small streets of the islands (or Athens, to be honest).

I’ve always been drawn to the juxtaposition of the old and the new in its ugly forms – beautiful decaying buildings for instance, with modern day graffiti on them is one of my favourites.

Or, as in this case, the beautiful patina of the old door and cracked walls with the discarded cola can and cigarette butt.

In an experimental mood, I added a little silver foil to the tin can make it stand out a little more. Not the neatest job, but its rubbish anyway, right?

I love this piece and hope others do too. I’m excited about this series of paintings that show the beauty of days gone by against the ugliness of today – the effects of too many people and not enough care about the beautiful places we live in.

And, as usual, this is painted on a recycled canvas.

z

a quickie experimental work

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Thought I’d share a quickie work I framed the other day. I say ‘quickie’ even though it was weeks in the making… mainly cause I had no idea what I was going to do.

Firstly, I glued an old, yellowed book page from a stack of throw away books I’d collected to a sheet of cartridge paper to create a background to work on like I did here, then I left it for ages, sitting on the kitchen table among the hundreds of things I was going to get to ‘soon’…

While working on one of my large paintings I decided to experiment with the texture building paste I’d bought, so I mixed up some paint and applied it to the paper, thinking I would do a small painting of a wall and stairs. I let it dry and as I looked at it, I felt totally uninspired to continue, so I let it sit and think about its sins a little longer.

Thing was, the more I looked at it. the more I liked the simplicity of the colours on the background and didn’t want to make it into anything other than a background.

Sometime during that period, I saw a FB post about a guy who created art by doing backgrounds then whacking paint covered sticks and branches onto his canvases. Hm… This was only small so I couldn’t go whacking the hell out of it… but I could try pressing something onto it… that might work.

And that’s what I did. Since it was a neutral background, I wanted to do something to bring it to life. I had some of those fuzzy dried flower arrangement things from other projects, so I chose my colours, et viola!

I used the same ‘flower’ to print the image in 3 different colours and I liked it. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before, but I was pleased.

I had a small frame that fit the work, and I had flat white spray paint, so I sprayed the frame, gave it a bit of rub in spots where the paint hadn’t gone on well, and there it is.

At this point comes the warning/disclaimer. When doing spray painting at home, don’t pull the cap off the spray paint with a vice grip and the determination of a fat man going after the last chip at the family dinner table. I pulled it off (they do like to make them almost impossible to pull off!) and pulled off the spray nozzle at the same time. Putting the nozzle back on caused all kinds of grief as you can see.

But hey, it’s pretty normal for me to have paint all over my hands, my clothes, my shoes… no one expects anything less.

You might notice a bandage on one finger…? I got that while rummaging through a toolbox to find a screwdriver. Instead, I found a razor paint scraper (the kind you use on glass) without its protective cover.

Let that be a lesson as well.

z