Vanessa Osborne Art

  Stuck in a Rut! Stuck in a rut... Where did that term even come from??? (Well actually, according to a search “stuck in a rut” possibly came from the 1800s when wagon wheels would become stuck in a groove (or ‘pothole’ as they are commonly referred to in Australia) in the road. Makes sense.) But for sure, in a rut I have been stuck! What is one to do when this happens? I tell myself to just keep going. An artist is meant to paint, right? Well, not today, and not yesterday. Maybe not even tomorrow… As my mentor recently pointed out, I have been busy working on my art - just in different ways.  December is a busy month in and of itself, so instead of painting up a storm, I have been doing other arty things such as photography, i.e. collecting masses of future painting references. December is a month of blooming roses, hydrangeas, and dahlias in my neck of the woods, [amongst many other beauties]. So, I have been spending time with my beautiful muses; how is it that a simple ro...

A Room of One's Own When I was a teenager, and even now, I had visions of what my future art studio would be. I picture living in a house in the countryside, maybe the Barossa Valley; my studio is a large room with natural light from just the right directions - preferably from two sides. There are French windows and doors looking out over the gentle rolling hills. Inside I have multiple easels. They have wheels so I can move them around easily, and crank handles to wind them up and down. There is a shelf packed with beautiful art books. All my artists supplies are accessible whenever I need them, in perfect storage shelves and caddies. There is a gorgeous vintage Persian rug covering the floorboards. It has an effortless shabby chic feel and is super functional. I could go on and on. A view from my studio - Iris paintings and tools of trade (Photo: Vanessa Osborne, 2023) My art space   Now back to reality! So, I live in the suburbs, not the country, I work a “real” job that relia...

Having Fun with Floral Art Painting, drawing, and all things art related bring me complete and utter happiness. Art also gives my busy mind and hectic lifestyle space and freedom to slow down and breathe. 'Sunflower' Acrylic on Canvas Board 46cm x 46cm (18"x18") (Photo: Vanessa Osborne, 2023) A simpler time   Life used to be much simpler. Of course, as children we had no idea what we were in for!  The world has rapidly changed before our eyes with technology progressing at mind blowing speed. Everything we ever thought we wanted (or didn't know we wanted!) is now available at the click of a button. Instead of waiting months for an overseas delivery we have them in a week; we can have food delivered to our front door from just about any restaurant without having to get out of the lounge chair; movies on demand; and the shops are open EVERY DAY - some of them 24/7! 'Peachy Poppy' Acrylic on Canvas Board 20cm x 20cm (8"x8") (Photo: Vanessa Osborne...

Frida & Diego: Love and Revolution  I can’t tell you how excited I was to discover Frida Kahlo was coming to Adelaide in the form of the Frida & Diego : Love & Revolution exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia. I missed out on the exhibition held in Canberra close to a decade ago so this one being on home turf was a definite must. Discovering Frida  I must admit that I only really discovered Frida in the early 2000s when Salma Hayek portrayed her in the motion picture, Frida ! Needless to say, I was hooked!  Self Portrait as a Tehuana, Frida Kahlo, 1943 (Photo: Vanessa Osborne, 2023) Not only was her life fascinating, but the journey was also a lesson in history that I had had little exposure to. As I got older and wiser, I often stumbled across interesting times in history through movies and novels. These have become obsessions, enticing me to explore further. It makes one realise how lucky we are to be where we are, for even when times are toug...