Uncategorized « Bringing the wild to life

April 10, 2010

I’m back from holiday and raring to go!

Filed under: 9 x 5's, Gallery news, Uncategorized, art promotions, classes, outdoor studies — Tags: art class, award, echuca, holiday, oils, pastels, Under the sea, yakkerboo — admin @ 11:52 pm

Hi everyone, I’ve returned to the studio after a week away with the family and I can’t wait to get started! The break was wonderful, with time at Ballarat and Echuca, visiting Sovereign Hill, Kryal Castle and making our way to the Murray River. The weather for the start of the trip was looking ominous but held out while we went to Sovereign Hill and had a look around. It is very well done, with many of the shops operating and everyone in period. I can’t imagine being confined to a space 8 feet square to try and make my fortune though…

The highlight of the trip was certainly getting to Echuca. Soon after arriving at our accommodation I headed straight down to the bank of the river and set up to work. The study produced that afternoon was heaps of fun to do. Generally my raw impressions need to be very quick due to the changing waves but here on the river I could relax and just enjoy it more.

Afternoon light, Yarraby - Pastel 8" x 5" $180 (plus shipping)

The following morning my beautiful daughter decided to wake me at 6am, just before the Cockatoos, Kookaburras and Correllas did. As a result she became my companion on site as I worked on 3 studies in the dawn light.

Here are the works I produced that morning…

Murray Mists - Pastel 8" x 6" $180 (plus shipping)

Calm dawn, Murray river - Pastel 8" x 6" $180 (plus shipping)

From the bank of the Murray - Pastel 6" x 9" $220 (plus shipping)

Upon returning from my holiday I called into the Yakkerboo Art Show to find out that I had won the prestigious Glenn Madden Local Artist award with my work Under the Sea. This was a welcome surprise!

As you can see it has been a great week away and I’m hoping this week proves just as enjoyable!

Here is something that any aspiring artists along the Mornington Peninsula or Pakenham areas should check out… My Open Art Classes! YOUR medium, YOUR subject, MY guidance! Let me know if you would like to attend

open_art_class_pakenham Wednesday nights at the Mornington Park Pavilion also. How can you go wrong?

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January 20, 2010

Chasing the golden summer

Filed under: 9 x 5's, Demos, Uncategorized, art promotions, outdoor studies, over land and sea — Tags: beach, beaumaris, demo, heidelberg school, outdoor pastel workshop, pastel — admin @ 6:56 pm

Please enjoy this short clip for my upcoming Outdoor Pastel Workshop on the Mentone to Sandringham coastal trail. If you’d like to join me for this workshop please send me an email.

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January 5, 2010

Some raw impressions – new studies from Beaumaris and Mount Martha

Filed under: 9 x 5's, Demos, Uncategorized, outdoor studies, over land and sea — Tags: beach, beaumaris, headland, mornington classes, mount martha, mount martha artist, outdoor study, pastel, plein air, point — admin @ 8:09 pm

beaumaris-raw-impression

As 2009 came to an end I went out on site to the Beaumaris cliffs, one of my favourite locales, to do a study in preparation for my outdoor pastel workshops. I was working on a 9″ x 5″ Rustygrit plein air board (Red black) in the warm afternoon light. My focus was one increasing the contrast and losing all rendering – only the information to tell the story.

raw-beaumaris-cliffs

BEAUMARIS CLIFFS

Mount-martha-raw-impression

Yesterday Iwent to Mount Martha where I’ll be running my workshop on January 24th and set up at this spot to create a study. The focus for this study was to capture the textures of the rocky surface and the beautiful glow in the water. I was working on a Rustygrit studio board in raspberry, approximately 7″ x 10″.

the-point-raw-impression

THE POINT, MOUNT MARTHA

This piece of the point will be used as a basis for a major piece in the next couple of weeks. I’ve got a few works on the go at the moment and hope to have some new ones to show you shortly!

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December 16, 2009

Golden light Toomuc Creek

Filed under: In the studio, Uncategorized, over land and sea — Tags: commissions, landscape, light, outdoo, pakenham, pastel, reflections, rock surfaces, toomuc reek, water, workshops — admin @ 6:53 pm

Hi everyone, here is the final commission for the year. This scene is Toomuc Creek, a local spot that I find inspirational but many overlook because it’s not pretty in the traditional sense. When I was living at our last place I passed this view every day and found the play of light captivated me.

This is the second time I’ve worked on this locale for a major piece and both of them have sold so I figure I’m not the only one who sees the natural beauty here.

This time around the focus was on the subtleties in the scene and the late afternoon sun’s impact on the shadowed areas. This created a a soft glow in those areas due to the reflected light.

I may have another major piece to share with you here before new year but it will depend on my workload and if I get enough time to make some real progress.

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Just a reminder to anyone looking at classes or my January workshops to get your registration forms in as soon as possible. The registrations for the Inverloch workshop will close on December 24. Cheers!

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November 24, 2009

Morning swim completed

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: wildlife elephant asia pastel water swimming christmas commission — admin @ 5:49 pm

Morning Swim

Original pastel by Leigh Rust

Here is the completed pastel which I was commissioned to do as a Christmas order. It was a great deal of fun to do as I got to put together 2 of my favourites subjects in one work. I was especially pleased with the way the water came up.

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October 25, 2009

Your chance to choose my next major oil

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: photography, tasmania panorama painting mountains lake cradle mountain vote sketch landscape — admin @ 4:09 am

Hey everyone, now that I’m back in the studio it’s time to get started on some major pieces based on my trip to Tasmania. I want some help from you to decide which scene will be the next one on the easel.

I’ve got 3 beautiful panoramas to choose from and I’m struggling to work out which one I’m going to tackle first.

This scene is the iconic Cradle Mountain from dove lake. I love the beam of light streaming down the face of the mountain.

light-over-dove-lake-web

The next scene I love due to the amazing colours in the mountain ranges. The play of blues and burgundy throughout the surface gives this scene a wonderful richness inherent of Tasmania.

anthony-road-web

The final one is Lake Burbury. This enormous lake opens up for miles and is rimmed by incredible mountains. This scene is only a small snippet of the panorama we saw but still shows the variety in the lighting and surfaces I’d need to render.

lake-burbury-web

Please leave a comment or send me an email and let me know which one is your favourite scene and why. The person with the most compelling comment will win the layout sketch which I’ll use to develop my finished work.

I look forward to reading your entries!

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October 22, 2009

I read a great book the other day..

Filed under: Uncategorized, wildlife — Tags: africa, australia, books, reading, safari, wildlife — admin @ 5:27 am

Hey everyone, while on holiday last week I got a rare chance to do some reading. The book I got into while on the plane was Don’t look behind you but.. by Peter Allison, a Sydney based author who spends half of his life as a safari guide. I’ve followed his blog on myspace for a while now and had found his writing quite amusing. The new book had me giggling madly nearly all the way through. Hopefully one day in the future I’ll get the opportunity to work with him. Until then I’ll continue to enjoy his writing.

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October 9, 2009

Revisiting an old work and starting some new ones

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: artwork, beach, gallery, mount martha — admin @ 12:52 am

Hey everyone, it seems like it’s been way too long since my last post. Things have been chaotic in the studio with classes taking off and some commissions keeping me busy. On top of that I’ve been building easels and displays for upcoming events so there are never enough hours to get online lately.

I’ve also been prepping for my upc0ming trip to the Apple isle (Tasmania) where I’ll get to see and paint some of the most gorgeous scenery I’ve seen yet. The trip to Cradle Mountain while it’s snowing next week has me shivering in anticipation!

Now back to what has been coming through the studio of late. In addition to some more 9 x 5’s I’ve been reworking and rejuvenating one of my older works. Here is the original version

and here is the new reworked version

I feel the differences really show how far I’ve come in the past couple of years since I originally did the scene. The techniques I use are completely different now and I feel my confidence with colour is much better, allowing me to get that extra zing.

Another work I’ve just started is this new pastel of an Asian Elephant in the water. It’ll be a half sheet on colourfix and I’ll be using my Rustytones for most of the work this time around. The client who commissioned this piece is one of my oldest collectors. She’s always loved my Bathtime piece and wanted a smaller pastel capturing the carefree nature of the elephant as it plays in the water.

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July 29, 2009

Art classes at Leigh’s studio

Filed under: DVDs, Demos, Gallery news, In the studio, Uncategorized, art promotions, classes, wildlife — admin @ 11:55 pm

Do you live near Pakenham? Interested in learning how to use pastel? I can help! Limited spaces are available for my studio classes, which give you the opportunity to push your work to a new level with my guidance. I’ll challenge you, help you unlock new ideas and guide you on your path to artistic fulfilment.

Classes cater for teenagers and adults of all skill levels. I currently have a handful of high school students doing classes and I’m looking at running after school classes on Monday afternoons.

For the adults if you’ve tried pastel in the past and want to take it further or have never given it a go before my classes will hold value for you.

Classes run per session at $50 for adults and $35 for students (If you sign on for an 8 week term then the rate will be reduced. Contact me directly for more details)

Some of the added benefits of joining my classes include

50% off the price of my DVD Art projects
Discounted custom framing
Exclusive access to my Rustygrit pastel paper and Rustytone handmade pastels

If you’d like to get involved send me an email with your contact details and I’ll get in touch to find out when we can get you in.

In the near future there will be classes running near Mount Martha. If you’d like to be involved please let me know. Once we get the numbers we’ll be kicking off.

Completed animal project by Jess McKernan

Think this is good? With my guidance you can do something like this too!

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DVD SPECIALS END THIS WEEK!

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: dvd art project special price working in pastel — admin @ 7:40 pm

Don’t forget to place your orders for my Working in
Pastels DVDs – The special pricing ends tomorrow night. This is a great opportunity to challenge your abilities and take your work to the next level!

Discs 4 and 5 will be released mid August. If you want to pre order let me know

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