Flourish – Annual IA 9×5 exhibition

 

The annual Illustrators Australia 9×5 auction and exhibition is on again, this year with the theme of “Flourish”, and this is my piece, “Bloomer” (acrylic on wood). Every year IA members get sent a piece of plywood, measuring, as the title suggests, 9 x 5 (inches). The main stipulation is that all work is original and created specifically for the show. The opening night / exhibition is taking place 6pm onwards Friday October 18 @ the St Heliers Street Gallery, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford. All works for sale / auction (reserve AUS$195), and online bidding will be available via the Illustrators Australia website until 4pm that day, for those who cannot make it. (online bidding should be going ‘live’ later today!)

More info here: http://www.illustratorsaustralia.com/events/upcoming/ias_18th_annual_9x5_exhibition_flourish

Flourish – Annual IA 9×5 exhibition

Louis 4 Sale

Sold! My painted bulldog “Monsieur le Roi” took part in a charity gala event at Smartartz on October 23, with all proceeds going to ‘Dress for Success’ – a charity that helps economically disadvantaged women get back on their feet by providing free professional attire and styling to help with self-esteem and economic independence. Happy to say he achieved quite a respectable amount.

Louis 4 Sale

Semi-somewhere

 

My portrait of Anna Walker – “Basement Bird” has happily made it into the semi finals of the Moran Portrait Prize, so it is currently in transit back up to Sydney town 🙂 Out of a field of 216 chosen as semi-finalists, only 30 get through to the Grand Finale – so we’ll have to wait and see what happens … some great entries, you can take a tour of all 216 entries here: http://www.moranprizes.com.au/competition/2013-doug-moran-national-portrait-prize/semi-finalists

Semi-somewhere

New IA App Available

IA App postcard

 

Edited March 7, 2014

As some of you may know, I do a bit of volunteering on the committee for Illustrators Australia. Some great initiatives are taking place, one of which is the new ‘IA Pocket’ App, which is now available for download in the App Store, for iPhone and iPad (sorry, no Android, we’re serious here ;)). The app was launched  at the last 9×5 exhibition which happened at the Abbotsford Convent in October.

Hope you kept an eye out for our Avant Card postcard campaign, which features illustrations from Nigel Buchanan, Christopher Nielsen, Andrea Innocent, and myself (my one is above – couldn’t let such a byline pass without at least a passing mention of Mae West :))

Monsieur le Roi

 

Introducing Monsieur le Roi – a painted French Bulldog who will feature in a “celebrity” auction in October in aid of  “Dress for Success”, a non profit organisation set up to help women get back on track. These wonderful sculptures were sent out to a variety of artists who were asked to transform them into a French theme – so I went with a Louis XIV theme (and yes, he is meant to look slightly inbred and anaemic). Above is a “Before and After” shot. The Auction will be at Smart Artz in South Melbourne on October 23, with the lovely doggies open for bids two weeks beforehand. Will keep you up to date!

Portrait of Anna Walker – Archibald Prize 2013

Basement Bird - portrait of Anna Walker

After taking a break from entering last year, I’ve created a painting for this year’s Archibald Prize – A portrait of Illustrator / Author Anna Walker. Happily we’ve known each other for years, so I was very happy when she agreed to sit for me. I’ve had this image floating around in my head for over a year now, so it was good to actually have the chance to realise it. And it got me into a bit of costume design / creation as well – I made the lush ‘Red Riding Hood’ cape and managed to persuade poor Anna to wear it one sweltering day last December. After sketching and gathering reference. I got started on the actual painting in January and put the final coat of varnish on the first day of March.The actual size is about 2 metres x 1.1 metres, so again it was great to give myself the opportunity to work so large, though I did wonder half way through if I would actually get to finish it in time.
Continue reading “Portrait of Anna Walker – Archibald Prize 2013”

Anna Pav

Anna Pavlova by Sonia Kretschmar

 

Reader’s Digest Australia has a great issue out at the moment featuring ’90 Years of Reader’s Digest Stories’. Better still, they’re ALL illustrated! I was chosen to do an image for a story on Anna Pavlova, the famous Ballerina… the story was a personal account of the unexpected sides of her personality (and I was quite taken by the idea that she toured Australia with a travelling menagerie of birds). The other illustrators featured in the issue can be seen here: http://jackywinter.com/peter-peter/post/reader-s-digest-classic-reads/

Carnivale – 2012 IA 9×5

Sonia Kretschmar 9x5 2012

 

It’s that time of year again – the Illustrators Australia annual 9×5 show (now in its 17th year). Running a bit late, but have managed to get my piece done. This year the theme is ‘Carnivale’. I remember watching some afternoon National Geographic documentary years ago which mentioned the revelation of the origins of the word as “Farewell to Meat”, which struck a chord as it runs contrary to most of what I thought Carnivals stood for. So I went for the ol’ changing roles motif and gave Miss Piggy a chance to shine. The medium is acrylic and varnish on wood, and is titled “Viva Carne”.

The exhibition opens 6pm on Friday November 6, 2012 at Space 39, 39 Little Collins Street Melbourne. There will be a silent auction on the night, with all work available at a reserve of $195. The exhibition is also open on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th, along with an inaugural “Illustrators Market” with artist made gifts and prints available (yes – I’m to have a stall selling prints, pendants and other delights).

IA A3 Show 2012

 

This a preview of the limited edition print I’ll be showing at this year’s Illustrators Australia A3 show, which opens 6-9pm on Friday June 15 @ the Northcote Town Hall, High Street Northcote (Vic/Australia). AND I’ll be spinning the wheels of ipod! A preview of the show and other opening hours / details can be found here. If you’re in town, hope to see you there?!.

Dragon Keeper Series

soniak_dragonkeeper

Here is a sneak preview for the reissued editions of Carole Wilkinson’s Dragonkeeper series which will be out in May. It was an interesting project to work on, as I don’t really see myself as a “fantasy” artist – it was great to work on something that is quite foreign to me – and I think this will probably help find an even broader audience of those who don’t regard themselves as “fantasy” readers. The books, the first of which was originally published in 2003, have been a global success for Carole. I was asked to help redesign the covers late last year, after Walker Books acquired Black Dog Books (the original publisher).

Picture Show

 

To coincide with the school holidays, I’m in a little show with five other children’s book artists involved with Illustrators Australia. It’s on at Hill of Content Bookstore, 86 Bourke Street, Melbourne, until April 15. I’m displaying a print (available for sale) from “Do Not Forget Australia”. The other artists are Lisa Coutts, Kim Fleming, Sarah Hardy, Jody Pratt and Anna Walker. Have a look if you’re in the neighbourhood

Little Deities

 

I’m in a group show opening this Thursday in Melbourne. Entitled “Little Deities”, sixty or so artistes were given similar baby dolls with instructions to “create a God”. I looked to the skies for inspiration, a came up with the creation of “Baby Cetus”, the ancient Sea Monster constellation. It was great fun to experiment with different materials! The show is on @ No Vacancy Gallery, QV Building 34-40 Jane Bell Lane, Melbourne. Opening 6-9 pm March 8, and on until March 18, 2012. Website here .

Books Available

“Song of The Dove” is a fanciful romance based on the life of the ill-fated Romantic Opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835).

Here are some sample spreads below:

 

 

 

 

Reviews

Kids Bookreview.com

The Book Gryffin

NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children

The Book Chook

Awards

Silver – Illustrators Australia Awards

Finalist – 4th CJ Book Awards (Korea)

ISBN: 9781921529245
Imprint: WALKER BOOKS AUST
Release Date: April 1, 2011
Dimensions: 250 x 267mm, 32pp
Australian RRP: $29.95
New Zealand RRP: $31.99
Stock Level: In Stock

2012 Illustrator Australia Awards

Strangest Adventures covers

 

The 2012 Illustrator Australia Awards are finally announced today! Happily I scored a Silver in the Book Category, for ‘Song of the Dove’ and a  Highly Commended for the set of covers I’ve done for the reissue of Alexandra Adornetto’s ‘Strangest Adventures’ series. Given the calibre of judges (Annette Harcus (Designer, Harcus Design, Aust), Tony Palmer (Executive Designer Penguin Group, Aust), Chris Buzelli (Illustrator, NY), Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator, NY), Stefano Imbert (Illustrator and board member SOI, NY), Charles Hively (Publisher & Design Director , 3×3 magazine), it’s quite an honour to make the grade. The Awards results can be seen on the IA page here .

Ronald Searle RIP

Years ago, in my favourite bookshop in a basement in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, I came across a small collection of a publication called “ARK”, published by The Royal College of Art. I’m not sure which years they hail from – probably early to mid 1950’s – but they are great little books, featuring articles for and by students, and featuring advertisements designed by the RCA students as well. The limited colour palette (most pages are black and white, and any additional colours look like they’ve been hand separated), lends itself to a predominance of drawings and sketches for the imagery – a lot of which are beautifully graphic in that mid 50’s way. Very inspiring!

Last week I thumbed through these books for the first time in years, and was reminded of this great illustrated article by Ronald Searle, recounting his experiences as a POW in the second world war, and working on the publication “The Survivor” (with a “print order of five and a readership of fifty thousand”). I thought more people should see it… then came the news that Mr. Searle had passed away. I show these pages as a modest tribute. (more info and scans of the actual pages from “The Survivor” can be seen here: http://ronaldsearle.blogspot.com/2009/07/changi-gaol-3.html

 

 

 

Ronald Searle / page 1

 

 

Ronald Searle / page 2

 

 

Ronald Searle / page 3

 

 

Ronald Searle / page 4

Rapture – IA 9×5 Exhibition & Auction

Sonia Kretschmar IA 9x5 entry 2011

 

The annual Illustrators Australia 9×5 show – in which each IA member is sent a 9×5 inch piece of plywood and is asked to create a work on a given theme – is almost upon us again! This year the theme is “Rapture” – the pierce above is entitled “Isadora’s Dream” , as Isadora Duncan was the most rapturously inspired subject I could think of. (The medium I used is acrylic and varnish on wood, with gold wax highlights.) The opening is on October 14, 2011 at Space 39, 39 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia from 6pm onwards. All work is for sale, with a reserve price of $195. If more than one person is interested in a piece, it goes to a silent auction. It’s always a bit of a fun night 🙂 The exhibition is also open on Sunday, from 10am – 4pm (There is a seminar being held on the Saturday, so it will be closed to the general public). You can see the rest of the show here

What do you see as the inspiration and purpose of your work?

Well, I guess my background is that I’ve always thought that Art shouldn’t necessarily just be confined to galleries – images are such a part of our culture that I think it is important that people who make images for design, publishing and advertising should be able to do it with the same degree of integrity & adventurousness as what we think of as ‘Fine Art’. What particularly draws me to the field of Illustration Art is that it can be very clever and inspiring – it can draw a multitude of ideas together and tell a story through (sometimes) one single image. I’d like to think that my art contributes to the never ending and ever developing narrative we have as humans… but then, on the other hand, sometimes it’s as simple as creating an image striking enough to sell a book 🙂

 

What do you see as the inspiration and purpose of your work?

How much do you charge?

Ah – always the hairy question 🙂 I price my work on a job to job basis, and I I generally do not charge an hourly rate. I take the following into consideration:

• The size of the job (ie. how many images are needed?)

• The complexity of the job

• What will the illustration be used for? A once-off magazine article, or an advertising campaign?

• The size of the client

• The size of the budget

• The geographic regions it will be used in

• I usually quote on a one time usage, or licencing for a limited amount of time (ie. 12 – 36 months) .

Please seek advice before entering into full copyright transfer agreements; handy sources of information can be found in the Graphic Artists Guild handbook

How long do you take?

The time taken to complete a job varies widely depending on the size of the job, the deadline and, to a lesser extent, the budget. It is quite common for me to receive a call from a magazine art director on Tuesday requiring artwork by Thursday. It’s not ideal, but certainly do-able, as long as there are no problems at the rough sketch stage. Otherwise, I would love to have a week or two to complete editorial / advertising work. Book illustrations tend to take longer as the projects are generally more involved.