Australian Visual Artist – Glenise Clelland

Happy Friday everyone! Casey Wyatt here.

Regular visitors to this blog know that I am huge fan of Twitter. And thanks to Twitter, I connected with a wonderful and talented artist from Australia. She was kind enough to visit a writer’s blog to tell us about her artwork and books. One lucky commentor will win a copy of her book – LOVE FALLS IN LOVE WITH LOVE. Please be patient, due to the 18 hour time difference, Glenise will respond to comments on Saturday!

Let’s hear what she has to say:

As an Australian visual artist, sculptor and writer I have had many exhibitions and 5 books published over the past 40 years.   My paintings are in Government, Corporate and private collections in Australia and overseas.   Art has taken me to interesting places always with a sketch book in hand.   Returning to my studio, I have the ability to recall details of colour and light and to rekindle the emotions first experienced when I did the sketches.  Memory training is an important part of any art education.

 I have a particular love affair with the Pacific Islands and their people and have travelled and worked in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa ,Tonga, Solomons and PNG.  Some of my paintings of the South Pacific, Australia & Europe, can be seen on  www.gleniseclelland.com.au & www.australianpaintingsales.com.au. 

 Many people ask ‘how long did a particular painting take to do?”  My answer is simple – 66 years.  From the first moment we open our eyes we absorb and feel everything around us.  For me all my paintings/creative endeavours are imbued with my life experiences.   If I can translate some of my wonderful experiences and love of life onto a canvas or in my writing for others to share then I have been a successful artist/writer.  If someone pays good money for my art then that is a bonus!  I paint for the love of it – but I do get a buzz if someone loves it too.  Andy Warhol said  “Business art is the step that comes after ART.”  Do you agree?  Or do you paint to sell?

  It is an anxious time before every exhibition for any artist when the public (and critics) will view the work that has come from my thoughts and feelings.  Every thought you have is your own and when you make a painting it lays bare your very soul.  Sometimes I look around an exhibition of my own work and wonder whose hand has made the marks?  No one else can make the marks you make –every artist is different.   Even the master forgers who try so hard to copy a masterpiece are usually found out because they do not make exactly the same mark as the original artist.  So I am now confident that my art is unique to me.  Matisse once said “It has bothered me all my life that I do not paint like anyone else.”   It has taken me many years to say with confidence, after 40 years of  exhibiting and writing , “ art is what I do”.

 In 1980’s I wrote 3 Children’s books with the Queensland Cancer Society promoting sun cancer awareness for children.  The theme was ‘put a hat on your head, and cover up when playing in our harsh Qld sun’.  The books had 2 children having adventures with Australian animals –the children and animals all wearing hats – and the books went into kindergartens for preschool kids.  I still meet adults now who remember and enjoyed the ‘Sunny Solar’ books.   The books can sometimes still be found on ebay –as ‘rare and collectable’!  Google my name and see!

One thing that does ‘peeve’ me these days, with artists posting their art work on the computer, is the unscrupulous people on the internet who steal artist’s images.  With no Australian copyright deal with China, two of my prints were stolen by a company in Hong Kong and distributed worldwide with no royalty to me!  They also appeared to be stealing images from famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Matisse, Picasso & Gauguin.   I believe after threats to sue the company it went out of business.  I am now very wary and mark my images with (C) or my name.  It was good for my ego to be selling worldwide -but not for my bank balance.

Has anyone else had this problem?

 My recent collaboration with award winning Australian poet Mocco Wollert on 2 art/poetry books about love and sensuality was a departure from splashing paint onto large canvases!   Mocco and I are from very different backgrounds but as wives, mums and grandmothers we have shared many of life’s experiences. 

Mocco and I were introduced by a gallery director who was familiar with both my paintings and Mocco’s writing.  She thought we could combine art and poetry into a successful book.   Un-beknown to me at the time Matisse illustrated 2 books of poetry and now our books are being sold at the Matisse exhibition in Gallery Of Modern Art in Brisbane!    For many years Mocco has been writing and winning awards for her emotive poems and has had 5 books published and her work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers.   From my early days at art school I have always found working with a live model breathes life and feeling into my work resulting in many exhibitions of my nude paintings and drawings.  We harmoniously married together the photos from my large collection of work and Mocco’s large volumes of poems to create our 2 quality books “Of Loving and Sensualities” and ‘Love Falls in Love with Love’ . This was in itself a creative process – with no room for egos!   And we have 3 more books ready to go!  Unlike Matisse’s illustrations, I did not illustrate Mocco’s words and she did not write to my art work.   This makes our 2 books unique and different with 40 expressive images and 40 emotive poems.  The words evoke pure emotion and the sensitive images are diverse visions of the human form drawn from life.

One of my favourite poems from “Of Loving and Sensualities” is     

Don’t wake me                                

from  Love’s  dream

I want to hold

my  dreams  of love

not  you.

 

Love is golden

 in the inky blue

of  midnight,

 sleep has  drawn the curtains

 to stop the dawn. 

 

Don’t wake me

 Leave  me my dream

to  ride the horse

 of  love’s  imagination

 tomorrow.

Our books have been described as ‘gently erotic’.   I would love to know what you think. 

You can follow me –ArtyGlen-on twitter. Visit my website www.gleniseclelland.com.au  for more information and read more poems from the books on authorsden.com.

14^th February is Valentine’s Day and it is a celebration between couples of their love for each other usually by an exchange of gifts.

My 2 books “Love Falls in Love with Love” and ’ Of Loving and Sensualities” are perfect romantic books with loving words for couples to give to each other to celebrate their love on Valentine’s day .

Books for lovers (or would be lovers!) to cherish.

The books are hard cover 21cmx21cm and can be sent from Australia to anywhere in the world for special price A$20 +postage.  Or can be ordered from your local book store, or POD on line from amazon, B&N, etc.+ ebooks.

Love Falls in Love with Love   ISBN  9781921479618   

Of loving and Sensualities       ISBN  9781921479595      

These are books to cherish. 

My advice to all creative people is to dream –but dream with your eyes wide open. Then translate your dreams into a vision we can all enjoy.

Glenise Clelland

Thanks Glenise!! Remember, one lucky commentor will win a copy of Glenise’s book.  Don’t be shy!! Ask away! To see more Glenise’s stunning artwork, please visit her website.