Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Decorating with turtles and fish...

If you have been following my blog for some time, 
you will already know that I am very big into animal rights and welfare.
I've sponsored bears in the past and I have donated to animal causes worldwide
ever since I was a working teen.
This year, I'm going to adopt a baby orangutan.
No, no....it won't come to live with me in Australia. hehe
The baby orangutan will stay in it's own habitat
 but my annual adoption fee will go towards it's care and support.
More details on that in a later post.

Lately, I've been wondering about ways I can use my art to help
or bring awareness to animal causes 
OR whether it would be better to keep the two separate. 

Well, I think I received my answer the other day.
I was in the studio painting a sea turtle canvas for my kitchen 
when a knock came at the door. 
It turned out to be a guy from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 
and he was collecting donations for their latest rescue cause...

Green Sea Turtles in Northern Queensland!

How uncanny is that?!
I've NEVER had anyone from WWF knock at my door before
and, there I was, painting a sea turtle....the very thing he was promoting! 
I'm thinking there is definitely a message in there for me 
considering the timing.

Here is the turtle canvas I was working on.


I changed the colour scheme in my kitchen from reds to blues, greens, and purples
which is my favourite colour combo.
 I already had some metal fish tea-light ornaments from Bali
so decided to go with a fishy/sea theme too. 

The blue in the pic below is more true to the actual colour.

And I did not stop there....



Aaron liked my fish art so much he asked if I could do one for his room.
Lucky for him, he caught me while I was on a roll.
So the one below was done very quickly to keep him happy.
It looks great in his bedroom where he also has an aquarium.


 IT ARRIVED!!!

My artistic license validating my completion of the 75 day sketch challenge.
I still can't believe I did it.
75 pencil-free sketches using only pen or ink in 75 consecutive days!
Brenda Swenson, the host of the 75 day challenge,
sent me one of her art cards too. Lovely!

I was going to post pics of my kitchen with it's new decor colours
but I'll leave that for another day as this post has become over-long.

I hope you all had a wonderful start to the week.

~ Love, light and peace ~
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37 comments:

  1. kate i23 January 2013 at 09:25

    Serena your talent has always blown me away and I think combining it with your passion for animals rescue is perfect. Prints and cards...even mugs, iphone cases etc...they would all do so well. I encourage you to go for it!!

    (I really like the text in the background with these two paintings)

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    1. Serena Lewis24 January 2013 at 14:57

      Thanks, Kate! Glad you like the text/writing....I just painted it freehand with a liner brush. :)

      Delete
  2. Everydaythings23 January 2013 at 10:39

    OMG what a positive post! I just love the paintings, and that license is amazing! what a wonderful reminder of all that hard work(sketching) you did even on days when you werent feeling the best!
    go you!!!

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  3. Ileana23 January 2013 at 10:57

    Serendipity at its finest. I love that your artwork can help with a cause you feel so passionately about. Beautiful colors on and around the sea turtles and my favorite is the bottom fish. Just looking at it and the color combinations bring me peace on this night of coughs and sniffles.

    Great work, Serena, and congrats on the license. You deserve it!!

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    1. Serena Lewis24 January 2013 at 14:58

      Thanks, Ileana! Aaron will be pleased that your favourite is the fish I painted for him. :)

      Delete
  4. Anonymous23 January 2013 at 22:41

    Great post, Mum! Love all the paintings you've done, they're all fantastic to look at! That's interesting that the WWF guy came to the door when he did! Congrats also on the artistic license, it really looks great! You deserve it after all that work sketching!!

    Love Brad!
    xoxo

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  5. Sarah Crumpton24 January 2013 at 06:18

    Congrats on getting your artistic license! :) You definately deserved it!
    Preserving the world around us and the wonderful creatures in it is so important. Good for you! :)

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    1. Serena Lewis24 January 2013 at 14:59

      Thanks, Sarah! I agree...I believe a kinder, cleaner and more compassionate world is possible. :)

      Delete
  6. GlorV124 January 2013 at 09:37

    Hi Serena. Congrats on the artistic license, well deserved that's for sure. Love your paintings and the bright colors. Fish are jumping and the cotton is high. Awesome work. Now I'm thinking of that song, SummerTime. Have a wonderful rest of the week. and loved your work.

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    1. Serena Lewis24 January 2013 at 15:00

      Thanks, Gloria! I like that phrase. :) Now you have me thinking of that song, SummerTime. lol xx

      Delete
  7. GlorV124 January 2013 at 09:39

    p.s. The adoption you are contemplating of the baby orangatun is wonderful. I'm sure you may get to visit him/her if it's local. Good luck.

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    1. Serena Lewis24 January 2013 at 15:02

      Thanks, Gloria. He/she won't be local...in fact, my little adopted orphan lives in Borneo, Indonesia.

      Delete
  8. Shashi Nayagam24 January 2013 at 16:23

    Congratulations Serena. Way to go. Loved all your sketches. Yesterday they showed one of David Attenborough's nature episodes and funnily enough it was about turtles. The giant turtles of Africa.

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    1. Serena Lewis24 January 2013 at 19:34

      Thanks, Shashi! How funny re. David Attenborough....there's just something about turtles.

      Delete
  9. Shashi Nayagam24 January 2013 at 16:24

    I meant to add that your fish sketch is beautiful but my fingers were too quick lol!

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  10. Jennifer Rose24 January 2013 at 18:50

    love the paintings, very calming to look at.

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  11. Unknown24 January 2013 at 20:59

    Beautiful fish and turtles Serena. Beautiful colours as well. Thank you so much for sharing

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  12. Janet25 January 2013 at 03:11

    This whole post makes me smile. The colors are beautiful...you and I seem to like the same ones. And I do think there's a message meant for you regarding the turtles.

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    1. Serena Lewis25 January 2013 at 08:10

      I'm glad you like the post, Janet. Yes, we certainly do love the same colours. xx

      Delete
  13. Unknown25 January 2013 at 12:02

    i love all of your paintings, Serena. The one to Aaron is my favorite. What uncanny timing regarding the Sea Turtle painting! Can't wait to see what projects unfold for you. I'm looking forward to hearing about the Baby Orangutan too! xoxo

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    1. Serena Lewis26 January 2013 at 12:38

      Thanks, Jenny. xo I'm quite excited about the baby orangutan. :)

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  14. carol l mckenna25 January 2013 at 23:03

    Your artwork is exquisite ~ love the turtle and my favorite too is the fish that you made for Aaron ~ Congrats on your 'artistic license' ~ Carol

    (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

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    1. Serena Lewis26 January 2013 at 12:39

      Thanks, Carol. It seems that the fish I painted for Aaron is more appealing than I thought considering it was a rush job. lol

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  15. Pattie Wall26 January 2013 at 01:32

    These bright, colorful canvases are so wonderful! It is fun to decorate a room around your paintings! I am decorating a bathroom right now based around a theme of paintings from myself and other artists, as well. I have to commend you once again on your 75 days of sketching and posting. I am almost to the end of 30 in 30, and I am bushed, don't know how you did 75! But good for you!!!! Amazing how that WWF guys shows up while you are painting what he is canvasing for. It was meant to be! Adopting an Orangutan - super! You must paint that critter when you know more. Paint on!

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    1. Serena Lewis26 January 2013 at 12:41

      Thanks, Pattie. I love decorating with art and, with a can of paint, the decor can change to suit quite easily. :) I hope you'll share pics of the bathroom when you've finished decorating it. And yes, I definitely plan on painting an orangutan. :)

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  16. pauline26 January 2013 at 02:40

    hello Serena!! oh, these paintings are so beautiful and i love that you have a soft heart for the animals who share this planet with us. That guys from WWF must have been blown away by your paintings. Such wonderful work you do Serena. I've thought of you often in the past little while - every time we hear a news report about extreme heat or fires in Australia, i hope all my "on-line" Australian friends are ok. Btw, i LOVE orangutans! (you're gonna paint the little fella, right?!) ;-) take care girl. hugs from Canada. xox

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    1. Serena Lewis26 January 2013 at 12:45

      Thanks so much, Pauline! We are getting a reprieve from the heat in sunny Queensland at the moment due to ex-cyclone Oswald. Brisbane is getting a heavy drenching due to the cyclone fall-out....some suburbs are under threat of flash flooding too. If it's not one extreme, it's another here. Yes, I am definitely planning to paint an orangutan. :) Have a lovely weekend ~ xo

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  17. Tammy26 January 2013 at 21:10

    Wow! If that's not a sign, then I don't know what is. Did you show the guy your turtle paintings? I think he would have been amazed. The fish painting you did for Aaron's room is amazing ! Love the shades of blue! Hope you are having a lovely weekend. Tammy

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  18. Rita28 January 2013 at 14:24

    I love the turtle and the beta fish is amazing! Very lovely.

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  19. jinxxxygirl29 January 2013 at 02:45

    Did you show the WWF guy your turtle??? I hope so......You never know he could have
    facilitated something for you with the WWF....They do sell products in their store...why
    not your designs??? Hugs! deb

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  20. Julie31 January 2013 at 12:47

    The WWF people could sell your artwork as a way to make money! It is beautiful!!! Love those colors! Congrats on your artistic license!!! YOU DID IT!!!!!!!

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  21. rrARTz4 February 2013 at 12:50

    your paintings are wonderful!

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