Blog Posts - ISABELLA ALLIS - FINE ARTIST

A portrait of Leo

1/4/2018

This portrait was commissioned by Doreen, in loving memory of her husband Leo.

The painting is based on a photo that was taken on their holiday to the UK. In the background is the Thames River barrier that prevents the North Sea from flooding up the river.

Whilst painting, I kept in mind Doreen’s recollections of Leo and what sort of person he was. Doreen sent me several photos of Leo, including some later ones, where he was very ill, but still showed his cheeky and cheerful side. He had a very strong character, and I reflected this in his portrait.

Doreen tells of how Leo was a very warm, friendly, funny man. They met when they were 12 and started dating at 16 and had been married for 50 years when Leo passed away in 2016. He was successful in business and also involved with a lot of voluntary work.

Doreen wrote: “He was well liked and respected by all the people he worked with and many made the effort to visit him while he was ill. He was a very brave humble man and when he was diagnosed with Cancer he showed great courage and never complained about his situation and told us all that he was offering up his pain and suffering for all victims of asbestos related diseases”.

It was an honour to paint Leo’s portrait as I know the special place he holds in the hearts of his family and friends, and the joy he brought to many people during his life.

Exciting news! I will be running an Introduction to Oil Painting for Teens Workshop at Brisbane Painting Classes

17/3/2018

Date: Thursday 5 April
Duration: 9:30am – 4pm (6 ½ hours)

About this workshop: If you are a high school teen, this is a fantastic opportunity to delve into the deep and rich medium of oil painting technique, a course that is not usually offered at high schools. You will discover the wonderful qualities achievable through oils when one layers and blends the rich and powerful colours of the medium. Here is your chance to extend yourself and add to your “artistic toolkit”, allowing you to apply these techniques to your own oil painting projects. I will take you through the steps to produce your own painting of a kookaburra in oils to take home at the end of the workshop.

What will I learn?

How to paint in oils using the alla prima method (wet-on-wet)
The steps involved in layering and blending the oil paint
What materials and tools to use to create certain effects (e.g., type of brushes or palette knife)
Colour combining and mixing
Creating texture using a palette knife
How to refine the painting and create contrast in value
Developing areas of detail
Safety precautions when using oil paint and solvents e.g. using barrier cream on hands, keeping the odourless solvent covered

For more information, and to sign up for the course, please visit the Brisbane Painting Classes website via the link below:
https://www.brisbanepaintingclasses.com/course/School_Holiday_Oil_7.12

I will also be running weekly afterschool classes at Brisbane Painting Classes. These classes will take you through a progressive course in the fundamentals of art, allowing you to apply these techniques to your own projects. If you are interested, please contact Yasmin at: [email protected]

Unveiling of the Frank Sedgman Portrait!

30/12/2017

Attending the unveiling of my Frank Sedgman portrait at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club a couple of weeks ago was a landmark experience for me! I would like to thank Frank and his family for so generously being part of the journey of this portrait project. A big thanks to the Kooyong Foundation for acquiring Frank’s portrait for their wonderful collection. Thank you Chris Brown for arranging the acquisition of the painting and for affording me the honour of being part of this very special evening.

In 2015 I decided to enter a piece into the 2016 Archibald Portrait Competition. I was inspired to paint Frank Sedgman’s portrait after a mutual friend of the family told me about his amazing achievements in tennis during a significant period in the sport’s history.

I believe a person’s achievements and life journey are very much reflected in their face and character, so I was keen to meet Frank, as his would be an amazing portrait. It was fitting for Frank to be entered into the Archibald as he is a tennis legend and I was very excited to have this opportunity. I was very pleased when Frank agreed to the portrait.

I met up with him at the Gold Coast, whilst he was up for a holiday enjoying the warmer weather. During the sitting we spoke at length about his past in tennis and about his life since then. To familiarise myself with his features and character, I did a painting sketch of him whilst we spoke, as well as taking casual photos. I wanted to capture Frank in the moment as he recalled the past, his thoughts reflected in his expressions. It was a wonderful and interesting day.

2018 Dance Calendar - Available for order!!!

18/10/2017

I am excited to announce that my 2018 dance calendar is now available to order! The calendar has been created from my series of 12 oil paintings of dancers from Shilleena’s Dance Academy. Thank you to Shilleena Collins (principal) for her support and collaboration in this creative project, and my husband Greg who helped with the reference photography. A huge thank you to all the dancers who participated in the special photo shoot event, each bringing their own magic to this fusion of art and dance.
Calendars are $55 each or 2 for $100.
To avoid disappointment, please send me your order form and payment before 12 November 2017, when I will be placing a bulk order with the printers. After this date the number of available calendars will be limited. Download your order form here:

You can also order the calendar through my online store, however note that the online price includes a $7 delivery fee.

Please don't hesitate to contact me through my contacts page if anything is unclear.

Frank Sedgman portrait - update

10/9/2017

I feel very honoured that my painting of Frank Sedgman has been acquired by the Kooyong Foundation for the Australian Tennis Museum at Kooyong, to be displayed as part of their collection. I just heard that the painting has been received and unwrapped at Kooyong this morning!
Frank Sedgman won many grand slam titles in his career, including the Wimbledon title in 1952. He is a world renowned Australian tennis legend.
http://www.kooyong.com.au/home/history/the_kooyong_museum.aspx

Australian Tennis Museum at Kooyong - link

"Fooksie" - Portrait of a boxer

29/6/2017

My portrait entitled “Fooksie” – portrait of a boxer – is a finalist in the Portrait Competition Exhibition at ArtWorld Studio Gallery 28 Bodalla St, Norman Park, Brisbane. Opening night is on Saturday 15 July from 6-8 pm. The exhibition will run from 8 July - 6 August 2017. For opening hours of the gallery see the link below: http://www.artworld-studio.com/contact.html

John Fooks, also known as “Fooksie”, is an ex-professional boxer and a much loved and respected member of the local community. He runs The Boxing Shed at the Clem Jones Centre in Carina where he is a boxing coach and fitness instructor. His fitness classes have a reputation for being tough, crazy, extreme and a lot of fun. John has gone through some really tough times yet is always engaging, encouraging and exudes positive energy. He is truly an inspiration!
My painting involved a couple of live sittings and was finished off using a reference photo. It is set in The Boxing Shed, which is full of colourful flags, punch bags and has a boxing ring. I tried to capture Fooksie’s positive energy as well as the challenges he has had to face.

"Laura" - portrait of a dancer

5/6/2017

Contemporary dancer Laura is part of a dance calendar series that I’m creating for 2018.

A delicate balance is struck here between aggressive coiled-up energy and a soft beauty that is part of the complex mix of femininity.

This painting is currently part of the Lethbridge 10,000 online exhibition running until 18th of June 2017. Click on the link below to view the online exhibition.
LETHBRIDGE10000 FINALISTS

Sterling silver dancer pendants!

8/5/2017

I’m very excited to announce that these sterling silver pendants are now available for purchase through my website!
I was first inspired to create them whilst sketching thumbnails of dance poses for my 2018 Dance Calendar project. The simplicity and strong lines of these sketches sparked an idea to use them as designs for pendants. Greg developed the designs into 3D digital models, which we took to John Rusanen of Stephen Dibb Jewellery. John arranged for the original prototypes to be made up and helped us throughout the entire process and I couldn’t be happier with the end result! For more information see my website store.
Thank you also to the lovely dancers at Shilleena’s Dance Academy who participated in the pre-painting photoshoot for the 2018 Dance Calendar.

Frankie pendant

Eden pendant

“The Groom” – a portrait of Matt

12/4/2017

“The Groom” – a portrait of Matt – was a special surprise for him today from his gorgeous wife Shilleena on their 3rd wedding anniversary. I had previously painted a portrait of the bride (Shilleena) and this painting completes the set.
Matt is set against an abstract background of mellow colours, which reflect his fun-loving character and sense of humour. His happiness is so evident on this eventful day!
This is 40 x 50 cm oils on stretched canvas.

Portrait of a dancer (Jane)

29/8/2016

Jane’s parents kept the commission of this portrait of her, in her dance costume, a secret for months. I was excited to be a surprise visitor to her family home, this Sunday, to deliver the painting. Jane recently participated in the photo shoot for my current project, the Dance Calendar, when her Mum approached me about doing a portrait of Jane (watch this space for news on the calendar!).
Many of us, myself included, have a passion for dance and the painting captures a quiet yet dynamic moment of Jane’s dance expression. A memory to be enjoyed over and over, a celebration of dance!
The portrait is already hanging in its special place in the family home, and now awaits its twin, a portrait of her elder sister who was also a dancer. I’m looking forward to starting on it soon!

Close up of face

Jane next to her portrait

Close up of pointe shoe