I count myself as being very lucky to be able to make a living off doing what I love and using my skills, but it’s projects like this one that really boost my work satisfaction up to a new level! Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the nitty-gritty technical aspects of creating a commission - how am I going to paint it, what will I use as reference, how am I going to pack it for shipping, etc, that I need to be reminded that what I’m doing isn’t just painting a picture (or in this case a surfboard artwork), I’m helping someone create something that is special and meaningful to them… that I’m part of something that is much bigger than just my painting - This project was a great case in point!
Boris asked me last year if I could help him create a custom surfboard artwork for his partner Jess for their anniversary. Jess is keen surfer and the board had to be 100% functional and custom made just for her. Logistically I couldn’t hand-paint the board itself, as I’m in Australia, Boris is in Canada and the board was being shaped in the US - so we settled on me hand-painting the artwork and digitising it, then it was printed on a surfboard inlay mesh by the great folks at Inlayz Australia, posted to the US where is was glassed into the hand-shaped board by the team at Rusty. I sent Boris the hand-painted artwork of Janis Joplin which he had framed and gave to Jess along with the surfboard for their anniversary.
Everything down to Boris’ choice of Janis Joplin and the quotes and song lyrics we added were meaningful to them both and I feel like during the process of helping Boris find the shaper, painting the artwork and hearing more about Jess and Boris’ life together, that I’ve been a part of something pretty darn special!
This is what Boris has to say about the project:
“I truly can't express how grateful I am to Fieldey for the amazing work she did on my partners surfboard. I couldn't have found a more perfect person to help with this anniversary present. Every aspect of the process, from the designing of the image and the text, to sizing the inlay and shipping it to the shapers, completely exceeded my expectations. Fieldey not only helped me design the perfect graphic for the board, but she also talked with the shapers directly to coordinate all the construction details. I was communicating with her from the other end of the world, and she was still always available and went above and beyond at every step. The end result is a work of art that is even better than what I originally dreamed up. Thank you so much, Fieldey!”

I've been AWOL in South America for 7 months, but I'm back in the studio in Australia for one month only! If you're after a pre-Christmas Fieldey commission I have some spots for November and a whole swag of new ideas and some rad new skills!
Commission ideas include:
• Custom skateboard decks, including your favourite movies!
• Custom surfboard art
• Realistic portraits and canvasses
• Murals (Perth only)
If you're interested I'd love to hear from you! Visit: http://www.fieldey.com/commissions.html
Let's create something beautiful together!

The front view of a nose can be notoriously hard to paint! In this episode I’ll show you how to paint a realistic 3D nose.
This in-depth nose painting tutorial kicks off in episode 1 with a step-by-step breakdown on painting a front view of a caucasian male nose. I’ll be covering topics such as using light and shadows to give the appearance of depth and 3D, how to blend acrylic paints and creating flesh tones.
In episode 2 we’ll be working on a three quarter view of a darker-skinned woman’s nose.

Before opening a new gallery in the San Diego area, Shanna flew me over to California to work with her on a four day intensive surfboard painting workshop. Over the course of just a few days, Shanna and I worked together and I took her through all the steps necessary to create two awesome surfboard artworks. Some of the skills we worked on were preparing surfboards for painting, basic spray painting skills and advanced acrylic blending and portraiture. The results were two amazing boards that she is stoked to be hanging in her new gallery in March. I'll be back in LA/San Diego from next week for 2 months - anyone wanting workshops please get in touch!

Nikki and Duncan, from Streets of Perth, bought their amazing new home in November last year and asked me to come paint a custom mural to brighten up their outdoor tiki bar. We started stage one last year and on the weekend I came in and finished off stage two by adding Indi the cat and some wood paneling.
The wall originally had a large mosaic on it, but when the house changed hands the old owners took it with them and left a large yellow space to be filled. Nikki and Duncan wanted a trompe l’oeil beach scene with tropical elements to brighten up the space. Inspiration for the beach scene comes from my all time favourite beach, Emily Bay, from Norfolk Island, where I grew up and spent many happy days swimming as a kid.

Our model is the stunning Marina Martini and the cat is the princess of the house, Indi, the rag doll. If they had a pet Macaw it probably wouldn’t last long in a house with cats! Big thank you to Nikki and Duncan for being awesome hosts, Marina for being an awesome model and also to Mitch Low for being no. 1 best minion.

“Paint the best wall mural you’ve ever painted…” This was my brief from Andrew and Sue at Santa Fe Restaurant in Subiaco, Perth. After 8 days of painting and pushing myself to the max, I managed to produce the best mural I’ve painted to date… but not without some hiccups along the way which you can hear more about in this vlog! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIOcl…
​

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist who had a famously tragic life – from having Polio as a child, to being impaled by a tram in an accident when she was 18, which led to multiple spinal operations. She is one of my favourite artists and when Sue and Andrew asked me to paint the inside of iconic Santa Fe restaurant, I jumped at the chance to paint a tribute to Frida and her relationship with her on-and-off-again husband, Diego Rivera whom she affectionately called her “toad-frog”.
Apart from being a famous muralist, Diego was a well known womaniser and their relationship was famously tumultuous; a thrilling story of adultery, bisexuality and general disfunction. They divorced in 1939 and then remarried again the next year.
The structure of the mural is loosely based on one of my favourite paintings of hers, Las Dos Fridas (The Two Fridas) which shows two “Fridas” sitting side by side, with exposed hearts linked together with blood vessels. She painted it shortly after her divorce from Diego in 1939 and it records her emotions surrounding the crisis.
In Santa Fe, Frida is in the main room, with her beloved, ‘toad-frog’, Diego, in the next room. Though they aren’t looking directly at each other, they’re linked by their hearts which are each looking for the other. It’s both a tribute to their own relationship, but also more generally, a comment about the bonds of love and relationships.
Thank you to:
Andrew and Sue from Santa Fe Perth, Olivia for her awesome filming and painting, Mitch and Matt for being my most excellent minions and photographers!

Click here to commission your own piece of Fieldey awesomeness!

I’m taking you back to school to learn your ABC’s of colour theory and I’ll also be delving a little deeper into colour mixing and working with warm and cool shades of primary colours.
There is also a special fluffy guest presenter and probably the most amazing CGI colour wheel you have ever seen!
​