News Update:

It is just one year since my darling Jim died.    Jim who was the maker of my blog, my video clips,
my driver, dish do-er  . . . .. etc etc etc.     He died just a few weeks after my exhibition, and I was so pleased he was able to attend and to sit at the sales table and help me during the 2 days it was open.
One of the last things he did was to make the youtube video clip which I posted on the 8th March.    I miss Jim terribly - his company and friendship, his encouragement and his love.
I haven't yet learned to put photos on the computer and then post them on my blog - but I WILL.

Until next time . . . . . . Kaye

Short Video Clip of the Exhibition

This short video clip was taken by Ming Lien, who was a student with me for years.   She is now living back in Taiwan and has her own studio and teaches porcelain art, and holds exhibitions of her own.   This is a most successful outcome of teaching . . . . to produce a student better than yourself and then passes on her love and creativity to others.   Thank you Ming!

 

Flowers by Jocelyn Sutton

I etched some wine glasses for the exhibition . . . . they sold within 5 minutes.     The lovely design of roses and leaves in the background was created by my friend Jocelyn Sutton  . . . . . lots of people wanted to buy that too!    Another contemporary arrangement was done by another friend, Fay Edgecumbe, and people wanted to buy that also.   For sure, creativity touches something deep in our hearts.   :-)

One of the tables in the exhibition.

This was one table presented in the exhibition.    I painted the fruit as a set, but 3 individual people purchased them.     By the time the exhibition was over, each piece on this table had been sold.

Short video clip of my exhibition held in Ryman Retirement Village, Bethlehem, Tauranga, New Zealand on 11th and 12th Februarty 2017.

Enjoy!

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqpWvD3aaks

 

Tulip Bowl

I started painting this unusual shaped bowl a few years ago and it didn't appeal to me at all.
It actually went into the rubbish tin the other day and as it sat on top of the rubbish I suddenly had an inspiration of what I could do to finish it.

 So I hauled it out of the rubbish tin and took it back to my studio.    The copper looked much nicer with a coat of mother of pearl, and the inside of the bowl looked nicer with another coat of paint on the tulips and a penned border on part of the inside of the bowl.    I added some gold work . . . . and now I love it!  And hope someone else does too, and want to provide a home for it!!

A bit of fun!

 

I thought I would add this picture of myself showing off my painted nails!   I had the opportunity to purchase a carousel of 16 small different nail polish bottles for half price - and couldn't resist buying them to have some fun.   The colours show up well when I wear  black with my nails matching my necklace which I purchased in Vietnam a couple of years ago.   
"tis a little bit of fun!!

This is one of the pieces in my Ryman Exhibition which one my Grand Daughters liked, and which I gave her.    I loved painting this - I loved playing with the background and getting the light coming down on the rose.

Flowers for my Exhibition

These gorgeous flowers were done especially for the Exhibition by my friends Fay Edgecombe and Jocelyn Sutton.    There were a lot of comments about the flowers and there were several offers to purchase them!  But they were enjoyed by so many.   Thank you again Fay and Jocelyn.

Standing outside our Village Gate

If you click on the picture, it will enlarge to give you a better view.     This is outside the main gate at our Village where we live, with my Exhibition poster on the fence.

I am not a Fraud!!

You will be thinking Kaye Hurn is a fraud!     So many times I have said "watch this space 'cos I will be updating my blog and posting new things".       And then there is nothing!   

We've shifted house, my darling husband has been in remission for a few months but now his health is declining again.     This is not an excuse for not keeping up to date on my blog . . . . just sharing a few facts.    :-)   

Last weekend (11th, 12th February) I showcased some of my work in the Retirement Village where we live, and in a day or two I shall post on my blog some of the pieces I exhibited.   There were over one hundred pieces showcased and nearly every piece sold.   It was a most successful exhibition and sale of work and I was fortunate to have marvellous helpers, and the sponsorship of Bob Owens Ryman Retirement Village situated in Tauranga, New Zealand.   The extensive advertising was paid for by the Village who also provided refreshments for the people who came.    I am extremely grateful for the sponsorship.    Thank You.

 

A short utube clip can be viewed if you type in to Google:

utube Kaye Hurn Porcelain Exhibition Ryman Tauranga

New Look!

Below is an 8" plate I posted on my blog in March, 2014.     I found the piece the other day and decided the edge of the plate didn't look finished.    So I put pen into my paints and penned a lace type border around the edge.    That is another lovely thing I LOVE about painting on porcelain......
you can add to the design months or even years later.    Actually bone china doesn't re-fire that well, but good quality porcelain can be fired many years after the initial design has been completed.  
Go to previous posts for March 2014 and you will see the difference the border makes.

Loved sharing with you today!

Pansy Ball

I was browsing in a china shop (not unusual for me!!) and found these balls with gorgeous lids resting on top.     Of course I had to purchase a few, and this one I painted with pansies.   In my mind I envisaged filling the ball with water and popping some fresh pansies in the top.    Unfortunately the ball has a small portion underneath without glaze, which meant water slowly seeped through to the plinth underneath.    So I can't use the ball for fresh flowers  . . . . . I can only have it on  a table or shelf "for show only" !!  

Rose Ball

 

Below are two photos of a ball I painted with roses, gold work and mother of pearl.    I used gold to tip the edge of the little flowers serving as a lid to the piece.   My wood turning friend made me a lovely plinth for it to sit on. 

 

 

 

 

A Set of Three.....

These were painted for Adelaide.   The plates were the same size but my photography indicates different sizes!    I loved painting 3 the same . . . . yet different.

Roses, Grapes, and Trumpet Vine.    Enjoy looking at them.   :-)

Hello!

It has been almost a year since I posted the Heart Series, and a year since Jim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.     Since writing we have shifted into a lovely sunny 3 bedroom apartment with a nice view,  and over the road there is an open paddock which is well stocked with various birds, and people walking their dogs. 
Amazingly Jim has his appetite back and has gained 10 kgs (he had gone down to 44 kgs) and is eating and sleeping well.   His energy level is very low . . . .  but he has no pain and pretty well is living a "normal" life.    This change in health has the doctors' puzzled - and I don't really know how to explain what has happened in his body.        So we accept the present situation and thank God for the extension of life on this wonderful earth.

Thank you for reading!     I have been doing a little painting and shall post some pictures shortly.

 

The Heart Series!

THE HEART SERIES!

 

Directly below are  pieces I painted for the exhibition in Adelaide, but certain things didn't go quite right with the first plate, so I painted another.     Only "perfect" would do for an exhibition!  

 

And so I painted and finished a second piece to find a defect in the porcelain on the last fire.   So that wasn't up to exhibition standard either!  :-(

 

I had one more heart shaped piece of porcelain in my stash, so I began VERY carefully to paint it.

Of course painting free hand, each piece results in a slightly different design.

To my horror, after the final fire I found a tiny hair line crack in the glaze and so that was once more put to one side knowing it couldn't be exhibited in an exhibition.

 

And so was born "The Heart Series".   (You will need to click on the plate to enlarge it.)

 

Which will hang together on a wall in our new apartment!

 

And now it is October 2015!

Today is the first day of October . . . and it is Spring down here in New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere.     'Tis a beautiful spring day;   blue sky and a very gentle breeze with birds singing and a most beautiful perfume in the air wafting from the spring flowers.  

Tomorrow I shall post some of the work on my blog which wasn't suitable to send by International Carrier to Adelaide to be displayed at the APAT Exhibition to be held in the Mercure Hotel.   7 pieces have gone to Adelaide  . . . and the remaining 2 were too fragile to send.   I was booked to fly out next week to attend the school under the teaching of Paula White, and then the excitement and busyness of the Exhibition.    

BUT . . . . . . . .

My Blog Maker, Very Best Friend Forever, Lover, Husband, Best Companion was diagnosed with Cancer of the Pancreas 2 months ago and I was loathe to leave him and go to the Exhibition.   I chose to stay home and continue my duties as Chief Nurse!  

We have sold our home of 22 years and in a few weeks will move into our Independent Apartment in  Bob Owens Ryman Retirement Village not too far from where we live now.   Type in that title plus Tauranga New Zealand and you will see their site.    

The diagnosis has turned our lives "upside down" so to speak.  We are finding precious gems in our daily life and appreciate the time we have to walk through this whole experience together.   We are praying people and have sensed God's Love, Grace and special Strength to be able to make the most of every day.

So, enough about that!          Watch for the next posts!   :-)

I'm still painting!!

I am sitting in our dining room painting a tall pansy vase, and also painting underneath a 12" shallow bowl with soft roses.    It is pouring with rain and an excellent day to stay inside to paint.    
I havent been able to post any of the work I have done so far this year as it is for an exhibition in Adelaide, Australia.    There is a rule that pieces exhibited must not be previously published so it will be November before I have these pieces on my blog.  

There have been a few frustrations while painting for the exhibition ...... I am not a very patient person and the task ahead of me is huge.   :-)

I did want to "pop in" though, and say hello and explain why I havent posted for so long.