Artists Down Under - Australia and New Zealand - January 2026

DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

I s s u e 10 6 | j a n u a r y 2 0 2 6 | d i g i t a l a r t i s t r y

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EDITOR’S REPORT

32-33

A N D R E W H AYS O M

34-35

PENNY DE JONG

By Pam Henderson

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P H O T O S H O P A R T I S T RY

By Sebastian Michaels

06-07

AL BAMASS

36-37

D E N I S E CAU C H I

08-09

S A N D R A DA N N

38-40

PHOTOSHOP I N S P I R AT I O N

10-11

PRUE WRIGHT

12

MICK ROONEY

13-17

A R T I S T S M O N T H LY AC H I E V E M E N T S

18-19 20-21 22-23 24 25--29 30-31

By Andrew Haysom

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SHARON R ANKMORE

42-43

KEVIN SIMS

44-45

TRISH HOSKIN

46-47

J E N N Y DAV I D S O N

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CHINESE WHISPERS # 97

B E V T E R AW S K YJ SUE MASTERSON

By Maureen Maxwell

R O S A P E R RY 49-54

A R T BY M AU R E E N M A X W E L L

55

KIM RICCI

56-57

MARINA HOBBS

58-59

C O L I N CA M P B E L L

D E N I S E H U N T E R LO G A N A R T BY H E M A N T KO G E K A R HELEN MCLEOD

F R O N T C OV E R

by C H R I S T I N A B R U N TO N - NEW YEAR C E L E B R AT I O N S

Julie Powell - Toby Lavender

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60-61

K A R E N WA A LW Y K

88

LO U I S E S M I T H

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PA M H E N D E R S O N

89

CHRISTINA BRUNTON

COFFEE AND PIXELS

90-91

G E O R G E KO N C Z

74-75

CAT B E AG L E C R E AT I O N S

92-93

JULIE POWELL

76-77

COLIN KILLICK

94-97

QUOTE CHALLENGE

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JA N E T OV E Y

98-106

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M E AG H A N P RYO R

63-73

By Maureen Maxwell

A R T BY I LO N A A B O U - Z O LO F

M O N T H LY A R T I S T I C PHOTOSHOP CHALLENGE THEME - CHRISTMAS

107-111 81-87

By Christina Brunton

ARTISTS BUSINESS A DV E R T I S E M E N T S

Hemant Kogekar - Vestrahorn

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a r t i s t s DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

HAPPY NEW YEAR. Well we have survived the Christmas cheer and food for another year, and have all celebrated bringing the New Year in and made our New Years Resolutions for 2026.

And in all this hussle and bustle, our artists have still made time to put together another magazine jam-packed with amazing images for you.

I would like to congratulate Andrew Haysom, our beloved Photoshop Guru for celebrating his 100th article this month, what an outstanding achievement and how very lucky does our group feel to have him onboard and so supportive.

We have all our regular articles and some awesome art by our artists, so I hope you enjoy what we have put together for you.

All of us at Artists Down Under would like to wish you all a Very Happy safe and prosperous New Year Stay safe and enjoy your festivities.

Pam Henderson

Backgrounds: Foxy Squirrel Laitha’s Designs - Jai Johnson - White Lane Studio Copyright 2017 © Artists in this publication are responsible for any rights appertaining to their work.

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HTTPS://PROPHOTOSHOPARTISTRY.COM

Beginner through Advanced Photoshop OR Adobe Elements Huge Library of Bonus Content 60-Day Guarantee!

Image by: Sue Masterson, Photoshop Artistry Student

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AL BAMASS

( AUSTRALIA )

K A L B A R R I G LO R I O U S C O LO U R S

K A L B A R R I M O R N I N G WA L K

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K A L B A R R I C OA S TA L C O LO U R S

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SANDRA DANN

( AUSTRALIA )

https://www.sandradimagery.com/

SAILING

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T R U E C O LO U R S

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PRUE WRIGHT

R O B E R T S O N PA R K

10

( AUSTRALIA )

TERR ARIUM

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MICK ROONEY

( AUSTRALIA )

https://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/mick-rooney/

CA N D I DA S A , B A L I N O.1

CA N D I DA S A , B A L I N O. 2

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artists down under monthly Achievements 13

artists down under facebook page The Artists Down Under Public Facebook page has been set up to allow the artists in the group to showcase their work and to enable them to share promotional information about themselves, e.g. exhibitions, awards etc...

You can find the Artists Down Under Public Facebook page at this address; https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtistsDownUnder/

So, if you are an artist in the group, don’t forget to regularly share your work and information here, and to let your friends and family know about the page if they are interested in viewing the latest art and news from the group.

If you are a reader of the magazine who does not have access to the page, please click the link above and request to join. When you request to join you will be asked to answer three simple questions that will allow us to determine if you are an eligible artist who may wish to join the group and therefore be able to post on the page, or a member of the public who can view, comment and like the work on the page. It’s a great place to see some great art from this vibrant group every day!

Three ADU members receive a special gift Our very good Awake friends Teddi Rutschman of Foxey Squirrel and Diane Stafford from WhiteLaneStudio continue to give gifts as a reward for members of the Artists Down Under group who contribute to the ADU Facebook page by regularly posting their artworks and supporting other members with their comments.

Teddi, from Virginia, USA, is well known for her fantastic sets of digital designer backgrounds, masks and all kinds of wonderful elements ready for designers to add to or build a wondrous creation.

Teddi Rutshman can be found at

http://www.oscraps.com/shop/Foxeysquirrel One artist will receive a Foxey Squirrel Kit Diane Stafford from Chester, UK, designs Photoshop textures and overlays for photo artists and photographers to use in their digital artworks. Diane has created another special kit just for Artists Down Under for the month of JANUARY. Two artists will receive a Diane kit each.

Diane Stafford can be found at

https://whitelanestudio.co.uk/biolinks

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The JANUARY lucky winners are Foxey Squirrel Kit - Marie Helyar Diane Stafford (WhiteLaneStudio) Texture & Overlay Kit - Alison Meier - Paul Neary

LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE httpshttps://issuu.com/thephotoartisticlife/docs/living_the_photo_artistic_life_-_issue_no._130?fr=sNTA1Yzg0NDE1MDQ

Congratulations to the following artists for having their images chosen to appear in the International magazine “Living The Photo Artistic Life”.

Christina Brunton - White Cockatoos - Wombat - Kangaroo And Joey Christmas Maureen Maxwell - The Teal And Gold Ballgown Rosa Perry - Her Christmas Soul - She Is Wearing Christmas Kim Ricci - The Silence Of Hours Sandra Dann - What I Don’t Let You See Sue Masterson - It’s On The Cards Meaghan Pryor - Create 2026 CatBeagle Creations - Bah Humbug - Cats A Caroling Ilona Abou-Zolof - Coastal Christmas - Winter Whimsy Helen McLeod - Regal - In The Forest George Koncz - Burg Rheinstein, Germany Penny de Jong - Nonchalance - Elegance

Christina Brunton - White Cockatoos

Sue Masterson - It’s On The Cards

Christina Brunton - Wombat

Penny de Jong - Elegance

Penny de Jong - Nonchalance CatBeagle Creations - Cats A Caroling

CatBeagle Creations - Bah Humbug

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LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Coastal Christmas

Ilona Abou-Zolof - Winter Whimsy

Rosa Perry - Her Christmas Soul

Rosa Perry - She Is Wearing Christmas

Meaghan Pryor - Create 2026

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George Koncz - Burg Rheinstein, Germany

Maureen Maxwell - The Teal And Gold Ballgown

Christina Brunton - Kangaroo And Joey Christmas

Kim Ricci - The Silence Of Hours

shift art December 2025 Theme

“Dangerous Flowers” https://shiftart.com/shift-art-photoshop-challenge-results-december-2025/

Congratulations goes to

Penny de Jong FIRST PLACE WINNER

Penny de Jong - Battling The Ever Blooming Swordflowers

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BEV TERAWSKYJ

( AUSTRALIA )

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/bev-terawskyj/

CR ABLEGS

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W E LC O M E

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SUE MASTERSON

( AUSTRALIA )

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/sue-masterson/

BLADE IN SHED

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FO U N D FLOAT I N G

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ROSA PERRY

( AUSTRALIA )

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosa_perry https://rosa-perry.myportfolio.com/artwork

THE BOOK KEEPER

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T U G AT T H E E D G E

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DENISE HUNTER LOGAN

B I R D O F PA R A D I S E

WAT T L E B I R D

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( AUSTRALIA )

art by

HEMANT KOGEKAR LANEWAYS https://photos.kogekar.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/hemant-kogekar/

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E S S AO U R I A # 1

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E S S AO U R I A # 2

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E S S AO U R I A # 3

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LISBON

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HELEN MCLEOD

( NEW ZEALAND )

https://www.2-galleries.com/

F E E L I N G I N FL AT E D

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HARES ANOTHER

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ANDREW HAYSOM

( AUSTRALIA )

https://andrewhaysom.myportfolio.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/andrew-haysom/

REBIRTH II

REBIRTH III

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SMILEY

T WO HEARTS

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PENNY DE JONG

( AUSTRALIA )

http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/penny-de-jong/

T H I S I S M AG I C

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M AG I CA L FA I RY L A N D

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DENISE CAUCHI

( AUSTRALIA )

B I R D I N A G O L D E N CAG E

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C O U N T RY S K E TC H

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a Dr t Oi sWt sN U N D E R Australia and New Zealand

SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION USING ACTIVE VISUALISATION LAYERS

By Andrew Haysom

A “visualization layer”, often referred to as a “check layer” is a layer added to Photoshop that temporarily changes the way your image looks so that you can more effectively edit it.

When editing an image, we will often not easily see issues that are there, and often it is difficult to tell what the actual issue is. For example, as we are viewing a portrait and there is discolouration or patchiness on the skin, it can be difficult to tell if the problem is the luminosity, the colour (hue) or the saturation, or a mixture of these.

Changing the way we view our image (for example only viewing the luminosity data when dodging and burning) can make it easier to identify, isolate and fix the issues.

If we can use an adjustment layer (or a combination of adjustment layers) to perform this visualisation we have the added benefit that if we insert our modification/editing layer(s) underneath the visualisation layer we can see the effect of our edits on the visualisation layer as we make them (see Figure 1), the visualisation is “active”.

[Figure 1 – Dodging and Burning with a Visualisation Layer]

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SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT .....)

There are many different types of Visualisation Layers, in this article I will show you how to create five different types.

Luminosity (Luma) Use a Solid Color adjustment layer set to 50% grey (H = 0, S = 0, B=50%) with the blend mode set to Color.

This looks like a black and white version of your image and is your pure Luminosity data, excellent for dodging and burning.

Colour (Chroma) Use a Solid Color adjustment layer set to 50% grey (H = 0, S = 0, B=50%) with the Blend Mode set to Luminosity.

This shows the colour data (including both hue and saturation) for your image, areas of the image that contain no colour data show in 50% grey. This can be used to identify colour differences.

Saturation Create a Selective Colour adjustment layer and set Relative / Absolute to Absolute. For each of the six colors (Reds, Yellows, Greens, Cyans, Blues and Magentas) move the Blacks slider all the way to the left (-100) and for each of the three neutrals (Whites, Neutrals and Blacks) move the Blacks sliders all the way to the right (+100).

This adjustment will cause your image to look like a mask, where the most saturated areas are lighter (white) and the least saturated areas are darker (black). Very useful for identifying where issues are due to saturation.

Hue Map A hue map shows the actual hues throughout your image. Each pixel’s hue is shown at full saturation and brightness. Great for identifying colour differences, especially in areas of lower saturation.

Creating a hue map requires three adjustment layers.

Create a Black & White adjustment layer and choose the Maximum Whites preset (this moves all the colour sliders to 100), then change the blend mode to Difference. Duplicate this layer on top of the first one and change the blend mode of this second one to Divide. Now add an Invert adjustment layer on top of the two Black & White adjustment layers.

For convenience of turning the hue map on and off it can be handy to place these three adjustment layers in a group.

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SOME PHOTOSHOP INSPIRATION (CONT .....)

Solarization You can create a Solarization effect using a Curves adjustment layer and creating an extreme zig-zag curve (see Figure 2).

This creates an extreme style of contrast with a “negative” look that is often used by retouchers to help identify imperfections that are difficult to see in the original image.

To reduce the saturation in the resultant image you can change the blend mode to Luminosity and even add a Black & White adjustment layer to create a monochrome version.

For reference the curve points for the curve shown in figure 3 are (0,255); (43,0); (85,255); (128,0); (170,255); (213,0); (255,255), but keep in mind that any zig-zag high-contrast curve will work, there are many different ones in use.

[Fig 2 – A Solarization Curve]

Figure 3 shows an example image along with the results from the various visualisation layers.

Visualisation layers are an excellent way to analyse an image, to better see issues or imperfections, and to allow you to break down difficult edits into multiple steps.

For things like the Solarization curve settings and the Saturation Selective Color settings it is a good idea to save presets to re-use later.

[Figure 3 – Visualisation layer examples]

You could also create Photoshop actions to create these various visualisation layers easily in the future.

Don’t forget that if you are using healing/cloning tools in layers underneath your visualisation layers you will have to make sure they are set to “Current and Below” (or Current Layer if working on a Stamp Visible layer) rather than All Layers. If on All Layers you will heal/clone in details from the visualisation layer.

If you are as finicky as I am about editing you will find visualisation layers very helpful.

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SHARON RANKMORE

( AUSTRALIA )

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-4/sharon-rankmore/

I M AG I N E I

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KEVIN SIMS

( NEW ZEALAND )

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kevin-sims/ www.kevinsims.co.nz

A M A Z I N G A DV E N T U R E

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SOLITUDE

WHALE RIDER

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TRISH HOSKIN

( AUSTRALIA )

https://trish-hoskin.myportfolio.com/ http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/trish-hoskin/

H AV E B AG S W I L L T R AV E L

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T R AV E L J O U R N E YS

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JENNY DAVIDSON

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( AUSTRALIA )

CORNUCOPIA

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artists DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

DIGITAL ARTISTS GROUP A COLLABORATIVE GROUP OF PHOTO ARTISTS

CHINESE WHISPERS #97 “HAPPY NEW YEAR” STAGE 1

STAGE 2

Maureen Maxwell

Pam Henderson

Pam and I would like to wish everyone a Happy, Peaceful and Healthy 2026.

Maureen Maxwell

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art by

MAUREEN MAXWELL SHAPES AND TEXTURES https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosa_perry https://rosa-perry.myportfolio.com/artwork http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/maureen-maxwell/

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S H A P E S A N D T E X T U R E S N O.1

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S H A P E S A N D T E X T U R E S N O. 2

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S H A P E S A N D T E X T U R E S N O. 3

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S H A P E S A N D T E X T U R E S N O. 4

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S H A P E S A N D T E X T U R E S N O. 5

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KIM RICCI

( AUSTRALIA )

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kim-ricci/

B E YO N D T H E R E A L M O F R E A S O N

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MARINA HOBBS

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( AUSTRALIA )

STREAMLINED

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colin campbell

( AUSTRALIA )

https://colincampbell.myportfolio.com https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/colin-campbell/

PRIME 2

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PRIME II

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KAREN WAALWYK

( AUSTRALIA )

https://www.flickr.com/photos/88165766@N05/ https://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/karen-waalwyk/

THE SNOW GOOSE I

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THE SNOW GOOSE II

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PAM HENDERSON

( AUSTRALIA )

http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/pam-henderson/

FAVO U R I T E T R AC K

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‘COFFEE and PIXELS’

by Maureen Maxwell

THIS MONTHS CHALLENGE THEME IS

Machine

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Christina Brunton - Steampunk Machines

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Jenny Davidson - Checking The Chicken Plucker

Marie Helyar - Chalk And Steel

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Denise Cauchi - Space Junk

Karen Waalwyk - Mechanical Lion

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Penny de Jong - Reconstructing Humanity

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Julie Powell - Machines

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Rosa Perry - Procession Of Machines

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Denise Hunter Logan - A Bygone Era

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Ilona Abou-Zolof - Robot Romance

Prue Wright - Mind Machinations

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John Kelly - Machines

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Msureen Maxwell - Life Used To Be So Simple

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CATBEAGLE CREATIONS

( AUSTRALIA )

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-3/lynsey-stirland-mitchell/

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CIT Y BOUND

CA P TA I N BY R O N ’ S B I G DAY O U T

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COLIN KILLICK

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( AUSTRALIA )

P I Z Z A D E L I V E RY S T U D I O

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JANE TOVEY

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( AUSTRALIA )

M AG I C O F T H E S O L S T I C E

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MEAGHAN PRYOR artinspiresstudio.com

C R E AT E 2 0 2 6

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( AUSTRALIA )

art by

ILONA ABOU-ZOLOF FRAGMENTED SOULS 81

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D UA L A B S T R AC T I O N

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D UA L I T Y G L I M P S E

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QUIET CONNECTION

TETHERED THOUGHTS

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WATC H I N G S T I L L N E S S

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LOUISE SMITH

( AUSTRALIA )

https://www.instagram.com/lksmithphotography/ https://www.facebook.com/lksmithphotography/

F E A R I N G WA N D E R I N G

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CHRISTINA BRUNTON

( AUSTRALIA )

KOA L A N E W Y E A R S E V E

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GEORGE KONCZ

( AUSTRALIA )

http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/george-koncz/ http://georgekonczphotography.com/

O R AVA CA S T L E , S LOVA K I A

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A M I G O I N G T O F I N D M Y P R I N C E U P T H E R E?

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JULIE POWELL

( AUSTRALIA )

https://www.juliepowellphoto.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/julie-powell/

H A P PY N E W Y E A R KOA L A

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H A P PY N E W Y E A R T O R O O

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artists DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

A COLLABORATIVE GROUP OF PHOTO ARTISTS

QUOTE CHALLENGE by the Art Buddies

A bit of background first: In our Art Buddies group, we’re a vibrant mix of ADU members from across Australia, each contributing individual talents and viewpoints. Our ‘Art Buddies’ team includes Christina Brunton, Denise Cauchi, Ilona Abou-Zolof, Marie Helyar, Marina Hobbs, Robyn McLauchlan and Ngaire Danvers. At times, some of us are away or can not do the challenge for some reason.

We gather regularly on Zoom, taking turns to set our creative challenges.

Challenge: “What you would like for the New Year” This challenge was set by Denise Cauchi.

FOR EXAMPLE • Create a symbol of growth you want next year.

• Show what a fresh start looks like to you.

• Illustrate a goal or dream for the new year.

• Express a feeling you want to carry into the year (joy, calm, courage).

• Show something you want to let go of.

• Create an image of something you want to welcome.

• Draw your ideal new year moment or scene.

Our Art Creations: We hope our creations motivate you to share your own interpretation on the Artists Down Under Facebook page. Your artistic expression matters to us, and we are excited to see what you create!

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Denise Cauchi - World Travellers

Marie Helyar - The Artists Lantern

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Christina Brunton - Inspirational

Ilona Abou-Zolof - New Start

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Ngaire Danvers - My 2026

97

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artists down under monthly artistic photographic challenge theme: australia day with spiders 99

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Pam Henderson - Australia Day Wedding

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Christina Brunton - Party Kangaroos

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Karen Waalwyk - Australia Day Spiders BBQ

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Ilona Abou-Zolof - Australia Day BBQ

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Bev Terawskyj - Australia Day

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artists DOWN UNDER Australia and New Zealand

adu artists s s e n i s u b s t n e m e s i t r e v d a 107

Still-Life & Flowers

SELF-PACED & ONLINE

Learn to use the Mixer Brush In this class, you will learn how to effectively use the Mixer Brush tool in Adobe Photoshop to create beautiful and unique still-life & florals.

Learn techniques The class is suitable for both beginners and advanced artists, and I will cover everything from the basics of Mixer Brush to advanced techniques like creating custom brushes and textures.

Master & Create Whether you are looking to explore a new medium, expand your digital art skills, or simply enjoy the process of creating art, my Still-life & Flowers Mixer Brush Art Class is the perfect place to start.

Six band new projects Six brand new projects including three stilllife scenes and three flowers. All base images, bonus practice images, textures, E-Book and custom brushes provided

julie.powell@outlook.com www.juliepowellphotography.com

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JULIE POWELL PHOTOGRAPHY

EVERY What I do PHOTO HAS A TALE TO TELL LET ME RESTORE ITS VOICE

I believe that every photograph tells a story.

Whether it's a tattered family portrait a weathered vacation snapshot or a torn vintage photograph I strive to breathe new life into these treasured pieces of history.

Don't let the passage of time fade your most precious memories

I delicately unravel the effects of time, meticulously repairing cracks, healing discolouration, and erasing years of wear and tear. Through the magic of digital artistry, I restore not only the image but also the emotions and memories encapsulated within it

Don't let time erase the beauty of your memories!

Contact me today to give your cherished photos the gift of restoration

bridhie@yahoo.com.au mariehelyar;artist.com.au

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WEBSITE:

http://artistsdownunder.com.au/

http://tinyurl.com/artisitsdownunderpublic