It is the end of April, a very long time since I sat down here to make a post. almost 6 months. My guess is a lot of you have given up on me and who could blame you! So I am going to make this worth your while…

Since the crazy time of Christmas I have been very focused on working and keeping the energy safe and going. I confess that I have been tested a lot by housefuls of guest, lovely visits from family staying over, the gorgeous warm weather, sailing and of course a wedding. A wedding in the family is always exciting but when you are the MOB, well, should I say no more. Other than it was a beautiful day filled with lots of joy and love.

This weekend my studio was doubling as a recording studio for the lovely Kirsty who spent most of the holiday hiding and laying down tracks of her new song. It was amazing to see the creative process is not that dissimilar to that of working on canvas. The idea, the laying down of the layers and the mixing up of all those things, removing things along the way and adding others. The finished CD played in the stereo was a joy and it felt like I was at the birth of a special thing.

The vegie patch has been pulled out and all the summer goodies totally ended now, ready to sow for the winter/spring crops. I found under the overgrown silver beet, a beetroot the size of a very large pumpkin and needed help to pull it out. I should have taken a pic but covered in mud and a timeframe to finish prevented me doing that.

Since the beginning of December I have been painting madly, sending new works to Yallingup Galleries whilst trying to get a body of work for the Dardanup Art Trail, which is in less than a month’s time.

Saturday 17th/Sun 18th May 10-5pm. ART TRAIL

Our focus this year is on Landscape, and as I mentioned in the previous post I have been having a bit of a play with that. The works are coming along nicely and combined with works by Joy Barlow, Lynne Mitchell, Sherryl McBrandeth, the walls should be bursting with lots of different views of the world.

Michelle Gautlett and her jeweler friends are bringing a range of specially crafted precious things to add some glamour to the studio. Works in precious metals, stones and found objects. All with a nod to the theme.

Christine Sefton will be bringing along her knitted wonders and her way of using the landscape theme is to make warm winter things out of beautiful yarns inspired by nature. She has also focused on knitting warm vest, both functional and fashionable to keep cozy whilst outdoors.

This year we have the addition of some gorgeous homemade goodies that you can buy and hang out in the courtyard and picnic on. Liz Eastman formerly of ASPENZ Cookery school and Kitchen shop in Bunbury is making pies and soup to warm your cockles…have been taste testing and know they will be very welcomed!

There is a good chance of some live music sessions from Kirsty Hulka and hopefully some wine tasting available too.

Way too much to miss out on! Hoping to see and catch up with lots of familiar faces.

Tomorrow is the start of the next round of Studio Sessions. We have had some amazing days in the last sessions, with great achievements both artistically, and in a culinary way too. Fine wine and a remarkable spread of food with the bring and share plate idea. Think it may have become a bit much of a focus so this time we decided to just have one of us make soup/bread and one make something sweetie for a treat. Food aside, each week to start the session we did some drawing, that mostly just had all calling for the wine to be opened! Getting outside the zone of comfort can be fraught with worry, but as we have seen each session, it also shines the light on hidden abilities and opens up a new world of enjoyment.

Each person has come to these sessions with a different ability and desire to produce and for lots of different reasons. What is glorious to be part of is to see the respect, sharing and encouragement and the diverse products that appear at the end of a few long days of laughing, painting and eating fab food.
It is also amazing to hear the reasons for committing both financially and time wise, the general feeling is that this is a sacred time, making space in busy lives to honor the creative is important.

There are two places only become available at the last minute. Please contact me if you would like more info.

I alluded earlier to protecting the creative energy and have to confess, writing about my world is not as easy as painting!
I do understand though that it is a good thing to share the joys and the tribulations and that hopefully those with the same tribulations will feel less isolated.

Working on my own all the time is a luxury, but at times it is hard to keep the discipline and balance with everyday life, and technology is one of the hardest things to appease!

When the Internet was first available to us mere mortals there was so much excitement at what we could do. My reservations were that it would be just one more thing, a little like cleaning out the fridge (don’t mention the oven!) that we have to squeeze into our days. And it is…I am excited by the connections we can now all make and the opportunity for getting seen around this world of ours but struggle to keep up sometimes. It uses different headspace than I am used too. So at this point I will apologize again for my tardiness but use the painting as my excuse.

I have been doing two bodies of work consecutively and they are challenging in their own ways. There is excitement as I enter the studio each morning, frustration at times by the things that get in the way, but a feeling of trust that all the separate things going on in here will come together as a genuinely strong body of work keeps me going.

I have recently been given a large collection of old linen and lace. So far there are two works that have it embedded in them. The generosity of a friend, who did not want to keep it any more but needed it gone from her hall cupboard, is very welcomed. I find things come when needed and this rush to the canvas and easel that so far looks great. I am happy with the warm and the colors, the texture is simply gorgeous and hopefully the works will themselves become heirlooms with the energy of the past embedded in them and reserved for a long life.

So on that note may you all go diving into your hall cupboards and come out with bounty to start you on a journey of creative endeavor. If not feel free to send it my way!

Until next time….promise it will be soon….