Moving Day

Bubbles of excitement are living in my belly lately, since I'm on the verge of sending my 'babies' away to be exhibited! 

Having added a table to my old studio, I decided that the room was too small and so I switched rooms with our spare room. Much better!  More space and better northern light, meaning it's more comfortable temperature-wise too. And it's more secluded, so less disturbances.

The above painting I created this afternoon after spending the morning happily screwing in hardware onto frames and canvases.  And in this next pic you get a glimpse of my next painting on the easel.

Business & Pleasure!

This week I've been getting some of my paintings ready to hang in an 'exhibition space' down in Sydney.  Lots of excitement and plain hard work to get everything ready - the business end of making art.  Wish me luck!

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I enjoyed a birthday dinner last night with some friends over a bottle of wine at a busy, but very cosy pizza kitchen.  A lovely night!  This jewellery box decorated with mosaic is a gift made by a friend - isn't it just beautiful?

Still Playing!

The design features on blogger are quite tempting and I'm still playing with colour and templates. Who knows what we'll end up with?! Watch this space...

Since back from holidays I've been getting back into the swing of mundane household rhythms. Some fun things too though - I've a birthday coming up and have managed to score a new mobile phone, some new clothes in the end of financial year sales, cashed in a giftcard for some new music and received one invitation to go out to dinner and another for lunch ... Completely spoiled!

Surface Space

Journal Play - Naive Streetscape

I've moved things around in my little studio to make room for a big table. It makes things a little squeezy, but at the same time it does allow me to spread out a little surface-wise.

I can have an easel with a canvas on my small table and my journal open on the big table. No more having to put either away to make room for the other. I just move my chair around depending on what I might be working on.

I have been asked to produce a very large fish painting next in acrylic, so I will be spending a lot more time up there soon, listening to music and making sense of the world with paint! Happiness Is....!

All Cosy

'Little Swimmers' - Water colour & Ink

How do you like the new design feature on Blogger? I thought I'd change mine and I quite liked the options available.

It's a long weekend here in Australia - Queen's Birthday. It is clear skies and cold here. I'm snuggling up with the heater after watching my son's soccer match this afternoon, as the sun slowly dipped and the shadows crept across the playing field. (We lost).

We're having pasta bake for dinner - everyone's favorite! Maybe chill with some journaling while I listen to music this evening. Others in our household will be getting up at 4am to watch Australia play Germany in the Soccer tonight - not me though!!

Winter at Fernhill

Below is a sketch I made sitting on the veranda at 'Fernhill' in Queensland, my sister and her hub's 5 acre farm. I spent last week there taking a well earned holiday from everything. We talked and talked, sat by the slow combustion fire sipping red wine, collaborated on some art , read, ate well, caught up on some sleep and relaxed big time!

These are three mango trees and a lush orange tree to the right. The dam lies at the bottom of the hill, where I patted 'Max' the horse, disturbed a cane toad (erk!) watched ducks, rabbits, red dragonflies, birds and butterflies. I visited the quaint country town of Gympie and enjoyed the hibiscus still in bloom .... then back home again with a fresh outlook on life! Thanks for having me stay, Helen & Al!

Black & White

This pic began as a doodle. The plan was to make a zentangle, inspired by Kate I. (Take a peek at Kate's zentangles, they're beautiful!) This is where I ended up!

I was thinking about my mother as I doodled (she died 12 months ago), about how creative she was.

Mostly her creativity emerged from the sewing machine and I remember a beautiful fabric collage she made of a night-time scene, handstitched with twinkling stars. She made tiny dolls clothes for our 'barbies' and clothes for us five kids.

Back in the seventies she made a deep purple caftan for me with a butterfly embroidered on the front, after I had described it to her once. It was perfect! She was quite talented in this way and happily, she passed on her creative gene to my siblings and I, in one way or another. Thanks Mum!

Chugging Along

A complicated fish design in my journal. Lots of turbulence and great effort by those fish to get to the surface.... maybe there's a shark nearby, or a volcano erupting and spilling lava into the sea.... hopefully not another oil spill, we've had enough!

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Things are chugging along nicely here at Bliss Fruit;

Painting: another canvas, that is taking unexpected twists and turns. We're not there yet though!

Reading: a novel about a Russian woman living in Siberia in the 19th century, ('your mouth is lovely' by Nancy Richler) a stark contrast to how good we have it here and now.

Enjoying: crisp, sweet Gala apples, in season now.

Planning: a trip away to visit my sister in sunny Queensland for a week - "Beautiful one day, perfect the next!"