Current projects in the heat

While we battle our current heatwave... I have a couple of ongoing projects: these woodblock fine art prints - free standing, on cedar wood offcuts, with embellished prints of my watercolours, and turning my book into a pdf ( see below)

current projects on my desk - wood blocks, prints, and added embellishments

 

 Aimee at Artsyville's List It Tuesday suggested topic this week is small comforts

1. A great cup of tea, in a china mug
2. ditto for coffee
3. belgium chocolate
4. oh  o.k. - any chocolate!
5. Reading a great book a second time
6. Finding your fav 'thing' on sale!
7. knowing that if it isn't on sale this week - it probably will be soon!
8. When your dog comes and keeps you company wherever you are
9. Finding one tomato that the fruit fly didn't get
10. And in light of our current heat wave - air conditioning!!

Monday I wrote about my book, and why I wrote it, and what I believe about education...

Click on above for link to download book, The Bay,  for free.

I'll add here that this link will take you to the ipad ebook version.  I am still working on the pdf version...I'll keep you posted but I am working on it today (while the weather is still too hot for the studio) grrr to big companies who want an absolute fortune to get get a pdf of your own work!

And as a gift back to everyone who ever shared their time and resources with me, it is free.  If anyone gets anything out of my humble book, and feels they would like to, a donation would be humbly accepted.

Sharing with Whats on your workdesk Wednesday!

Been there, watercolours

Been there, Done That...

Been there, done that. Mixed media on arche watercolour paper.  8 x 10"

1. Travelled the world ( in my dreams)
2. Born in Darwin, Australia
3. Married - twice
4. Children - 2+ - Yours, mine and 'ours' - done the whole step mother thing. Not Fun.
5. Got my teachers degree, external, whilst also being mum
6. Homeschooled 1 child right through 5 years of highschool ( and 1 to go!)
7. Raised chickens, hatched chicks, watched puppies and kittens grow, kept a vege garden
8. Sourdough Queen - bread, waffles, pancakes, brioche... you name it!
9. Jumped off a creek ledge into a crystal clear, sparkling rainforest pool
10. Said I'd never get another pet. ever. 2 dogs, and 2 cats later... I still mean it! :-)
11. Seen: KISS, Elton John, Billy Joel, U2, Midnight Oil ( Aussie band) in concert

edit: added just now...
A thought about getting it 'right'.  SOMEWHERE today, I was reading someones blog - but for the life of me I can't rememebr who, where, or what (sorry) but the gist of it all was: don't stress the small stuff, don't wait till everything is perfect, ideal, the stars all in allignment, etc... just do it.  Whatever 'it' might be... and in relation to art - don't worry that what you create is not perfect, creative, be free, make a mark, play and experiment.  That is just what I've been doing.. and I've never enjoyed myself more; or been more happy with the results.  Now I KNOW these are not perfect.  But they were not supposed to be.  I know the eyes are wonky, etc etc (I'm not going to list all the perceived faults I see)... but hey - go look at Modigliani's eyes, or Picasso's faces... it really doesn't matter.  
Wonkyness = character.  It speaks of who you, and I, am as an artist.  Our expressive brushmark.  I hope my left side brain is listening to me!
Final thought: Be kind to your art.

Untitled. Mixed media.  slightly larger, shown matted to 8 x 10 in 11 x 14" frame.

Both works available for purchase, contact me for details.

Start of New Watercolour 1st post here

To find out why I started Watercolour Splash - read it here

A big shout out to  Aimee @ List it Tuesday
Leah @ AEDM: Creative Every Day

Quick fixes & Proteas

Aimee at Artsyville's List It Tuesday suggested topic this week is:  "quick fixes": stuff you know you need to do (and could do in a flash), but for whatever reason, it remains undone.

My, oh my... what could I put on such a list?

My Quick Fix list:

1.  Clean out the fridge... it really only takes a minute every week... but somehow, maybe because it's never that bad, it gets left, and then another week goes by, and before you know it you have a full blown science experiment happening in the back, and it takes you 30 mins to pull everything out to find out, 'Where IS that smell coming from?"...

2.  Decluttering The kitchen drawers: They are a disaster zone all by themselves... we only moved 10 months ago, how did they get so full of STUFF?



3. Filing The Pile: of papers, bills, and other important paperwork that needs to be kept... but which always seems to start as a "I'll put that away tomorrow"... but which ends up as a 6 month humungous pile of every piece of paper ever  deemed 'important' at some stage

4. Culling the Dead Underwear:   Maybe it's just me, but by the time I break in a bra so that it's all comfy, and fits MY shape... I want to hold onto it at least into the next decade...  even though they start to loose their 'oomph', and I know I really, truly need to say goodbye...and it is such a quick, no-brainer type of job, it's far easier to hold onto the old favourites than go out shopping for new!





5. Looking up online to find the nearest insulation installer... as we head into summer I have recently discovered the ONLY room without ceiling insulation is our main bedroom, what the?? 

Some watercolour sketches I did on my death bed, sick bed, comfy chair, while recuperating yesterday, using photos I took at the Melbourne Zoo for inspiration.  I have it on expert advice ( my mother) that the large flower is a protea and not a native of Australia.

If you missed travelling with us on our recent Marvelous Melbourne Mother Daughter Holiday -  the links are here!

Day 1 Marvelous Melbourne Mother Daughter Holiday 2012
Day 2 Arcades and alleys
Day 3 Things overheard
Day 4 The Zoo and pairs!
Day 5 Greek Speaking dogs, illness & Movies
Day 6 Trams and starbucks
Day 7 Markets, owls and home!

Overheard

List it Tuesday topic this week is 'overheard'... and how ideal! Whilst travelling to and around Melbourne I have come across the following treasures which I duely recorded in my trusty sketchbook...

Things overheard...
1. 2 tradies coming out of kebab shop,
" ... Mate, you've got to get rid of that ring tone..."
2. Girl in lane, short black skirt, long black hair,
"... No the other way!...other way...walk straight then..."
3. Business dude, suit and shiny shoes,
"... $25,000... It's a bargain!... Yea..."
4. Two women in coffee shop,
"... Did you hear T. Sold her wedding dress?.."
5. Lady in metallic stretch tights meeting man on street,
"... I've had the WORST day! You wouldn't believe ..."

http://artsyville.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/list-it-tuesday


Melbourne day 2: we walked all the way down Brunswick st to get to Gertrude street. What a disappointment! Both are supposed. To be funky, upbeat, vintage shopping precincts... All we discovered was grunge, most shops don't open till after 11, dodgy, and I swear I saw two drug exchanges taking place! Really felt like the innocent tourist in an episode of mrlbournes underbelly, (I.e. gangsters) or that other cop show Rush.. Ha ha... But we did have really good coffee at a funky organic cafe - our beans were grown by Sanchez in Costa Rica apparently, and as a bonus they had a really nice loo!! After grabbing a tram (my feet were needing a break!) we headed to dockside, cruised the retail, had a el cheapo lunch, then back on a tram... Wherein we decided to stop off at brunetti's to grab a pastry before heading back for a rest. Lygon street is much more beautiful ... Can't get why Brunswick and Gertrude st's make the 'must see' lists!! In Lygon st saw this lady harvesting the cumquats from the trees along the cafe - too cute! And yes I ate that whole lobster tail pastry - just divine!!
Out for dinner tonight - Cambodian :-)