Modern Monet...

Have you been to the NGV lately? I was on my way to see Monet's Garden, and this is just one of the little joys I found along the way.

It is a pond of china bowls drifting in eternal motion.

Clinking as they go.

Drifting.
Bumping.
Turning...
Twisting and spinning...

Mesmerising.

It's an alternative take on Monet's Lilly Pond I believe.

And totally beautiful.

Heaven Stairways...

From here

Accepting the inevitable...

To cheat or not to cheat... THAT is the question...

It's over a week now since I have posted - and this from someone who was going to blog on a daily basis this year. It's my first major slip up... and though I could list many things that got in the way, I'm not much of a fan of excuses, admission of guilt is somehow easier. And inevitable.

Having said that, I am going to share with you what I have been up to and give you a quick round-up, of my life since last week...

I have been busy with school. I have had regular Tuesday night classes for the last 4 weeks which have been fantastic. Some of it confronting, a lot of it challenging, and all of it confirmation that this is right. I may not know the destination at this point, but I do know that I am on the right path.

I had last Friday and Monday off and spent nearly the entirety on art and study. It was a really good chance to re-visit some of the theories and practices we have covered so far, and a chance to ponder and reflect. I also managed to finish one of the major parts of the first module which I was happy with, though I have yet to complete a 2000 and a 1000 word essay in the next few weeks. No time to take a break.

Last Friday night I had a friend come and stay and it was lovely to see her. She came straight from work and we went out for dinner, did the final artwork for her upcoming wedding, went out to brekkie the next morning, and spent time hanging out in the city for a few hours, just browsing the shops and sitting by the river with a drink. All the while chatting without break. About all the important things, work, family, weddings, love, loss and grief, clothes and internet dating... Pretty much everything! So so nice to catch up.

I have seen 3 movies, all of which I would recommend - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, My Week with Marilyn and The Artist.

Wow - what a line up. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a delight to watch - full of colour and spirit, and a great cast to boot. An extraordinary adventure into the exotic.

My week with Marilyn was a moody and beautifully shot insight into another era and beautiful to watch. Both Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne were fantastic.

The Artist was an unexpected surprise. Despite it's awards, it was not top of my viewing list, but due to an expiring ticket, I took the chance. Wow. It was really really good. I Loved it. Totally connected with the characters and was captured from beginning to end.

I have been on bookdepository.com and ordered a few books which will add to my pile of reading, as I have realised very early that my reading will have to increase if I am to even survive, let alone thrive, in this course. The TV is not getting much of a showing, apart from maybe a couple of faves, but none of this gazing blankly at the screen when the viewing is of no real interest.

Last Sunday I was invited to a family dinner to farewell my cousin's daughter who is off to India for 3 months of volunteer work. Such exciting times. And so nice to be a part of it and hang out with the young people of my family. They are such great company and full of energy and character.

Work has been ok. Quiet on a few days which has allowed me to catch up on some additional reading and internet surfing/googling. And this morning, my blog. If it lasts for a few hours I may even add in some posts for the last few days.... just to fill a few of the gaps.

I'm feeling good today. It's a Friday, the sky is a bright autumnal blue and I am looking forward to a busy weekend.

Enjoy!

Creative reading...

Autumn...

In honour of the first day of Autumn in Australia, here is a pic of my Rob Ryan autumn plate... one of a set of four that I gifted to myself at Christmas. Collecting plates is not really my thing, but this little bit of art was impossible to resist.

January Roundup...

Do you believe it's the last day of January? Already? Me neither. The summer is two thirds of the way through and Christmas seems like it was weeks ago.

It can't be possible, surely? And yet, it has been busy...


As I said in the first days of January, I have big plans for 2012. Some of them have had a good start, a couple have already fallen by the wayside.

So far I have managed to blog every day. Though, I will admit, I did cheat a little bit over the weekend. It was Sunday morning when I remembered I hadn't posted the day before, so I quickly did a post and post dated it to Saturday. Hmmmm... not quite what I had in mind, but at least I managed to have a post uploaded for every day this month. That's a first. And I am determined to keep it up.

The daily diary was the first casualty. And I am disappointed with myself on that one. I started well, but I missed a couple of days and it wasn't long before the rot set in. It is something I really love but for me I wanted it to be an artistic outlet and I had all these grand ideas as to how it would be filled. Unfortunately, if I want to fulfill this plan every day, it's just not maintainable, and it takes too much time. It's a bit of a copout I guess but that is the reality. As I said earlier, it's going to be a big year, and I will be doing a lot of journalling but I have decided it will not be in the form of a daily diary as such. Journaling yes, Dear Diary, no.

Apart from that little glitch, January has still been a big month and a busy start to the year. Despite taking no additional time off work, I have been lucky enough to catch up with friends, enjoy some great weather, relaxed on the beach and had a few swims in the sea. I have been kayaking on the Yarra River and have done a 4 hour photography course in St Kilda. And last, but certainly NOT least, today I activated my RSVP profile in a return to internet dating. I know - crazy huh?

See, it's all go go go here.

How is the beginning of 2012 going for you?

I heart home #7...

This is my favourite room at my favourite time of day...
My bedroom, late in the afternoon, when the dappled sun rests on my bed.
And a few other things I like here too...

Creative weekend... Lino printing using an old mangle as a press

Some time ago I bought an old restored clothes mangle on ebay. It is a beautiful piece and I bought it with the sole purpose of using it to print lino artwork... pretty much giving an old piece of machinery a new lease on life, reinventing it as a printing press. It is old, it is beautifully restored, and it is extremely heavy! Given it's weight and size, it is difficult to transport and is unlikely to fit into my flat. Thankfully my parents are both encouraging of my creativity and have been good enough for me to leave it in their home just waiting for me to get motivated to put it to good use.

Well over a year ago now, a friend and I gave it a bit of a test run, but it was quite hit and miss and we didn't do a great deal, though some results showed promise. Since then the mangle has sat dormant in my parents home.

Another friend has been saying for a while now (knowing our shared love of the art) that he would like to come and give it a shot too. At last we finally managed to organise it and Timmo came and stayed this weekend and we gave the press another run. This time round (after a bit of trial and error) we managed to get some great results.

Take a look...

This is Timmo's beautiful piece which measures about 6" square.

These are both my pieces and are around about postcard size. 

The bird is a rerun of of a lino I carved a couple of years ago.

Here we are with the press - note Timmo's newspaper printer's hat.

Thanks Mum and Dad for hosting our creative chaos this weekend, and thanks to Timmo also for a great weekend, a great chance to catch up and to get creative. Now it's time to get carving more lino's, so we can get back there soon and give it another go!

Art & drama in London...

We continue to keep busy. The pace is relentless and the list of destinations is seemingly endless.

I'll admit to craving a day of rest. A day where we can stay local, stay away from London underground, a day where we can hang out and do pretty much nothing... But then, as we did this morning, we look again at the list of things we still want to do and realise there really isn't time to rest. For now in any case.

Today, as every day, it was worth the extra burst of energy.

First up this morning we headed to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, followed by the Tate Modern. Both were high on our must see list, and both were new destinations since the last time I was in London.

The Globe Theatre is open by tour only and was introduced to us by a very theatrical and excellent guide. It is a remarkable building and it was easy to imagine a play on the stage. Unfortunately the season is over for this year so we were unable to view a performance, but it was still well worth a visit.






After we had finished there, we walked less than 5 minutes to the converted Bankside power station next door, which is now home to the Tate Modern.

The 7 levels of modern art ranging from photography and sculpture to multimedia, painting and art installations is extensive and too much to absorb in one visit. But wow.

I was especially taken with a temporary exhibition by artist Taryn Simon called "A living man declared dead and other chapters. I-XVIII" which was created over the course of 4 years. It was a touching and insightful photographic display and narrative. Well worth a visit if you happen to be in London anytime before January 2nd 2012. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you get to see it.

Tomorrow we are having a break of sorts... a day out of town with a trip to Oxford. At least on the trip there and back we get to sit down for a while!

Closed for business? No way!

I'm not closed for business... quite the opposite. I know it's been over a month since I last posted and there is lots to catch up on, so let me at least begin.

The new job is not so new any more. And whilst there's been a lot to learn and it's taken me a while to settle in, the feedback has been good. I'm doin ok. Mostly. Unfortunately (whilst I think I am doing a good job) I am not enjoying the work particularly. Try as I might, I cannot be inspired. At best it is tedious. At worst, mind numbing, frustrating, uninspiring. It is not my dream-job for sure. 

BUT. 

The great thing about my new job, is it's closer to home, and I am now working 7.30am - 3.30pm, which I love love love. The combination of the hours and the location, means that if I head straight home, I arrive home TWO hours earlier than I used to from my old job. Yes, TWO entire hours! 

And THAT is the clincher. THAT is the payoff. THAT is what keeps me getting up and going to work each day (at least for now). And in the absence of enthusiasm for my work, I have been using my 'bonus' hours to redress the work/life balance somewhat.

So with all this additional free time, why haven't I been blogging? Dropping by and leaving comments? Why have I been so silent?

Well... I have been trying to use this time constructively to do more (other stuff) that I want to do... more writing... more art... more creating... 

I have started writing my book. I have chatted with a few select people about it to get some constructive feedback. I have been journalling. I have been doing a bit of painting. And drawing. I even picked up, tuned and strummed my guitar last week. I have been out on my bike. I have been making the most of the gorgeous autumnal sunshine and sitting in the park with a favourite magazine. I have been watching TED video's and being inspired. Listening to podcasts and audio books while I 'work'. I have been to the movies. And I have done a bit of a clear out. I have walked on the beach.

And whilst I need to do more of the above (and certainly more blogging), at least I am doing SOMETHING.

So no, I am not closed for business... quite the opposite.

Magical Melbourne...

I grew up on the coast of Victoria, about an hour and a half from Melbourne. As a child, going to the city was always a special occasion. I was lucky that my parents loved the arts and I remember visiting the National Gallery of Victoria and running my fingers through the water that ran continuously down the waterwall at the Gallery's entrance arch, and lying on the floor under the spectacular Leonard French stained glass ceiling in the Great Hall.

It was here I first gazed in wonder at the art of Australian and international artists. Where I was introduced to Jackson Pollock, Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Tom Roberts and Sidney Nolan. And the thought provoking paintings of Frederick McCubbin. Artists and paintings I revisit to this day.

Nowadays I am lucky and grateful to call Melbourne my home. I live withing 6kms of the city and often walk there to take a look around on a weekend. Now there is even more to entice me into the city, on the basis of arts alone. Federation 'Fed' Square, Melbourne's active street art and many many independent galleries hidden in city side streets and lanes... are all waiting to be explored.

Degraves Street is a perfect place to meet friends or hang out by yourself, and if you want something a little more subdued, 'The Journal' is a favourite of mine (they do an awesome chai).

Flinders Lane, Degraves Street and the Nicholas Building are a great place to start if you want to find a few hidden treasures, or a great place to grab a coffee (or chai) and just soak up the atmosphere. There are any number of indoor and outdoor cafés to relax and watch the world go by.

What a great city we have just waiting to explore. So, to anyone who lives here, or has been to Melbourne as a visitor, I'd be interested to know... what do you love about Melbourne? Any hidden treasures you'd care to share or recommend for a visit?

Happy Australia Day...

Ned Kelly here was a sculpture I saw recently at Dubbo Regional Gallery. I'm sorry to say I don't have the artist's name, though it was in a group exhibition by young artists.

I love it.

Happy Australia Day everyone.

May we continue to be the lucky country.

A weekend in the country...

The weekend before Christmas I went on a road trip to visit my good friend Malcolm and his wife in their home in Mirboo North. Mal is an ex boyfriend and we are still great friends. I find this is the best way to be with an ex. 

Until this weekend I had only met his wife Marion a few brief times, and I was a little bit nervous about spending a weekend with them both. I needn't have been concerned, the weekend was lovely and it was really nice to get to know Marion better, hang out with them both and meet their menagerie of pets. Elvis the new kitten (totally adorable), Nino the cat (my roommate and the boss), Pixel the very energetic pup/dog (I didn't manage to get a pic that was in focus - she never slows down long enough) and their chickens.

They have bought the old bank in the main street (which is also their home) and are currently setting it up as a gallery and photographic studio. It's a great space and has wonderful light. Importantly, it is also located next door to the local chocolate shop, which of course we had to include in my visit.

We went walking along a railtrail where their dog Pixel roamed widely and introduced herself to a resident echidna. We also hiked up into the bush where we saw fresh re-growth after the bush fires in 2009 and we went to nearby carols by candlelight (where the 3 wise men were missing in action!). So you can see it was a good balance of exploring and relaxing.

When they open up their gallery I will make sure I post about it, so that if you are ever down that way, you know where to find them so you can visit and see Mal's wonderful photography. It's a beautiful place and the studio (and chocolate shop next door) will definitely be worth a visit.

Flossy love...

Way back last year, in December 2010, I told you the exciting news that I had won a blogger giveaway from one of my fave blogging artists, Flossy-P. I was totally excited, but a little worried, because at that stage I couldn't decide on which of Flossy-P's prints that I wanted (pretty hard when you want them ALL!)

In any case, I finally made my decision (thanks for you patience Flossy-P) and continued on my way through the frantic pre-Christmas phase at work! On Friday (Christmas eve) I arrived down at Point Lonsdale and there was a package of goodies waiting especially for me full of Flossy goodness!

OMG.

I am totally chuffed. What an amazing collection of goodies. Including the print I selected and so many extras too (many of which were items that made my decision so difficult in the first place)

Dear Flossy,
What a sensational surprise! I have always loved and admired your artwork online and it's even more precious in real life!
I am totally delighted with every single piece. Thank you so much. 
All my very best to you in 2011.
Love to you, 
Cinta
xx

The wish tree... What would you wish for?

The wish tree at the Museum of Modern Art, NYC.

48 Sleeps

On this day in 7 weeks I will be getting on a plane to NYC, USA.


I will be away for a total of 6 and a half weeks. I can barely believe it is happening! It seems like an age since I have had a holiday and I really do need the break, and 6.5 weeks is bliss.

My Mum (Mom) and I will be traveling together. We have agreed to spend 4 weeks together and 2 weeks 'doing our own thing', so that I can get the escape from 'my world' that I have been craving, and we can hang out together for the rest of it. Thankfully we are good travel companions, so it will be a great combination.

There has been some planning (though this weekend will see more when Mum and I get together) and this is where it stands at this stage...

Arrive NYC, August 5th.
Head straight to Maine for the first week or two. We will hang out with friends and visit Camp Tanglewood where I worked as a summer camp counsellor 20 years ago. I would love to rent a house (or better still be invited to house sit or stay with friends) on the Maine coast.

Picture all those New England postcards you may have seen of little seaside towns with stark white homes and tiny shops huddled around a small bay and that's where we'll be. With luck we will see the Northern Lights.

For those first one to two weeks, my ideal would be relaxing in the summer sun and soaking up good old USA hospitality. No pressure to do anything but grab a book, write a journal, do some drawing, take a walk, sit in a cafe and watch the world go by.

Be still. And breathe. Deeply.

From there it's largely unplanned. At this stage we are going to stay in the northern states as I traveled to California and other southern states 20 years ago.

What I do know... There will be a trip to Niagara Falls. Maybe a few days in Boston. Two weeks of mystery adventures. And then, across the last two weeks I will be in Washington DC for the long weekend in September (where I hope to meet a lovely blogging friend), traveling south to Southern Maryland to visit another friend (due to have twins in the next few weeks) and then ten nights in NYC.

It already sounds busy, but I don't want to over plan as I want to leave some of it to chance. Though I am keen to organise accommodation in NYC so that we can head there and not have to worry about where we will be staying.

I'm expecting there may be some readers who are a little envious (I know this because I know the jealousy I have experienced when reading posts about other blogger's travels) and maybe wish you could be doing the same trip... that right now you are thinking of all the things you would do if you were in the USA for 6 weeks!

I would love to hear your thoughts.

If you had 6 weeks in the USA where would you go and what would you do?
Is there anything you just wouldn't want to miss?
Have you been to NYC? Would you recommend anywhere to stay?
Are there markets you would like to visit? Stores? Galleries?
Hidden treasures you'd like to share.
Workshops you would like to take?
I would love some specifics. Or just general comments are fine too.

1000 Journals

Well, it's Sunday night and it's 11 o'clock. It's been a busy weekend already and normally by now, I would be tucked up in my bed, with the working week looming grimly.

This Sunday night however, I am happy to say is not a normal Sunday night... 

Thankfully tomorrow is a public holiday (Happy Birthday to the Queen) which means I will be able to ease more casually into what is normally a manic Monday morning and I will not be regretting this late night of googling and blogging.

But before I go, I really wanted to tell you about a great movie I have watched on ABC2 tonight. Hopefully you caught it too.

It was called 1000 Journals and is the documentary style movie about 1000 journals that were despatched by 'someguy' from San Francisco into the world in August 2000 and what has happened since.

I loved it. It was surprising and inspiring. And as a lover or journalling and all things creative (and being the nosey person I am), it was compelling viewing. And of course as soon as it was over, I jumped onto the website to take a look.

The covers are different on all 1000 journals. This one was designed by Australian artist Russell Tate.

Make sure you go take a look at the 1000 Journals website. Go see how it all came to be... Many many pages are scanned and waiting to be viewed and explored. People's stories and creativity is there for all to see. And if you love this 'stuff' as I do, you will find it hard to go to bed on time too!

Exhibition Invite...

My friend Melati and her brother Siddhartha are having a combined exhibition in celebration of the Australian Landscape. And you're invited.

It is opening this Tuesday night and then runs until the 23rd of May. 

It's being held at Melbourne Central, so if you happen to be in the city it's the perfect opportunity to drop by and have a look at their beautiful work.

Colourful chaos...

I have been wanting to re-hang my printers tray on the lounge room wall, since I rearranged my studio and didn't have any suitable wall space left. Finally last weekend I managed to get around to it... 

I stuck a hook in the wall and using the same wire from before, I hung the tray up and it worked exactly as I had hoped. Pleased with my progress, and congratulating myself on my decision, I got to work and filled it with cotton reels and lots of little bits and pieces that I have collected that are small enough to fit in the holes. And it was looking good. 


And then, just as I was adding the final bits...


I heard a tiny ping ping ping as each little bit of wire cable snapped in quick succession and, as I tilted my head to listen to try and work out what was going on, the wire snapped, and the printers tray with all it's collection fell off the wall!

Made quite a crash too. Who would have thought that tying wire in knots to make it shorter, would weaken it!!! Lots of stuff scattered EVERYWHERE.


Surprisingly, I didn’t even swear! No really! Who’d have thought it was possible.

But seriously, I was like a character in a cartoon scene. I was left standing there with a cotton reel in my hand... chaos all around me, and a look of stunned silence on my face. Is there such a look as stunned silence? Believe me, there is!


Thankfully nothing damaged or broken, though it did seem like a waste of over an hour and it has taken me another week to buy new wire and hooks and eventually re-do everything!

I'm very happy with the result. I think it's looking good. 
Again.

And order is restored... just as I like it 
(until the next bit if chaos hits that is!)
What do you think? 

Drawing on the right side of my brain...

Some years ago, I was introduced to the Betty Edwards book, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", you may have heard of it.

It's an extraordinary book that promises to "unlock the artist within and open up a new world of creative enjoyment."

Through it's tasks and lessons, you will soon discover that drawing is a skill that can be learned by every normal person with average eyesight and average eye-hand coordination-with sufficient ability, for example, to thread a needle or catch a baseball. Contrary to popular opinion, manual skill is not a primary factor in drawing. If your handwriting is readable, or if you can print legibly, you have ample dexterity to draw well.

The results in the book certainly show some incredible results, and whilst I have loved the book and done a few of the exercises and tasks, I have barely moved further than the first few chapters.

Just recently I read a post on Kate's blog about some classes she has been taking and it has inspired me to start... again...

Sophie Balchin has studied with the son of Betty Edwards, is a teacher in Melbourne, and she runs regular evening classes and workshops. Her evening classes are a combination of Betty Edwards' methods and her own tips, tricks and lessons that Sophie has learned along her own artistic path.

And so I have decided to pick up my drawing pencils again and do one of her classes.

It starts on Monday May 3rd and runs for 6 weeks (3 hours a week) and is $240... and I can't wait. I have spoken to Sophie on the phone and she sounds lovely and I am really looking forward to meeting her and doing the class.

She's looking for extra numbers, so go visit her website - drawing potential - give her a call, and take the plunge. Come join me.