Adelaide Pix

Our August trip, too brief as always.
Its a touchstone -
catching up with old friends and places
reminding me who i am.
reminding me of the path.
and dont you just love a suitcase monster.

gypsy journey. part 2

ok. so both sides of my pages started in the same way... first with a drawing that I copied, then transferred.
next step was to collage with hand coloured paper towel (a la Tracey be Bautista)-
then while wet coloured the image with caran dache neo colour 11 (LOVE this bit)
and when dry adding those shimmery water colour pots
um....then details with white pen and sequins and beads and things.
now i'm finished and i dont know what to do.
what do you do in those quiet inspiration free zones ?

ps. these pages were inspired by cinka panna
18th century gypsy violinist and the gypsy journey from India to Europe.
When i think gypsy - i think music, horses and dancing. and i love those vibrant Indian colours...

gypsy journey. part 1

first....charms.
These ones i threw together with some felt I'd made a while ago, some banana fibre and little mirror things.
they are to go on your bridle (ok - your horse's bridle) as protection from the evil eye...spooky

and this... started with a disk made from model magic. Then an image transfer using 'orange spirit' ..mmmm smells great - the image was from one of Mums old swap cards. Then a coat of glass varnish (basically 2-pac). I'm going to try some more of these... one day.

Gotye - Heart's A Mess

Sunday arvo @ the atheneaum
what a treat
an inspiration infact
( hey Melly Wally is coming to the UK in a week or so with the basics- playing the Marquee club on sept 9)
Do yourself a favour and all that....

I remember you

A mad dash to the city, driving through rain and weather, several wardrobe disfunctions
saw us arrive at the wedding just a little late.... but it was the start of the most wonderful weekend....
Sam (darling goddess) looked after the girls.
What a gift. A night away, the first in several years...
a hotel in the heart of Chinatown
a stroll though hidden arcades ever so slighty surreal on a sunday morning

(Gaz' photo)
window shopping street art
lunch with Wally
music sublime @ the atheneum
(watch the video)
and voila
human again.
I remember this girl - she used to be me.

Alchemy

Not so many of the blogs i read speak of failure
of the frustration of the creative process
of getting stuck and not knowing where to go.
After inspiration sunday
i 'm home joy of joys
inspired headfull with ideas.
Positvely bursting forth
a veritable cess pool of creativity as it were
(thanks Gomez)
yet today
i have blockage

(Lucie Walker has a great spot for looking at the process. Check out State of the Art)

Maybe the wise words of Dr Suess will help

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go....You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.....
NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

(the abridged version of "Oh the Places you'll go")
by Dr Suess

Sea Change

Dont you love it when birthdays just keep going.
Marty and I spent a beautiful sunday night with Beck's Sea Change.
Eyes closed, candlelight, drifting with the stars......

Beck - Lost Cause [Version 1]

Parenting 101

QUESTION 324

Are all 8 year olds full of
"I know everything" ?

Do I
a) Insist that she gets some humility, NOW.
b) Let go. Remember how good it was to feel like you really KNEW something.
c) Ask her what she thinks - she probably knows the answer anyway.
d) Lock her in a smallish yellow cage and send her into space, to return when she learns to treat her mother with the love, unconditional respect and tenderness she so obviously deserves.

winter

bleak
winter
stuck inside
wet out
may as well blog

Frida

Yesterday would have been Frida Kahlos 100th birthday.
To celebrate, I painted this, drank tequila and made my first Mole'.
Happy Birthday.

traveller

I used to be a traveller.
I've trecked to the highest peaks.
Riden elephants and seen a wild tiger
seen whales and sharks and turtles
thrown myself off a waterfall
underground.
Ive seen buffalo glow in the full moonlight
I ve eaten fresh shucked oysters under a tree
got naked in the rolling surf
and fallen asleep on the back of a motorbike.
now i stay home
and travel in my mind

Gentle Annies

An age ago, it seems, dear friends had told us about a magical spot on the king river.
Pure air, golden vines, food from heaven....
and after a long long time
a family decides to take a trip (dogs and all)

the friends decided despite much chaos to come too......


and oohhhhh
how wonderful it was.

first rain

This was last month i think...
but it was the first rain of the season.
My garden breathed a sigh of relief......

Total Rapture

acrylic , wire & ink on canvas
for illo friday

doll swap

I'd like you to meet Astra - she's been at my house for the last ....
well actually its been far to long and she needs to continue on her journey.
Herta made Astra and i added hair and undies.
i think i'll miss her

an open letter

to my darling girls
I awoke this morning with such mixed emotions.
Seeing An Inconvenient Truth, I think, may tend to do that to one.
At once I am filled with excitement at the propects of travelling this exciting path with you in the belief that the steps we are taking are true; that choosing to lead a simpler life with all the benefits of living in the amazing place we do, is right. There is no question in my mind. That i feel such positive emotions at the same time as being so concerned that the world is heading down a path that can only lead to tragedy is so confusing to me.

The only thing i can do is stay on this path that seems so right.
And by taking one step at a time i seem to be learning some unexpected lessons. Of couse there are the environmental benefits... but
in walking rather than driving I get to hold your hands more.
I get to look around and appreciate what i have, more.
That buying vintage clothing is like going on a treasure hunt.
That buying local vegetables from an 'alive' market makes everything taste better. I swear it.
That starting the community garden has me more excited than anything in a long time.

I hope that taking these simple steps (amongst all the others) goes some way to help preserve our beautiful planet.
and that soon I'll start to feel that we are treading lightly. That its not too late.
that your children too will have a place to live.
and that we will leave this world a better place.

all my love
me

tea

my day with t
1. Cleanse. Steamy water with lemon and ginger. To clear , start the day full of promise and hope and full of good intentions. If i get this right maybe i'll be good for the rest of the day.- If not , at least i got this right. Also good for the liver.
2. Walk home from school drop off and Marty with any luck has the kettle on. This is the ritual part because Martys is THE t wallah of the family. Warm the kettle. Sellect the t based on discussion on what may be appropriate for this particular day, will it be earl grey or english breakfast. If Marty is feeling dominant, he'll try to convice me that a smoky russian caravan is best (why you'd drink it anywhere other than a smoky russian caravan, I'm not sure.)If he's succesful, the next morning i'll insist on a floral lady grey. Brew the tea (not for the impatient). Warm the cups. Pour the milk......and the t.
Now its our time to debrief on the previous day, gigs or what ever. We are invariably interupted at this point by (generally Martys - my frinds are rarely so impertinent) well meaning friends who must smell the tea from their homes and decide its time to chat.

3. PM. Chai.
It can only be chai.
I make my own caffeine free brew with Rooibos and the usual suspects. Cardamon, cloves, Cinnamon stick, dried ginger, and sometimes if i'm feeling brave star annise and pepper. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Honey. Soy. Country Living or maybe organic gardner magazine. Should see me through the evening craziness... at least until its time for something a little fiestier. Is that a word ?

4. Late. A sleepy time infusion does the trick. Chamomile, caledula with some peppermint and licorice root for good measure...now I'm feeling dreamy

portrait

My beautiful girls in our beautiful home....
its always like this ofcourse,
sun a shining,
birds a singing,
girls playng peacefully together
he he he

summer in the garden

What can i say.
Life is sweet.

the end is nigh.....

It seems this sunday , the last in january is global turn off the internet day.
So go out and do something with your life.
Go here for instructions

Cry of the snow lion

After seeing the footage of Tibeten refugees being shot in the snow while attempting to cross the border to Nepal , I was wanted to better understand the situation and so borrowed this film.Tibet. Cry of the snow lion

Something to be inspired by.
Visually and politically.

a new year

At the moment this is my favourite. In fact every new piece i do is a favourite for a little while so you may have to ask again in a couple of weeks.

Its probaby the first piece i've done that relates directly to an event in my life, (that i remember around this time of year) so it feels really personal to me. I dont what to be too specific 'cause
it interests me to hear other peoples understanding of a piece of art.
Marty had a really different perspective to what I was feeling when I painted it... and since hearing his ideas my understanding of the piece has changed a little too. I love that.