Wednesday 28 August 2013

beginnings .....

When I have been out of the studio a while, even for a month, it takes me a while to feel at home.  Not really feel at home as such, as the Studio is where I feel most at home, I guess I mean re connected.  In touch with what I am hoping to create.  I am sure we all know what I mean even though I am not expressing myself adequately!

In  October, one of my young friends is getting married.  My daughter will be one of the bridesmaids for this very formal and special wedding.  I have been asked, in lieu of both engagement and wedding gifts, to make art for Anna.  I know that Anna loves my work but all those confidence lacking traits seem to come to the fore when I am painting/creating for someone, rather than them seeing a work and saying that they love it ..... hence the way out of my dilemma is to spend the next month making a dozen or more images that I think Anna and I will both like, and then let her choose.  This may be a cop out - but it also means I will have lots of hanging artwork completed once she has chosen.

Starting points ...... a few of the artworks will be formed out of my manipulation of paper.  I sometimes like to use this method to prompt ideas, rather than impose my thoughts on the paper.  I have enough of those and will be spending time forcing my opinions onto those blank spaces but yesterday I began playing with some paper to see what ideas would arrive. This first one has given me plenty of room for thought and I am looking forward to bringing it to completion.  I have shown small snippets of larger sheets in subsequent photographs.  Certainly there are enough marks, and enough interest to lead me along the way.  I have been working with books and hence much smaller images so much over the last while that I hope I am able to sustain this form of imagery on large sheets of paper.










Monday 26 August 2013

flora and fauna .....

And of course - just a few photographs of my favourite things ..... tree trunks and marks (plus some bird and plant photographs along the way).

I took many photos of the calligraphy tree - can see an artist's book coming from it, and the photographs of the tree bark at the end of this post, which I still need to identify.  I was enthralled with its patterns and took dozens of images.

At the end of each day's travel and camp I was too tired to keep a diary so I am very thankful for the camera which will always prompt memories.  Extra thankful to the new technology of GPS in cameras which allows us to see where each photograph was taken - at least my latest little Lumix does, not my Canon. After each trip we take I come home visually saturated and it takes a while for that to settle down while the creative juices kick in.  At the moment, though it was a wonderful trip, I am feeling travel weary and doubt that we will do any for a while to come.  Luckily it is so very beautiful where we live, there is no need to do more than open one's eyes in the morning to be inspired.































Sunday 25 August 2013

from desert to impossible greens ...

After the desert this greenery was quite a shock - and completely unexpected.  Very often the Flinders Ranges backdrop to these fields of green looked like painted stage backdrops.  Glorious.

Flinders Ranges - en route to Wilpena Pound.  Impossibly green.
The Ranges here look like watercolour paintings in the evening light - magical.









Chambers Gorge - en route to Arkaroola -one of my favourite photos and gorges












the road into Arkaroola in the Gammon Ranges.


We did the Acacia Ridge walk back up the hill into Arkaroola.



last time Steve and I were here there was no green - all looked very black and boron, prehistoric

 sunrise helicopter flight - photos not quite focussed by gently lovely