paint, brushes, water and somewhere to work....

Each passing week increases the feeling of pleasure of being settled and working again.

Distractions have been many and ... well... rather frustrating! Getting internet on took months and that's for starters. Finding one's printer has died, watching an expensive repair list growing.... for my car, computer, digital projector ... you name it ... is no fun.

However... Ive decided that every time my brain starts to seize up due to unhelpful agitation whilst tackling another hold-up I will unplug and turn focus to the garden,  or what I'm painting or even to inviting someone for a home-cooked meal and good conversation. 

This week I was pleased as punch to get my new fold-up push-bike going. It fits in the back of my car so I can easily access Brisbane bike-path networks running beside creek catchment areas bringing the opportunity for getting to know the lay of the land from a different perspective. Over the last few years visiting the coast north of here I've noticed really great bike-paths beside ocean, rivers and cool shady nature reserves. The fresh air and safe path-ways make riding so much more appealing than city streets ... plus I can look out for seedpods whilst riding along and keep the camera handy.

Back to the studio I've so enjoyed getting into painting again after having successfully suppressed the need to paint for 6 months or more. It was hard to start back... but at some point in the last few weeks I went from feeling incredibly rusty and awkward to reconnecting with an undying passion for paint and intense hunger for working at it.

The timing was right ... it was exactly what I need to do to be ready for what's coming!

Preparing for a NOVEMBER STUDIO LAUNCH, for which I am currently checking dates before announcing officially, I've devised some new developments in the studio which will be ready for the launch in mid-late November.

Here is a glimpse of what I'm up to... a brand-new series of Biodiversity Conversation Plates that will be a fascinating part of the bigger Homage to the seed project. WATCH THIS SPACE!

These hand-painted porcelain plates are one-off, unique works based on seed species, some very abstracted, other not so much.

The restricted palette allows for a unity that might not otherwise be evident.

I'm using new and second hand porcelain plates

The paints are water-based, don't need excessive layering and are fixed by heat and very durable. I know this from having used this product 20 years ago and with the pieces I kept its proved to be a  permanent and reliable product which I'm delighted to have more or less mastered(figure of speech!) the use of long ago.

I have used them on my table ... however one precaution I take is using them only as a vessel for dry items like bread, nuts and so on. I would never paint a bowl and fill it with hot, moist food even though the chance of contamination is excessively minor. 

They have such a wonderful decorative and symbolic application in the work I do that I am excited to have returned to making this concept series.

As for painting on larger surfaces I'm re-working a theme from an earlier period, 2010, which has a natural parallel to the round plates.... staying with a very similar restricted palette that feels apt for the moment.

"Seed Calendar", 80 x 80 cm, acrylic and pigmented ink on linen

So thats things for this week. Think it going to be paintbrushes-kind-of-weekend here ... monday is a public holiday so its a chance to give up on worrying about tech glitches and machinery going south and celebrate the world if ideas and paint.

Have a great weekend wont you?

Connecting the dots once more!

Its so good to report that life is starting to settle into a more work-a-day kind of existence that's bringing simple contentment to this home. Even the potted plants brought from our former residence look happier now they are once more nurtured and adapting to changed conditions!

We're enjoying the birds around this new neighbourhood... there seems to be suitable habitat around here to ensure a variety of birdsong which is a surprise and most appreciated.

Internet connected and working again brings far more consistency and  productivity to following unfolding stories from the different areas of interest in my work.

My Instagram page

I was chuffed with this photo put up on Instagram today by Jo Cook whom I sent postcards to in Tasmania to say how much I liked her contribution to the FAIR FOOD WEEK Photo competition I recently helped judge. Jo is a freelance chef and Food Curator in Tasie who tweets her news here.

Photo by Jo Cook on Instagram

The Photo competition was conducted by the talented Sharon Lee for The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance's Fair Food Week held in August. She is a driving force at her website/blog Flavour Crusader in the dialogue fighting for a healthy, fair and delicious Food Supply and is based in Sydney.

Not only that... she brings an air of excitement with her wherever she goes and is more than likely to make one laugh at her infectious jokey turn of phrase!

Read here about the venture!

FlavourCrusader is a community of farmers, gardeners, cooks and eaters fighting for a healthy, fair and delicious food supply. Join us here or on Twitter,Facebook or Instagram. Soon, we’ll have our own app; signup (to the right) to know when it’s ripe and ready.

Sharon Lee devours magnificent peaches, strawberries and tomatoes. She cooks with exotic flavours, traditional recipes and real slow. She plants seeds in pots and occasionally, they do grow! She’s attaining a Masters in Public Health because there’s no Masters in Deliciousness.

James McParlane is the CTO of Massive Interactive and has architected, coded and managed the development of an array of award winning sites and applications over 20 years. When we meet and eat, he insists that I order. Smart move, programmer dude!

Volunteers are our lifeblood. We’re grateful to Sophie Munns, Zoe Bowman, Lucinda Dodds, Pauline Mak, Camilla Baker, Grant Young, Lucia Torres, Rohini Goyal, Mei Sun, Adriaan Stellingwerff, Angela Jann, Miream Rabba, Tony Hollingsworth, Pete Locke, Samantha Lipovic, Ivan Zugec and Michael Wardop.

We’d like to thank the catalysts and mentors at Asix, Social Innovation Sydney and XMediaLab. We love our research participants, talented blog contributors and anyone who’s made a suggestion, comment or joined in the conversation.  That's you!                                                                     Images by Zonie Zambonie and ~Essence of a Dream~

I'm sharing below her colourful post about the Photo Competition: 

My Food Story

Oh my gosh how freaking delighted I was during the two weeks of this competition! It was so exciting to receive the entries, pigs and chooks and tales of abundance into my email. Ping! Ping! Oink! Bok!

Here are the winners:

BEST PRODUCE

“It’s not always about what you can grow to eat. Green manure is both tasty and essential for soil vitality!”
ppmak

BEST DISH

“Apple scrap vinegar. Who knew that you could take the scraps from your fruit, and turn them into something useful. These scraps are from our first real harvest of apples from our various apple trees. I was making some of them into a pie, and remembered that I had read somewhere about turning the scraps into alcohol, then letting it become vinegar. Some of my bottles didn’t seem to turn, but the ones that did have made a beautiful subtle vinegar, with an appley flavour that goes great in salad dressings!”
Bec

PEOPLES’ CHOICE

“My apple pie :) ”
Tim

Thanks to the judges, Sophie Munns, Lucy Dodds and Zoe Bowman, who—amongst moving, weddings and work—were able to devote time to evaluate the entries. Thanks to the sponsors for your generosity. Thanks everyone for sharing, your comments, likes and for participating. It wasn’t just good fun, we were able to spread the ethos of Fair Food to over 25,000 people. Woohoo!

GO visit Flavour Crusader and see whats she's up to now!


So... after weeks and weeks and weeks since March of everything except studio time I'm settling in and finding that ideas are turning into planning meetings and conversations are growing new shoots and my brain is starting to process things in a whole more productive way again.

I had a meeting yesterday with Jutta... one of those clever, hard-working people who is not just a brilliant catalyst for ideas BUT also seeing things come to fruition, steadily and potently. Humble to boot she plays down her achievements but they include working with the Cubberla-Witton Catchments Networks Inc in 2005 to hold a fungi conference in Brisbane. Seminars were presented by mycologists from around Australia launching an organisation the Queensland Mycological Society.

Events run by the Queensland Mycological Society (QMS) provide an excellent opportunity to discover the amazing Kingdom of Fungi. Get to know your local macrofungi by attending QMS forays (field trips). Meetings are informative and entertaining. Going to workshops is another great way to learn more about fungi and develop identification skills.

Always quick to honour the work of others it's not long before one discovers Jutta Goodwin is a woman of vision and substance and has much to do the success of many ventures she tirelessly gives both long hours and significant organisational skills to.

Regenration project via here

The Cubberla-Witton Catchments Network is part of Brisbane's Catchment network and plays a major role in community education and participation in land-care in the area close to Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens where I spent 2010 on a residency at the Seedlab. The CWCN website is down at present but with a brand new Community Centre for events, ongoing committee work and hire to interested  community groups and individuals I imagine things will be very busy.


As for life here at the studio ... attending meetings, seminars and soon a conference is keeping me on the go at the moment as I pick up on where I left off months ago.
Its hard to keep up with all the wonderful conversations of the last month when I think back. 

On Saturday I drove about 2.5 hours south to NSW to visit at this wonderful farm below where a meeting and overnight stay was planned. It was just the thing this change of scenery... and after much conversation we'd generated more than a few ideas for a possible collaboration down the track.

The view from the front verandah at the farm over-looking Mt Warning! My kind hosts were delightful company and by the time I departed late Sunday afternoon I felt quite restored after spending time in such a restful environment. 

              Images from the farm and nearby town!


Sunday night I stayed up the coast a night with relatives and enjoyed catching up on news, next day visiting their Carpet store at Southport where I took photos of the stunning wool colour spectrums and highly textured pure wool carpet samples from New Zealand. I was seduced by the incredible range of sustainable products they were selling with only a tiny percentage of synthetic options in the whole store.

Rich colours and wools with some wonderfully designed samples that reminded me of sea anenomes!

Well ... I am sitting at the desk on casters tapping away on my lap-top and there's a pile of tasks staring at me so I will say good-bye for today even though there are more stories that could be shared here... Enough for now!

Enjoy your week wont you!

Sophie

On wheels ... things are moving!

It's good to be finally posting images from the studio revealing progress at last.  

Everyday I've found more boxes to unpack... meaning places have to be found for all the books, magazines, art materials and such.

I've created  a few different work stations and chosen furniture to make it easier to pull off. Tables and shelves on castors help.

A place to paint was chosen next to the front windows for access to natural light and a view of sorts to the street.

This chair which has travelled with me over the past two decades is from 1920's Melbourne and has pride of place here, the kilim comes from travels in Turkey in 1987... together making the perfect reading space where I can sit and muse on any pantings as they evolve.

The following images are vignettes I've arranged on some of the shelves. This one contains small clay bowls I'm very fond of and a small pineapple I'm propagating.

An interesting aspect of the history of seeds are spices... its another angle of interest that overlaps with a passion for cuisines and cultures around the globe... and the plants that have shaped and defined cultures.

These are temporary installations whilst sorting through through everything. I've yet to put any kind of hanging system up and still have more shelves to install.

Laying things out has been such a deeply affirming activity after  what did in the end feel like too long a wait between studios. I vowed I was going to paint this weekend just gone but actually found I was just as content getting things in place and going through more boxes.

I've loved unearthing some of the things that have been packed away for 5 years when I moved interstate. This move is a much more deeply considered relocation than the one in May, 2008 when  illness prompted the move to Brisbane to be with family. It's a true experience of settling this time around for various reasons and I've given much thought to where things might go from here.

The painting above takes me back to 2006 when dealing with difficult and complex workplace issues in a teaching role that as a substitute moved between full-time and casual positions. 

Increasingly I'd became concerned with fall-out coming from all kinds of tensions, intense or failed communications threading through the work-place and impact it was having on staff. At the same time I was continually learning of student's struggles... some dealing with deeply traumatic events or challenging lives. Some colleagues manage pressures by tuning out, others measure their response or struggle. I guess I was never going to stay from the long term... 7 years was enough.

Putting that painting on the shelf brought back how grateful I feel to be in a different place now, putting energy to a direction of choice, despite the current and ongoing  uncertainties doing the artist's journey brings (she's says after a lean 6 months in transition)... it just feels so good to be here where I am now. I might not have everything figured to say the least...but there is a sense of realness to the project I pursue and no matter how many times I might question doing this art thing I don't question whether homage to the seed is worthwhile. There is no lack of conviction it matters and has value.

And if anything ... Homage to the Seed as  project is all about looking for the larger contexts that frame all kinds of smaller unique stories.

I bought these tea cups in Japan a long time ago now... 1988. They were ridiculously cheap and had a little tea pot which I just realise I've lost. The 'Picasso' portrait was done about 25 years ago when I discovered a paint that could be used on white china and fixed in the oven at not too high a temperature. I remember playing around with the paint for a time to see what I could do and I always rather liked this poorly rendered but moody Picasso rip-off plate. On the right is a DNA painting with an Arabidopsis plant imaged under the dna dots. And the small squares in front are for me totem-like, painted in 2010 and despite their humble nature really grab me in some way.

This recalls where I was at mid last year... I seemed to get very

submerged in these colours for a time... then I unpacked the little ceramic plate which was made by a Greek artist and remembered I loved this colours all those years ago when I found this... 1991 I think it was.

The effect of this last week of bringing things together in the studio has brought back the smile on my face. Yesterday I found a whole new level of contentment in my day... a somewhat absent feeling really for months following the studio contents going to storage.

I'd like to say I could do without access to these things ...attachments bring pleasure and pain. I've been reminded yet again however what an important way of living this has been to me  ...and although I know things can change, and this is a privilege I cant take for granted, immersing one's self in an animated pursuit of Art just resonates quite profoundly with what feels right for me.

Saturday night I invited a friend over who's hospitality is as warm as she is. It was high time to offer a meal to she and her partner and dinner was simple ingredients, fresh and seasonal, prepared simply. I like how restorative the ritual of cooking and sharing at the table, laughing and discussing things can be ...it really was so grounding.

This week has started with more spring in my step and anticipation of getting going again on the things I love to do. It was fascinating how I seemed to notice more when I was out today... like the fog has lifted and I can concentrate on more than packing, unpacking, waiting and sorting again! Hurray!

Best wishes all,
S x

ps Its late so excuse spelling mistakes etc...back tomorrow to finish editing!

photos from a special weekend!

Its not often that I post something like this... but when you have just one niece who is without doubt an absolute darling and she happens to wed her beloved in the most magical of circumstances then you will have to forgive me for being an indulgent aunt on this remarkable occasion!

These adorable young boys, aged between 7 and 2, played an important role in a beautiful country afternoon wedding. They walked ahead of the bride into the village hall which was specially decked out for the ceremony. Here they were waiting for the bride to arrive!

The hall was like so many I remember from my own country childhood... wooden floors so well suited to those frequent dance evenings! Love the red curtain backdrop which featured a garland made of sheet music of romantic songs from the 1920's, 30's and 40's... just perfect for this musical couple Lara and Dwight.

Lara's uncle reads a poem.

The atmosphere here was just delightful... all who travelled from the city seemed to particularly enjoy the ambience! The mood was set for a wonderful occasion and afternoon tea was served after the wedding ceremony! Raspberry jelly lamingtons and cucumber sandwiches were just the thing! 

The afternoon started with the 2pm wedding and by 5pm we made our way down a scenic country drive to the home of my nephew Tristan and his wife Renee set on small acreage in a quiet well-treed valley on a ridge looking over to the coast.

Peeking out from under the gorgeous dress are the boots Lara wore... so perfect for the dusty road and grassy walk to the reception area.

I had to snap her running down the road to talk to some people passing by she knew!

Being among the tall Eucalyptus trees just felt so right for this celebration day!

The afternoon light was stunning...

... and the scene was set with the band that Dwight plays in professionally... on stage waiting to greet us as we arrived!

The setting was an old Banana Packing Shed from a time when the land was farmed... a huge old shed with great timber logs for its structure and corrugated iron for roof and walls. For a few months Tristan and his Dad Robert and various others laboured to restore it into a weatherproof and safe site for this special event! It was finished off with curtains made from hession and repurposed old carpet turned over to reveal the hession under-layer.

My sister Jan spent months with notepad and pen with a small but enthusiastic team working through every possible detail which resulted in a spectacular day from beginning to end. The amount of creativity in every part of this venture was evident to all... so little was outsourced ... instead created from scratch wherever possible.

I found myself musing over this gorgeous building and the decor thinking what a stunning site it would make for all kinds of events ... and fantasising about what a great studio it would make! Its rustic form was brought to life with candles and fairy lights strung up everywhere.

The late afternoon sun bathed everything in the most beautiful light and allowed everyone to enjoy the view and notice every detail in the setting. My iPhone images don't really show it at its best.

I was utterly charmed and felt myself to be in some beautiful dream in an idealic spot! 

Later that night after speeches and dinner it was time for the cutting of the cake...

Cupcakes that is... in all kinds of scrumptious flavours!

The bridal bouquet was filled with beautifully scented flowers...

the stage setting

where the bride sang the most stunning rendition of a favourite song of her beloved's ... we were all mesmerised as the moon was rising over the old shed and her voice travelled out into the night!

All I can say is what a beautiful hand-crafted event this was ...every tiny and large gesture added up to make it a most glorious day that wrapped everyone in the mood of joy and celebration!

What more can add than to wish them a truly well-lived life of love, good health, prosperity and creativity! And to say a huge BRAVO to all who participated in making this day so joyful! You did good!

S x