Archive for May, 2009
Multi-tasking?
I’ve been playing with ink to create seaweed. I’m quite chuffed with the way it dried so glossy in places that it still looks wet and very much like the real thing…
Is that the time? Better get dinner sorted, quick sticks!!…
Mmm, lentils and rice from my favourite cookbook, ‘Apples For Jam’. Tessa’s kids eat it so mine will too, right?! Right. OK, back to my creative space post…
Ahhh, Nancy Drew! I have these books out on my desk and love them as much now as I did at ten. I intend to write a post wholely and solely dedicated to Nancy Drew for all her fans… No way, has that pan boiled dry already!?
So this is where you imagine that we all sat down to a delicious healthy dinner and chatted about our day and laughed, and laughed…
… I wish!
I tried to cook biscuits at the same time as dinner,
they burnt and billowed smoke into the kitchen,
the smoke set off the smoke alarm,
the kids went berserk, they HATED the lentils,
the littlest threw hers across the table and
when I bent over to pick up the bowl something went click in my back.
OUCH!
So really this post amounts to one big excuse for why my creative space post is late and serves as a warning. Multi-tasking is only for the very brave, the very slick or the very foolhardy. Ain’t it the truth!
For more creative spaces, visit Kootoyoo. Thanks Kirsty.
11 comments May 29, 2009
Yellow bike, yellow socks.
Just a quick sketch to show the hither and thither path inspiration often takes (with me that is). My mind should be busy on so many other things and yet all I can think about are regular folks and their beloved bicycles. Could this be my own personal escape fantasy?
I have to admit to looking wistful as I watch complete strangers glide by on gleaming bicycles in every juicy colour imaginable. But it’s not just the bike itself that has me sighing, it’s the whole imagined lifestyle that comes as part of the package.
I dream of living in a beautiful, relatively flat, village where I can cycle everywhere (sorry San Fran). A place that hasn’t been completely hijacked by car, bus, truck and airplane pollution.
How gorgeous it would be to actually hear someone whistle as they work, to see little ones happily nestled into rickshaws and to smell the first spring flowers rather than fumes on the breeze. And how great to get to wear socks that perfectly match your bicycle. Mmm, that’s the life for me.
5 comments May 27, 2009
All that glitters – Blue and gold
I’ve been playing with colour and have been swept off my feet by these two.
They feel so California somehow. So full of glitter and promise.
Imagine, you’re a budding actor, you’ve just arrived in LA and your eyes
are full of stars.
1 comment May 26, 2009
How to capture a purple bee
It’s a story about the flower and a purple bee
who asked if he could have some of her pollen. She said “Yes”.
Then some roots came and nearly ruined her,
so she turned into a spider and chased them away.
And then, when she turned back into a flower,
she had purple on her nose and she was happy.
Words and pictures by Lauren, age 3.
While we were away I had time enough to wonder at how quickly my girls are growing and changing. Sometimes it seems as if it happens overnight. It must be an extra sparkle of knowledge in their eyes, or somehow they just seem a little taller.
If I watch closely enough I bet I could see it happening.
I always planned to put together a large hatbox of childhood memories for each of my little possums. So when Lauren painted this picture, I asked her to tell me all about it and faithfully transcribed every word. I love that it perfectly captures a moment in her world. And what a gorgeous world it is!
6 comments May 23, 2009
The List
Since arriving home I have realised just how badly I (we) need to sort things out. There’s nothing like a break and some fresh country air to shake things up a bit.
Of course there is a reason why the things that need sorting haven’t been sorted. They are all incredibly, mind numbingly DULL! Filing, finances, fixing, car maintenance, insurance… yawn!
BUT, they are starting to trip me (us) up and need to be dealt with before a lovely new (cue birds singing in the trees) balance can be restored.
So for the rest of this week, behind the scenes, it’s all about lists, lists…
ho hum lists.
Credit: ‘Girl reading a Letter at an Open Window’ by Johannes Vermeer, The Yorck Project - aka ‘The List’.
1 comment May 20, 2009
Finders Keepers
I’m fairly sure my Dad’s been here before. Sometime around 1845. And in his previous life he was a prospector in the thick of the Australian Gold Rush.
I think maybe he struck gold and then his life was snatched from him before he’d had a chance to enjoy the prize. Since the obsession of a gold-crazed digger is, by it’s very nature, obsessive, it’s stands to reason that he’d be back.
OK it’s just a crazy theory but, there’s no denying the old prospector in my Dad. Setting up his ‘digs’, exploring and finding the most amazing things from Australia’s very own wild west past (old mining tools, crystals, crockery, opium bottles etc.) from the Eureka days.
And there’s also no denying how good it feels to take a short break and spend it in the crisp autumn air of the tablelands, watching the poppets run around with roses in their cheeks and relaxing in front of a campfire with the smell of sizzling sausages tickling my nose. Yep, there are riches there, sure enough.
(Credits: 1st photo - B.O. Holtermann with gold nugget, ca. 1873, by Charles Bayliss. 2nd photo - Diggers hut, Solferino, 1872, by J.W. Lindt. Both from the State Library of NSW excellent Discover Collection. They also have a whole bunch of interesting photo sets on Flickr.)
3 comments May 18, 2009
A short break
Uh oh! Spot the newbie blogger! I completely forgot to leave a note to say I’m away on a little break this week. I’m busily typing this on the only computer in a tiny one horse town. I had to frighten the chickens off it and use a crank to start it up.
(Nah, not really that small, but it sure does feel that way)
Anyhoo, I’ll be back on Monday with some fun ’Show and Tell’.
Take care till then.
4 comments May 12, 2009
Geisha hierarchy
This weeks theme for Illustration Friday is HIERARCHY.
I’ve always been fascinated by the complex traditions and social hierarchies of old Japan. And I’ve always wondered how raw human emotion could exist under layers of rules, traditions and control.
What do you do with feelings of disappointment, adoration, unrequited love and intense rivalry? Are they extinguished or do they grow quietly beneath layers of carefully folded paper and hours of ceremony until one day they explode with all the breathtaking brilliance of New Years Eve.
11 comments May 7, 2009
My creative space – Geishas and grails
Today my creative space is flooded with ink, yummy paper and gorgeous geishas.
At the moment I’m experimenting with illustration styles. Tidy ink, sketchy pencil, splatty textures, foldy collage… they’re all getting a look-in. I’m searching for one that is relaxing, meditative even, as well as delivering a thrilling result.
Lets face it, I’m searching for the the Holy Grail of illustration styles.
Sigh! I wonder how long it’ll take. Maybe I’ll find it and a day later an epiphany will have me decide to pack in illustration altogether and start throwing pots. Or maybe I’ll start throwing pots, cups and plates before I find it. I suspect the later would be more likely, despite the fact that I’m a complete passivist.
If you’d like a peek into other creative spaces, where there is absolutely no talk of destructive pot throwing, Kootoyoo is the place to go, Kirsty will make you very welcome. Thanks for hosting Kirsty.
4 comments May 6, 2009
Gentle Rain – Words and Pictures
When I was little I remember my Mum bravely standing at the window, knees trembling, in order to show me that she wasn’t afraid of storms. She did a great job.
I absolutely love the rain and all the drama of a good crackling storm.
Recently it was our turn to parade the bravery. But it was Mark’s fab explanation that sealed the deal.
Thunder is just a bunch of clouds, in an awfully big hurry, accidently bumping into each other. If you listen very hard through the wind and the rain you might hear them saying…”Oh dear, I’m terribly sorry!”, “Oh, pardon me!”, “Sorry about that!”
He, too, did a great job. When it starts to rain, my eldest can’t wait to show me the clouds ‘running around on the sky’ and together we press our noses against the glass, hoping to catch a glimpse of a flash or maybe a fork.
But best of all, there’s not a trembling knee in sight.
(This post is dedicated to my Mum and all wonderful Mums with much love and thanks. ‘Words and Pictures’ is fun meme by that clever cookie, Pip and was inspired by Anne Lamott. You can find more ‘Rainy Day’ reads here.)
3 comments May 4, 2009
