new season. new adventures

Its June/

And in this part of the world its Winter.

And boy has it said hello with a blast of Arctic air! 

No one can be in ANY doubt that we have transitioned to a new season.

I love smelling the wood burning on open fires. 

And hearing people cooking and creating hearty soups and stews as I walk through the neighbourhood at dusk. All the senses are heightened as you start to cherish the hours of sunlight and the warm textures of home. 

In the studio ive been putting the finishing touches on a few commissions. And clearing the white pin-boards for a whole new series of works. 

But the research and sketching time comes first.

And to do that Im flying out to Europe for a six weeks adventure in Dubai, Italy and Greece.

I leave in a few short hours! 

So Im finishing this post with a few images from the last few weeks of May...

And ill see you all soon.

Keep well and warm! 

x

oh and before I go I have to say a big thank you to Jody and Honor for their beautiful comments in the past few weeks. Its hard to reply to comments on this blog.... so I thought id say it here! xxx

Image above and below from a series of acrylic paintings on paper. 2015

^Looking up^

^beautiful colours of the season.
Clovelly^

^leaves in flight^

lingering

First day of a new month. 

And its raining. 

Rain seems to be the familiar backdrop for most days here in Sydney at the moment.

Its a very wet Autumn - and even though we're all thankful for it, we're all looking for excuses to stay in bed and hide away from it too. 

I have to admit Ive been hiding at home this week.

Partly because Im trying to get well after a few health hiccups.

And partly because I need a creative break, so I can let my thoughts linger on what Ive achieved in the past few months.

These days we seem to be focused on what is yet to come and how much is yet to accomplished - like a hamster on a wheel.

Which is an exhausting way to think and feel. 

I was heading down that road until I stopped and let my thoughts linger on what Ive done in the studio this year - and what Ive liked.

And I kept coming back to this little fellow. 

Its a drawing that was completed for a commission but ended up staying with me.

Which Im happy about. 

Its only a small artwork but I think it holds a few ideas for future experiments and larger pieces....

........

Artwork details: Grevillea Movements in Mint, 2015, mix media on paper

the request

In my post last week I was rattling on about taking on requests for commissions and how it can be a daunting but rewarding experience. Well - today im featuring a collection of drawings - completed over the past few months, for a lovely couple in Melbourne who were looking for an artwork for their family home. 

At the time was keen to work on a new series of artworks as I had just completed a collection of drawings and coil weavings for a group exhibition in late January. And sometimes a request, and an idea, from some one other than you can be a liberating and positive opportunity. Some of my best artworks have come from a commission and an idea that was not my own! 

And so I began what is now called 'The Grevillea Series'. 

The commission initially started as one big canvas, themed around the garden - and in particular the colours and textures of the beautiful Grevillea species of plantlife. 

What I, or we, ended up with was a collection of three drawings on paper that speak of nature in a very abstract way. That's what you call 'meeting in the middle'. They had one idea and I had another. And somewhere in the middle was the right solution for the artwork, their family and the space they live in. 

The clients were happy.

I was relieved. 

And now when I look back at these images im actually proud of each artwork that speaks softly and gently about nature, the light and the spaces that we find when we step outside our door.

^inspiration^

^Grevillea shower on indigo sky (detail). Mix Media on paper. 2015^

^Waterfall of Spring (detail). Mix media on paper. 2015^

^ detail of a textile design I created a few years ago...^

^Spring Movements (detail). Mix media on paper. 2015^

^The final collection... ^