mash up

The time spent playing, reworking and just 'plain-ol' looking at bits and pieces plastered up on the grubby white walls of my tiny studio counts as some of my favourite moments in the whole creative process.

I love re-imagining artworks and seeing new things, old things, abandoned things and commissioned things speak to each other - as they hang alongside each other like a 90s mix-tape mashup. It makes my head whirl and whip round like a spinning top, and I start to see new ideas take shape. 

When visitors come by the studio and they see an old work up on the wall, they often ask if im holding onto it ... for keeps. 

Usually the answer is that its on the wall to keep inspiring me, and pushing me to explore new directions. As once is gone - its gone - and I cant have another conversation with it! 

Strange as that may sound....

(foreground) Turning on the Fall 2016 - Acrylic  painting on wood.
In the background a mix media drawing on paper entitled
Quiver (among the stars) 2016

the light

This week I had the privilege of hosting the lovely John Mangila in my studio space to take some photos of me (oh joy!) and my work.

Its always interesting having people over to my second home - and hearing their reactions to my new work and seeing what initially catches their eye. 

John loves using soft natural light in his photography. He loves moody shadows and backgrounds that fade into inky indigo blues. So as soon as he saw me turn on the fluorescent studio lights he immediately asked for them to be turned off. 

And then I saw my work through the soft natural light that filters through the space - and observed every painting, drawing and weaving in a new light. 

How lovely to see things from a new and beautiful perspective...

h 0 v e r .   2 0 1 6

baseline or bottoms up.
you choose!

artist - in - residence

Does anyone remember what their Christmas was like?

What about New Years? 

Or Australia Day?

2016 seems to have its high performance running shoes on - and be moving at warp speed. Every year has a momentum of its own. But this year feels different. Every day, every occasion, every catch-up seems to be blending into one another - to the point where there is no pause, no deep breath, no moments of reflection. 

That's exactly what I was experiencing this year UNTIL I went to Gunyah - in the Hunter region of NSW a couple of weeks ago - and took a deep breath.

The Gunyah artist-in-residence program, organised by Sydney based artist Kath Fries is like no other. It is part holiday retreat, part nature wildlife sanctuary, and part artist think tank. Artists' who are lucky enough to be awarded with a 12 day residency have the use of a lovely house on the waters edge of North Arm Cove, and a studio with views of the bush and water. So yes - it is a pretty special place. 

When I arrived I had a million ideas of what I wanted to achieve, and packed my car with a plethora of materials for any and every project. Paints, pencils, paper, canvases, wood panels, ink, oil pastels. But - as I quickly discovered - the property of Gunyah sets the rules and the pace. 

So I rested, reflected, swam, explored ... and THEN I started to work in the studio space. 

My work took on a lighter, more airy feel - inspired by where I was and how I was feeling. 

And I knew - twelve days was not going to be enough. 

What my time on this recent residency showed me was that I need to stop more, reflect more, and pay heed to what my surroundings are trying to communicate. The way the world slows down at Gunyah was such a treat to experience - like the way the clouds and water change in form and colour as dusk takes hold. That's how much I had slowed down by my last day on the property, I was watching the wind, clouds and water at dusk - while listening to the birds and Wallabies rustle around the trees surrounding the house!

Looking now at my completed artworks that I have just unpacked in my studio in Camperdown I can truly feel and see that quiet breath that I took on my residency, in a beautiful and inspiring place called Gunyah. And I hope I can carry this feeling through the rest of my year, and the artworks that are yet to come...

Triptych on wood. 

When one paintbrush just isnt enough!
Painting at the Gunyah studio.
photo credit: Tina Fox

The beautiful shoreline...

by the crescent moon 2016

reflections of outside looking into the studio, Gunyah 2016
photo credit: Tina Fox

atmospheric thoughts, 2016

Thank you to Kath Fries and all the organisers and custodians of The Gunyah artist residency at North Arm Cove. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to think, to reflect, to dream and experience the beautiful place on North Arm Cove. A big thank must also be given to Cath Derksema and Tina Fox for visiting and taking such lovely photos.

still life

Interesting when your life becomes still.
Doesn't happen very often these days - especially if you live in the city.
Even most conversations are fast paced and fleeting.

On those very odd occasions when you do catch yourself sitting quietly and watching the world go by  - its lovely to stop and notice what beautiful and often ordinary objects catch your eye.

A shadow on the floor, a fleck of light catching the rim of a cup, the breeze moving a towel that has just come back from the beach...

In the last few months ive been slowing down my thoughts in the studio and doing warm up sketches of the object that lie around me. And ive loved the process.

Its amazing the pleasure that you can get from just quietly sketching a few objects as they wait for you to use them....

a family portrait. December 2015

Lekythos. 2016

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... ^

ochre light

Its been such a busy start to 2015.

New work projects, social catch ups, workshops, travel... they all seem to be happening so quickly - that its sometimes hard to stay grounded and enjoy every experience as they whiz past at an exponential rate.

So .... just to recap.

Its April. Easter has just happened. 

Its Autumn. 

And im madly busy in the studio.

Working on commissions. 

Which have been exhausting but great. 

Working to a brief and creating a new artwork for someone can be a lovely process... for the most part! 

But it can be tricky - as you really have to try and understand what each person is asking for. And then make sure you stay true to yourself and create within your aesthetic to produce an artwork that says alot about you... and them.

In the last few months Ive had the pleasure of working with a lovely person who doesn't live in Sydney and has never seen my work in the flesh. So all our communication has been through phone calls and emails. 

Tricky! 

Some how we had to find common ground and create a level of trust.

She had to trust that I would create a painting she would love -

And I had to trust myself.

Above and below are the two finished works from this lovely project. 

Above is the preliminary sketch.

Below is the finished painting.

And we're both happy.

^Whispers in Ochre Light. Acrylic on Canvas. 2015^

n e w

New year. New exhibition. New series of works. New art space for sydney.

Happy new year everyone.

Oh it feels like FOREVER since Ive been on this little blog.

Too much has been happening - on both sides of the pendulum - and I know I  was just holding on by the ends of my fingertips in December. Time had a mind of its own and however I tried to slow things down and really concentrate on one task at a time - I knew things were going to happen of their own accord - and I had to let go. 

But now its 2015.

A year that holds so much excitement and promise.

And to start things off on a creative note, I have just come back from a week of teaching at Sturt College in Mittagong which was amazing as always. I will post some of those images in the coming days as I still have to go through them all. I had such a great class, with each person creating the most beautiful series of drawings and coil woven artworks...  

But today I have a new group exhibition to announce. 

A few months ago the lovely Amber Creswell -Bell, a writer from Sydney, asked me and nine other painters, designers, photographers and ceramicists to participate in a concept show for a new space in Paddington in Sydney. Along with our work Amber and the director of the gallery, Kitty, will be exhibiting some beautiful plant-life. 

So I know it will be a colourful, textural and inspiring show. 

What a way to start the year ...

New palette and new ideas for this series that focused on garden life and the energy that exists in
green spaces.

This drawing feels like a cross over piece - from the work for my solo show in August to this series about nature.

Lots of words.... lots of ideas.
After visiting The Botanical Gardens I wrote a poem and then threaded it through a few of the drawings.

While I was working in the studio at the end of last year there were some amazing storms
that hit Sydney.... and that energy seems to have found its way into this drawing.

Lots of energy... that will hopefully translate into lots of happy play, travel and  adventure for 2015!

Gettin messy

^Lucinda getting messy building a drawing at my abstraction workshop at the studio in October^

Hello November. 

Dont know if im quiet ready for you yet -

But im already loving your hot sunny days....

As everyone starts to organise dates in the calendar for end of year catch ups and celebrations I feel like i want to try and slow down a little, as October was a mad month - full of surprises in both the good and bad columns.

One great thing that happened a week or so ago though, was my last abstract drawing workshop for 2014. It was held in a workshop room connected to my studio and was filled with lots of lovely and creative people all ready to get messy with a plethora of art materials and ideas.

I dont know if you can feel the energy that they created in the room that day from these images, but let me say it was exciting to see everyone get completely into the moment and let go! 

It was truly inspiring and a great way to end my workshop year.

Last week I sadly moved studios. So the last few weeks of the year will see me knuckle down and finish off commissions that need to get out of my head and onto a fresh canvas and piece of paper.

So it feels right to say thank you to EVERYONE who came to a workshop this year.

It was a brilliant year for collaborating and creating -

with every class bringing a new conversation, idea and connection. 

Bring on 2015!

^busy^

^Jasmin finding new ways to make marks... with as many materials and colours as possible^

^Lucinda setting out a few shapes on the floor^

^dirty hands, knees and legs means it is was a great class!^

^playing with as many ideas as possible^

^moving shapes along the floor to create a drawing...^ 

^hands blending into the artwork^

^John creating a beautiful artwork on the floor^

the nocturne 528

^Banumbirr, Mixed Media drawing on Paper, 2013^

I swear it feels like a year since my last blogpost! 

So much has happened... 

And most of it centred squarely on my exhibition that opens in a couple of weeks time.

One of the most important things on my list was to commit to an exhibition title and find an image that best describes this new body of work that Ive been quietly creating these past two years. 

So... not an easy task!

As the theme of this new body of work is Quantum Mechanics I settled on The Nocturne 528 for the title- and this mixed media drawing (above) for the cover art.

I mean - abstract theories/abstract artwork. I think they marry. The deep indigo of this drawing speaks of what lies above our heads... and the energy and particles, atoms, stars and space that constantly move, shape, connect and inspire us. And the title speaks of the night sky and the sound (528 Hz) or note that promotes energy and healing. Full on concepts I know. But last year I did a bit of reading and research and its amazing how much we are yet to discover - about energy - and the Universe. 

So the invitations have gone out, the works on paper have been delivered to the framers. 

And im in the studio finishing off a few last pieces.

Below is a sneak peek of a few of the works that will be in the show. 

And in the next few weeks Ill be posting more images on instagram and here on this tiny blog! 

I swear ... I will be back! Soon! 

In the meantime I hope you're all well and warm and enjoying some lovely sunshine wherever you maybe sitting in the world.

take care

^ Mosaic Connections (detail), mixed media on board, 2013^

^Mix Media coil weaving, 2014^

woven connections

New woven form in raffia ... 2014

Its June.

Its winter.

And ive been hibernating.

And I have to admit its been lovely to take a deep breath and just be quiet and still. 

Especially in the studio.

When I moved into the Camperdown space in January 2013 I immediately named it The White Room - as that is what it is - a blank canvas. And after the last few months of working on big projects that have drawn my focus outside - and literally onto the streets - its been lovely to clean it out and refocus my attention on smaller, more detailed drawings and coil woven objects, that make me sit and think in a quiet and thoughtful way. 

And now that Winter has well and truly arrived with a rainy, grey dark day today  ... 

Im looking forward to this new season ahead.

Which may surprise a few of my mates who know me to be a warm weather/summer/beach kind of gal.

Maybe check in with me in a few weeks to see how my new relationship with the cold weather is going? 

......

oh and one quick update - I have one more workshop next Saturday at the studio and there are a few places left. If you would like all the details please click here... cheers 

creating with colour

^ Mix media coil weaving workshop @ the studio.
11 April 2014^

Just one.

Just one image that says it all.

My lovely photographer for the day and birthday girl, Mel, took a whole handful of brilliant photos last Saturday.

But when I saw this shot I smiled as it really told the whole story of what happened at this months studio weaving workshop.

A room full of lovely creative people -

A bowl of chocolate Easter eggs to get us through -

A whole heap of coloured weaving materials to play and experiment with -

A lot of eyes and hands concentrating on coil woven creations - 

while open mouths talked + laughed.

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to play.

Especially on such a wet and grey weekend! 

It was great to meet so many new faces and get a chance to catch up with some familiar ones too!

.......

Thankyou again to Mel for being the resident photographer for the workshop x

d e t a i l s

^Mixed media weaving, 2014 (detail)
It is part of the new series for my solo show in July...^

Its been really hard to hide all my new work that Im dreaming of, playing with, and thinking about in the studio at the moment. 

Especially since it is the central preoccupation of my tiny life, until it is all unveiled to the public in July.

Imagining a whole body of new work and then having the time and space to complete it is becoming a difficult proposition for many creative people these days. So im very cognisant of the fact that Im very lucky to be in this position. And trying to not waste a single moment of it! 

So most days you'll find me in the studio talking to myself, singing to all the inanimate objects that share the space with me, and making a mess on the floor and walls with all manner of weaving and drawing materials. Ive also been taking a few moments to enjoy the last few days of this beautiful Autumnal sunshine before it says goodbye for another year.

I hope you can see a few linking elements throughout these images. 

The theme for this exhibition is The Quantum matrix, the stars, and the strands and threads of energy that tie and bind us together within this massive multi-verse that we all inhabit and share. 

I know. Its a BIG subject to try and tackle. 

But im enjoyed the challenge.

Detail from a mix media drawing on paper, 2013

The start of a new coil weaving... 2014

Going... BIG

Detail from a drawing on paper. 2013