She Stepped So Gently

So today is my last day of full-time work. Tomorrow will be a big struggle to keep focused on being an Artist. That means doing Art that is mine and not being afraid that it doesn't look like other art. Thats been one of my biggest challenges is that its not like the others. My whole life Ive been trying to be like the others. Of course I can't achieve that and now there is no excuses.  

Also considering getting off Facebook and stop playing online Scrabble so I can be more productive.  Just have to work out what to do with photos I want to keep. 

Scared and Confronted by Kim Scott

Something very scary and confronting has happened.  I have negotiated to work 3 days a week. You may ask yourself what so scary about that?  Well for years Ive been telling myself I can't be a real artist because work takes up all my time.  So now Ive run out of pages in my book of excuses and going to have to put my real self out there, be the artist I always should have been, and battle the demons of the blank canvas, the blank pages and the blank stares. At least I have this crochet blanket to transition with to work on for Master Lincoln Robert Reed.

2010 this photo was taken. I got word today Angelika went to Godde on the 3rd of August 2016. She holds the umbrella. I don't know the details and was advised by text from her partner Edward. She never told me she was sick and I hadn't heard from her for two years and just thought she's decided to stay in Germany. Heavy heart and her words "she rests in herself" are on my mind and prayers.

My Ironing Career

The library approached me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I would like to read my little zine for seniors month.  This library is trying really hard to kept the energy going in a building which is hidden away, unable to provide free access to the internet due to council policy (trying to protect small cafes incomes) so I said yes. Feeling slightly chuffed but scared.

This entailed constantly reading aloud for a couple of weeks prior to the event once a day and then twice a day towards the end. 

Driving to the event I started getting anxiety and was coaching myself "find my centre" over and over. That wasn't working so I switched the radio on and the first words were "be still and know that I am Godde" Bless! The traffic got a bit frisky in the main drag so I was concentrating on that and when I parked I thought I don't know how to start the reading.  So I just went to a dark part of the library and sat there and nothing came but the anxiety left me.

So when the people arrived they sat all scattered and far away as possible to my chair table and water.   Then it just came to me I saw a quote yesterday by Tom E Lewis (Indigenous Artist) who said "its time to get close to the campfire and have a yarn". I asked everyone to gather closer and gave a brief introduction about why I wrote this zine.  It went something like this. I wanted to write a little zine about ironing as its a dying art and in the future fabrics will be designed to be natural fibre and crease free and I wanted to capture the process and all the effort that women have been putting into caring for fabrics over the centuries.

It went well.

When I was walking out of the event Pastor Jerry was walking towards me and I said I have something to tell you and recounted the story and he took me in his arms and gave me a big hug which is what I need right them. So moral of this story is have time to processes the signs and trust. It worked out to be a very enjoyable interlude and the feedback about including laughing in telling was good advice.

Margins

Margins by Sarah Rice

I’ve got a strong centre
but uncertain edges.
I would, for instance,
be hard to colour in.

It would be best
if I were to become heritage-listed,
like a national park,
under some sort of order of protection.

For fences work both ways,
as Frost showed,
and life in the margins tends to be in pencil,
and all the more easily erased. 

This poet has some awesome talent.

Out live your Tupperware Warranty. Go On!

Down at the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre today for a bit of public art practice. I feel sorry for this space because it is not being used by the towns people only when an a exhibition or show is on. So my plan is to go there at least once a week to do some art on site. Its such a beautiful space and shame for them to run air-conditioning for a couple of people who might rock up to look at the exhibition or check the shop out.

Theres a girl there looking after the shop who came out just as I was leaving and I stated to her Im so sad for this space not being used to its fullest capacity and told Simmone I am now the artist in residence. Cheeky bitch!!! In the theme of things not being used to there fullest extend I got on to one of my pet subject telling Caroline that Thermomix has turned me into a chief. I said to her "I know I should like a Thermomix Consultant but Im just so thankful that when things live up to and exceed my expectations I can't hold it in". "Yeah", says Caroline "I love my Tupperware" "I agree" I said and telling her I am trying to get plastics out of my life as much as possible I would choose Tupperware first, then blurting out "Out live your Tuppeware Warranty. Go On!" Well this started her chuckling and I was glad to see a smile on her face.

These are the sort of conversations you get in arty farty spaces and make life exciting........

New Guinea

My friend ZZs Birthday today and I made her this card.  It come from a joke when I was starting to loose my hearing and I thought she said she used to live in New Guinea. I was talking about New Guinea for alot months with her and she never asked what the fascination was.  She puts up with a lot really, like when I showed her a shortcut to her home, which actually was 800m longer that her usual route. It all came to a head when I was helping her with her application to work in an Indigenous Organisation and I said well, I don't have to tell you whats it like cos you already lived in New Guinea.  She said - No, Ive never lived or visited there and so the joke began....along with her ribbing me about shortcuts.

Darker Mornings

Season is changing and there is not as much light around now especially in the morning. Ive been waiting for the right time to post this lovely winter scene sent to me from my friend in Hobart.  This was taken in 2005. Looks like a golden morning to me. I am hoping for a lot of snow this winter.  Thank you Heidi.

Creative Monday

Creating a birthday present on the public holiday was a real buzz. I'm pretty slack with presents but decided this girl needed gifts because she has given me so many.  I'm hoping she will take up the option of creating arrangements too. Its nice to have something on your workstation instead of a pile of chewed fingernails.  Saw that one coming didn't you......

Canberra Day

We get a day off because living in the nations capital is just so stressful trying to keep up with all the cultural activities including the Balloon Festival that I visited at the crack of dawn.