First Born CAD

Cheeky Boy and Sir with my first born Computer Aided Drawing. This course has had me to the point of tears on more than 5 occasions. Sir is wonderful and lets me do stuff like take photos of every single mouse click he does while demonstrating on the Lite Pro. The actual drawing looks like a house side on, but it is actually a floor plan of an Indigenous Community Kitchen.  Got them stumped, even the teachers the first time they saw it. Thought it was nutherkind.

Art For Breakfast

I have a DIK book going with my friend Sylvy. Study is so full on now that I rarely get to do my scribble drawings. Sylvy did her first two pages and gave it to me to do last night. I love these DIK books so much I got up at 5 and started playing. Sylvy is doing more for me than she realizes.Its now 8am and I still have not had breakfast or gotten ready for work. I love starting the day this way.  Whats a special start to your day like?

Unsuspecting

Today I noticed a woman looking at this teapot through the window. Her partner (bloke) was inside looking at the price. I could see he thought it too much so I applied some womanly pressure and signed to him that its mine.  He immediately got his wallet out and walked towards the counter. Meanwhile the partner and I were outside laughing. I said I'm going to ask him if I can at least get a photo of the teapot. And he obliged. What a trouper! When I left the girl chased me out the shop and said thanks for doing that, I really wanted it because it has an owl on it.

Artists Books

When I was doing Art Therapy in 2008, I found this book at the library called The Three Incestuous Sisters and loved it because Id not seen a book in this style before. It made me feel things. Then last year I stumbled across an exhibition where Annika Romeyn was launching her Autumn Leaves book, I was so overwhelmed by this artists book that I couldn't talk and thought I might pass out. I purchased the book which is hand crafted and it took me along time to settle into the story and the art.  Well today I saw another book by Dr Sarah Rice (Poet) Patsy Payne (Artist) - Those Who Travel, which affected me in the same way. I couldn't settle down and had to sit in the car afterwards and be still. I'm still hyped and have come to the realization that this in my art platform. This is what I should be doing. This is why I find it hard to put things on canvas. The unconscious minds telling me this so strongly it actually stops me from interacting with the world for a time after seeing these books. My eyes are now open and I am ready to make this a priority now its clear that its me and paper. Its an epiphany. I knew I wanted my art to make people feel things. I knew I found it hard to put things on canvas. I made excuses like -well..... I want to put my art in books because I don't have enough room on the walls. Still have to ponder why it has to be books though. I also think Ill start collecting books like this because they talk to me more than any other style of book does. Because they are usually hand crafted they are more expensive, I think they are worth it, I have asked for a time to pay arrangement with Ampersand Duck who are selling the book. What epiphanies have you had lately? What has your unconscious mind been telling you?

Original Speedos 1960

Last night I went to a kite exhibition by Peter Travis AM. It was full on fun and hype. Apparently he designed the first speedos (above) in Australia and I might say they looked better in 1960 than they do to today. Today they just look like dik shorts. These are much more dignified. Just wondering if I could get a pair for Dad.

Young Pups

So loved seeing this today I asked the mum if I could take this piccy.

Sparks In Councelling Mode 2007

Alot Different

 Autumn in Canberra, my favorite season. Yes, its the colour, the movement and russling, smell of home fires and the way I have to be on red alert for make sure I don't step on these green little balls (traps for young players is what mum would have called them) on the right here. Ive had two smack downs due to these little suckers.

You are probably wondering what these shots above are about. These purple Agapanthers are way out of whack with what the season is. They normally peak in January. They are a lot different to the other dead heads there. I love it when nature chucks some variety out for us to view. There is a little tree that is constantly in the autumn phase in my street as well, however it just looks like all the other trees at the moment so I have stopped looking so intently at it. I cant wait to see when spring comes to see if it will be displaying autumn tendencies again.

Just A Bit Different

Sunday nite I was treated with a concert by this lovely lady. Miss Bic Runga . Her music and songs are just a bit different from the normal run of the mill stuff. I can hear the influence of her Maori and Vietnamese cultures. Shes Fab.

Mothers Day

Shes still showing me the way. Miss you love you know you. This letter written on 17/5/1980

Stencils and Yarnbombs

A couple of years ago I introduced yarnbombing to Katherine and while it hasn't taken off as I planned there have been some attempts. The first tag is my new installation at the post office near the new hatch and the second one, the inaugural bomb,also at the post office near the old hatch. This lovely whimsy bubble girl (Banksy)is under the old hatch and I think my tag being there perhaps encouraged the person to stencil this fab piece of street art so all is not lost. They are having a go.

Cozy Mad

Ive been crazy about tea cozy's since making one for my friend. The first two were made for the Katherine Museum Fundraiser which raised $190. I laughed when I heard that because they did take me 2 day to make and I was expecting maybe $5 each.  The third one was for my dad and I'm not sure he really wants to serve tea to the boys with it but felt the need to show off my needlework skills to him.  There seams to be two kinds of people in the world - those that like tea cozy's and those that hate them. Ive noticed this when doing surreptitious surveys on people who I thought Id like to make one for and found that their whole attitude changes when talking about these harmless little pieces of decoration and thermal protection. Those that are all for them go all soft and mushy and smile when discussing them and the others get all stiff and put frowns on there faces and try to think of a polite way of say they are irrelevant and a waste of time.  Anything that can cause reactions like that is worthy of my attention. I love it when people feel stuff.

Golden Haired

While spending time with dad I discovered he had an interest in technical drawing. He got all his books out from when he was a working man in charge of a plant pool (Graders and Big Assed Machinery) which was rather charming as I had not known much about that side of him.  Turns out he was so interested that when he was serving his time he asked to work with the drafting department and worked there for 4-6 months. He has meticulous handwriting and always offered advise especially on perspective with some of my miniatures I have done but it never dawned on me that was why.  He also told me about the process of making steel and I had no idea it was such a multi-sensory process. He still owns chisels and such he made himself. So just by my doing Interior Design its opening up a whole new area of our relationship and I cant stand the thought of loosing all that due to my not discovering in time what other parts I don't know about.

Winging It North

Going back to my roots is always confronting because its so different from the culture I live in Canberra. Weather was agreeable to say the least and swimming in lake Alexander second only to Edith Falls. I'm finding that water is the mainstay of my life in more ways than one and talked in depth with Brus Scattini about how I feel that Katherine water has weight, a smooth silkiness and feels just right right for me in a nourishing way. I thought he would just laugh at my description of what I find each time I go back to my home town but he just listen and said well you are on to something because Katherine water has the exact PH levels of the body. Katherine water is mixed with river and bore water and that's why it is unique. The way it is mixed is not done anywhere else apparently.  I have actually seen the water treatment plan in Katherine and was intrigued by it in the 90s. Ive asked people to bring the water in bottle to me but it doesn't have the same effect.  Like it has to be free and running wild that gives it that certain umpff.

Also confronting was the woman I saw who had syphilis all around her mouth going into her nose and eating away at the lower lid of her eye. I still cant get the image out of my head.

On the up and up though was a group of indigenous traditional people with Down Syndrome out shopping in a group holding hands and caring about everyone which was a real joy. In my 50 odd years I have never seen this syndrome in the community and that means times are changing for the better.