Spring Garden Party 2012

On Sunday, 4 November, Pauline, Sue and I held our annual Garden Party in my back yard. This is the fourth year running we've held such an event and again we set about making it as much fun as possible while raising money for 3 charities. On the day we had great entertainment with Nicola and Mick singing and MC-ing, a fashion parade, shopping, lucky door prizes and tarot card reading.

On the shopping side of things we had "Fashions on the Go",  "Alfina's Cake and Coffee" with delicious baked treats and giftware, Madonna from Camp Mountain Soaps, Fairy Funwear by Leita with magical children's clothing, Natalie with Vera May Handbags and Zoe with amazing array of gorgeous candles from Party Lites. Zoe generously gave every guest a lovely scented tealight.

Many lovely ladies attending the party agreed to be models and participate in the fashion parade to display the wide range of beautifully fashionable clothes and accessories.

There was something for everyone as there were more clothes and accessories available to look at and try on than most of your leading fashion shops. To compliment the clothing, there was an exciting range of jewellery and handbags available.

Jeanette and her sister, two caring and gifted psychics with over 60 years experience between them, were kept busy with many ladies wanting a reading. For more information please click here http://www.angelblessings.com.au/.

The hosts, Pauline, Sue and myself, baked sweets and slices and made savoury items for the "High Tea" included in the ticket price. These were served on a lovely tray that was a gift for all who attended and there was delicious brownies, caramel slice, pink velvet cupcakes, zucchini slice (made by my good friend Cindy), savoury parcels and more. Click HERE for the Brownie Recipe or HERE for the Zucchine Slice Recipe.

There were many lucky door prizes drawn throughout the day which were donated by the stallholders that attended, as well as the organisers of this event. Again thank you to everyone who contributed including Trudie Dodd Skin Therapy, Nicola Hairdressing and my artist friends. My wonderful father also helped out again, cleaning my house and garden leading up to the day. Thanks again Dad!

We placed coffee tables all over the backyard for our guests to enjoy a lovely spring afternoon. Sue made lovely floral table arrangements and decorated and the place looked magic.

 

My front yard once again turned into a carpark and thanks to John for taking on the "parking attendent" role and fitting all the cars in. The kids all played a big role in greeting people and organising the raffle tickets and assisting where ever possible.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket and came and participated on the day, it wouldn't have been a success without all of you. $2333 was raised this year and we asked everyone to vote on which 3 charities we would direct this to. The top 3 this year are White Ribbon,  Hope House and the Clown Doctors who will each receive a third of the money raised.

It was a fantastic day, everyone's positive feedback and encouragement was most welcome!

Open Studios - Sunshine Coast Hinterland 2012

This weekend I visited Candice Herne's (Candice Herne Blog) Studio in Montville which is open to the public as part of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Open Studios 2012.  Candice's studio is tucked away in the rainforest at the back of Montville, a magical place where time seems to stand still and the cool fresh air caresses your skin and cleanses your lungs......

 

Both Candice and her husband, Rod are exhibiting their works, you can see the sculptures in the garden outside the front of the studio which are Rod's work, and Candice's work is inside.  There are 23 studios in the sunshine coast hinterland participating this year and its on till 7 October 2012 so there is still time to get there and check it out.



The great thing about this is the fact that you get to meet and chat with the artists, view a selection of their works, check out their inspiring studios and see where the magic happens.....

 

 Ochre Diary, Natural Ochre from the ground, found in South Australia 2010,

on handmade linen paper from Burnie Tasmania.

Paintings were made while travelling from South Australia to Northern Territory, 2010

 

This leaf caught my eye as I exited the Gallery, a perfect love heart hanging from a tree.  I  took a walk with Candice's gorgeous kids and husband around their property in search of more of these leaves which just happened to be everywhere.....

Inspired, I went home to work on some projects I've been wanting to progress. I often stitch my work on my mum's Singer sewing machine that my great Aunt Amy bought her for her 17th birthday back in the early 1960's.  I love using the machine when creating my works, it gives me a way of staying connected to my mum, remembering how she taught me to sew, patiently showing me how.

This is my girl Jasmine, always by my side and usually snoring her head off when I am working in my studio  (there are no photos of my studio in this post as its looks like a cyclone went through it!).

And finally, this is a piece I just finished for a friend of mine who loves camping and beaches as much as I do.....

Swell 2012

Yesterday, I went down to Currumbin Beach to the Swell Sculpture Festival which is on from the 14 - 23 September 2012.

 The sun was shining, the vibe was amazing, joyful and the the sculpture amazing....

 I am only going to give you a peak of what is on show this year, there is plenty of time to get to Currumbin and check it out for yourselves! Really worth the trip.

The sea was the backdrop to approx 30 - 40 sculptures by incredibly creative people, some of whom I had the opportunity to meet and chat with.

Next weekend, I'm off to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Open Studios 2012 which my good friend Candace Herne is participating in this year. (Candice Herne Blog)

This event is on now until 7 October (nearly a month), so there is still plenty of time to get there and have the opportunity to see 23 artists in their studios.

In the Studio.....

 

Been dreaming about going back to the beach, camping and wandering along the wild shores......so much so that its popping up in my artwork again....

 

 

Another bowl painting for a good friend of mine......still love circles!



Artist of the Month - Dayboro Art Gallery

I am Artist of the Month at the Dayboro Art Gallery. Please drop in to check out my latest works and all the other works by the talented artists in the area.

In the Studio.......

Sometimes, you have just got to

  start something

 even if you don't really feel like it

and let the magic happen ;)

This series of work will be for sale through the Dayboro Art Gallery and Alfina's Cake and Coffee.

Autumn Inspired - More Corrosion/Erosion Bundles.....

Using this great rusty stuff and organic matter....

which eventually result in marks like this......

Will post more photos when I can.....

Burrum Heads, Easter School Holidays

I've just returned from Burrum Heads (north of Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia) after a wonderful week of perfect weather and relaxation.....

I gave myself time to slow down and sit and just observe that which was around me (which was very easy in this little place unaffected by mass tourism and commercialisation).......

And took long, long walks on the beach where the tide goes out so far you can barely see the water on the horizon.....

Hope your Easter Break was relaxing and lovely too....

An exhibition of Feather Drawings by Candice Herne at the Upfront Club, Maleny, Queensland, Australia

My good friend Candice Herne's upcoming exhibition in Maleny. Candice is a visual artist working on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, and has exhibited Community Arts Projects, photographs, drawings, paper installations, paintings, and felted and natural fibre sculptures in solo and group exhibitions in Brisbane, Regional Queensland and Melbourne.

In 2007, Candice started a progressive support and collaborative intiative 'Mothers Group' and last year we exhibited together in the "Mamas in the Hood" Exhibition at the Pine Rivers Art Gallery.

Doggett Street Studio - Summer Exhibition 2012 - Rachael Lee

Doggett Street Studio , Brisbane, Queensland, opens its Summer Exhibition for 2012 on 24 February 2012.

 My good friend and artist, Rachael Lee has been invited to include some of her latest works in this upcoming exhibition.....

Rachael Lee is an Australian visual artist based in Brisbane, Queensland. Her work, based on the concept of illusion and perception, explores the changing beauty of nature through a window of geometric patterns and sacred geometry.

Its gearing up for another amazing year of fantastic exhibitions, I'm so humbled to be surrounded by so many amazingly creative artists who I am fortunate enough to be friends with :)

In the Studio this Weekend......

This weekend I found myself still tying up loose ends with left over pieces from the recent "Mamas in the Hood" exhibition.  I've always been interested in journalling blogs and love Ro Bruhn's Art Blog and follow quite a few more.  Motivated by these, I decided to use my tests and sample pieces to create a few journals and use up some of my leftover pieces.  I also included some good quality drawing paper amongst the pages for doodling, sketching, writing, etc. 

I've also been progressing two pieces inspired by the life drawing classes I did years ago at the Brisbane Institute of Art.  The idea of incorporating the female form in my current medium has been knocking around in my head for a while ..... its presenting many challenges, especially working on a much larger scale, but its excting! 

Float - Australian GhostNets and Joannah Underhill

I think this is going to be one of my favourite exhibitions this year!!  Go along and see if you agree.....

featuring Australian GhostNets and Joannah Underhill

at the

Woolloongabba Art Gallery

from

27 January to 25 February 2012

Just beautiful!

(images generously supplied by Joannah Underhill - thanks!)

Papergirl - The Art of Giving

Papergirl Brisbane is an exciting innovative cultural initiative which works to bridge the gap between the wider public of Brisbane, and the local artists and writers who live here.

Art and writing is collected from the local creative community, exhibited in a gallery, rolled up, and then distributed by bicycle to the random passers-by in Brisbane’s CBD.  Hope I'm lucky enough to receive something!!!

Anyone who wishes to be involved is invited to participate, regardless of age, education, profession, gender, or location. Artworks accepted include drawings, photographs, text, pictures, stickers, posters - basically anything ‘creative’ and considered that can be rolled and distributed by bicycle.

Writers, poets, and lyricists are also invited to get involved in the project. You are asked to submit as many contributions as you would like and in some cases artwork is reproduced to allow more people to receive your work.

Check out the Papergirl Brisbane website for more details and how to submit your work.

Studio Makeover

Inspired by Sophie Munns recent post, I finally tackled my studio, tidying, decluttering, sorting, discarding and making a more conducive working space. Sophie's mention of a wonderful view from her room while working at her desk inspired me to re-arrange my studio so I too looked outside. 

Its going to take a little getting used to but the action of tidying up and clearing out has started to have the desired effect. After I was finished yesterday my mind was clearer, although no new ideas were immediately forthcoming. I wondered when the ideas might come and decided to work out in the garden for a while and mow the grass (with a lot of help from Millie).

Today is a different story, ideas started to tickle around the edges of my mind, and then more and more came.......sometimes just by taking the first step and tackling the most mundane chores, a little bit of magic happens........ 

Like everyone, I have my moments of doubt in relation to my art and abilities, etc, however Candice Herne recently gave me this gorgeous teatowel by Nadine Sawyer, which I have pinned to my wall to remind me everyday that I am following the beauty of my dreams! Trusting you all are too :)

Lazy Beach Days......

 Am spending my days wandering this amazing shoreline

Contemplating what the new year will bring.....

I am here but will soon have to leave this restful place....

 

So while I can, I am reconnecting with family, collecting sea shells and more ideas for art work

Wishing you all find peace and contentment this year :)