lifes a balancing act right now....

Ahh "Balance"
I've been struggling with it a bit lately.
Life has been a whirlwind, and I've needed to put a few things on the back burner, my blog has been one of them.
Trying to keep up with everyone elses, has been difficult too, because of the lack of time. There just dosent seem to be enough hours in my days right now!

I have booked myself up with travel, work and commitments until right after Christmas...silly, well yes and no. Sometimes life dishes it out in buckets...and thats what is happening to me at this moment.

My camera has been my saviour...so has a few stolen hours in my studio. Stolen!!! how ridiculous I need to steal hours from myself...to spend time in my studio!!! That has to change and will I promise.



Melbourne stops for a horse race once a year, the Melbourne Cup...so while everyone stopped, I hid away and printed...I did watch the race, it's obligatory, but I went back to printing afterwards.
The above prints were a few done on the day. Yes still on my Desert Wanderings...

In a previous post I mentioned I was facilitating a Life Drawing night for a group of people away on a 3 day conference.
The night was fantastic, I had a ball and so did most, if not all of the group who participated.
Here are a few of some of the amazing images created that night...











How wonderful are these drawings...
The class has inspired me to start Life Drawing sessions, up here in the hills.
I have found the perfect venue and am in the process of getting it all together.
The sessions will start up early next year, around Feb.
Probably two classes a week to start with, a day and an evening.
I would love to do a full day occasionally too...with lunch and wine included!
***So Watch This Space*** if your interested and live in Melbourne.


Oh yeah, on the matter of "Balance"...
Robyn over at Art Propelled has written a beautiful and important post "Pockets Of Calm". Go have a read...I have read it and re-read it numerous times.

And finally...I will shut up and say BON VOYAGE...this will be my last post for awhile, have to go and pack my bags.

Will be back with bells on later in December...might even try to sneak a post early Dec.
Have great days everyone...keep creating and blogging.

Jo xx

blogging community...

I had a great day meeting up with blogging friends last Saturday...
Ro
Mim (Mim and I met at college a few years ago...so glad she started blogging.)
Jason
and me.
We met up in Fitzroy, visiting the Rose St Artist Market, then lunch.
Food, oh yes we need to stop talking and order food. Really great vegetarian from the Vegie Bar...Jason suggested the Burrito...it was fantastic!
Later visiting Beautiful Silks textile paradise...and then saying our goodbyes (for now).
Although Ro and I popped into Neil Wallace,
where I bumped into my friend Max, who is also part of my printmaking group!
The Neil Wallace paper sale starts next Saturday 7th of Nov. Really worth a look.
We all had a great day...and will be catching up again.

melbourne jaunt

Spent a great long weekend in Melbourne city last week.
Perfect weather for strolling along.
We also had tickets to see Liza Minelli...it was a fabulous show. I loved it.


Melbourne is a great city, lampshades and all....

We stayed in the city centre for a couple of nights in a swish hotel...on the 17th floor. Great views too.



I love the mix of old and new...

...and the shadows at play...

Textures too...

More shadows...

And some Mirka Mora mosaic...

Don't be decieved by the look of this joint!!!
It's got to be the best Canotonese in Melbourne. SSHHH keep it a secret.

Love this stuff too...


And this...

These patterns are following me, everywhere I go. Very grounding and calming, and a reminder of where I will be in a few months time.

But for now, the city was buzzing.
We visited the Clemenger Contemporary Art Award Exhibition at the NGV.
Some very exciting art to be seen. I loved the etching by Dennis Nona.

Like Liza said....she loves Melbourne, but there is another city she REALLY loves too.
New York!
I'll be there is 2 weeks time...feeling really excited about the trip...although I have a zillion things to do before I go...so a bit anxious.



Deep Breath.

a new camera in the family...

I've been taking photo's with my fathers new Canon G10, he is letting me take it away on my trip to the US. My beloved Canon SLR, is so big, heavy & bulky...I've travelled with it alot over the years...but always struggled with it's size. My last trip up to Papunya, were it spent much of it's time wrapped in a tea towel on the desert sands, was it's last big trip away with me.
Great Dad bought this new camera recently. I had been eyeing it off for the last few months, but just couldn't justify spending the money, on yet another great camera! And with my brother and now my father owning one...there is absolutely no need for me to own one too.


Dad let me take it home last week...So I could get to know it...and I've been happily taking pics ever since.
Some images of print making...taken yesterday at El's.



Textures from around my home...




Still loving my felted piece...beautiful to photograph as well as wear.




I've had my focus on "feet" so much lately...here are some photo's of the "tops" of things...






More glimpses from around my home...
Love the worn, tattered and vintage glimpses.




Shadow play is always fun to observe. Light coming through El's studio doors.




I wanted to experiment with a new technique I had read about on Aine Scannells blog. Fantastic blog I have loved following...
The technique which involves using talc and gum arabic on a copperplate that has a hard ground applied...produces a crackled effect.
First attempt and it worked!!!


Finally, "Spring has Sprung" well today it has...it's going to be a glorious 28C in Melbourne, and I'm going to enjoy every second of it.

Til Next Time...

wandering all over the place....indoors!

With the weather being so wet and cold...staying indoors has been the thing to do.
I'm all tied up with my Wurumpi Hill series...I'm infatuated...with feet and shadows, amongst other things.
Hm mm, if anyone would like to comment on maybe why, I would be really interested to hear opinions.

Above is a transfer print of one of my images from the Central Desert.
Warm Black and Burnt Sienna seem happy together here.
In a previous print, I was using Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber...rich, rich tones. I needed more ink, grabbed a tube and didn't realize until I'd rolled it out that it was Warm Black!
I'm a messy & unorganized worker when I get into a printing frenzy...
I will also blame the fact that I wasn't wearing my glasses...the truth is because I couldn't be bothered finding them!!!

I don't always know why I get stuck on particular subject matter.
I think I just need to explore and push the ideas until the ideas are out.
Sometimes I feel I have a slant towards being a bit compulsive.

My Dad commented on it the other day.
He wanted to see something different in my work...of course I was highly defensive of why I do what I do...but I think he is getting bored with seeing the same images over and over.
Another difficult aspect to this, for me, is trying to come up with new posts to blog about!
So sorry if these images bore you too, it's what I'm stuck on at the moment....

Oh BTW Happy 76th birthday Dad, if your reading this. I hope you like the book I gave you.



"Papunya: A Place Made After the Story, the Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement
by Geoffrey Bardon
0522854346
In 1971, a hopeful, young art teacher drove the long, lonely road from Alice Springs to the Aboriginal outpost settlement at Papunya. His name was Geoffrey Bardon. Eighteen months later, he left Papunya, defeated by a hostile white authority. But his legacy was the beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement."



I print on a whim at times, and when I have to print, I have to print...and when I do it like this, making colour mistakes and other mistakes are the things that happen.
The above print is in Burnt Sienna...not a mistake.

My studio is kaos right now...but I'm happy that I can still see my press and that I'm actually doing some regular work.

Now I just had to share this etching with you...a gift from El.



El's response to my Desert journey to Papunya..."Henna Tales" she also calls it "Henna Tails" as in Kangaroo Tails...too :) I love it.

and last but not least...

I went to see the movie Seraphine this week, with Janette.
Incredibly beautiful and emotional and it moved me to no end!

But I could only find one old little tissue in my bag...and believe me, when I say, there was nothing left of it! As for mascara...don't even bother!
Not that you will cry like I did, we are all different...and some of us are more controlled. But if you cry at sad ad's on telly like I do...then take a hanky or two or three.
I think it's a must see, especially for those with an art leaning.

Til next time...