Two more

Choices.

Just stick them down! Still looking and deciding

New Years Eve

So these are some of the final things I have been working on for 2018. And now looking forward to clearer direction in 2019. There will be the finalising of Margaret Olley pieces first. Then I will have freedom to create . Emily said she is going to have a word to focus on for the new year instead of making a new year resolution. Not that we have been a family to make new year resolutions and I certainly don’t dwell my thoughts in that direction. I know I would break them pretty quickly or why wait til the 1 st January to start if it’s important enough start straight away when you think it is something you need in your life. Anyway Emily’s word is self- discipline. She will need that as she starts the year in Sydney intending to write her second novel.
So I thought what will be my word for the year.... mindfulness , gratitude, focus, discipline, balance 🤔 I have about nine hours to get it right.

Two pages being planned for my Margaret Olley journal where I am considering flowers of her still life paintings. The middle image is some house stitching on a vintage hemp french chemise. It will be part of the exhibition if I get enough work done on it. Stitching houses and a river reminiscent of the rivers near her residences in Tully, Tweed Valley, Brisbane, Paris and Sydney. 

Christmas Eve

While in the kitchen waiting as my Christmas Eve feast is being prepared.  Tamar from Genesis chapter 38.

After watching video from Kate Thompson.
I am not a portrait drawer but I enjoyed putting this on an index card. Used a pen , ink and then tea stained. Stitched with red thread. I am going to have to stop doing classes, online , weekend and week long retreats because when do I start  to be me , to put down to produce what comes from me and not just a copy of others. Do I want to do clear or bright, vintage and muted, busy or minimal, work in  paper, paint ,hand or machine stitch , wool , silk, old linens, oh it goes on each time I see someone else’s work I say ,that is what I want to do. Then I see another artist’s work....completely different.

Journal

Today even though it is extraordinarily hot I have been working on the cover for my artist ledger which is based on Margaret Olley, ready for the exhibition Broadstrokes is presenting next year. I did not do the embroidery on the pink tray cloth. It is a vintage one that I have upcycled for this cover. I purchased it because it was pink and green. These are the two colours that Margaret mentioned as being important. The green as it is foliage , the supporting colour for flowers in vibrant colours and life and included in her still life’s. The pink relates to the pink Margaret would insist that the background walls in her exhibitions were as it is a colour which shows up her work the best. She even painted one gallery wall her self  in her early days as an artist. The ledger starts with thoughts on Margaret. It will be shown at the exhibition alongside the ledgers , journals , diaries, of the other nine members.

It is shown here on the reverse side of a wall piece I have also stitched for the exhibition. Cosy Burrow.

Possums

Two small paintings of possums. This is a lesson from Kelli May Krenz . They are meant to be the foxes as demonstrated in the online video but I purposely changed the head shape and tail to make them look more like possums. Christmas possums. The redness of the Ringtail and the greyish tinge for the brushtail.

APT2018

Visited yet another gallery today. Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Artto view the 2018 APT Australian Pacific Triennial. Stunning and thought provoking as usual. Too many images to digest. So here is two artists work.
The first is the work of Jakkai Siributr from Thailand.

The second is work from Hassan Sarif .

Louise Saxton

Fantastic trip to Melbourne. Visited the Town Hall Gallery where I saw the amazing work of Louise Saxton. I have long admired her work so it was wonderful to actually get to see these works in a gallery setting rather than just in a book or magazine. Titled The Linen Project she used vintage linens and reclaimed embroidery taken from tray cloths, table napkins, tablecloths and other linens which were stitched slowly and lovingly by women in past years. Louise then brings the concepts of recycling, reclaiming, honouring the domestic work of women and transformation to a new and beautiful level.

Balance

Wondering if the blue border is too dark? The wrong colour? Should I fold it over to roughly bind?

I started this by following online with Roxanne Laskey. Mindful stitching. Just going along stitching and adding without too much planning or thought. It’s kind of a fish -cat

Looking ,looking looking into my thoughts as I stitched.

Stitching

Working on this piece of rusted fabric that I made several years ago. Printing with oil sticks and stencils. Now I am stitching randomly with organic shapes and lines, outlining leaf prints and circles.  Will put it on a canvas for the sale at the SotA exhibition. I am too late for the 2018 exhibitions but will be ready for next year. 

The stick is a spirit wand that I am working on. Adding an old piece of quilt and will continue with beads, stitching and trinkets before hanging. 

Little Gifts

‘Tis a gift to be simple ,
 ‘tis a gift to be free.

Made these wee scissor keeps for my stitching friends in the Broadstrokes art group. Today is our Christmas party. I have made these from Liberty fabrics over a button then on the back I have stitched the initial of each of the members. Used vintage linen scraps from  one of my pieces that will go into our Margaret Olley inspired exhibition next year.

Ties to mother

Here is my Little Red that I started last year, finished and returned from Scattered Arts 2018 Fine Art and Craft exhibition. It received a ‘Commended’.

Ties to Mother: Buttons, Fairy Tales and Linen.

Ties to home and family through memories of the fairy stories heard while on my mothers knee. She collected buttons and our house was softly adorned with embroidered and crocheted doilies. The image of LRRH and the wolf is appliqued and embroidered on an ecodyed doily to give an aged feel. The buttons are from my mothers button box. These links to ancestors past continue as the verbal ties are passed down through the ages and the tangible evidence is now being used in my art .pieces

Advent

On the fourth day of Christmas. My very old advent calendar made when my children were young. I used to put lollies in the large pocket which is the bucket of the tree. But of course with little sticky fingers they never lasted for more than a few days. No one could keep to one a day when it was your turn to put up the new decoration on the advent tree calendar. They eagerly waited their turn when they could choose which ornament to put up. So now I still put it up and add to it daily myself. Keep up the joyful enthusiasm of past Christmas’s filled with wonder through the eyes of a child. I have to keep up the standards , to keep the traditions going, to honour the memories.

I took this photo because of the little fly climbing up the orchid stem. Watching him closely as he cleaned his wee feelers and ‘face’. So sweet and busy. 

Hand made Christmas

It was so hot today but I was up early so finally got to work on some Christmas presents. Had to stop when a cat decided to sleep under the sewing machine and it was too awkward to keep working. Made a lined bag with french fabric sort of shopping bag. Also made up some fabric,  rediculously easy, coasters. I put the headphones on and listened to some inspiring episodes of Elizabeth Gilbert’s podcast. It is Magic Lessons and based on the creative explorations she wrote about in Big Magic. I found the book to be able to simply give ideas for going forward, getting unstuck and valuing my work more.