Re-Acquainting with an old love...

I have recently rediscovered, or should I say re-ignited, my passion for the pen!

When I first started exhibiting my art, many moons ago, I started with only pen and ink works and pieces done with pencil/graphite. I did not graduate to acrylics until I was in the second half of my twenties - and since then (for over ten years!), acrylic has been the dominant medium in my work.

I have experimented with different styles, but having such a grounding in graphic design and illustration, and being a control freak with my brush, my work has always come back to fine lines and intricate detail. The pen allows one to master these things with ease... all that is then needed is patience... and (free) time! If only I had more of the latter!

The Coast and Canines...

I arrived back home from the Gold Coast yesterday afternoon. It was a short trip - a brief two night stay in Mermaid Beach, a part of the world I had never seen - to attend the opening of Homage to Frida at 19 Karen, where three of my works are hanging as part of this large group exhibition.


I traveled alone - I often do when it's art related - and managed to fly without the assistance of xanax... although I did have two gin and tonics in a very short space of time on both the flight up and the flight back. It may be famous for being quite a depressant but it sure as hell eases my in flight anxiety... even if it is only a 1.5 - 2 hour journey!



The opening at 19 Karen was enjoyable but for the most part I felt like I was not really present. It felt somewhat surreal - but not in a bad way. I was not in the most sociable of moods so I spoke to only a select few people... the majority of my time there was spent silently wandering and perusing the modern warehouse-style space that is 19 Karen... tequila sunrise in hand.

I really love the space, and considering I am due to have a solo there in August, it was nice to finally see the layout of the place.

I did happen to meet, in person, (after knowing each other online through our artwork and social and artistic connections), Queensland artist Nic Plowman, whose work I have admired since first seeing it a few years ago.


One of my three works sold on the night. It was my personal favourite of the works I had created for the exhibition. It was a pen and ink piece titled "Elementos de Frida", (pictured above). I'm not embarrassed to say that I still get a kick out of seeing a red sticker going up on one of my works. What I also enjoy is observing people as they view my work... be it briefly or more contemplative, it always fascinates me. I only wished that my works had somehow been wired to an earpiece so I could hear any dialogue in reference to any or all of my works. There was a Mexican style band playing on the night, and despite them being very good and creating a great atmosphere, it made it impossible for me to eavesdrop whilst standing near my own work. Short of standing on the toes of anyone who viewed my work, there was no way of hearing what was being said as they pointed and or took closer and longer looks at my work. I did notice though that the detail in the pen and ink work seemed to capture people's attention enough for them to take a closer look and to find that it was not digital but hand generated artwork, which I think definitely worked in it's favour.



The thing about creating the works for a heavily themed exhibition is that whatever doesn't sell during "Homage to Frida" will have very little relevance once the show concludes as they were specifically created for this theme alone. I did, however, really enjoy creating these Frida inspired works and using diverse styles and techniques for each work.

I must also confess that I actually enjoyed my brief visit to the Gold Coast a lot more than I thought I would. I had no expectations of the place before traveling there and was pleasantly surprised by how much I 'liked' the area. At one point I even found myself daydreaming about owning a beachside mansion in Broadbeach... but then again - who wouldn't want to daydream about that! Some of the properties along Hedges Avenue and surrounds were just amazing and in some ways insane. It really is another world.



The weather, although I am not a real Summery or sun person, was just perfect. Given it is the start of Winter, 23 degree days are my ideal... and the nights were perfectly mild and fit for el fresco dining. I could have easily stayed another 4 or 5 nights... or longer. I some ways, parts of the Gold Coast reminded me of my time in Singapore... and even certain parts of Japan. One thing is for certain, as a general rule, the lifestyle up there does seem far more relaxed than down south.

In other news, since my last entry, my dog Teak had puppies. It was a somewhat traumatic experience as her labour was quite complicated and she did not take to the whole series of events very well or very naturally so after a sleepless night for both her and myself I took her to the vet. She's been pregnant with six puppies, three of which were born dead and the three that survived were, so I was told, quite massive. Two boys and a girl. The mother Teak (top photo) is a brown and white border collie and the father, Kip (bottom photo), who is also ours, is a brown kelpie with a tiny bit of white on his collar... the 3 puppies all have his colouring and markings and are incredibly cute. They are now almost 4 weeks old and full of beans! As we also have three adult dogs, it is fair to say that our house, at present, is rather chaotic!

Fumbling and Freestyling with Frida...

Still in Frida mode...

I need to manage my time better.

Friends, Foes and Fetishes

I usually shy away from the sun, or become slightly angered by it when it hits my skin whilst driving – however today I sat in it purposefully for a good hour… it was the morning sun, not at all harsh. There was an energy there that felt good

Whilst I don’t necessarily succumb to any sort of character labelling, I’ve often been told if a hippy merged with a goth you’d get me. However, and I laugh - I am not sure where my recent shoe fetish fits in…

Perhaps I could say – tongue in cheek- that I was more in touch with the hippy than the goth today as I even found myself stepping outside, once home, several times to mindlessly throw the ball for the dogs and soak up some vitamin D. Maybe it was due to the conversation I’d overheard earlier whilst out in the sun sipping on my – wait for it – soy chai.

It was impossible to not hear the conversation of a plutonic man and woman who sat across from me. We were the only three people at the table.

They discussed mostly her intimate relationship troubles and triumphs, and the questions and concerns relating to them, also new beginnings and spiritual journeys, self-discovery and growth, ashrams and, of course, the recent Super moon.

She was younger and more frenetic, attractive, and obviously in need of a coffee date with her older, calmer and perhaps wiser friend. He had a bit of a ‘been there, done that and now I am in a better place’ thing going on. He listened far more than he spoke, and when he did speak he spoke with clarity and compassion.

The conversation seemed to flow freely with me sitting in earshot but at times I felt somewhat awkward, the sun, however, felt comfortable, warm and non intrusive.

I grew quite fond of both of them whilst sitting there and when I did leave, with them still chatting away, I could see that she already felt more at ease than she did when they first sat down.

It stressed, in my mind, the importance of good friends and good listeners, and also that the only person that can really solve one’s own problems – is oneself. Although it does often help hearing yourself say things out loud to another person - to watch their reaction and listen to their response and thoughts on a particular matter.

Perhaps if I really did possess strong hippy-esque qualities I might link the recent natural disasters to something like the Super moon… then again, I might also be of the opinion that Mother Nature is just extremely pissed off with the way we humans are treating planet Earth… But, alas! I am neither a hippy nor a goth…. I am simply a girl in the world.

I like tags on my character as much as I like tags on my art, which is really not very much at all…. I like to think that just like my artwork, my character is open to interpretation…. I do not expect everyone to like it, or even to give it a chance or second thought but for those who do, I appreciate the fact that they look beyond the surface and find something they can engage in or relate to… in some cases things that also allow them to look inside themselves and ask their own questions…

Everything I write and or paint is in a sense a self-portrait… for it is always a form of self-expression.

Studio Day

Some random images from the studio today...

Thinking about my home away from home...

I don't really pray, but I am wishing and hoping incredibly hard that Japan 's crisis does not worsen and... without sounding insensitive towards the thousands upon thousands of lives that have been lost and deeply affected, that the people of Japan, in particular those in it's most devastated areas, can recover from this awful tragedy without having to fear things like simply drinking water!

In regards to radiation, I truly hope that a lot of what we are hearing through the media has been sensationalized.

A short post, yes... Simple, perhaps... but possibly one of the most heartfelt.

Homage after Hiatus

Well, it has been a mad start to 2011.

I am finding it hard to comprehend where the first two months of the year disappeared to. It's almost like they somehow bypassed me, but I know I was there for them, during which time I turned 37 - (sometimes I feel I could say the same thing about the last 20 years)... but I have been present for them all.

I'm not as fearful of forty as I was a couple of years ago, though I would like to unpack my suitcase of dreams and ambitions that were packed away somewhere in my late twenties and have been sitting in storage for most of my thirties. If anything, with 40 being within smelling range, it has made me determined to pursue and achieve as many of those things as I can between now and the beginning a new (age) decade.

To commence, or perhaps continue, on this journey, I need to first find the road that leads to my studio. It's path has been somewhat obscured of late but I am slowly tidying things up in order to be able to see it more clearly.

My car wouldn't start today. At first I was a little irate about it, but that feeling dispersed rather quickly as I remembered what I had said to an eye-rolling, heavy sighing, nasty-muttering elderly lady yesterday as she was losing her patience with a checkout queue in Target... "at least we are not in Japan."

Of course, I love Japan, it is my second home, but my comment was a subtle yet direct reference to the recent earthquake and tsunami that has devastated far too large an area and population of a most beautiful country. I didn't feel any explanation was necessary, nor did anyone else around me say anything - but I know they all heard... and I can only hope that for a brief moment, the people in the queue, along with myself, stopped to consider perhaps how fortunate we really are and of course, how insignificant a slow service line really is!

I used the same thought principle in relation to my idle vehicle. Sure, I had a lot I wanted to get done today, but in hindsight, if I had done all these things, I may not have found myself back in my studio today enjoying the feeling of pens and brushes in my hand and paint on my feet!


It felt great. I felt happy. And before too long, I'd totally forgotten about my car and how I was going to fix it.

I have been asked to participate in a group exhibition titled, Homage to Frida (Kahlo) in June this year at 19 Karen on the Gold Coast. As she is one of my major influences I didn't hesitate to agree. I spent today browsing images of her and her works, scanning through her diary pages and reading a number of her better known quotes. It felt nice to be involved again!

And nice to, once again, be making marks.

Annual Reflection...

Another year over.

I am sad to say, I did not achieve all I set out to achieve this year.

I am happy to say, I intend to pursue these ambitions in 2011.


My little reflection...

eleven eleven o ten

Halloween Head.

Taking Time before Making time...

In relation to 'stopping and smelling the roses', I ventured outside in my own hometown last week only to be reminded that I had actually forgotten how truly beautiful it is.

I have vowed to make the most of it's beauty in the short period between now and holiday-maker hell.

It will be during that time I shall hibernate in my studio whilst the ignorant and arrogant populate and abuse this area's naturally picturesque and normally peaceful wonderland.

On the Road Again...

I returned home late this afternoon from my 5th and 6th day off in 11 weeks, and the first two consecutive days off in over 3 months. My head and a piece of my heart told me to take the opportunity to get back into the studio and start planning some works for my 2011 exhibitions... a greater piece of my heart told me to get in the car and drive... and keep driving until I reach my parents place, just over the border, in New South Wales - so I did just that.




Although it was just a two day trip it felt longer. Partly due to the fact that Tuesday felt like Summer and today was on par with a stormy Winter's day, and partly because I'd forgotten what it felt like to have a proper 'weekend' - a whole TWO DAYS to do whatever I choose.


I chose wisely.


It just so happened that my 5th day off in 11 weeks fell on the 5th of October, which is my mother's birthday. I informed my father of my planned trip, but my mother had no idea, so the surprise made it even more worthwhile.


I was the last to leave my parent's house this morning, and as I did, I was overcome by a sudden wave of emotion that took me a little by surprise. It was quite short lived but did leave some residual impact. I must make time to visit again soon.



Driving back today, I decided to take the long way home and stopped off in Bendigo, and again in Castlemaine, taking advantage of the fact that there was no set agenda for the day.




The past two days were a reminder... to slow down occasionally and smell the roses... the flowers... or even the rain.