Season's Greetings...

Season's Greetings to one and all...

See you in the NEW YEAR for further painting adventures and felt creations in the Chinese Year of the Pig.

Felt garden delights for hammer & daisy

Thelma's Felt Pins for hammer & daisy

Little colourful felt numbers created by me and fit to adorn any outfit or bag. Discover a little more over here and here.

More studio photographs soon to come - I promise.

In the studio...

It's been a while since I've posted here. It's becoming quite the neglected corner.

In my defense, I offer several visuals from the studio. I'm busy working towards an exhibition with Mary Gray for May of next year.

Missed The Greatest? 15th Annual Footy Show... find a little more over here.

Footy Essentials are here part 2

Footy Essentials - a new collaborative zine with louise & gracia.

It's finally here, just before the footy season draws to a close (GO SWANNIES!).

See a little more over here.

And get your hands on a copy either at Sticky or Greville Street Bookstore, or online over here for a fiver.

Footy Essentials are here part 1

You are invited to the 15th Annual Footy Art Show - The Greatest?

at the Artist's Garden

390 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 3065

First Bounce: Friday September the 8th
final Siren: Monday October the 9th

Find out a little more here.

Still here...

A recent oil painting commission for Bec, and to prove I am still keeping this here blog going.

36 X 48 cm
Oil on canvas

We're back...

We're back, though not quite all there. In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure - HOLIDAY SNAPS! Details to come... if I can.

BON VOYAGE

Well, time is really moving along now, to think that this time tomorrow I'll be at Sydney airport on the way to LA and then on the NEW ORLEANS! So much still to pack & organise. So, I'll be away from my new little blog for awhile but I'll return with travel snaps aplenty, news and souvenirs. The house-sitters have just arrived but unfortunately they won't be looking after this here blog, just the house & all the trimmings. Miss Stella isn't too sure about it... nor is Hawk Canary, but I'm sure they're in good hands. Substitute yoga teachers have also been organised for all my classes - so, now all I have to organise is myself & my Peter's wardrobe.

In the meantime, here are some photos from my last trip to NO's, back in 2004. I'll be revisiting the Cafe du Monde first up.

Cheerio (for now).

New Orleans - here we come!

Only three more sleeps until we head off to New Orleans!

"The Tao person
Lives fully in every moment."
(Tao 14)

Which is precisely what we intend to do!

Looking forward to hearing all the music - there's so much on the programme & so many old friends to catch up with and new ones to meet. I'm planning my shopping list already - coffee & spices... and souvenier t-shirts. I'm eyeing off the camisole top covered with red prawns.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the Easter break - getting together with family and friends and cooking up an Easter treat or two. Going out for long breakfasts and unwrapping chocolate eggs & rabbits.

Defeat all round...

One Magpie, the cause of our defeat!

Unfortunately the Magpies thrashed the Hawks by 35 points. It was a sad day, saved only at the end of the match by sitting on the sidewalk, on the corner of Collins & Spencer, having a restorative latte and chatting about anything but football.

Those who know they do not know
Gain wisdom.
Those who pretend they know
Remain ignorant.

Those who acknowledge their weakness
Become strong.
Those who flaunt their power
Will lose it.

(Tao 71)

May the Coaches of my two favourite teams (Swans & Hawks) realise this by next weekend!

Autumn is here

Stella in a rare moment, curled up, looking sweet.

As darkness falls,
swollen with stormy winds
it spits the moon:
the looming peak of autumn
pines chill the crest.

Shinkei
Tr. Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen

This reminds me of last Thursday's weather... Stella's coat is getting thicker & Winter woollies are coming out! The heater is on and we're sitting around the heater drinking the last of the New Orleans coffee and enjoying slices of homemade Bakewell Tart with apricot jam in place of raspberry.

Off to the Football this afternoon ....to Telestra Dome to see the Hawks play the Magpies. Of course hope Hawthorn wins but my heart is up in Sydney hoping the Swans thrash Port Adelaide. I love the excitement, the hope, the feeling of elation when your team wins and even the despair, the emotions when they lose (how could they have missed that easy goal!). Of course not many fans would agree with me there.

Broken clouds

Staying Overnight at Xiaosha Stream

Trees, laced in mountain mist,
patch broken clouds;
the wind scatters a rainstorm of fragrant petals.
The green willows, it is said, are without feeling-
why then do they try so hard to touch the traveller
with their catkins?

Yang Wanli
Tr. Jonathan Chaves

I'm finding these zen poems quite soothing and peaceful, but I don't know what the hell they mean.

But sometimes it seems quite appropriate just to sit and read them.

They make a pleasant diversion inbetween painting commissons and stitching little owl pinnies for gracia & louise

Go SWANIES!

Well, it's another Saturday and I'm off to the footy. Off to see the Mighty Swans at the Telstra Dome - they're playing against Essendon. Hope they win! I'm looking forward to a pie & sauce already. I'm going to wear my lucky red & white socks and my favourite beanie.

Above you can see a small icon I created last year for an exhibition at the Fitzroy Gallery - an angel playing footy. Most appropriate for today. Except for the guernsey colours.

GO SWANS!

A real cat

Meet Stella... she's in training to be the cutest cat in the world... a long way to go. She is the first cat that I've had who hasn't been a human.

Monday after the festival

An appropriate quote for today.... Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music. - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself. Henry Miller

Finding my blog feet

Trying to find less wobbly blog footing today. It's been a wonderful, crazy week & now I am pretty much festivalled out! The Musafir Gypsies, The Jaipur Brass Band, The African Boyz, Popeye - the amazing acrobatic duo, and much, much more. Next week Melbourne will be back to its quiet little self. No Palm Stage - oh woe!

Check out the gracia+louise flickr files to see more of the above.

Off to catch the W11:Karachi2Melbourne tram now for one final fling before it all ends on Sunday. This is your last chance to hop on board the wondrous tram - it's such good fun, everyone beaming. It's good to see the ol' Connies back in town. If only all our tram rides came with Bollywood tunes blaring. Foot tapping and humming away.

Happy weekend to you all,

The beginning

Hello & welcome to my brand new little blog, with it's name taken from a favourite sign that hangs on the outside wall to my garden studio... a place for me to put all my recent icons, paintings, thoughts, sights and such.

You can also check out my web site over here, whilst I figure out how to drive this thing.

My recent work can be seen here AND some of my most recent icon portraits over this way