Pink

Okay, I have been playing around with the new layout options in blog-world and yes, the current result is very pink. Apologies to those who find too much of the colour a bit hard to take, but take heart, I will undoubtedly change it again in the near future.

It took me forever to centre the heading graphic and ended up tweaking the pixel width of the graphic itself to get it to sit about right. Note to Josh Petersen (template designer) you did a great job, much appreciated, but could you please build in an easy way to centre the graphic?

Exciting News

So, there are two things I need to tell you which are pretty big. Firstly, I have been invited to exhibit in a London Gallery early in 2011, which will be very exciting for an Aussie Girl. It will cost me quite a bit of money, but it is an opportunity too good to let go of. More details as they come to hand.

Also, the painting I posted when I was whining about being in a rut a couple of weeks ago has lifted my spirits by winning first place in the National WetlandCare Art and Photography competition. I painted it for the prize, Wetlands obviously being a subject close to my heart, but I didn't expect to win. So I will probably be going to Canberra, the Nation's capital in Feb to see the exhibition, collect my prize and celebrate World Wetlands Day.

Anniversaries

Just got back from one of my favourite places in the world - Caloundra. My hubby and I had a two night stay there to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. 24 years! It is hard to comprehend, really. Anyway, we had an idyllic couple of days and I got to try out my new camera - results below. It is a weird time of year - just sneaking in before Christmas, our anniversary is easy to overlook. But 24 years is pretty significant and given everything, we are pretty amazed to have made it this far.

Getting back home today is hard to take. I would love to be back at the seaside, investigating the little worlds in the rock pools (yes, that's my foot) or observing the osprey. My soul felt at peace there but now it is feeling heavy with responsibilities and tasks to perform. Perhaps a rest over the Christmas period will make me feel like I can face 2011 with a little more optimism.

Christmas

Well, it is upon us once agian. Christmas. Isn't it difficult to separate the meaning of Christmas from the foil wrapping and tinsel? My journey has led me away from the patriachal Christian Church to an extent, but I still believe in the man - Jesus - because he was clearly an egalitarian. He seemed to favour women and I think the women in his life - his mother Mary and the Magdalene have far more significance than we in western Christianity have ever been allowed to believe.

Anyhoo I could do with a shot in the arm of some kind of Spiritual Energy. Feeling a tad deflated and flat at the moment. Maybe its just end of the year burn out. Maybe its just middle age. Whatever, I hope that the Christmas season proves to be a time of renewal and refreshment for me and for you. Merry Christmas all.

This is my piece, Genesis, a nod to the feminine side of our creation. I am hoping for a Genesis at this Christmas time : a new beginning of creativity, sprituality, hope and happiness. And I wish that for you too.

Have a great Christmas and an even better 2011.

Art Ruts

Is it just me, or do all artists get frustrated about the time and energy that 'real' life sucks up? I feel like it is just me lately. Other artists seem to confidently ditch their day jobs and make a living from their art. I am not really in a position to ditch my day job, but it is increasingly encroaching on my time, and more importantly my energy. I have lots of books and advice I can turn to, but what I really want to know is...does anyone else have this problem?

And while I am at it...is there anyone out there? If you drop in please leave a comment - I'd love to feel like there is someone out there. Let me know who you are!

Meanwhile, I recently went back to painting - partly because I miss painting sometimes, it seems easier than all the mixed media 3D stuff and I needed to do something creative while I am in this rut of not seeming to produce anything much worthwhile. So what do you think? Is reverting to an old friend of an artform a backward step or part of the journey?

Parenthood and preserving your Sanity

I don't know if it is just the time of year and the fact that I am totally over being a school teacher just now, but I am also a bit over my own kids. I love them to bits, but given that they have pretty cushy lives, they seem to complain a hell of a lot. I am sure that my parenting leaves a lot to be desired, but running around after them leaves me little time to be creative. And when I do decide to shut myself in my studio, I come out to find a whole bunch of couch potatoes who haven't lifted a finger. Then they start whining about something not being done or that I bought the wrong kind of biscuit or picked them up too early from the party or...you get the idea. Makes me very grumpy. Of course my grumpiness then becomes something to whine about. On days like these I wish I had stuck to the original plan and just had kittens.

I think I'll head back into the studio, and take my favourite child...the cat. Ain't she adorable?

Art Book - Creative Time and Space

Out of general frustration with my life, I have acquired a number of books lately which advise about making time for creativity and running your arts practice as a business. This book, written by Rice Freeman-Zachary, with contributions from a range of artists is quite inspiring. Even if you know this stuff, it helps to revisit it and also to know that other artists go through what you do. So if you are looking for some similar motivation, I highly recommend it.

Creative Time and Space

I have just started renting a storage unit (after months of debating with myself) to move some of my older pieces out of the house. Renting space to store stuff we can't fit into our McMansions represents something of a moral dilemma for me. But it has got to a point where something has to give. I am hoping that this will have two benefits - one is that I will stop having to trip over various sculptures and my house will become more livable, and the second is that it will declutter my brain to some extent so that I can start churning out fabulous new work.

At the end of the year, I am feeling tired, a little stressed and somewhat dissatisfied with my art. It has been a pretty successful year by most standards - getting into the Churchie being one of the highlights - but I am still feeling like I haven't quite got there, wherever 'there' is. The time and energy that teaching takes is really impacting on me. The kids who want to create are just delightful and give back as much as I give them. But those who have decided that all of school must boil down to a battle of wills wear me out. And I am over it, to be honest. I am really looking forward to the end of year holidays. Hopefully that will be the shot in the arm I really need.