Meditate on art.

I have a special little meditation table.  Some people call it an altar, or shrine......I don't really know what to call it. It's made up of items that hold a special meaning, and it's just by the back door to the house, so I see it each time I go in or out.

Our house is very small, so a few years ago we enclosed our back porch into a sort of family room that we could fit a bigger dining table in, we could fit our kids and their friends in, we could even fit our visitors in - and I could also have a desk to work at.  I love it.  It's full of crummy old second hand furniture, is as hot as the hobs of hell in summer (tin roof and all) but I have a special little corner out here where I can plan, dream, paint, sew, meditate and 'do stuff'.

I've always dreamt of being a full time artist, and a couple of years back I chose a few items that only held a special meaning for me, items that I knew if I saw them daily, and thought about them - I would move closer to my dream.

The green 'cloche' hat I made at Tafe.  One night I raced into the felting class late (as usual, because of work) and the only wool roving that was left was lime green.  Great.  I hate lime green.  Oh well - "It's all about the process" I thought to myself.  Just shutup and do it.  I ended up with a lime green slimy stringy mess that extended far beyond hat shape nearly onto the floor.  It was so embarrassing....nobody else's 'hat' was spreading all over the place like this.  So I just kept my head down, kept working it and rolled the incredibly yukky ends into little swirls which I ended up embellishing with embroidery and tiny beads.  I named the hat 'Cabbage Roses'.  I learnt that something quite exquisite can be made from a major yuk.....if I just listen, persevere, and go with the flow.  (Maybe not quite exquisite....but I think it's fabulous).

The framed watercolour was painted by my favourite lecturer.  She is gentle, kind, and incredibly giving of her knowledge. I've learned from her that there are no mistakes, every artwork and process is valuable, and every artist has a place in this world.  I hope I can be as humble and generous as she is.

The little cloth doll angel was made by an artist friend.  She told me when I bought it that it's not normally the work that she does.  I disagree.  This little angel reminds me that we do what we have to, to achieve our goals.  We raise money for the things we need, we work into the night while our family rests so we can create, we put ourselves 'out there'.  I love the angel's retro colours and I love her little rickety rusty wings.

I also have a candle which I light when I'm home and also for meditation, and a box of Louise Hay cards.  I pick a card when I need to.  Sometimes it gets displayed, sometimes not.  The card I got for today was 'I let go of all expectations'.

About a month and a half ago I resigned from a job I've held for over 20 years in community services. I finish up early January.  I'm scared, sad, excited and nervous, all at the same time.  But I think I'm moving closer to my dream.

Christmas Banners in the Mall

A few years ago in 2002, local artists were asked to submit a design for hand painted Christmas banners for the Mall.  My design was chosen, along with lots of others, to be displayed on a banner. We had to paint our design ourselves on a pre-constructed vinyl banner. I was so excited AND it was a paid job - $100, which was a lot for a starving artist!  Those same banners have been displayed in the Mall each year at Christmas ever since, and even though they are no longer shiny and new - it's still a lovely 'Christmassy' feeling.

My name not quite up in lights.

It's the same design on the back, but no names were put on the backs of the banners.  

Not a bad shot of the Mall either.

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Only a week to go!

Christmas is only one week away.  I'm so excited.  We have been busy planning, wrapping, cooking and preparing. Our tree looks just gorgeous and little gifts are magically starting to appear underneath.

Our faithful lights are putting on another sparkling show for us.

These shots are so grainy - obviously still doing something wrong.  Oh well that's ok.....I happen to know there's a new camera lying round here somewhere!

My daughter has been baking scrumptious gingerbread.
There was a little bit of mixture left over so she made some yummy cookies........all crunchy on the outside and soft & warm on the inside.  I couldn't leave them alone.........then she hid them.

Everyone is happy.  Even our little old dog is smiling.  No that is not a crooked tooth.......that's her happy face!

Ok........the wait is over.

What's in the box?

My new camera......yay!

It took me ages to unwrap because firstly I wanted to savour the moment -  and the best time for that is a Sunday morning when most of my 'real' jobs (like housework) have been taken care of the day before, and secondly because it took forever to pick off all the sticky tape from the bubble wrap.  Saving bubble wrap is one of my 'things'.  I need to save bubble wrap because when I'm a rich and famous artist I'll need it to post out my artwork. In the meantime, my wardrobe has no room for clothes ............... it's full of bubble wrap.

Is this my new camera?

I've been trying to win a digital SLR camera on ebay for several months now.  I've researched, asked around and sought lots of advice from a friend Louise (thanks Louise) - and kept watching and bidding......and losing.  Blah. I had decided I wanted a Canon 1100D (apparently a good 'entry' camera for a beginner) and my budget was $450 for a good second hand one........... $500 max - but only if the seller sounded really lovely.

Weirdly, things suddenly seem to be falling into place and about a week ago I won a new camera for $460!  I've been waiting patiently for it to arrive, and silently threatening to strangle the postie every time he turned up empty-handed.  So after what seems like an incredibly long wait, I have a box to open.  About time.  I don't know what's in there, but I bet it's my camera.  I'm going to wait until the weekend to find out.

I'm such a sucker for anticipation.

Yep, looks like a camera shaped box to me.
Hopefully it's not just half a dozen new pairs of undies from Ezibuy.....well packed.