slowly.....
A week in the Randall Studio
17 October to 23 October I had a wonderful week in the Richard Randall Studio as part of the residency. I invited others to share the space with me to offer some wonderful classes for the public . Thank you Jane ( homeopath) , Jane (writer) , Matt (poet), Jude ( Qi Gong) and Manish (Mindfullness). The theme was healing and art in nature.
shadow on rock
“It was enough just to sit there without words”
simply leaf
“There is a whole world in a single leaf”
End of September. The garden is a hive of activity . Flowers, bees ,spring rain, orchids flowering in trees...... perfect weather for garden walks.
eco art workshop
16.09.16 An inspiring workshop with Eco artist Tijn Meulendijks 'Originating actions' : Eco-art workshop Thank you artisan for organising it.
The black kauri or blue kauri (Agathis atropurpurea) is a species of conifer in the Araucariaceae family. It is found only in Queensland, Australia and is threatened by habitat loss. (pictured on the right above)
early spring
“When the days become longer and there is more sunshine,the grass becomes fresh and,consequently, we feel very happy.”
September. Spring has arrived.......
the last days of winter
the last days of winter .....working with paper........ inspired by nature
grevillea heaven
The Grevilleas are flowering. Painting heaven.....
in the shadow
“The beauty of shadow comes from the beauty of light!”
winter landscape
trees by the lake
I have been spending time by the lake in the Australian Plant Section of the botanical gardens walking and writing and staring at the reflections on the water .
a return to the lake.......
“All pictures painted inside the studio will never be as good as the things done outside”
Cooler weather ...it"s time to head into the garden and paint.
magnolia
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree. ”
thorns and petals
The Arid Zone......Thorns....During the month of April I enjoyed the arid zone with it's beautiful Aloes and Euphorbias and the succulents in the Cacti and Succulent house. I also enjoyed meeting Prue who looks after the succulents,the fern house and the tropical Dome.
The Temperate Zone......Petals....... on the other side of the lake the Camellias and Magnolias are flowering. What a beautiful sight!
autumn
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each.” —Henry David Thoreau
learning through seeing
Monday mornings I go early to the botanical gardens to collect specimens to paint during the week. I carefully select, cut and take them back to my studio. They are placed in a row of glass bottles on my work table. Each day I select a single flower to focus on. I try to simply paint what I see .
“when you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else.”
pastel drawings of this week's specimens hanging in the studio.
the place of honey bee dreaming
Mount Coot-tha was home to the Turrbal Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years before European settlement. After settlement the summit was cleared, leaving a single Eucalpyt tree. This gave rise to the name One Tree Hill, which remained in place until 1880, when the area became a public recreation reserve. The name Coot-tha comes from the Aboriginal word ku-ta meaning honey. This area was where the Aboriginal people collected honey from the native stingless bee. Coot-tha means ‘place of honey’.