MATISSE

A MUCH LOVED PAINTING by matisse - at the NGV.  it's one i always happen upon, if i go looking for it i can never find it.  happily these days we're allowed to take photos.

FRIDAY IN TORQUAY

 ON THE TRAM on thursday, heading over to see godwin in his footscray digs, spotted a 'fruit i have found' for sunny on the median strip, a big fat pomegranate.  sadly on closer inspection, it turned out to be a plastic bowl upended in the grass :0(

Godwin Bradbeer - 
a wonderful teacher
who inspired me so
much in his classes.
His work is
monumental and
gorgeously rich.
he's just moved
into these 
wonderful 
buildings in 
footscray, the
Cotton Mills studios   visited the anns who have kindly lent me a lot of frames for my exhibition in august. 

 justine, ann and ann with dot the wonder dog, in their new digs in middle park

on to torquay and a laid back two days and a night with gail, i cooked, lazed, bathed, scrabbled and generally had a lovely end to my pretty hectic 10 days in melbourne, geelong and torquay

LAST NIGHT dinner
with anne and den, a 
wonderful spread and
a great noisy night.
we finished with a
bit of fred and ginger
on the telly, boy 
they could dance :0)

MELBOURNE DAYS

AFTER A STAY with janet and bevan in pt lonsdale i drove up to melbourne to see the 200 YEARS OF FASHION at NGV and Whistler's Mother.   

   janet was holding a linocut workshop at the gallery

lovely to see this painting, i've always loved it and to realise it's actually about life size was a surprise.  beautifully painted and the accompanying exhibition was good too, lots of whistler's lovely little etchings, superbly drawn and some paintings from the NGV collection to go with whistler's work.

 MORE

gorgeous

things

from

200 yrs

of oz

fashion

Then over to stay with chris

 in northcote, a martini and a movie after visiting martin in his studio.

 i drove through to geelong via portarlington - haven't been there for decades

AT THE GALLERY

leonard french's great
ceiling is always
impressive.  

 a favorite painting, this small matisse is always in a quiet little corner    and i haven't been ableto photograph it before. 


   on the yarra, a familiar friend :0)

Wednesday morning, coffee with chrissy before heading off to visit godwin bradbeer in footscray. he's moved into amazing new digs in a complex of wonderful brick industrial buildings complete with huge chimney. he has a vast studio space amongst many many more.   a nice environment to be in

                    godwin outside his studio at the Cotton Mills studios


MORE MELBOURNE PICS

back to the gallery
to see ai weiwei 
but i was too
tired to take it
in - just walked
through and
sat in the sun
at time out with
the age and a 
glass of wine
- much better

having a glass of wine
at fed square













clifton hill - waiting
for the tram

love the contrasts
of city and nature,
here i'm looking
over the bridge at 
the bottom of high
st northcote, the
merri creek

WHAT A TREAT

to go to 200 years of Australian fashion at the NGV and see the wedding dress i drew in their conservators' room almost ten years ago   To see it pressed and presented on the model was wonderful

LITTLE MAX

LOVELY TO SEE LITTLE MAX zooming up and down the stairs, little treasure :0)

TUESDAY IN TORQUAY

A VERY ACTIVE MORNING -  water aerobics first with jen - as i said, it's a bit like pelicans. All smooth on the surface but working madly beneath the water, it was a really good workout.  Then a long walk down along the jan juc beach.  Beautiful surf and lovely weather.

Then down here to pt lonsdale, a lovely evening with janet and bevan.  heading up to melbourne today to see some exhibitions

SUNDAY IN TORKERS

I'M DOING THAT THING NOW  -  waking up and wondering were i am.  thursday at helen's, friday at gail's, saturday at denise's, sunday at jenny and freddie's. 
Not sure what i'm doing today, but i'm meeting jenny d at water aerobics this morning. never done that before.
Had a nice brekky down at fisherman's beach yesterday morning, fairly brisk breeze and lots of cloud but nice sunshine just the same.  A wander round the shops, visit to anne and den then home made pizza with jenny and freddie. Nice :0)

got my airbnb site up and running too :0)

https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/12470433

                                           latest little mara

SATURDAY IN GEELONG

I'VE OP SHOPPED MY WAY DOWN TO GEELONG  supposedly to go to the brights reunion, but after anne couldn't come, susan and i decided we'd go and have lunch down by the bay.

it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, lovely to just sit and catch up under a big blue sky. We saw the newly sacked mayor of geelong, the ridiculous darren lyons stroll past with his partner, down to the ice cream shop.

Stayed with denise last night and we 

had a night in with a movie, chilli con carne with prawns and avocado with lime as an entree.  not bad - not bad

at all :0)

I'VE BEEN TRAVELLING

TWO DAYS ON THE ROAD,  Thursday - down to see helen and don in the grampians, great to see them - don outdid himself with a superb rack of lamb roast dinner, there was scrabble to be played and wine to be consumed :0)  and wonderful to see helen looking so well.
I went down via the tiny town of Brim to see the silos that have been so amazingly painted by Guido van Helten.  There were about six car pulled up over the road and people everywhere taking photos. the silos are right on the road so they're very dramatic and look fantastic against the wimmera sky.

i like the 
little windows
and doors half
hidden by the
painting

the road down 

towards the

grampians is

lined with

these fabulous

salmon gums -

silken trunks

in luminous

colours

                       and in my bedroom, an original terry denton!