SELFIES

my small self-portrait project has really got me back into the studio - a good feeling. so far they've all been done without glasses - it's helped me to be looser and broader with the brush. now i'll start some with specs, i'm wondering if it will make a difference

LAST WEEKEND

 JENNY & FREDDIE ARRIVED ON SATURDAY and stayed two nights. the weather's been perfect, blue sky, lots of sun and no wind.  we've had a cruisy time, dinners at home, movies in the evening with scrabble,  a trip into mildura to Cellar Door for wine in the sun then lunch just up the road and on to Fossey's for a gin tasting paddle.    Fun :0)

morning walk
on saturday

 SUNDAY MORNING - brilliant pink sunrise but a nice day followed

                    at Cellar Door                 

fossey gins,
mountain pepperberry,
desert lime and
kaffir lime

latest self portrait, above
with mouth in the wrong
place, right - just plain
grumpy :0) 




lovely pic of helen that jenny got from don this visit

BACK HOME

I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE - feeling good with a new charge of energy to be in the studio.  i did my first 2 hr self portrait yesterday and 3/4 of one today, light faded so i'll have to finish tomorrow.
the usual distractions of blue wrens visiting and all the usual pulls of being home are here, but the 2 hr limit makes the daily painting gig
achievable.

gorgeous
visitor to
gail's 
backyard 
on the 
morning 
i left

lovely light at williamstown on the morning i left for home. i visited leigh hobbs in his lovely home, he has a real flare for elegant comfortable furnishing, fabulous fabrics in these cushions

 

on to brunswick to see erica and craig and discuss my book ideas. as usual, erica has given me some direction and great advice, and a lovely lunch as well  :0)   

i've decided to break my trip home by

staying in a different country pub each

time.  this was the East Charlton pub where

i had a sparkly and a great steak by the

fire, but i stayed at the Cricket Club across

the road, better room.

driving home and
enjoying the scenery
until i came across
another silo being
defaced, this makes
me angry in the same
way that the graffiti
on the lovely old
smith street facades
affects me.  and now
they've started to buggar
up the calder hwy  


home in comfortable time after leaving charlton early.

i've put the
beautiful
wedding dress
aileen gave
me in the
studio. i wonder
if it will lead
to something

i was delighted to arrive 

home to a full moon, 

very dramatic over the 

lock last night. 

more work on self portraits, the early stages can be hilarious, i think i look like queen liz here  :0)

i have another half hour

up my sleeve today, the 

light faded yesterday

this morning was one of those times when the moonset and sunrise are almost simultaneous.

WILD AND WOOLLY

WINTER HAS DEFINITELY SET IN here in torquay, the wind is crazy and it's raining on and off all day so i'm here in the library using the wifi. how library's have changed, it's full of little kids running up and down, people everywhere on wifi, talking on phones.  it's a real community hub.





at the library in torquay -
i've found the most wonderful big book of costume - it'll be great reference so i've just ordered it online - DK really know how to produce a visual book.








LAST TUESDAY - GIRLS NIGHT at gail's before she and ian left on their holiday.  traditional food  :0)  it was great to get together for a good old fashioned girlie chinwag and a wine :0)

 

settling into gail's, lots of big birds around.  ravens, kurrowongs, magpies, parrots.  a bit of thumping on the roof during the day :0)

i love the light

on these blinds

at certain

times of the

day

 friday 5th  I drove up to melbourne and stayed with sandra and patrick.  i love being in their house, patrick is making this amazing model of it down to the tiniest detail

 Sandra came with me in the morning to the Abbotsford convent where i was doing a 2 hr meet and chat with the anns on their Books Illustrated book stall. 

this is the amazing 'separation tree' at the convent, planted to commemorate the separating of victoria and new south wales.  it's colossal!!  a beatiful old oak

coffee with thornton first in the convent cafe - a nice way to start the day.
then after the gig, the rest of the day to enjoy, movie at the nova and dinner at vicki's where i had the house to myself.

2 hr portrait of Jill Orr by Graeme Drendel

I SAW a lovely little portrait by graeme drendel on facebook and txted to see if he was home.   He lives on the north side of melbourne and i was going to see Mark and Lani and meet little Goldie for the first time so it worked out beautifully.   graeme's studio full of work was inspiring and set me off on a project of doing a 2hr self portrait every day.  i've done four so far.   i feel invigorated!

It was wonderful to see mark and lani and little goldie is a funny little treasure :0)

enjoying morning walks (weather permitting)

 

 A NIGHT OF SCRABBLE and dinner with jen and rob, i stayed the night and loved the view in the morning, this magnificent tree

 MORE WALKS

 Here comes the rain!!

s

 i took susan and jenny
to lunch at barwon heads
for their annual joint
birthday lunch. we ate
out in the sun and much
as i disapprove of cats
in australia these days,
i have to admit this
one is pretty spectacular.
he was strolling thru
the tables and eyeing
off the birds in the vine.

 my current project, one a day for probably a month, see where it leads  :0)   it's great to be rediscovering oil paints