MARCH ADVENTURE
March seems to be flying by with so many beautiful openings and new spaces to play.I
CONTEMPORARY BY NATURE
My participation in the Herring Island Summer Arts Festival began late February into mid March with the Contemporary by Nature exhibition which was a lovely beginning. The ABC did an article on the island and the festival and I was included in the photo waiting for the punt. I was given the opportunity for a solo exhibition at Decoy Cafe in Exhibition Street Melbourne in October which is always exciting. This cafe show is that opportunity to get more of my art out there and I felt grateful for the spaces
SEVEN SISTERS FESTIVAL
The Seven Sisters Festival inspired me as always as I was surrounded by creative, soulful women on an adventure. This was a space of beautiful connection and as I write this I realise that March is definitely a month of making connections. I loved the sound healingsbut it was the heart stones that made an impact. So lovely to create and reminded me of the gratitude rocks. A lovely, simple and playful process that layer became my feather paintings. Add painte$ adornament to a simple form and it really does become something more.
RICHMOND PUBLIC LIBRARY INSTALLATION
I was given the opportunity to exhibit in the Richmond Display Case and am developing my Whimsical Owl Installation. This is the focus of my creative space this month. It will be set up on the 28th of March and I am having so much fun visioning how I will transform this display case into an inspiring installation. I have developed small owl sculptures, completed wearable art brooches that are unique one off pieces and finalising small paintings. Pen drawings areincluded in the educational display section as well as my how to draw an owl info sheet. I love opportunities that inspires my imagination to soar. This was als9 5ge space where I was offered an opportunity to exhibit at Decoy Cafe in Exhibition Street Melbourne so I no w have the first Decoy so,o show from mid October to npmid January 2019.
It was a lovely experience to set up this beautiful installation full of owls and connection to make you smile.
A4 NATIONAL ART SHOW
The Herring Island adventure continued with the opening of the A4 Australia Art exhibition on March 17th. I put in 4 pieces in a show of 401 art pieces. It was energetic, joyful and full of people enjoying art and the beautiful bush island environment. I helped with the opening and wrote the review for the show which is always a privilege.
This show had 4 pieces in it until mid April when the Gallery Herring Island closes for the season and opens again for the next Summer arts festival.
CARDS
I finally decided to start creating cards to put online that are for special occasions. My art is already available as greeting cards on my Redbubble portfolio along with a variety of merchandise. The occasion cards are for special events that I can add to each year. I will be developing Mother’s Day cards soon as I have so many beautiful mother and child images. I will aim to have them online earlier as my easter card was put up later than ideal. It is all such a learning curve but I’m having fun along the way and will see where this new adventure takes me.
HAPPY EASTER!
MARCH OPENINGS
The last weeks of March is refining the Richmond Library installation, developing cards and creating more brooches and creating some Mother’s Day cards. I am hoping to go to Confest so that means more organising of merchandise to take with me and organising a mini workshop to share ways of creating and finding your stories through art. Everything is about next steps and each small step grows into something new.
The installation is finally done and it was such an adventure. With approximate,5 40 piece# it felt like a full solo show. An exciting space and such a grande adventure.
THE ADVENTURE: Space2B
The adventure continues with new exhibition possibilities on the horizon and some creative refugee connections I initially met Karen Hopkins at the A4 Art Australia Exhibition. She suggested that I might be interested in the Space2B gallery and it sounded good so I followed through.
I met with Karen from Space2B to discuss exhibition possibilities
and was totally inspired by this beautiful space. It felt like the perfect combination of my past work as an art and EAL teacher at Dandenong High School with the High Need Transition Students. My prior involvement meant that I knew that the idea of working with new arrival refugees and supporting there creative dreams was a perfect fit.
SOLO EXHIBITION
I now have a solo exhibition in September at the Space2B gallery and am looking forward to being involved in this wonderful community. If you haven’t discovered the Space2B shop then do yourself the favour of exploring this space at 144 Chapel Street St Kilda. Sunday 25th March is the laneway festival in the lane behind Space2B, which will be fun and all about those beautiful connections.
WHAT IF…WHAT NEXT…READY?
Life is about exploring the possibilities that come in and seeing what happens next. March has been a magical space of openings and new possibilities. The adventure is really about being willing to step into those ‘what if?’ The question is are you ready spaces when those opening spaces appear. I’m getting better at that and will continue on this learning adventure as I discover what it means to be in an artist business. Still learning how to be brave and step into those inspiring spaces rather than hiding in my safety zone…in the studio painting my world and then stepping into whatever it is that calls to me. So many new ways of being to explore that are filling me up and creating new paths.
March has even full of possibilities. I have pained white feathers with reiki symbols, hearts and dots as they will be beautiful amidst the seed pods at the base of the cabinet. I coffee dyed some of the muslin cloth and left some white for the interior of the display case. Sometimes I wonder why I don’t just keep it simple and just put in paintings and educational info but I would feel incomplete and it wouldn’t be half as much fun. I need to create a space that is the best experience that I can create. Art is an experience and the way it makes us feel is our take away. I want you to feel inspired and playful so will add until feel complete.
SOMETHING MORE
I’m sitting in the car, coming back from my husband’s work party and I drew another step y step owl drawing guide. Everything adds and develops into the beauty of the artist’s creative intention.
Mixed Media Resin Art
The next adventure that has sparked my creative play is the idea of exploring resin as a mixed media process and not simply a transparent layer to seal a work. I will be adding a series of posts on my discoveries along the way and hope you will follow along and add comments to gene feedback and share along the way.
March has been a whirlwind of ideas and playful openings. Who knows what new connections are waiting. I’m ready!
Love and blessings,