Blog

I've finally arrived in Melbourne for the last 10 days of my visit and must confess I haven't been doing much painting with the travel. However I do now have 258 books on my Kindle, and no time to read them either! I'm noticing that I really need time and space and silence to get into my painting, unless I have a structure (either a routine or a course registration) to keep me focused. Certainly I'm not one of those driven artists who get into the studio at 6 am, and work until late. Well, really I don't do ANYTHING that way! Probably the closest I would get would be travelling if there are long days to get somewhere.

However, there are more photos on my camera (which still needs to be de-bugged) and more ideas in my head, and I've been spending some time framing and showing works, selling some cards, and working on my business plan for the year. Looking forward to the studio tour dates, and mentally planning out my layout as I see other art studios in my travels.

Yesterday I had a look at a lovely setup a friend in Bundanoon, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, is developing in her garage. I can hardly wait to visit her again next year & see how she's going. Her plans: a work area with computer station (her career is design and layout of books); a place for music with her piano; a place for sewing machines and materials, and an art area. She's a very talented woman, in many regards! The space is bright with windows on all sides, white open ceilings with beams, and a new concrete floor. Double doors will open out onto another landing, and she's got water and a laundry in a bump-out just to add to the convenience.

If you have any good studio ideas, suggestions, or recommendations of ones to visit, I'd love to check out some more studios. The places where people create, and are inspired to create, always inspire me too. Organization and logistics are important to me so I'm especially interested in tips in those areas. I saw a gorgeous potter's studio in Buderim Queensland that was very efficiently laid out, and had a great rolling table with shelves that fit exactly underneath the countertop.

Another task I've been thinking about is signage for the studio. There's an idea in my head about a hanging piece of curved driftwood representing a creek, with a swimming trout carved in it, and maybe some stones inset, as a visual for "Trout Creek Studio". Just the creation of that will be a piece of artwork, 3 dimensional, that I can play with for a while.

Meanwhile, it's time to start organizing my own possessions, getting my trusty little car ready for storage, and having last visits with cousins and my aunt and uncle here. You never know what's going to happen over the course of the year until I see them again--life is precious and so are the elder generation. Once the 80s hit you know the time is limited--and it's important to make the most of what there is.

On that note I'll leave you, until next time!