School holidays are here again in South Australia.
This usually means painting is replaced by lots of photos and lil' adventures. I highly recommend Innes National Park, South Australia in Spring! The wildflowers are beautiful and the scenery spectacular as always A rainbow coloured canvas waits behind my sleepy cat. The background is complete and ready for an image....another elephant. I painted the outline in black. Then a background in blue? Nah...take a step back...less blue please, pass the baby wipe! I added a white background so she stands out and then some green inky grass to stand in. The right eye is a bit small here... And here as she stands today. At this stage she is 95% finished in my eyes. What's next? Well, when I look at her I see that the right ear and leg are a little duller than the left so I will try and add a bit more bright colour down that side to even her out, maybe a little more white highlights on both ears too. After this, she'll need to be sealed (thank you Atkinson family for giving me some spray on sealer!) And finally? She needs to be named! I have been calling her Wise One so I'll see if that name sticks. :-) Although I didn't get a chance to work on my art during the school holidays I did get to do a lot of colouring-in with the kids!
There are lot of things to not like about Winter. I think it is the season that people enjoy for a couple of weeks and then wish it were over...or travel up north to escape it! Each season really does have its own unique beauty if I remember to focus on it. In today's post I want to reflect on what I love about Winter. One thing I love is not getting HOT when I go walking. Gee, I hate feeling hot and bothered, I can just get so cranky and irritable when I can't cool down. A non-rainy Winter's day is perfect for walking...I can start out freezing and end up lovely & warm and invigorated! I love Winter 'cos it is birthday season in my house...I am the only one not born in Winter. Icecream cake? Brrrrrr. Bottlefed lambies...there are always a few, bless them. If it is not windy, the beach is still blissful in Winter. I love a rugged up walk there. I do love a roaring, toasty fire too.
No pictures but I love turning the telly off in the Winter and hanging out around the fire. Our latest favourite games are battleships and bingo! I also enjoy listening to my daughter practice the keyboard in the lounge room. I am keeping up with her....just ;-) Ohhh, and soup. I LOVE soup! I have only made one big pot so far. I was given some turnips from a friend so I bought some butternut pumpkin to go with my carrots, onions, red lentils and a little potato and made a hearty vege soup (with homemade stock) on the stove top. Delicious. What do you like about Winter? Pretty Strathalbyn, South Australia Duck whispering :-) Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot Granite Island, Victor Harbor
There is a line in a Rudimental song...one of my favourites... "This world ain't exactly what my heart expected" Oh, how that rings true for me. Here is a poem I wrote regarding my pain and my spirituality. I share my pain with you Divine Mother. I share my yearnings with you. I share my sadness with you. And you remind me that my pain is your pain. My yearnings are your yearnings. My sadness is your sadness. You long for my wholeness as I long for it too. You hold my pain with love. You hold it with compassion. You nurture it with patience. And you strengthen it with hope. Feeling a little stronger, I point out the World's pain to you. The World's yearning. The World's sadness. You long for the World's wholeness as I long for it too. You remind me that the World's pain is your pain. The World's yearnings are your yearnings. The World's sadness is your sadness. And you hold the World's pain with love. You hold it with compassion. You nurture it with patience. And you strengthen it with hope. This project has been a little more frustrating than fun for the most part. Painting a landscape is tricky. It is hard to make it look semi realistic (is that what I want?!) or on the flip side, abstract but still ocean-like. My underlying desire and purpose in my paintings is to express how I feel. In this case I feel peace and connection as I contemplate a beautiful sunset, however I am not entirely convinced that this emotion is translating through. Perhaps painting at the beach in real time would help? Despite this, I have never painted a landscape before in my life, not that I can remember anyway..so it is a good first effort!! |
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