Dream Menagerie

I'm part of a group exhibition that's opening on Friday at DVAA. The title is dream menagerie.

I've known this show was coming for nearly a year, and had hoped to have half a dozen or so good paintings to exhibit, but sometimes a long deadline is as difficult as a short one. For some reason I found it so hard to find a way into this theme... maybe I got too stuck on the idea of animals and not enough about dreams!

We had a great blurb about exploring the animal in our nature, but I needed something visual to latch onto. I started taking photos and sketching dogs and horses at the beach. I noticed there are animals in the patterns of the indian skirts that I wear, and did some drawings from them of strange birds and girls leading camels. I got a corner of an idea about including the skirt with the pattern of the animal, and playing with positive and negative. I guess that doesn't make a lot of sense, and makes a better lino print! Here's a sneak peak at two of my pieces.

I can't wait to see how the other artists have interpreted the theme. If you're in Darwin it would be lovely to see you, 6pm at DVAA Friday 20th June.

walk 12 The seabreeze festival

Way back on the first Saturday in May I took my regular walk by the sea at Nightcliff, and enjoyed the seabreeze festival.

graffiti wall

I spent an hour or so at the dance stage...

belly dancing

and had to stop for a few tunes from a brass ensemble. I didn't make it as far as the main stage, but had a great couple of hours. My photos don't do it justice!

Best wishes to all :)

All work and no play ...

So I wasn't around much in May, partly because my son was hogging the computer and partly because I've been working full time. My workmate left and I'm filling in with extra days until a new admin person starts.

The downside of this is the lack of time to make art. I've been trying to squeeze in some card making, 10 minutes in the morning before I head to work is enough time to handcolour a lino print or cut out some foam prints and juggle them on different coloured backgrounds. Here are some of the cards I've made using up some of my stash of foam prints and painted papers.

Last weekend was the garden spectacular and the writers festival and I missed them both. I hope you had a great time if you went along...