Sorrowful Songs #4 "Duet"

No words needed, really.............

#3........."Pavane"

"Pavane", the newest completed piece in the Sorrowful Songs series.........and the three already completed all together

Sorrowful Songs #2 "Lilt"

Second in the series is almost completed.........I'm just looking at it for a few days and adding paint as I see a need for it. The third one has had all the elements made - I'm just waiting for things to dry so I can start assembling and painting..........yes, I'm impatient!

Bob was a great photographer........he always had good cameras and used them with true artistry. When he died, he left an all-bells-and-whistles top of the range digital SLR that I had no idea about how to operate. It sat there for a few months - I didn't feel "right" about using it. Silly, I know. Then, one day, it was almost as if I got a message to say that it would be OK to use it, in fact, it would be GOOD to use it, so I got it out, charged up the battery and set about learning its ways.......and the ways of macro lenses etc. I've been having fun and I KNOW Bob would approve. My photographic eye is quite different from his, but that is as it should be and I'm finding myself reluctant to go anywhere without the camera......just in case......
I did a bit of photography when I was at Art School, but that was in the days when cameras didn't need batteries and you had to put a film in the back of it. There is something about the smell of the darkroom chemicals and the pure alchemy of watching a slowly developing image that is missing now, but digital photography sure does simplify the process and make it accessible!

Of course, the opportunity often chances along to take some great shots, but they can only happen if you have a camera in your hand. I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed taking them. You can see that I am captivated by the beauty of pattern, abstraction and texture inherent in decay and dereliction.

We Have a Winner!

......and it is Kathy Duncan! I have emailed Kathy to let her know. Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks to all my new followers - now there are 732 of you!
There were 93 entries in the draw from here, my Facebook page and by email......this is what 93 little bits of paper with names on them look like in a bowl:

And here is a friend drawing out a name:

Congratulations, Kathy!

Meanwhile, back in the studio, I've started making a body of work for an upcoming group exhibition in December/January in The Long Gallery in Hobart (Salamanca Place).

Here's the first:

This is the first of ten "Sorrowful Songs".

"Bindi" completed...........and a giveaway!

Over on Facebook last week I announced that my blog was approaching 700 (689 to be precise) followers and that when I passed 700, I would host a giveaway. The magic 700 occurred within a day, (now up to 723 - thanks all you new followers!) so here I am announcing a giveaway! I'm making a Christmas-themed Sukeshi doll something like this for the winner:

or this:

All you have to do is leave a message with your name either here or on Facebook and I'll put you in the hat. If you prefer your privacy and don't wish to leave a message in either place, you can still enter, but you'll have to email me privately. (You can find my contact details under the header of this blog). I'll draw the winner a week from today on 18th October 2013.

Yesterday I completed this little doll - "Bindi" - here is her final photo shoot. She should be available in my Etsy store this weekend.

Happy Springtime from Bindi! (In the Southern World, anyway!)

Just Making Dolls

I've made a few sculptural pieces of late.......got it out of my system for at least a little while (more ideas fermenting in the sketchbook), so for the next week or two, as I wait for the soggy garden to dry out enough for me to get seriously into it, I will be Just. Making. Dolls.  Here are a few starts......and some knitting, which I like to do in the evening after dinner with the TV on in the background. The knitted garments will be for the doll that will be made from the little head they are pictured with. Next, bodies, cloth coverings on heads, painting, wigs, clothes and shoes!

Beach Weather At Last?

After record-breaking days, weeks, months of rain, today dawned clear and sunny and by afternoon was possibly even warm! It seemed like a good time to take a trip to Greens Beach with my two grand-daughters. It was still, beautiful, reflective and a foretaste of what is to come with summer approaching fast. The younger of my grand-daughters, Leila, said; "I love it when we just do things on the spur of the moment". (Note to self: must do it more often!)