weekend whims..

So here was the weekend once more.. Saturday was chocca's (very full) with family engagements... my 89 year old mother in law has her house up for sale - so we needed to take her out while open day was on.. then we took my (68 year old) mother, out for her birthday... while reminiscing we watched the video of my father's 60th ( he would've been 70 next month)..how could we have known that he wouldn't make 63..? But how lovely was it to see him really enjoying surprise karoke on his 60th...
So Sunday morning i sat here - at the desk above and wondered for a while.. about the possibilities of many a thing..

I wondered about doing something with this too..but alas didn't seem to have the headspace.. so i went out modern day hunting/foraging style in search of a Christmas tree - ready for next weekend..


then it was time to make this couscous salad with feta, olives + watermelon with char grilled lamb and wonder about an evening walk along the beach..

meanwhile.. remember this:
my artist book in a bag..

well now the online exhibition is up here
have a great week, what are you wondering about?

little bit of painting...

So if you've visited here lately you'll know i've been out and about. Which is great - all that inspiration.
BUT, what happens after a busy week at the office ... unwinding for the weekend. You try and have a little idea of what creative project you might embark on. You try just venturing into the shed to see what you might do. You begin by painting backgrounds.. this was the third one - a small bit of wood i found painted brown.
So i covered it in blue and sandpapered it a little.

i was thinking in my head: simple collage.. perhaps abstract or simple shapes.. I painted it green..

i like a bit of light sanding and scraping with a scalpel in between. Shoes! i was thinking..clothes! (but that was because i had just seen Bill Cunningham's New York, last night which was truly inspirational)...

simple line work, i thought.

But yes! collage was the aim, so let's stick with that i thought..

add more i thought..

Well. Not what i wanted to paint at all. It was pleasant enough, but just when i could've tossed that aside - having got that out of my system it was time to do something else, ie: dinner.
Part of me wanted to do a wash over the top, or hack at it, or something. Or, just move on.
Does this happen to you?
if this was a case of the work taking over - maybe I should've interfered more?
OR, maybe it was just a warm up? Guess i won't know. Oh well, back to work in the morning..

Sun, sand + surf?

well not quite..

yesterday's weather report was for a warm 30 degrees, but when Miss R and I popped down to Manly yesterday morning this is what we saw. A little eerie.

Meanwhile 15 minutes back up the hill at home it was blue skies aplenty..

yes, i was pretty pleased with the 'captured' seagull in the shot above..

Camera workout...

Sydney's Bondi beach just after 7 this morning. We'd woken the teens and off we went to Sculpture by the Sea. Obviously we hoped the early bird catches the parking space .. and perhaps prime photographic spots. 1 out of 2 isn't bad.. here's what i saw..






For captions and more info go here.

out and about.. continues

Well, let's face it. There's times where i'm not leaving the shed for anyone, and then there's times when there are cultural bounties galore. (probably not a sentence).
These last few weeks have been that exactly.. this weekend kicked off with an invite to the media opening of the Picasso exhibition. WOW! 150 pieces from the 5000 works. Prolific is an understatement. Altho possibly here was a man who didn't need to do the washing, shopping or commute several hours a week. Yes, clearly he was genius, but that's a lot of hours honing one's masterful skill...anyway! that's what this exhibition is:
a collection of masterpieces (from Picasso at 12 years old!). I must say i did experience a few adrenalin rushes as i wandered (reasonably quickly) in and out of the 10 rooms..
The AGNSW has re designed it's space and done an excellent job. I was completely transported. So simple, yet perfect was the framing, the space, the lighting - that just for those moments i could have been in Paris. Aaaaaah.
For the first time ever the gallery are also doing staggered ticketing. So, plan your trip now..

Out and ...outpost!

yes, it's been a while.. but i have been out.. yesterday i took the family to visit Cockatoo Island (a short ferry ride from Sydney's Circular Quay) to check out Outpost. On until 11 Dec i'd recommend a trip..
The island is hosting street art.. with some of Banksy's works a bit of a drawcard..

But the photo opps start early..


Such an amazing venue to wander about..


with works around the island, artists still working..

others had left their marks behind.. (loved discovering concrete art!)

choose to wander the 'galleries' amongst the old machinery..


or take your pick (and crop) from outdoor works..

but i guess my favourite was wandering around the paste ups..


you can see a few more on instagram - look for dudleyred

pity i didn't get to hang out in the bar for a bit.. but hey - the kids (year 7 ) were keen to get back to the yard..

who was i to stand in their way..?

but if spray paint is not for your youngster.. then how about giving them a nice fat pen, photograph it on your smartphone, use fotofitti app to make your own stencil work! very nice indeed..

i was just about ready to get out the transfer paper and start custom making t-shirts.. but, alas, a gal has to sleep sometime...