I Love a Sunburnt Country

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel sea.

Her beauty and her terror

The wide brown land for me. 

Dorothea MacKellar

This is a famous Australian poem which I think sums up our home quite aptly.  Particularly this week.  Less than a week ago it was blazingly hot - between 35'c and 41'c most days, there were fires, my lawn had mostly died and it  had cracks in it like a hard packed cricket pitch. I had lost plants, mainly my very old and very large staghorns and elkhorns.  We were desperate for rain and a cool change.

Today.....we are getting hammered as ex-cyclone Oswald sits over us.  We have winds up to 40 knots which have impressed upon me just how flexible and bendy some trees are. Goodness.  We are expecting 16 inches of rain over the next 24 hours or so and have already had 5 inches or so in the past couple of days.  The bridge between here and town has just gone over so we're officially flooded in until.... There has been flash flooding (my Aunt had a foot of water go through the bottom of her house and bend the roller door to the garage), regular flooding, and two tornadoes to the north of us.  

The wind hurtling through the trees out the front.  Taken from our front door at midday.

Pool not quite overflowing but do you see the water covering the little patch of grass to the back right?  I also note that the mango thief has been at it again.....evidence of eaten mango on grass in foreground of photo.  Hmmm.  Where the sky is light gray through the palm trees you should actually see the big trees at the back of our yard and then the mountain.  Too much rain for them to be visible.

You can see where the grass was dead just a few days ago and now all the soil is rushing down and under the tree towards the orchard and playground.  It's going to take me a week just to pick up the palm fronds and branches that have come down. 

Let's hope no trees come down because Jeff is away from home, stuck here. If you zoom out on the link you will see more mines along the coal seam to the north-west.

A very wet mining site (coal). He flew up on Wednesday to do some work for 2 days and now looks like he'll be stuck up there until next Thursday. He can't do the work he's supposed to because the part of the  mine he's working on is closed down. Below are some shots of the mining camp accommodations.

This is what the individual rooms look like - just imagine it's one photo showing the whole room, not Jeff's stuck together photo.  Through the wooden door is a little ensuite.  Shifts vary between mining sites generally from 4 days on 4 days off to 2 weeks on one week off.  So this is where the boys stay for the length of their shift.  Jeff is just a visitor doing other work so he was given an empty 'hobbit hole' as he calls it as he doesn't fit in with the camp shifts.  There is a camp mess where they go to eat, a small gym - also in a donga (one of these shipping container things) and a games room for those who need to get out of their quarters.

Because you can't have mining photos without a tip truck.....  These things are HUGE.  The top of the central wheel arch would tower over me.

Finished business...

Over the Christmas period in 2010-2011 I started a crochet project.  I set out to make a tv sized throw in a granny stripe.  Chatting away to my sister I crocheted away and didn't notice that I had made my foundation chain FAR too big.  In fact, after doing several rows (and finally stopping the chatter) I thought, 'this looks a bit big'.  A quick check led me to realise I'd made the beginings of a queen sized blanket that would fit our bed nicely.  Hmm, unpick and make the throw rug or keep going and make the bed blanket? The decision to make a blanket for the bed was made - and then I started my Drawpj art course. This sucked up most of my time for the next 40 weeks.   I've worked on it in fits and starts over the past 2 years and finally finished it a few days ago.

I used Morris Estate wool from Morris and Sons.  I don't receive kick backs from them, just mentioning where I sourced the yarn.   I have received great service from them each time I have placed and order with them.  Speedy too which is essential when you have a bee in your bonnet to start a project YESTERDAY!

 In the winter I napped beneath it as it progressed.  Just wide enough to cover me at this stage. :)  Am loving the colours.The aqua/turquoise colour especially which should come as no surprise to me as it's everywhere I look in my house!  I've just realised that the palette I chose for this closely reflects the colours I love to use in my artwork and I've noticed these colours all around our home.

Ta da!  The finished blanket with photos taken on a dismal and dark rainy day because thanks to a cyclone up north we finally have RAIN and lots of it.  Woohoo.

I finished it off with four rows of UK and AUS treble crochet.  It matches our room and bedding perfectly don't you think?  Come on winter.

Not sure why but this image keeps coming out upside down.  Sorry folks.  Aaaaah.  One unfinished project done.  1000 more to go.  Do you have any unfinished projects to get off your back and out of wherever you have them stashed?  Go do it says Miss Bossy.  :)

Unfinished business

As many of you know I am living with a little cluster of serious health issues/diseases.  This is what it is and for the most part people can't tell.  They only see me on 'good days' when I can leave the house and at least hold a conversation.  As you also know I've found something that I can do - art - which I can work around my physical needs.  This has been such a wonderful discovery.  After so many years of being virtually housebound and becoming increasingly isolated I have found a way to interact and contribute again.  For the most part my art and my health bob along quite nicely together, each making way for the other.  There are times however when things don't go to plan.....

I began studying with Don Milner, 3 hours per week,  late in 2012 and found it wonderful but EXHAUSTING.  I really began to struggle, firstly with keeping up with class homework and then just keeping up with life.  I only missed 3 of the 12 days which for me is really good.  I found myself in the situation though where I have quite a few unfinished pieces from class because I couldn't keep up with the homework (we won't discuss the housework that went by the wayside....mmm). 

An unfinished seascape....

One incomplete 'green bottle'. :)

Unfinished metal study.

I'm relieved to note that other students found themselves in the same situation so don't feel too badly.  I also have completed pieces to share with you such as the charcoals in previous posts and a few more acrylic pieces so all is not lost.  My art isn't all commissions and loveliness, it's a tangled mix of finished pieces, sleeps, unfinished pieces, more sleeps, ideas and of course lists of things to do.  I am a big lists girl. It may take me longer than I like but I do and will get everything completed.  I look forward to sharing them with you and that you continue to enjoy seeing art in the process of being made.

Stay well and happy everyone.

Sandy xxxx

Floyd in charcoal

I've finally managed to upload the charcoal pet portraits mentioned in my last post. These depict Floyd, a weimariner,  as he grows from pup, to adult dog to 'old man'.  I was so very touched by a call from the recipient saying that they were better than she ever would have imagined and that they were now her most treasured possession.  I cannot describe how good it feels to have been able to so something to make someone so happy.  An incredibly lovely feeling.

Cute puppy.

Handsome adult.

 My personal favourite:  Old Man Floyd.

Dusting off the charcoal.

I have had the extreme good fortune of being commissioned to do 4 charcoal pieces in the later half of 2012.  It reminded me just how much I love to draw and putter in charcoal and how naturally it seems to flow when I do it.  I find it very calming and time just vanishes as I concentrate on the task at hand.

The portrait of Richard Armitage (English actor) was done for a lady in America, who was delighted with her gift which is lovely.  Not a great photo unfortunately.

I then completed a triptych of a beloved pet which I am having huge difficulty uploading at present so will save for another post. 

Until next time...

Progress of a Pear

My life has continued to muddle along in my unexpected and very long absence from blogging. I am back.  Now a little peek at one of the art pieces I have completed in my time away.  This is my first attempt at a still life and was completed in class under the instruction of the wonderful Don Milner.

 Our task was to paint small but with a big brush. This initially felt strange and awkward and for me it took many weeks to become comfortable.  Using STRAIGHT lines and and tone 3 mix of colour, draw in the image.

 Develop a tonal study of the subject.  This will act as an under painting for the colour to go over later.

 Continue to develop the tonal study and start to shape the pear, shadows and reflections.  Focus on chiaroscuro, the play of light and dark within the painting.

Start to add colour and realise that "I am really rubbish at blending".  I am pleased to say that I have improved since then!  

About 5 minutes later.... I kid you not, this is how it looked.  Finish blending, add highlights (which I could have played up more here), add stem with giant awkward brush and almost like magic....Voila!  A traditional still life of a pear.  Thank you Don, I never could have imagined painting this in this manner and with success.  Lots of room for improvement but a success anyway.

Grocery Challenge

Those of you who know me well know that I equate every cent I save to a proportion of an airfare.  A strange quirk that amuses many.  This same quirk has also seen me find the money to travel on occasions where it really shouldn't be financially possible.  My sister has recently started her grocery challenge again and I've decided to jump on board. I did start one some time ago but haven't been as strict as Susan's $80 per week.  We are planning to take our niece and 3 nephews to Disneyland in around 4-5 years time so I've decided it is time to really start saving for this memorable trip. I also want to start saving for another trip for Jeff and I. Perhaps back to the States or if my health decides to be miraculously accommodating, a cycle trip in Europe.

This weekend Jeff is away on a Scouts training camp so I am going to take advantage of his absence to stock the freezer with some baking, soups and to sit down and menu plan for the next month.  I'm going to trawl back through my menu plans and my Destitute Gourmet cookbooks and plan my menus and baking. It's always advantageous to bake when Jeff is away as the man is a human food disposal unit - lucky he exercises so much! I have half a decent chance to freeze the baking in portions where the man with the munchies won't find them as easily.

So in support of and being totally inspired by my dear sister, I will give myself $80 per week to feed our family of 4 (Jeff and I and two raw fed sweet labradors). Wish me luck.

Sandy xxx