thank you for the remarkably unpredictable

my first solo exhibition has been hung, opened  and brought down.

but i’m still up there on cloud 9.

me and janet - gallery co-owner, teacher, colleague & friend! Is there anything this woman can't do?

The entire experience, including opening night, exceeded my every expectation. But did I really have any expectations?

Over 200 people lent me their support by attending the opening on october 30 – overwhelming to say the least! and then there were those who would’ve been with me if they could have but sent me wonderful words of congratulations and encouragement for the night. thank you misty, samm, mandy, trish and terri in particular.

I am so grateful to janet and thel, preston street artspace  co-owners,  for the opportunity to show my work for the very first time. I am so pleased it was a win/win situation. thanks to my mum and dad for the drinks – enough 3 times over but they always cater to excess! thanks also to mum and lex for the food; my babies for serving and to everyone who was kind enough to come or actually purchase a piece of my work. yes! i actually SOLD!

me & my beautiful friend and fellow artist kirsty - so pleased this work found it's home with her.

the ‘beyondblue’ group project was a fabulous success with over 30 people donating their original 10cmx10cm canvases to the exhibition and allowing us to sell them with all proceeds going to the charity. thank you to all the artists and to all the new art owners!

the original artworks donated to the beyondblue project! we raised $320 people!

my brother bren spoke on my behalf………..     that’s all I can really say without bursting into tears or laughter.

jodine mcbride, my friend, colleaugues and Yr12 Art Teacher way back when, opened for me and it was such a nostalgic moment knowing I had envisioned this happening 26 years ago. Her recollections of my final year of high school were amazing and in some instances, more vivid than mine. it reaffirms that as teachers we do certainly save places in our hearts for certain students and memories. what an inspiration! what a friend!

finally, a monumental note of thanks goes to my sista kez! I simply couldn’t have done it without her! this woman is incredible! she’s helping me with my ‘tude! it’s all in the ‘tude, isn’t it kez???????? I am inspired and encouraged and in awe of this woman!

And so? Where to now?

In revisiting the title of my exhibition -vicissitude -(essentially meaning ‘variations in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life’), I realise that no matter how we plan, protect or prepare ourselves, what Life has to offer is remarkably unpredictible.

The bottom line is that there are vicissitudes in life and many come  before we are ready for them. The current mood I’m in, I say BRING THEM ON!

vi-cis-si-tude

yep, well it’s nearly time for me to take a big breath and jump. my 1st solo exhibition is looming and whilst i feel pretty damn excited, i’m feeling nervous and at times a little overwhelmed. luckily i have a group of wonderful people who are dissolving my doubts and propping up my confidence. They are amazing friends. So to my mum, misty, jodine, mark, samm, andrew, lexie, todd, casey, michelle and kerry, a huge thankyou for being such integral parts of this dream.

so, vi-cis-si-tude? where did the title come from? i can thank ms harrison for that. As my ‘graphic designer extraordinaire’ she wholly and soully took on the task of the invite, including coming up with a title that wasn’t as pathetically twee as those i had come up with.

vicissitude, according to the oxford dictionary means

‘one of the sudden or unexpected changes in one’s life, activities or surroundings’.

all I will say is ‘eeriely apt’.

also, we thought it was a playful take on my name and the word ‘attitude’. done deal!

and what about this image, which has become a sort of visual icon for the exhibition?

it’s cropped from one of the foldout books i’ve created and is probably my favourite work in the exhibition. symbolically autobiographic, i love the image for so many reasons.

foldout books- 'shhh...don't say a word' & 'what if the woodcutter did his job?'

and so, thanks to my beautiful and talented friend kerry harrison, this is the final invitation to my 1st solo exhibition. I LOVE IT!

ok, this thing really is gonna happen!

and so, i guess there’s only one more thing to say…………..

“would you like to attend the opening?”

heart triptych

My first triptych ready for mounting and framing. Sort of happy these 3 have evolved and now been completed. A telling journey for me but work I’m proud of. 3 down, 27 to go……….nah, not really but scarily close enough!

cut it out - from the triptych 'heart'

lost property - from the triptych 'heart'

give away - from the triptych 'heart'

funhouse

last friday night the four of us went to pink!’s funhouse concert at the dome. i expected a show but WHAT A SHOW! she is amazing and absolutely stunning! such charisma and presence. the show itself was a visual spectacle. fantastic costumes, lighting, choreography, musicians but it was her voice that blew me away. that and the fact i knew all but 1 song which always makes a concert that bit more enjoyable.

probably though the best thing about the night was watching the kids’ faces as they saw the sheer size of the crowd and then the actual event come to life. we’ve been building up to this concert for months and i really don’t think they had any idea what to expect. jak rocked out and sung the entire night. chloe, remaining cool was a little more subdued but her applause and screams gave her away at the end of every song.

we had the best night.

and of course ed and i just went along to chaperone the kids…….yeah right!

that sucks!

The kids 11th birthday celebrations started lasted Saturday night when we had Chloe’s Vampire Party.

Seven seemingly beautiful little girls transformed themselves into Vampirellas and stalked the suburban streets until they reached the shops in search of grape slushies and hot chips. On return home, the vamps were transformed again into screaming, wrestling, screeching banshees by bucketloads of lollies and birthday cake – these antics lasted until 4 or 5 in the morning, proving the theory that vampires don’t sleep at night.

and so, the celebrations continue this Friday night with the Pink! concert, a family party on Saturday night and finish off with Jak and a couple of mates going to the  movies on Sunday. Love this time of year……..love even more the fact that it’s over 12 months til we do it again!

snowsteps

imagine living here………………be amazing wouldn’t it?

so where are we? european streetscene? prague maybe? english village?

look closer

yep, downtown subi, perth, western australia on tuesday 21 june 2009!

and no, not snow….we’ve never had snow! just the most amazing hail shower you’ve ever seen.

thanks for the photos mark and for allowing me to share.

Why Do Trees Whisper?

Just wanted to share the most amazing artwork Ed and I were so lucky to purchase recently. I saw this beautiful shrine, entitled ‘Why Do Trees Whisper?’ a year ago in an exhibition and became completely besotted by it and the work by it’s creator Christine Atkins. Her skill is incredible, the detail exquisite, the media used simply awesome and of course when it comes to trees or birds, I’m just a goner!

Incredibly, we walked away from that exhibition WITHOUT the artwork and I regretted that decision ever since.

'Why Do Trees Whisper? 2007 Christine Atkins 45cm x 40cm

Then a few weeks ago, my kids and I went to my friend Janet’s gallery and whilst I was talking to her, my son Jak yells out to me ‘Mum, we have to buy something. Get over here and have a look at this!’ And there it was, crossing my path once again! This time we did not leave it there!

'Why Do Trees Whisper?' 2007 Christine Atkins 45cm x 40cm (inside detail)

(All I can say is thank God for Tax Return Cheques!)

party, play and paint

PARTY!        PLAY!        PAINT!

these are the 3 wishes  my work colleagues  bestowed upon me last friday, as i headed off on 3 months long service and another 4 months leave without pay.

yes, just as ‘elvis has left the building’, ‘vanessa has left the classroom!’

and for my trouble, i received these beautiful gifts from the very people i am leaving!

this beautiful handbound journal created by Jaye Quin, containing page upon page of the yummiest watercolour and textured papers you could imagine

.....and to touch my heart, the journal's front and back inner covers display the work of my mentor and friend, misty mawn

and to top it all off, this exquisite bracelet given to me from the school social club! don't let anyone tell you perth college don't do it right!

thank you, thank you janet, my boss, friend and inspiration! you know me soooo well and thank god you do! i will be back………..maybe.

and so, i have 7 months off – gulp!

it’s school holidays here at the moment, so my first 2 weeks will be with my kids – no real time to think about me huh? but i think that’s a good thing – time to organise and plan and keep busy until that very first day when i find myself alone, in a quiet house, when normally i’d be in a classroom demonstrating techniques, explaining new projects or talking about the magical primary colours with my baby artists.

i have never really left school. i went from primary, to high, to uni, to teaching in 3 different schools and another university for good measure. will i know when to have a coffee or eat lunch or go to the toilet without a structured day? – don’t laugh! it is a little bit daunting. but………………it’s not daunting enough to stop me from yeehaing and whoohooing and breathing one giant sigh of relief.  I have been teaching since 1987 and despite my husband’s assertion that i did have 18 months off when the twins were born, I NEED THIS BREAK!

So what are my plans?

travel, as everyone insists i must? no,  probably not. mexico has been cancelled twice and so it’s not meant to be. i will go to sydney to visit the gorgeous taylor family and to see my beautiful baby girl kiara christened; and i will pop over to melbourne to see my glorious newish and shiny friends samm and mandy, maybe even izzy as well if i can bloody find her – last i heard she was drowning in her 1st year of teaching secondary school art.  mmmm…..been there, done that (and ed still insists I’m lost in it!)

my 2 personal challenges are benefiting from meditation lessons (yes, i’m serious) and joining the gym (please, i am not having a lend here…….). my 1st class is tomorrow night – ambos on standby! cooking good, healthy food that requires you to use a knife and fork to eat with will also be a goal of mine.

examining friendship – experiencing the new, basking in the treasured, connecting and reconnecting……but also decluttering, accepting some home truths and as hard as it will be, simply walking away.

and of course my art. god, i have neglected that part of my life in the past couple of months. the studio has been a dumping ground for odds and ends and dust has coated nearly every surface. time for a big clean up and then diving back into it! my exhibition is planned for mid-october, details being confirmed next week. scary, exciting, confronting, confirming….and totally unprepared in every way, shape and form.

and finally family. there is a lot of work here to do……..and i want to do it.

and so i embrace the 3 words bestowed upon me and accept them cautiously. who knows what the future will bring?

just the spiders now

"will you walk into my parlour?" said the spider to the fly; "tis the prettiest little palour that ever you did spy!"

spiders are insidious creatures

and flies are way too trusting

but xanadu was great whilst it lasted

wherever you may go………..

when love travels half way around the world it looks like this

an exquisite artifact that honours my obsession with birds and cages and all things japanese

sensory delectables - exotic teas, citrus infused perfumed soap, music that brings joy and resonates, papers, wrappings, tassled charms and ..............

poetic words that reach out and kiss

an incredible gift that came from the heart, soul, mind and hand of a true artist. a creation i cannot even begin to tell you how much i appreciate, love and honour

and this....this one beautiful item, searched for and uncovered at a a cherished location; a stone infused with only the purest of intent

when someone knows your soul, you have to thank whatever power brought them into your life. when someone knows you sometimes even better than you know yourself, you just have to listen to their take on things. and when someone inspires you to be all that you can be, all that you have dreamed of ever being, all you can be is grateful.

thank you for a friendship that is ingrained in my heart.

you make me soar and aspire to be here now!

this will help you appreciate the artistic brilliance I am being mentored by; it will help you understand why I am grateful for having friendship such as this; and it will make you believe in all that’s good in the world.

****i want to share this with my world, please be ok with this****