Lost Aussie on the loose

A Weekend Away

DH and I hauled 7+hrs up the road to Massachusetts this weekend so that I could attend an art workshop.
We stayed in this groovy old town called Scituate, complete with it's own lighthouse, fishing boats and obligatory bar that served GREAT beer called...WhaleTail!  Not sure if I liked the scenery, the workshop or the beer the most.  Either way, despite traffic jams driving through New York City, both up and down, the weekend was awesome.  Met some great people, learned lots at the workshop AND had three cat free sleeps....who could ask for more???

Fun Things You Find

There are such fun things to be found when you go Blog browsing and chasing down links over the internet.  I hate to think of the hours I can lose doing just that.

The gem I came upon tonight is a fabboo vector based programme called SCRIBBLER.  It's a great toy and could be quite useful for helping children master pen and mouse control.  I spent a while messing with it myself, so it can't be too bad for adults either :-))  It's even more fun to use if you have a tablet.  Oh and the second pic is the same doodle loaded into Photoshop and "embellished" for want of a better word.

Workshops and Trades

I've some busy days ahead.  On Thursday I am heading up to Massachusetts to take a two day digital printmaking workshop with Mary Taylor.  I am  filled with anticipation and excitement and hope to learn a good few new techniques that will make my wide format printer push it's limits.

Hot on the heels of that adventure I have the Art and Soul Retreat in VA the following week.  It's going to be great to spend time with many of my art and blog friends.  Despite what Carla might think, :-)  I have been a good girl, working on some trades, such as the earrings above.
For those of you who don't know, it's common practice amongst art retreat go-ers to exchange small art related objects with each other.  "Trades" vary widely.  Some artists share small collections of ephemera or supplies; others make stunning pieces of art.  The point is, people make what they can and each Trade represents a token of our camaraderie and enjoyment in what we do.

My art trades always have a special place in my studio.  Many of them are kept and used, others are put with collections of similar items, but my favourite thing to with my Trades is to pin them to large framed pieces that adorn the walls in various forms.  I can't wait to see what I come home with this year!

 

Bloom and Grow

The Spring weather has finally arrived off the back of the nasty nor-easter that churned through last week.  A wonderful change.

Hubby & I took the opportunity to get out and about in the fresh air and went walking with our cameras today.  Lots of good blossom pictures to be had!

From Flowers to Fibres

In an effort to find a little more sunshine in the day I kicked the keyboard to one side and ransacked my stash of wool roving and found something different to play with.

Heart-art therapy in the form of a little needle-felted piece with some beads sewn in quickly after.

I'm out for lunch tomorrow so will pin it on my coat!

Sunshine Needed

I think since I got back from Australia at the beginning of March we have had barely 5 or 6 days of sunshine.  Where-O-Where is Spring?????
Six inches of rain over the last few days has left us damp and soggy.  The garden is littered with broken branches and limbs that came down with the high winds and day after day, the sky is sooooo gray!

I guess one upside of being a digital artist is the ability to manufacture a little "bright" when you need it,even if the reality falls far short.

,,and More Stamp Designs

For those of you who are lucky enough to get to visit Art&Soul in Virginia you can pick up some of the new Lost Aussie Stamp designs. 

These are just a sneak preview.  There will be four new sets of stamps in all.
And buyer beware, I'm on a roll so there will be more where these came from!

Illio Friday - Fortune

Is fortune what we gross up on the stock market, the weekly paycheck or a Lotto win? 
Or is it the ability to dance and sing with all that we have? No matter who our audience is?

Illio Friday, brought to you courtesy of a few photos snapped in Philly last weekend.

Polaroid Magic

A while ago now I took a fabulous class with my Artpal and Polaroid Queen Extraordinaire, Terry Berg.
Today I finally managed to get down and dirty and played with some of the transfer and emulsion lift techniques that she taught.
I'm pretty pleased with the results, though I have a few small learning curves to narrow down a bit, nevermind taking the time to adjust the variables to get some different outcomes.  Tomorrow I am going to do some high res' scanning and then see how large I can go with the "monster" printer....what fun!

...and at least diverting my attention from fretting about the boys who are having a few hiccups at the moment.  Remote Mothering is not going well this week!

"Eternal Watcher" is a Polaroid transfer (as opposed to an emulsion lift), done with the negative print onto Hot Press Watercolour paper.  The original photo is one I've posted before, taken in Albany, Western Australia of the masthead on the replica Brig Amity.

Happy Easter

Love and Blessings to all.  Especially to my Boys and Family far away.  You are loved and missed.
xoxo