STUDIO BLISS

Hello live journal. It's been a while.
I've been working at the sauna and working in the studio, with varying levels of enthusiasm.
The studio work has been good. I was thrust into art action by my dentist who commissioned me to make an identical copy of a piece from my 2010 show. As it turned out being forced into action was exactly what I needed, it really blew the cobwebs off, and since then I have been a busy beaver collecting materials and starting projects. it's nice to have some momentum.

A couple of wednesdays ago Dave and I went and saw my most favourite band in the world ( New Order ) play at the Horden Pavilion. It was totally packed and it was totally worth it, even the walk home in the rain confirmed that I had just had a religious experience.

Dave and I saw Kel off to India for two weeks this morning, it's going to be a little strange just having the two of us around the house. However the extra room in the bed will be nice. I hope he has a ball even though he'll be working.

Any way I just thought I'd drop in have a read and make a post, it's been a while and I even had trouble remembering my pass word, but I'll be around checkin up on you. have a lovely day x x x D

So I'm not moving into my new studio space. The guy who I was meant to be renting from started asking the other artists in the building how much they pay for their spaces and he realised that what he was offering me was too cheap and he put the rent up out of my price range. Oh well.

So I spent Tuesday in my current space throwing a whole heap of stuff out, It was a little depressing but then I watched a woman from the fire escape going through my stuff and leaving with her arms full. One mans trash is another mans treasure.

On a personal note I'm still smoking, I'm drinking too much and work is depressing me. There is something about doing the same thing every morning in a sauna that just gets me down. I'm working again tomorrow but I don't mind Saturdays cause I'm working with my old boss from my days of working in Bars, and he makes things easy. Big smiles.

I'm home alone at the moment, Kel is working his guts out and Dave is at a working boozy function. The Brady Bunch is on the tv in the background and I'm waiting for Sabrina the teenage witch. How SAD.

Anyway people have a great weekend and stay safe and cosy x x x D

good morning Live Journal.
It's 5 45 am on a tuesday morning, I'm at work waiting for my co worker and the looming 6am start time.
Work is not bad, a bit boring, but it gives me plenty of time to daydream.

The exciting news on my front is that after three years in my current studio, I am relocating down two floors to a windowed space that is twice the size of my current space.My new space is the old stockroom of a gallery that exists in the building. Oh my god I have three walls as well.I'm very excited to have natural light too. I.m paying an extra 50 dollars a week but I think it's worth it.

I've started to pack up my space already although I don't move until the 12th of september, I cant tell you how peaceful it will be to be in a space free of the inane chatter of 4 gen y girls," like i know rite."

I'm desperately trying to put money away each pay packet for a trip to New York next winter, their Summer.

Anyway, it's almost time to start work, time for a quick coffee and off I go. So til next time, stay safe and warm. x x D

well it's been about a month, alot has changed.
I have lost nearly 5 kilos in weight due to a diet the boys and I are on. I have started smoking again, it's the only way of guaranteeing a break at work, and next point life at the sauna is the same, except today, I had the day off to go to the dentist. So it's up at four tomorrow morning to work tomorrow.

so I lied, not much has changed when I look at it in words. But I feel different something has changed somewhere.

we had our coldest day in 20 years the otherday , i love rugging up.

the words arent working for me today, so stay safe and have fun.

well here I am again, back at the sauna.
An hour early for work due to a roster glitch.
I had my first day yesterday and today is saturday morning and I'm working by myself. It will be hard work but it is better than being unemployed, two years was enough.
It feels like a step backwards this microcosm hasn't changed that much, but its just a job and I dont have to take it home with me. I don't mind cleaning it gives me a chance to daydream.

melting basket Rope and cotton using a navaho stich.

I've been in the studio a lot since my return from Broken Hill. And have been starting little projects such as the above.
This is proving to be immensely satisfying. The process is tediously slow, and my mind is racing with ideas, somehow I have to slow it down and focus on the technique, so that my stitching isn't messy.
I dont really want to make baskets, I want to be more sculptural, so I thought a melting basket would be the way to go.

On a personal note I have been free of cigarettes for nearly 3 months, though I still have the occasional smokers cough.
Life is pretty ok at the moment, I'm making plans to get my old job back at the sauna, two mornings a week, it seems like a backward step, but I need the money and I am only skilled at cleaning, so I don't really have a choice in that department. I find out on wednesday if the position is mine.

Sydney is cold, we just had our coldest May in 40 years, I dont mind so much, it's a good excuse to pull out the warm wooly clothes.

I was lucky enough to see the Cure at the Opera house a few weeks back as part of the Vivid festival, it was awesome, they performed over two nights and played their first three albums in their completeness on the first night and the next three on the second night. Awesome beyond belief. The whole thing was filmed for an upcoming dvd release. Anyway, thats whats happening in my world, I hope you are safe in yours, bye bye x x D

egg basket Knotless weave technique basket.

I have just come back from Broken Hill in the Far North west of New South Wales.
I spent a week in the outback being mentored by my hero Virginia Kaiser ( google her, she's worth the look ). She lives in Broken hill because of the abundant plant life to work with and Because it's closer to Adelaide , the capital city of South Australia than it is to Sydney. She has serious on going medical issues that need attending to.
My week with her was totally inspiring, not just being in her studio but the surrounding landscape as well. I'll babble more about that later. Needless to say that I have come back to Sydney feeling rejuvenated and alive, more ALIVE than I have been for a long time.
The above tiny tiny basket was the result of 6 hours work. First I hand made the raffia twine then stitched using a knotless weave to make a tiny basket, just big enough to hold an egg. It's the proudest I have ever felt about anything I have ever made.

according to my I phone app I have been clean of smoking for 6 weeks , 6 days , 2 hours and 18 minutes. HOORAY FOR ME !
which means its been about a month since I last posted anything on LJ.

In an effort to combat my depression, I am travelling 14 hours by train to the studio of my hero Virginia Kaiser. She is located in the far north west of New South Wales . Or about 800 kms or so north west of sydney to undertake an intensive week of mentoring .

I am stuck in a rut of my own design, ( That is to say, I have been reluctant to pick up traditional skills over the years ) And now it's time to break that and go to the Grandmother of Australian Basketry and get a weeks private tuition. OMG I can't believe it's actually happening.....It's not until mid may, but I figured I'd get excited about it now since I probably wont re post until I'm there or some time close to it.

On a personal note my sweety Kel had his 50th and it was celebrated in every facet of over indulgence.

Stay safe and warm cuddly people x x x x

self portrait in the batrhroom

Rainbow Lorikeet

This is "monkey " as we have named it, perched on one of my sculptures at home.
Monkey is a very tame Rainbow Lorikeet and the most audacious of the 50 or so birds we feed regularly. He she has taken a fancy to sitting on one of my sculptures from which he she can see the whole room, the only problem for me is that its claws are scratching the varnish off the piece.

Oh well never mind.

I'm up to day 13 of not smoking, I'm not doing it by myself though, I have the help of a drug called Champix, side effects include vivid dreams and depression. I'm depressed. But I will continue with the three month course of drugs just to beat the habit, cause smoking was making me depressed now I'm just depressed over something different, so nothing much has changed.

I miss the computer in the studio, ahh the studio havent been down there as much as i could have been this past fortnight. I have things to work on, but I have no spark ( where did you go ) I need to find something magic or hear something magical. anyway that's about it. bye all x x

As I mentioned already, the computer in the studio is dead and buried Which means a lot less Facebook and lj . I'm using my I phone to do this post. Which is tiresome .. Stay safe x d

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