Book of old Sheet

Somehow I manage to accumulate old white cotton sheets - fabulous for all sorts of projects - dying, painting, tearing, burning, whatever.

This one was used for a simple book - just because I liked the raw innocent integrity of the fabric. The feature detail was from a project many years ago - stitched and painted canvas, and the weave is on old bag strap.

Love the twisted bit of driftwood - it must have had a vine growing around it.

Book of old jeans

I selected interesting bits of fabric - seams, pockets, loops etc, from many different old pairs of jeans [op shop purchases]. The binding just evolved - too tricky to preplan.

Love the ramdom nature of it all.

en route over Europe somewhere

1. 
2. ...the moon

the sun...coming into Heathrow

HAVING A HOLIDAY

Yes, bright and early tomorrow, I'm off on my adventure/holiday with my 22 year old daughter who is currently living in the UK. We go to Morocco for two weeks after Easter, then have a couple of weeks travelling around Portuagal and Spain. Hopefully, we will have time to go to Cornwall when back in the UK. I come home to Australia mid June.

I am pre posting various bits and pieces so my blogging friends don't forget me :)

I don't know if I can post blogs from OS but I'll give it a go. I am on facebook [mainly for family connections] and will attempt to load regular photos, so if you go to Noela Mills and the UK/Morocco/Portugal/Spain album, you should get some photos. However, I think you need to be a facebook member to see them.

I am besotted with driftwood collected from the beach. Yes, it's the wabi sabi in me. My sister and I collected lots of lovely pieces from the Bribie Island beach a few weeks ago. These will form the basis for a multitude of creative projects for years to come.

To me, they evoke amazing stories of fantastical journeys across the oceans coming from far away and exotic places - perhaps starting life as a building in the Amazon, or a shoji screen in Japan, or just a happy little beach side vine on a Pacific island.

I  have made 6 cute little fabric books with driftwood bindings.

This is a teaser of what's to come.



some more of JADA

..a few more photos from the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award,  2010,  Grafton Regional Gallery.
Once again apologies for not acknowledging artists and for the reflections on the glass.



Wonderful Artists working with muted tones

I always go back to the muted, minimal tones in what I create and what I enjoy - especialy when life is getting a little bit crazy.
Only 6 sleeps now until I fly to the UK and then to Morocco, Portugal and Spain for a great holiday with my 22 year old daughter who is currently living in the UK.
My ankle is healing beautifully thanks to physio, acupuncture, arnica, hot and cold packs, homeopathic drops, and lots of positive thinking.
I was thrilled to get a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday - some beautiful painting/collages by Leslie Avon Miller - an artist whose work I admire greatly.

'Courage Kindled'

 

'Collage no 6'

Another artist who creates beautiful, sensitive monotoned collage works is Donna Watson. I am fortunate to own this piece.

'Collage E'

...and I love this tiny 'print' by Janet Jones.

This very evocative print  is by Kevin Oxley. Kevin is a local artist while Leslie, Donna and Janet are from the USA .

Another print I have waiting for a frame is this one I bought in Darwin a few years ago - produced at one of the indigenous desert communities specialising in print making.

I will have them all framed when I return from my trip.

'Between the Lines'

We have a local COMA exhibition coming up [while I am away] so I have completed my work well ahead of time- which must be a first for me!
The exhibition is 'Between the Lines', based on books we have recently read. It will be shown in our fabulous local 'Rosettas' bookshop.
The 'girls' in my family and I have been reading 'The Fifth Agreement' - ...a practical guide to Self Mastery, by Don Miguel Ruiz, based on Toltec wisdom. This is my literal 'Between the Lines' response.

 

I have stretched hand made black paper over the back of a small frame [15cm x 15cm] and stacked old book pages end on into the space.



A Spanner in the Works

I won't be walking for a while,

 this week will be 'a physio a day' instead of 'a walk a day',

I fell over yesterday on an uneven surface and badly sprained my ankle.

I managed to capture this image before my fall.

This is for you, Eric - isn't this the most beautiful colour? It is a patch of spray paint on the bitumen footpath near the local showgrounds.

I leave for the UK on 19th April, so hope my ankle is better by then.

more JADA

 ...this one is for you, Ralf - I notice that you have tiny architectural style figures in some of your paintings...

...all done with a 'biro'...crazy, but great result...

HELLO SCALES

...are you my friend tonight?

Oh, it appears that I have lost about 1kg this week.

...not bad I guess...

Keep going, lovey!!!

JADA

[Jacaranda Drawing Award] - Annual Grafton Regional Gallery award, now showing at the University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery.
Christine and I went to check out the show today. I really enjoyed it - I love drawing - love linear elements in all things.
Sorry, but I accidently left the catalogue with a  friend - yes, Ken, it's on your kitchen bench- so I can't post the names of the artists. I will fill them in when I get a chance. These are a few of my favourites:

...this one is by Miles Hall - a local/Brisbane artist...

charcoal and acrylic paint, 

...love this one, lots of 'painting' in it, I think it represented the tsunami chaos, - sad but beautiful,

...strong, dynamic, charcoal,

 

...exquisite - charcoal again, 

...and this is by Kevin Oxley - a VERY talented local artist...

Don't you just love the fact that we are now allowed to take piccies in galleries? 

It was very interesting that the 'drawing' exhibition allowed for such a cross section of media - there really was a lot of what I would call 'painting' involved - must look up the exhibition criteria

 - where do you draw the line [excuse the pun]-

and yes,

I did go for a brisk half hour walk [without the camera],

I thought I had enough piccies to post for one day.

More of the exhibition tomorrow.