July 2018

July felt like it went painfully slowly and then suddenly it was over. Despite it being the school holidays and planning activities to keep my active 5yr old son busy, I had a fairly productive month. My new ritual of borrowing books from the library has continued and I've also kept journalling. Although most of the actual making this month did not occur in the studio, I was able to keep working on starting new small pieces.  I did have a few days where I was able to do a few consecutive hours work in the studio and these were wonderful opportunities to just put my head down and make.  The time away from the studio was spent in nature which is a constant source of inspiration. I don't consider myself to draw from nature directly, its more the feeling of fullness and peace that I take from spending time meandering, listening to the birds or sitting in the sun absorbing the warmth.  Towards the end of the month the focus turned to an upcoming exhibition and workshops I am developing to be shown at AIRspace Projects in Marrickville.  I have been part of the AIRspace committee since the start of the year and love the community feel of the exhibition space and team.  The exhibition is titled "Playdate" and includes the work of my son Tomas as well as mine. Being a parent has added a layer of experience which I bring to my art practice. Tomas sees himself as an artist too and I felt it important to have an exhibition that encouraged dialogue around being a parent and an artist and the dynamics of sharing your art space/practice/materials with your child and how they in turn impact on how you view and approach making.  Together with friend and fellow artist Alex Falkiner we will be offering a workshop for parents/carers and their child to create together. To read more information on the exhibition click here and for workshops here