"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home" (Twyla Tharp)

A home among the gum trees .....



It was such a pretty day today - I went into my garden and cut a bunch of roses to form a lovely bouquet  in memory of a very special person. 



We drove to a beautiful setting chosen by Dad to be his final resting place.  He loved that it felt like country while still being in the metro area and he had told us this was where he wanted to be.




It can get a bit crowded at times though, seems the kangaroos are literally in heaven here too!
They are everywhere ... quite content and very well fed.  Before leaving I took a wander around the beautiful grounds ... acres of treed property with many special places to spend quiet time.

Mum and joey not happy about the nearby crow




I came across a mother and baby kangaroo - a joey - such a familiar sight as I hand reared and bottle fed an orphaned joey kangaroo on the farm.






'Is he gone yet?'  
Back to the safety of Mum's pouch!

After spending some time we left the flowers beautifully arranged in Dad's spot ... when a very friendly kangaroo came very close ...




 He stayed and watched us for a while ... then we collected our things and left the flowers ...



Noooooo!!!!
We turned around and noticed our friend heading towards our spot ...

Our roses!!!




According to the groundskeeper they really love the red ones!!
Surely those thorns hurt?










Oh well ... I guess the lovingly picked roses are already fertilizer for the beautiful grounds ....
helping to make it truly the green, green grass of home ...... xoxoxoxoxo


Better late than never ...


Well ... it's been an interesting month.  After almost leaving the course for a number of reasons, I have taken a step back and reassessed priorities.  Kind of like a mid life crisis - an evolution of sorts.
After lengthy discussions about the involvement required over the next two years I decided to continue on .... and despite challenges - to put even more time into studying this art - not just painting a pretty picture but understanding more about the history of botanical art and the botanical structure of the plant I am working on.  

Eucalypt Leaves - watercolour washes in progress

I don't have a background in art, science, botany or anything remotely akin to this genre, so it's hard going at times.  So ... onward and upward ... after a great deal of effort I have almost finished my assignment and will post it shortly - I am also working on my essay assignment for the course and I will show the completed artwork here as soon as I send them off to the UK.

Leaf from a Cottonwood tree - WIP



 In the meantime there are a lot of very industrious botanical artists meeting a painting challenge being led by a wonderful botanical artist and teacher, Mindy Lighthipe.


Same leaf, overworked it but had fun.

Leaves are so difficult but such an important part of the painting and can ruin an otherwise beautifully executed flower study.  I have played around with leaves a bit over time, learning from trial and error mostly!

  The artists are attempting to paint a leaf a day or as close as possible to this .... Mindy's blog is fabulous and she is a very generous teacher, displaying her leaf diary as she goes.... 
Please enjoy the journey and wonderful instruction on leaf painting ...

Tenacity....

Tree planting alongside the Yarra River


On a recent trip to Melbourne I was amazed to see how nature persists even in the most challenging environments. 

In the web definition tenacity is defined as 'doggedness: persistent determination.'
It seems for me, thankfully,   a trait I am utilising to its full extent.
 Have spent the last few weeks wading through office work and the dreary day to day 'must-do's' that threaten to extinguish any creative urges.



With an assignment looming however,  it is always in the back of my mind to see what's on offer in the world of plants and flowers ... what a lovely way to get side tracked from the usual responsibilities.


I also reflect on our recent trip to see the wildflowers and the memories evoked from heading back home - it's my dear father's birthday today and when I think of Dad, as for all my family, I think of the country and all its blessings.




Back to the drawing board for now though ... on our return drive from the wildflower trip we kept spotting a bright purple coloured shrub which caught our attention for its ability to thrive in the most difficult circumstances .... a very tenacious plant!


My current assignment calls for a composition of stems of a flowering plant and as usual I've chosen these stunningly difficult flowers to portray ... for now have been colour testing and sketching and hoping I can bring it all together before all the blooms drop off!