Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

 Christmas Eve.

Late afternoon on Christmas Day,

Just Finished

I've just finished reading this. It was powerful and engaging. Ron's life and the reasons behind his illustration of books is powerfully explicated in the writing. The thwarted lives of his parents are also poignantly evoked although their perseverance through the years generates its rewards. Ron's own understanding of his life feeds into his illustration. His marriage crashes into unhappiness despite the good things in his life.  He struggles to make meaning and contentment and by the end there is a wary sense that it will arrive. 

Just Summer Grass

I just love the verdancy, the multiplicity of summer grass.

Another Advent Mural

 Here is Trafalgars Advent Mural soon to be installed.

Hydrangea

Early summer here although the weather is inclined to disagree. I have a new camera after my last one's lens unit went into meltdown and it definitely wasn't worth fixing. 
I was digging the vegetable garden and felt the blooms should be recorded in their loveliness. 
Our first Carols + sausage sizzle has been. There was live music from the Latrobe Community Concert Band and a horse pretending to be a very big donkey for the nativity scene with kids. 
We just need a bit more warmth to make it more summer like.

Aeva close to stasis

I need to take some time in contemplation, but whatever happens I think that Aeva is complete or nearly so.

Painting Aeva and Aeysha

A relatively clear day in the studio today. More work on 2 paintings. Delight hovers, but has not settled. 

A Christmas Mural

Yesterday afternoon at Jaffas in Yarragon the kids painted this mural for Christmas. It will go out in front of the Church once it is varnished to seal the paint. I'm pleased with this result.

Playing

Thorpdale Pub

We had to post a letter in Thorpdale on our way to Tullycavan. Looking out under the verandah, the pub quietly waiting for custom on a damp day caught my eye.

A Small Sadness

Walking into the house I found this egg unbroken on the ground. I suppose that it was stolen from a nest and then dropped in a chase. It was cold, dead, but beautiful. Its life is now snuffed out. A parent disappointed.

Beginning to revamp Aeva

I was unable to proceed with Aeva so I've gone backwards to go forwards again. So far so good.

Agda a new bit of playing

Agda and playing with stencils, I'm happy and like the hints of further exploration.

Waratah

Today we were at Tullycavan labouring to rebuild a retaining wall. As I barrowed soil to a pile I glanced at the waratah and though it has passed its best, its elegance amongst the foliage is still bright. 

Names for the Sea

I just enjoyed Names for the Sea by Sarah Moss. The book brought up so much stuff about cultural expectation and differences set in a landscape and environment that is itself a striking difference. She brings an enjoyment, curiosity and openness to the task of living with her family in another culture and teaching there. As she digs deeper into the history and culture to grow her understanding my appreciation of Iceland was enlarged and enriched. A really good book.

A delight in stencils

 'To the studio today after some time in the garden. The thought captures my mind that asymmetric stencils have worked for me, perhaps other sorts will help as well and so I begin to cut and to paint. For the moment delight tickles my heart, but I can see more to do.

It's a lovely feeling

Yesterday I took myself back to painting. The under-painting was made using up paint that I'd mixed up for another painting. So I placed my shapes and worked on the colour. I had a feeling comfort to be dealing with decisions that have such potential to lead me to delight.

Just Finished Reading

I've just finished reading this book by Michael Katakis. There is something about the timbre of the writing that appeals to me. A certain sadness about the world as we live in it, but a delight at being alive. For me a sadness about a life that seems to meander around without a spiritual centre to place any hope in. For myself Jesus sacrificial self giving love provides a focus and a hope that the quotidian is much more than it seems at first glance. 

Watercolour

On holidays with watercolour and I'm discovering its delights.

The Effect of WInd, (don't read this to avoid boredom)

A little obsession of mine has been infecting me. I like the idea of natural movement in a scene to create interest and today's high winds gave me something to photograph.

The Need For My to Have Something to Do

On holidays with time a more malleable entity I can find myself in a position of long ago. What do I do next? Read or write or draw or surf the internet, which I feel is the equivalent of staring blankly into space often, but as I write this I see it has its own value. So I think I'll read and perhaps try to engage other senses, such as listening to environmental sounds and engaging my sense of smell. To approach time in a meditive way.

Bike Tracks

It's holidays for us and today we did some riding on bike tracks on Philip Island. First around Churchill Island and then through some bush and wetland reserves. I find something wonderful about riding these tracks. No cars removes a latent tension and the speed of travel is, I think, right. The drawback compared to walking is that I need to make a conscious decision to stop for an image that draws me. I delight in the sensations of the experience.

 The next day or so we rode the Great Southern Bike Trail we rode, but I had 2 flat tyres and had to hitch a lift back to Leongatha to collect the car to collect the bikes. 

 The bike trail had an interruption that we didn't expect, but I'd already had a flat tyre and it turned quickly into 2 so we turned back.

 Once there was lots and timber and trestle bridges were everywhere.

Just Before the rain

I had to start the pump after fixing the line. As I walked down to the water hole the threatened rain began. Hiding in the pump house till the rain finished would have meant an interminable wait and pumps don't sound so good. So back through the rain checking for leaks.

At Play

Watching TV and keeping my hands busy and finding that I've lost the plot of the show.

Melange

 I hit I'm feeling lucky in Picasa on this photo and the sunset became very red, but I like it.

A few more increments of Agara.

I'm still working on Aeysha and I think closer to delight.

In the Middle of Agara

I'm working my way through Agara. A painting came from the Op shop, which I've gessoed over and now to see where I end up.

Tullycavan in spring warmth

A warm spring day at Tullycavan with Arion and Adrian who are on holidays.

Music in the Wind

Athena and I spend yesterday at a retreat Music in the Wind at the Abbey on Raymond Island. Fay Magee and Digby Hannah led us through a day of singing and listening. To begin the day we awoke to exquisite weather. It was the last day of winter. The whole day was sunny and warm with no breeze so that we spent some of our time outside listening to the music of the environment. We had to leave after tea and drove home through a gentle night down the headlights long corridors of light. Keeping our eyes peeled for wildlife living with no care.

If your feeling more meditative perhaps?

Agapito begun

After Friday's playing with the water colour, yesterday I really wanted to apply some of the things that I felt about those paintings in egg tempera. So on Saturday I got this done on Agapito. I am on a little high each time I look at it. No doubt it will suggest things to me that may or may not be  felicitatious, but it has a life that is vibrant - sings to me. So for the moment I feel delight.

Minding the Arts Hub

I rode to the Arts Hub  in wind and rain; nearly blown off the road. 6 hours of minding, therefore I brought dads old water colour set and a sketch pad to have some playing. I found the water colour delightful.

Kookaburras

Wildlife seen at Tullycavan has been interesting. In the early morning sunshine two sleek kookaburras sitting on fence posts. Later while stoking a fire, a wallaby hops out of the bracken and away. Three moorhens emerge from the bracken and eat their way across the grass.

Agapi 'finished'

I could keep tweaking, but I want to move on to something else.

An increment on Agapi

An increment of Agapi. Now I need to get the ground to behave; with more colour tweaking. 

Agapi

I was thinking about what I wanted to paint and my thoughts drifted to Richard Diebenkorn whose Ocean Park paintings were the ones that had attracted me to abstract painting. His inspiration has always been somewhere within my painting. I've often been trying to find a way to what I find delightful in his work and of applying it in a way that satisfies me. Agapi is a fresh step in that direction and this evening it looks and feels hopeful.

More Fire

We've been at Tullycavan and burned a pile of trees. Fire has such a seductive pleasure. I had to leave it to its own devices when cold showers came through. Now the huge pile has been reduced.

More of Aeysha and ?

 Still searching for delight within Aeysha. I'm getting closer.

Very dilute light red to warm the ground.

Afifa and Aeysha

Today I spent the day in the studio. Fortunately I'm happy with where each of the paintings is at the moment.

A bit more work on Aeysha and Afifa

 Still working through this Aeysha. I'm reasonably hopeful.

Don't know where this will go.