The Latest News

Here's my newest painting--still in progress. I'm thinking of calling "Be Still My Heart" as it's from a photo of my sister who was killed in a car accident in Nice, France, at the age of 25. She was a gorgeous and talented girl and we all miss her dearly. And she was very beautiful, in appearance and in spirit. If you have any alternative suggestions for a title let me know at elaine@ElaineWatts.com. And, just a reminder, that I'll be closing this blog down very soon in favour of the blog on my website, so if you want to sign up for my mailing list there (www.ElaineWatts.com) I'll send out my blogs to you as I post them.

The other photo is of my "booth" at the Maple Ridge Art in the Park Show. Saturday was glorious, sun (after so long in Vancouver we'd almost forgotten it!), a beautiful temperature, and I stretched my paintings outside the gazebo for everyone to enjoy. Sunday, however, was a different story! After being lulled into complacency by Saturday's weather AND the current forecast, I set up everything as per the day before. About 11:30, it proceeded to rain and EVERYTHING had to go back under the roof--and quickly! There it sat for the rest of the afternoon, which did brighten up about 3 pm but not enough to risk moving everything again!

Still, I sold 2 originals and could have sold 3--the middle painting on the right side was sold Saturday and on Sunday someone else came back to buy it. Sorry she waited! That's happened to me a few times--people have liked something, then phoned the next day, and the painting they liked is gone. If I knew ahead of time I'd paint doubles!

The other news I have is that "Reaching for a Star", the silk mermaid, has been professionally scanned at My Art Channel and is available to be printed, any size (well, I think they limit out at about 10 feet across), onto quality art paper or even canvas. Contact me for quotes if you like the painting. It can be viewed on my own website or, you can see some more of my paintings at my mini-website at www.ElaineWatts.MyArtChannel.com . There's the potential for yet another blog for me on that site too, but I think I'll stick with the one on my own website (with supplements here, to transition, for the summer). All the technology & time involved with websites and keeping them updated is rather daunting to a techno-peasant like me at times, but I'm getting used to it!

Off to the show!

It was a fantastic weekend in Maple Ridge--well, at least Saturday was spectacular, it did rain for almost an hour Sunday. Everyone enjoyed themselves and I was most pleased to sell 2 paintings and a bit disappointed with the sales of cards and lists and magic books. Still, it was good to be out there with people and I am almost out of business cards. Just in time to order some new ones with my new address on them!

Speaking of which, I've started to test the blog facility on my website and am now going to transition this blog over to "the other side", that being, http://www.elainewatts.com/ . So, go on over there, and let me know what you think! I'm taking comments, suggestions, and ideas for improving the site, and would love it if anyone out there could teach me more about "driving traffic" to it. Also wondering about your thoughts on adding MORE paintings to the site, versus keeping it to the current level of about 20. How much more of my art would you like to see on-line? Of course, you could come and see it in reality if you're in Vancouver...just let me know!
That's all for now, any branding or marketing geniuses out there?? (Not that I always listen--sometimes the fairies have me distracted!)

The Latest News!!!

My new website is up & running! There'll be a few tweaks & I'm happy to take suggestions, and you can access it at...ta da...! http://www.ElaineWatts.com .
At some point I'll likely be moving this blog over to the website--I'll let you know when that happens. I was so happy to find an easy way to get a website that I can upload images to and maintain myself, and that has some options for presentation, but not too many for a rookie webmeister like myself. Hope you like it too!
And don't forget to come and see me this weekend in Maple Ridge, Art in the Park, 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday. The link is also on my website and the last posting.
Ask the fairies to give us a good weekend (weather & sales wise!)!

Working away in the world

Just a quick note to update you all today as I'm working hard on a couple of projects over the next week or so. Today I'll be doing a trial run of setting up my new gazebo tent on the patio (photo on the left) to make sure

a) all the pieces are there and

b) I know how to do it

in preparation for my first show of the year next weekend in Maple Ridge. Lots of other tasks go along with getting ready--I've got stacks of matting and packaging to do for my newer paintings (wouldn't I be happy if I sold 20 paintings next weekend??) and getting all my magic books and cards and lists and pricetags organized in one spot, ready to load in the truck.

At the same time, I've been working on my soon-to-be-released website. My favourite instructor, Faith Love Robertson, has a website that I liked & when I asked her about it she told me it was created for her by some cousins who now offer a website service for artists. Their company is called Artsites.ca and it is simple enough for me to build my own website using their templates, and to update regularly.

I now have my trial site up & running & I'm playing around with the format. The plan is to have it published by next weekend so I can tell people the address at the show (and tell you, on the blog--which, by the way, will be moving over to the website very soon, too!) New business cards will be necessary, both for the website and for yet another email (or two) that will be included with the website. And, the possibility of linking up with Paypal to sell my reproductions directly on-line is included with this package so I'm really happy about that!

So, come and see me at the show next weekend, in Maple Ridge. The details are at www.ArtintheParkMapleRidge.com . I have a painting and my profile on their website too. Hope to see you there!

What's next?

Finally I've downloaded some of my photos from the last 6 months and have put them up. Hope you enjoy the paintings. The autumn leaves are falling in Australia and the irises are out in BC so I thought they were both seasonal--depending on where you are! The other photos I will likely use as reference material for future paintings.
And the Inukshuk is a painting from the Kettle Valley that I have entered into the Calona Wine Artist Series label competition. It's about time I had another painting on a wine label so I'm anxiously waiting to hear about the success of my entries! And the portrait of the baby is my cousin's youngest--little Mikey from Australia. I'd like to play a little more with portraits. This was originally intended to be a sketch but I got into it and decided to add a little colour.

I'm back in the saddle again and trying to "ride" (read: blog) regularly. Part of it is for you, part of it is for me, to track what I'm up to, and keep myself organized about what I have accomplished regarding my art particularly.

This week I'm starting to extend invitations and put posters up for my next show--Art in the Park in Maple Ridge, June 12 and 13. You can see my art and profile on their website, http://www.artintheparkmapleridge.com/ and do come out & see me there!

I'm also finalizing my application for Minnekhada Art in the Park in August, and have started to look at getting a website up. Along with that goes organizing all my art, packaging it, pricing it, getting my magic books set up along with greeting cards into envelopes for the first sale. And I'm waiting to hear about my entry for a juried Christmas sale in Coquitlam in December. They seem a little uneasy about having artists in it but I think my calendar and cards will go over quite well, and selling paintings will be a bonus.

That's it for today's blog--I'll see you next week, I hope!

.

Starting up again...

Well, it's been a bit of a break since I last posted. Part of that time was just taking a break, part of it seemed so busy that there was no time to post! I've been getting my year forward planned--what juried shows I'm entering, and entering them, researching website possibilities, doing a little bit of painting and even a printing class at the local art gallery, as well as entering some paintings for an art label contest for Calona Wines. So I feel like I'm back into my art, finally, after a bit of a respite doing things that you have to do around the house, gardens, organizing vehicles to buy & sell, all that daily living stuff that I was away from for 4 months. That plus two family get-togethers--one uncle passed away and another turned 90 so catching up with lots of cousins at both of those events. And don't forget all my wonderful friends and all the lunches we have together, faery hunting in my back yard, and my exercise routine--there's barely time for painting once you factor all of the above into the equation!

I still haven't got my photos organized from my trip down under but have put a couple up with this post for your viewing pleasure. The first two are from a Quadra Island birthday party trip, and then there's a painting I did of Atlin Lake in NE BC a few years ago, along with a reminder of a favourite Australia beach with a cousin, and a painting I did last year of an Inukshuk and entered into the wine label competition, as it was built along a bike path in the hills near the winery (Kettle Valley Trail).

So, that's a bit about what I've been up to, the fairies haven't whisked me away yet but I can feel them enchanting me in my back yard. There's a lot going on out there and all the plants are up high enough that there are many hiding spots for magical creatures as well as birds and bees. I'm inspired to do some paintings of my back yard, where I find peace and quiet and a bit of a breather from the busyness of city life.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

My visit with the fairies

(fake though they are--they're my 2 nieces back in Vancouver actually!). And here I am, back in rainy Burnaby, waiting for the real fairies to arrive at my niece's house. They have a beautiful garden designed by their mother, but they are moving to a new home in 2 1/2 months. By the state of that garden, I'm sure my sister Phyllis' talents will be well-used. Hopefully some fairies will arrive in their new garden which we hope the fairies will enjoy. (That's a direct quote from the 9-year old niece Shanelle). I'll be sure to post some photos of them when I can catch them on camera.
There have been no outside fairy sightings since I got back from Australia 3 1/2 weeks ago--I've been quite sick with a bad cough & little energy after I got over the jet lag. Besides which, it's raining and cool outside so they might still be down south working on their tans. Shanelle says the fairies usually sleep under the snow and Maya (6) adds that they make a hole in the snow when the snow falls. Or maybe you, my readers, have some other ideas about where fairies go when it's cold, or even have some stories about seeing them or talking to them, or maybe some photos!
Maybe in the summertime we can go to my nieces' new house and take pictures of any fairies or evidence of fairies that is there. That's Shanelle talking, so you can see that there will be more fairy stories coming up. Phyllis says they're going to make a fairy-friendly garden, and one that welcomes butterflies, birdies and especially hummingbirds. Stay tuned! I'll put some photos on the next time.

South Australia photos

Here's a few photos from South Australia--except for the first one which is from our 4WD tour in the Blue Mountains--a roadside cave we were looking at when we heard a lyre bird calling. The guide recognized it because after its initial call the lyre bird imitates all the other birds around--kookaburras, lorikeets, cockatoos, the warble of the magpie--all in sequence. Marvellous to hear, and amazing when you think about it. The lyre birds are very shy so although we trekked down the road to try to see it it quickly headed through the brush and over the hill.

The other photos are from Port Elliot--the bird and seal-covered rocks in the bay, and an old building in Strathalbyn, the Black Chook (chicken) brand winery in McLaren Vale (sorry, the black chooks got lost a bit in the intense shade!), and a beautiful old gum tree at sunset in Gawler.

Now the last week of my Aussie Walkabout is on and it's a time for reflection. Soon I'll be back in North America and settling into my other life. As I get older I find I need the spaces for transition to be more conscious and they take more time...or is that just all in my mind?

I'm gearing myself up for the long journey and the 19 hour time change. Of course, I wouldn't want to get up any earlier each day although that is the recommended plan! I am so lucky I don't have to get right back to work as some people do. Loving my sleep as I do, the life of leisure suits me very well! I had a great day painting on Sunday and will squeeze in some more before I pack up all my painting gear later in the week.

I'm also hoping to hear my cousin's daughter Bec Watts and her partner Seb play at an RSPCA benefit on Sunday night. She's an amazing singer and they are great as a jazz/blues duo, so squeezing that event in would be wonderful.

And then, on to the rest of the year! One of my goals is to get a website up and running so I've been picking some people's brains and looking for ways to get started, on my own and in a professional and creative manner. If you have any suggestions for me drop a line--and soon! I have some time this week to do some research. I'm very much a rookie at this, starting with the terminology.

Getting the right key-words in is important, I understand, for the search engines to find you. Choosing them alone is an adventure! Should I go out on a limb and include "magic" and "fairies"? Or stay traditional and focus on "watercolour", "watercolor", "ärt", "painting", "landscapes", and the like? How do I incorporate this blog into the website? How to get my art images out there without risking Asian knockoffs? How do I make it visually stunning and encourage return traffic? All the technical stuff is learning in itself, so if you have advice let me know.

Until we meet again, take care.

The last 3 weeks

It feels like I've been a long time on the road! My friend Laurie flew into Sydney on February 9 and we spent a few days exploring my favourite spots, then headed to the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves (first photo) for 4 days. Returning to Sydney overnight, we then packed up the car and headed south...front wheels complaining all the way. I had the car looked at quickly before we left Sydney and the mechanic said we could make it all the way to Melbourne but drive carefullly, especially around corners, as the front rod and bearing was worn. So, we started on the way--Bundeena, Kiama (the lighthouse photo), Jervis Bay where we saw dolphins and kayaked, South Durras near Bateman's Bay where we again saw dolphins and kayaked, and Narooma where we saw a huge fur seal and Australia Rock (can you tell which photo that is?) By the time we got to Merimbula I was getting worried about the car but couldn't find anyone to look at it again quickly so we cautiously pushed on to Lakes Entrance (calmest waters at the Entrance I've ever seen--there's another photo!) and Melbourne without going off the road too far. It was a little disappointing as I'd hoped to show Laurie a few more spots.

As it turned out we made it safely into Melbourne (and little Molly Mazda into the shop) just in time to unpack, sleep and get up early for flights out the next day. Laurie went to Sydney and a cousin and I flew to Adelaide to explore South Australia for a week and see some other cousins there. We got in early and rented a car, stopping at Glenelg Beach, one of the prestigious Adelaide beach suburbs, on the way south to the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Port Elliot is absolutely gorgeous and we spent two nights there. Horseshoe Bay (not the one in Vancouver!) is beautiful and there are so many lovely historic bluestone and limestone buildings from the 1800s there. I always enjoy it--the sea is the most gorgeous colour. I did a couple of sketches there so might use them for further inspiration.

Then we went to another historic South Australian town, Gawler, between Adelaide and the Barossa Valley. Caught up with another cousin for a bbq, he lives at Maslin Beach which was the first nude beach declared in Australia. I brought my swimmers (as they call bathing suits down here) but we didn't go to the beach!

The next day was a trip to 3 wineries in the Barossa (and affiliated tastings, of course!) and a bit of a drive round the area. I love all the beautiful big gum trees around Adelaide. It's so dry there I can't believe the trees grow so big, but they do. The ground is mostly bare of grass in lots of spots, but the trees shade it nicely and we really lucked out on the weather--it wasn't too hot or cold and the breezes, especially the sea breezes, were just right. It can easily reach 35 or 40 degrees in the area this time of year, so I was happy to have it easy.

And now, I'm back in Melbourne, happy to be in one spot for almost 2 weeks until I return. There's lots of cousins, an aunt and uncle to catch up with, and my job is to organize my papers and possessions and Molly (Mazda) as to what to leave and what to pack to return home with. I'd also like to get a bit of painting in!! I've been quite slack, so much time on the road seems to slide by without a painting day. I do have a commitment to sketch a cousin's new baby before I leave, and spend another day painting with another one.

My days here are winding down and I can hardly wait to get home! And to see my husband again! I really missed him the last 2 weeks on the road, and it was great to talk to him on the phone after the Canadian hockey team won the Olympic gold! I thought of Vancouver a lot as we caught glimpses of the Games on TV while travelling. It was a very exciting period for Canada, and despite the tragic start it all seemed to flow smoothly afterwards.

I'll see about getting another post and some more photos before I leave, now that I have access to a computer and time. Hope you like this little travel journal!

Last week in Sydney

Sorry, haven't taken many photos this last week.  However I still have had lots of fun!  How could you not, in beautiful weather in gorgeous Sydney...when you're on the countdown for how many days you actually have left before heading south!

After a very rainy week I had a last visit with British cousins on the Central Coast (including seeing the Australian Watercolour Institute show at the Gosford Regional Art Gallery--which was excellent.  I guess I should be acting on joining that Institute plus their equivalent in Canada--if I'm serious about being a world-class artist it would be a smart move to have juried membership in two countries now wouldn't it?)

Then on Tuesday morning I picked up an old friend (and coach) from Vancouver & we set out to enjoy some of my favourite spots around--Camp Cove, South Head Lighthouse and then when she crashed (as you do, after that long flight) I joined friends for this year's last Open Air Cinema on Sydney Harbour for "Bright Star" which was a fantastic movie about the poet Keats.  Yesterday we got up, headed for Manly and walked the promenade there down to Shelly Beach and had a snorkle, lunch at the place that Nicole Kidman got married to Keith Urban, and drove up the Northern Beaches to Whale Beach for a splendid birthday dinner for another friend.  And today, my first kayak on Sydney's Middle Harbour with a lesson from Laurie who is an experienced sea kayaker who does 10 day wilderness trips kayaking every year, from Mexico to the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  Fantastic, and we're intending to do it again tomorrow morning, along with a walk along Sydney Harbour and hopefully another swim in the ocean to round off the day!

Needless to say I've been too busy to paint or even sketch, except for one day when I practised my ink and watercolour technique which has created some lovely gum trees, on producing rocks.  I might need a little more practise, however the initial results were quite pleasing.

And we'll need to get packed up in 2 days to head for the Blue Mountains for a 4 day stay, before returning to Sydney and organizing all of our possessions for the journey south to Melbourne.  I can feel the time ebbing away here and want to make the most of it.

That said, I might not be posting for a couple of weeks because of all the travels but stay tuned for more adventures!  (Hopefully there won't be any shark incidents but we are wanting to see dolphins while kayaking in Jervis Bay on the way down the coast!)

Enjoy whatever you're doing in life--until we meet again!

French Masterpieces in the National Gallery, Canberra

It's been a while since my last post and that's because I took a couple of side trips over the last two weeks.  As well as visiting Taronga Zoo and sketching the giraffes with their gorgeous view of Sydney Harbour, I spent two days in Canberra with my wonderful Sydney hostess Di having a fantastic time (as usual with her--she spots fairies everywhere!).  

We stopped in the Southern Highland town of Mittagong for lunch and art-viewing at the Sturt Gallery, then noticed, upon arrival in Canberra, a 6 pm jazz concert in the National Botanic Gardens which we were just in time for!  No worries about being early to find parking or a spot on the lawn in Canberra, we just rocked up, past the giant kangaroos on the lawn, and found thousands of happy families enjoying the evening.  Some of the little girls were dressed up with fairy wings and flowing skirts so I spent most of the concert trying to quickly sketch them as they ran by playing.  Fairies don't stay still very long, that's for sure!  It was quite magical, with all the gum trees, people picnicking on the lawns, music floating through the air, as dusk approached.

What to do after that but find dinner and I was delighted to finally find an outstanding Szechuan restaurant that served their special spicy green beans in Australia.  Of course, you have to go to Canberra to get them!!  

And the next day, the exhibition of mostly French impressionists & post-impressionists from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris was stunning.  One Degas, 2 Monets, 5 Van Goghs including the spectacular Starry Night painting which I've never seen before, and lots of Cezanne, Pisarro, Bonnard, and many other lesser known (to me) artists showing the change of painting over a few decades.  Every time I walked by Starry Night I almost cried, it was so beautiful and sparkling with colour, even after 120 years.  We spent the whole day in the National Gallery, although we had a quick tour of the National Portrait Gallery on the way out.  I suppose Ottawa and its museums and galleries must be a lot like Canberra so I suppose I should put that on my bucket list too so I can compare.  And maybe some day I'll have my paintings exhibited in both of those places....dreaming a little bit there!

Back to Sydney (emu spotting en route, by the way!) where yesterday we went to see the Australian ex-pat artist Rupert C. W. Bunny, who was the first and best-known in Paris of any Australian artist during the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Lovely light and beautiful women wearing flowing clothing, as well as reflections of la Belle Epoque life of Paris, filled his work. Well curated and worth seeing!

I'm now getting ready for a Vancouver friend to arrive next week--we'll spend some time together hiking and kayaking around the Sydney and Blue Mountains area before taking the beautiful coastal route down towards Melbourne.  Can I fit some painting in?  So much to do, so little time!!

Next posting I'll put some photos up, I promise!

Settling into Sydney life

In some kind of order, here's 3 photos of Sydney including Freshwater Beach and one with Queenscliff with Manly Beach in the background--one of my favourite swimming spots!  The second last is a painting I did of the poinciana trees hanging over the road in Buderim, Queensland, when I first arrived here in November.  The last one is, as seasoned travellers will already recognize, Venice--a painting with ink that I did at the course last week.  

I've been really enjoying Sydney over the years that I've been coming to Australia and now I've got a good amount of time in January to enjoy some of the wonderful Sydney Festival activities.  

On Friday night we saw Circus Oz which is a wonderful Australian version of Cirque du Soleil, and last night after a bit of thunder, lightning, rain, wind and hail we sat at the Domaine and watched the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as the heat wave passed by.  For the next few days there's showers and storms and not much sun predicted so that'll be good for my painting time! 

I'm also planning a trip to Canberra to see the Impressionist Exhibition from the Musee d'Orsay so that might be as quickly as this weekend.  The National Gallery is the only place in Australia hosting this tour so I'm really looking forward to seeing some originals of my favourite artists like Monet, Degas, Renoir and van Gogh.  All that & catching up with some British cousins who have flown in for a 6 week vacation with their daughter's family on the beautiful Central Coast, one hour north of Sydney.  And not to forget some visits to my wonderful friend Skye who lives at Terrigal & will keep some time open for me while she's impatiently awaiting her new baby in February.  And celebrating another birthday later in the week!

Tuesday (Australia Day) I celebrate the 2nd anniversary of becoming an Australian.  I was sworn in on a warm morning in Melbourne and remember it very well--thinking, can I be loyal and swear allegiance to 2 countries, and what does that mean about my birthplace, Canada, if I do so?  And I am still in awe of the privilege of being a citizen of the two best countries in the world!  There's no conflict in my mind or heart about it at all!

That's all the news for now, I'll see you again when I have more to say!

"The Road'...trip

No, it wasn't anything like that!!  Really!!  (For 

those who have, like I, just seen the grim movie "The Road" at the Open Air Cinema on Sydney Harbour, or elsewhere!)

My trip to Bellingen was wonderful, the course was great, & I was happy to have completed almost 15 paintings during the week, with inspiration for more.   Camp Creative, as the arts week is called, is an annual event sponsored by some very talented people in their own rights--patrons include classical pianist David Helfgott (whose life was the inspiration for  the movie "Shine" about 20 years ago) & best-selling author Bryce Courtenay.  I was privileged this week to see & hear both of them on 2 occasions during the week and was blown away by both of them.

The photos above are, in order, a post-card sized painting I did last year of  The Promised Land, a lovely area with a beautiful creek (Never-Never Creek, I believe it's called) running through it, near Bellingen, then a couple of Australian scenes I painted at the class, followed by a lovely green frog that is resident in my cousins'  power box on Mitchell Island, and a view of the Bellinger River towards Bellingen.  New South Wales is very  green and lush this year, at least the coastal areas, and it's a joy to drive through.  Even with my rose-tinted sunglasses, which tone down the green and enhance the reds, it's stunningly beautiful right now.

Many of the paintings we did this week were of European cities--Paris, Venice, Rome and a town in Scotland--which was an interesting and classy way to teach us and good preparation for my next trip to Europe.  Maybe I'll be showing my paintings in Paris some day.  I certainly plan to spend some time in Italy when my Sydney friend Di rents a villa in Tuscany there for 6 months sometime in the near future!

But, back to Australia--let's stay in the present moment for a while, shall we?  Well, a bit more of the past first--as on the way back here I stopped in at Umina Beach to see my cousin's husband there playing with his band, Stonefish, at the Patonga pub on Saturday night.  Were they ever amazing--so professional & great music!  They had all the crowd dancing until almost closing time with their 3 encores and the blend of covers from the 60s to 90s--rock, blues and funk.  I'm hoping to see them again before I leave--I think they have a gig at the Ocean Beach pub in Umina late February so will try to work that into my schedule.  I have really enjoyed all the talented musicians I've seen in the family over the last 12 months and am wondering how to start up with an instrument again myself.  They all have such fun playing together--Canada, US, Melbourne and the Central Coast.  Hmmm, food for further development.

Now I'm back in Sydney and intending to get back into some routine for a few weeks at least--including swimming, painting, writing and blogging--depending on what the weather brings each day.  So, since today is an absolutely gorgeous Sydney day & it's after 3 pm, I think I might head off to the beach to renew my acquaintance.  See you soon!

A Magic Fairy Garden, among other things!

Just a quick post before I head off to Bellingen for Camp Creative, a summer arts school, where I'll spend the next week painting away, creating mood with watercolour.  Thought you might enjoy some of the fairy sightings that greeted me when I finally arrived in Sydney--a magical place for most.  

And the first photo is just a joke, of course, although I have been swimming in both Sydney Harbour (outside any nets) & on the Northern Beaches--my favourite ocean beaches, with names like Curl Curl, Dee Why (who invented that name?  I haven't found the story out yet), Freshwater (otherwise affectionately nicknamed "Freshie", or called Harbord), and of course the famous Manly and Shelly Beach. There are many Shelly Beaches along the Australian coast & when I finally asked "who's the "Shelly" that so many beaches are named after?", was informed, after some sideways looks, that they are beaches with a shell base, instead of sand.  

I had totally forgotten that the Aussies are great for calling things as they see them, eg, "Toilets" not the poncy "washrooms" or "restrooms" as we North Americans are fond of saying, as well as various kinds of gum according to their bark:  red, white, blue, ghost, spotted, paperbark, blood (for the red blood-like sap that weeps out from wounds in the bark), and squiggly-bark (for the squiggles made by some kind of worm trapped under the bark which show when the bark is shed annually.)  

You might wonder what this all has to do with art so I'll loosely say that I have full intentions of painting lots of these specimens very soon!  I have some more photo reference material for an upcoming lighthouse series of paintings, including the lovely and historic lighthouse at the South Head where we walked and swam yesterday.

So, onward & northward I head tomorrow.  Hope your year has started off well and I'll fill you in on my travels when I return to Sydney in 10 days!

Starting the New Year off with a bang!

What a great way to start the year--New Year's Eve at Bradley's Head on Sydney Harbour, from noon until 1 am.  An all-day picnic, swim in the harbour (no sharks, lots & LOTS of boats--see the photo of my little beach below!) & amazing fireworks to end the event.  

One of the highlights was an 11:45 pm procession of fairy kayaks--kayaks covered with fairy lights and circulating just below us in the harbour.  Absolutely beautiful and sorry I didn't capture them with my camera.  Fantastic Sydney friends who always know the best places to enjoy this beautiful city!

Unfortunately it was a sad ending to the year, with the passing of my mom's oldest sister, 92, on December 27.  I can count at least 8 friends and family and friends of family or family of friends (mostly parents) who passed in the last 6 months, and they are missed by all who knew them.  It makes you realize how precious time is with people, and not only older people, when there are so many losses in such a short time.  I hope 2010 will be better in that regard.  I suppose none of us are getting any younger and so in that sense we are all closer to death, or whatever world comes next, depending on your beliefs.  And in this westernized world we live in there is definitely a resistance to death, talking about death, thinking about death, preparing for death.  My aunt was definitely preparing the last while and had expressed her wishes in that regard.  And she held to them.  And for the family, although she didn't want a memorial, there was a party held in her honour yesterday which I missed, being overseas.  I hope it all went well and no ghosts showed up!

On the positive side of the ledger, I arrived in Sydney to a beautiful garden filled with fairies!!  I was so pleased to have finally found a magical place waiting for me!  There were even fairies waiting in the house for me, one of which was a wishing fairy, to make a wish on the full moon--which happened the night of my arrival.  Next post I'll have some photos for you of the garden, and now I've worked out my camera fireworks settings I can probably capture some of the fairy lights at night too!

As for today, I'm continuing my love affair with Sydney.  I've been to Barrenjoey lighthouse, had a swim at Palm Beach before a storm, a dip at Shelly Beach at the south end of Manly, and a walk at Curl Curl...and today it's heading to the Botanic Gardens for a walk and swim with friends.  Loving my life down under!  Stay tuned for more photos.  Too bad I can only post 5 at a time!