Artyfox

Teneriffe Festival, Saturday 3rd July!!

2010-07-02T06:03:00.002+10:00

Sister Act!

Come and say Hello to my sis Anne and I at the Teneriffe Street Festival, 8am until 8pm Vernon Terrace, Teneriffe. We are art stall / site number 6, corner of Ethel St, it's sure to be a fun community day!

Stillness

2010-06-06T19:39:00.001+10:00

We must be still and still moving
T.S. Elliot

Bubbles of Joy

2010-05-29T13:01:00.007+10:00

I just couldn't resist posting these absolutely delightful pics of Lola Belle... the gorgeous daughter of one of my lovely friends from London days, who now lives in Mid Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. I just felt so joyous when she sent me these pics she had taken of her daughter - thank you Helen, it made my day!

Banx Art Exhibition

2010-05-06T16:23:00.002+10:00

Don't forget to pop in to the Banx Art Exhibition if you get the chance 12th until 21st May Central Plaza One, 345 Queen Street, Brisbane (during Office hours).

Moffat Rocks!

2010-03-25T16:07:00.003+10:00

I just love this pic taken on my mobile phone's camera of "Rock Star" (!) Banx standing on the jagged rock pools at Moffat Beach last weekend.. We took time out from furnishing the little beach pad to get back to Nature.. the waves were about 4 metres high, the weather was dramatic and thunderous and it somehow brought back many childhood memories of spending hours at rock pools at the seaside, time just slipping away, imagination running wild as to whom or what lived in each little salty pool. The strata of the rocks is fascinating, years and years of water wearing away stone, producing a stunning natural slate floor! Soon enough it was time to get back to assembling flat pack bedside tables and we had to tear ourselves away....

Langkawi

2010-03-15T20:47:00.003+10:00

We have just returned from an idyllic week's holiday in beautiful Langkawi, Malaysia... aaaah! sheer bliss! We have actually been a few times before, the only place we return to frequently in all of our travels.. not sure why - we just 'click' with the place - the people are gentle and don't hassle you to buy things you don't need or want; the weather is amazing (bordering on a tad too hot!); the Indian Ocean is wonderfully warm to swim in; the food is absolutely delicious (especially for my curry-and chilli-aholic partner!; the pace is relaxing to the point where we just STOP! As Banx says, we go on holidays to DO NOTHING and we do it very well! What is always amazing is that a day can pass so quickly doing nothing! Time evaporates when one's own natural body clock and body rhythm kicks in - eating when we feel hungry rather than by the clock (watches, along with shoes are confiscated in the Villa on day one anyway, to be replaced with swimming togs, sarongs and flip-flops!).. whether to eat, nap, swim, or read become the biggest choices of the day.. ah! we never take holidays for granted! Enjoying the "now" is paramount..

Caloundra

2010-03-02T12:13:00.004+10:00

As we strolled towards Bulcock Beach early on Sunday morning in search of coffee and breky, I was reminded of one of my favourite poets, Emily Bulcock. Her poetry is so visually stumulating, she was prolific, her love of the region easily recognisable in so many of her poems. What a wonderful woman too..kind and generous of spirit and very helpful on a practical level to young writers and children.. Below is an excerpt of one of my favourites of hers entitled simply 'Caloundra', it makes me see the place through new eyes..

She has dawns of wonder, and flaming sunsets!
When soft strange lights on the waters lie.
I have no words to paint the marvel
Of opal colours of sea and sky,
When the ocean chants to the day "Good-bye,"
'Ere back of Beerwah the last rays die!
The weird Glasshouses catch the glow,
Then dark with mantling purples grow!

If a painter stood at the gates of Heaven,
And caught the gleam of the streets of pearl,
Then, as they opened, glimpsed the vision
In the radiant eyes of some ransomed girl,
Watching the banners of beauty unfurl:-
He then might picture with artist hand
These rare rich colours on sea and land!

Art does more than just hang around on walls...

2010-02-24T06:53:00.003+10:00

"You can start the day in a rush...or by looking at your favourite art book.." This quote comes out of one of my fave books called "Sensual Home" by Ilse Crawford, that I picked up in London over ten years ago.. her sentiments reign supreme even today.. Ilse's book is all about creative energy, creating balance harmony and space in the home and the spirit...and choosing special art pieces that you love, intuitively not rationally, I love it! What our beach bungalow currently lacks in furniture it makes up for in artworks, including Banx originals and also some from my own personal collection by my favourite female artists like Anne McLeay, collage artist Anne Foster and a Samoan artist friend Ruta. Another friend in Canada is hand making an exquisite quilt for us. Not to mention Peter Hardie's award winning photography of flippers too (how lucky he is my brother!). Our bungalow will be an artisan's haven. Even the dining table we are currently scrubbing back in the studio for the bungalow was once an artist's and a potter's table. I love every one of its scratches and marks, it tells a story. Artists create things that excite our senses, they dig deep into our psyche's and unlock something personal within us, and how wonderful to bring this to everyday life! The rest of the furniture can take a back seat - I want to sit on my temporary fold up chair in our new space and just keep staring at the sensational art that surrounds us! (This painting is called Medley by Banx).

Dive Right In!

2010-02-12T18:46:00.003+10:00

We got the keys! We have a stunning beautiful little beach bungalow at Moffat Beach on the stunning Sunshine Coast about one hour north of Brisbane - proud new house owners of a little place in a magical part of the world, where the sea glistens and they make the best soy cappucino's I think I have ever tasted!... and it's all ours. It is just too exciting for words! It's furniture-less, but who cares, the main thing is it will have a few beautiful select Banx original artworks (along with a card table and fold up chairs, after all, we had to get our priorities right!) We have been looking for such a long time, but wow! this has been worth the wait.. stay tuned for some pics as our beach project progresses from dream to reality..PS This pic is a Banx original that I just love, first painting to be hung in the new little pad called 'Dive Right In'... what a great lesson in Life.. just Dive Right In!! We did! I can thoroughly recommend it!

Rainy Days

2010-02-01T09:26:00.004+10:00

How wonderful to have heavy rain again in Brisbane! Last night my girlfriends and I were all set to go to Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Moonlight Cinema at New Farm Park, but alas! it BUCKETED down and we had to "make do" with a good bottle of red in a cosy booth at Vespa Pizza cafe instead, a crazy fun night, especially when it came time to leave - we were reminded of that wonderful final Audrey Hepburn scene in the pouring rain when she finds and holds the pussy cat.. Love this poem below about rain, and of course I LOVE this rainy pic that artist Banx took on our trip to Paris last October, looking out our Paris flat window.

The Rain by William Henry Davies
I hear leaves drinking rain;
I hear rich leaves on top
Giving the poor beneath
Drop after drop;
'Tis a sweet noise to hear
These green leaves drinking near.

And when the Sun comes out,
After this Rain shall stop,
A wondrous Light will fill
Each dark, round drop;
I hope the Sun shines bright;
'Twill be a lovely sight.

The Boys

2010-01-29T06:29:00.002+10:00

How lucky are we... although we don't have a pet, we have a 'share' dog.. my niece's gorgeous black labrador Rocky comes over to stay and play most Wednesdays if we're free of client appointments. Rocky's a hit wherever he goes; he's even had a starring role on the Channel 10 weather report in the past; everyone loves him wherever you take him and Banx is no exception. Banx and Rocky are best mates and obsessed with each other. It's like they have some secret code language, half dog half man language, sometimes it's just in the wink of an eye, I've seen it! Last Wednesday was one of our hottest days on record in Brisbane so Banx took Rocky to the Brisbane River for a swim and cooling off, these pics are the results, love the shaking off water one! Aren't dogs and pets just the best therapy if you're feeling a bit flat, they take you out of yourself - Rocky keeps everyone thoroughly entertained with his antics!

The Simplicity of the Beach

2010-01-18T13:28:00.005+10:00

I love the simplicity of the beach more than almost anything in the world (besides chocolate). Remember when we were little and someone said 'Come on, we're off to the beach', and all you needed to grab were your togs and a towel and if Mum could catch me as I flew out the door, a splash of sunscreen on the nose.... well now it's half an hour preparation time just to walk across the road to the surf! Check list.. sunscreen? hat? towel? extra t-shirt? thongs? book? spare change? mobile phone? spare undies? keys? beach umbrella? chair? By the time we collapse on the sand these days, groaning under the weight of the beach bag and its items, the sun is almost setting ha! well, not quite.. Even packing for my glorious week with Mum and sis at Coolum last week was bigger than Ben Hur. I have travelled and worked around the world with small suitcases, but last week needed our mini van to take everyone's "stuff" to Clubb Coolum!! And you know what... MOST, no in fact, nearly ALL of it remained untouched... books unread, CDs not played; DVDs unwatched (no TV watched at all); unfinished art pieces still not finished.. no jewellery worn; no make up put on for the entire week; no pretty flouncy dresses worn out at night (way too over-dressed), we three just sat mesmerised by the ocean view right across from our balcony (see pics above from our balcony) listening to the loud crashing waves.. we were literally drowning in the ocean's chant.. absolute sheer bliss! Who needs all that STUFF! I have to remember this as we start to excitedly decorate our new little beach bungalow at Moffat Beach.. the KIS principle.. Keep It Simple! A true escape from the mind clutter of our daily lives.. want a sneak preview of our bungalow's website.. www.moffatbeachbungalow.com Stay tuned!

Moffat Beach Barefoot Bungalow, Sunshine Coast, Queensland

2010-01-09T05:47:00.003+10:00

This is it! Moffat Beach Barefoot Bungalow!!! On the stunning Sunshine Coast about one hour north of Brisbane, this will be our barefoot escape from the urban jungle, we can't wait!

Show and Tell

2010-01-07T07:30:00.006+10:00

What did we do over Christmas.. well we had a wonderful family Christmas lunch, then we escaped to the coolness and serenity of Seaview Farm Retreat up at Mt Tamborine, sheer bliss, where the only visitors were the friendly kookaburras and alpacas (one alpaca was called Jamie... Jamie Paca of course!) and the view from our private deck was spectacular - the full length of the Gold Coast's distant shimmering lights could even be seen from our spa bath too! Local wine from Witches Falls winery completed the getaway, not to mention all the delish local produce.
But there is just one other thing we did over the Christmas break too.... mmmm, veeeeeery exciting, we bought a beach bungalow at Moffat Beach! Stay tuned....as it will be available for holiday lettings - it's GORGEOUS!

The Most Beautiful Gift

2010-01-05T20:04:00.003+10:00

I received the most beautiful gift ever this Christmas - a miniature original painting by artist Banx of my most favourite bookshop in the world... the Shakespeare Book Company in Paris - a wonderful surprise Christmas gift and one that will be treasured forever.. soooo many happy memories and hours spent exploring that bookshop and neighbourhood of Paree!

Christmas Dress

2009-12-19T07:01:00.002+10:00

Mmmmmm, what to wear on Christmas Day? This looks wonderful I think.... by Banx of course!

Bright Star

2009-12-08T06:41:00.003+10:00

My favourite film director of all time is Jane Campion, and combined with my love of poetry, I was completely blown away by her new film Bright Star about the poet John Keats (played by Ben Whishaw) and his intense relationship with neighbour Fanny Brawne (played by the brilliant and talented Abbie Cornish). As the Guardian newspaper in the UK so aptly states: 'it is a subtle yet measured film'. Campion's strength is her ability to allow femininity and sensitivity permeate the film without sentimentality - not unlike her film The Piano in that respect, in my opinion.

The film is truly about romantic love, on so many different levels entwined in the restrictions of that era when one of our greatest Romantic Poets of all time dies at age 25 thinking he is a failure, unable to marry his One True Love, due to lack of income, ill health and other insurmountable challenges. One of my favourite scenes in the film is the trapped butterflies scene.

Campion has a fantastic website of production notes and photographs (including those I have added to this Blog today) www.brightstarthemovie.com
I especially love Ben Whishaw's notes (pictured above) from the film set.

How beautiful is this poem after which the film is named:

BRIGHT STAR

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death.

John Keats

...and apparently Fanny Brawne was known to wander Hampstead Heath for years after Keats' death hours at a time well into the night and she never took off his engagement ring. True unfulfilled romantic love...tragic and beautiful.

Friendship

2009-12-02T13:48:00.003+10:00

For some reason Christmastime makes me stop, pause and reflect with gratitude the people who help to make my Life so fortunate, so diverse, so unpredictable, spontaneous, creative and wonderful. I am so lucky to have such inspirational, beautiful and varied friendships. The other night on the tele they showed different species of animals that have formed inexplicably close bonds that even over-ride instinct - the crow and the kitten in the US; the lioness and the baby gazelle, the elephant and the dog - maybe we can all learn from them about overcoming judgements and prejudices?

I was so inspired to read recently that a woman recently decided not to celebrate her birthday in the usual way - instead she spent the day in gratitude and rang or wrote or spoke directly to everyone that she believed had made a difference to, or touched her life in some special way..

I love this poem by Ron Carnell:

Treasures

It's so hard to find the perfect breeze,
One blowing none too hard nor soft,
Carrying a scent of wild flowers,
And moving clouds about aloft.

It's so hard to find the perfect sky,
One blue and deep and bright,
Carrying a sense of openness
With geese and wrens in flight.

It's so hard to find the perfect night,
One warm, quiet and unflawed,
Carrying a mood of solitude,
And a closeness to our God.

Yet no perfection's so hard to find
As that which you extend
And none I'll ever treasure more,
Than to simply be your friend.

Two Loves

2009-12-01T06:53:00.002+10:00

I definitely have Two Great Loves... I wonder if that means I have a split personality? I LOVE Paris and all that European culture has to offer but I also LOVE Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland... could you get more polar opposites? In October we were walking ten hours every day in the City of Lights and last weekend we were swimming in the Pacific Ocean, feeling sand between our toes (and everywhere else!)and wanting to live at the beach forever! Mmmm, now there's a thought.. 6 months France... 6 months Coolum... I will work on that one!

Purple Pepper Antiques

2009-11-22T20:58:00.003+10:00

On Saturday morning my sister and I visited my very good friend Karen's new antiques business Purple Pepper Antiques inside the Woolloongabba Antique Centre on Wellington Road, the Gabba. What a wonderful place this is - a treasure trove of history, glam, vintage wares, you name it. Karen has just started her wonderful business with drive, determination and most of all passion for all things with a 'story'. To quote Karen:
"Time travel is a reality at Purple Pepper Antiques and Art, a Victorian gold bangle, a silver soup ladle, an etched glass bowl from 1910, an art deco print of a Parisian girl, a Crown Devon bowl and a Royal Doulton plate are willing to tell their story and transport you to another time. Who used to own them? Where have they been? What changes have they seen? How did they survive one or even two world wars?"
Armed with imagination and curiousity, I thoroughly recommend a visit to Purple Pepper Antiques, Shop 52 at the Woolloongabba Antique Centre, which is not your usual dusty, musty, smelly old bric-a-brac centre - far far far from it - it is owned and run by two really funky young sisters and their fresh youthful energy and exuberance permeates the aisles.. plus the retro cafe serves great coffee and friandes!!

Judy's Garden

2009-11-13T06:44:00.004+10:00

....and speaking of gardens, one of the most magnificent gardens we saw on our recent travels overseas was Judy's garden (Banx's Mum) in picturesque Jersey in the Channel Islands, about half way between UK and France. They have lived there for many years and Judy has created from scratch the most gorgeous rambling creative wonderful garden. Some days I would just sit and stare at her creation. So many of the flowering plants and shrubs are ones we cannot grow in Australia due to climate or soil, so that made it extra special. Many different birds come to nest in her garden each year along with certain types of bees, you name it. Judy is extremely environmentally conscious and "green" long before her time and nothing is wasted.. water is carried in buckets from grey water used the night before in the household; and the household scraps are saved for Judy's compost - but most of all what goes in to her garden is her love and passion - it shows with the variety of colours and smells as I wound my way down the winding little inlets and paths each morning for my beach front walk. Judy's creativity was something we could all share that holiday.

Grandad's Garden

2009-11-06T16:30:00.002+10:00

Local Yeronga best selling author Brian Andrew has written a wonderful children's picture book that artist "Banx", has beautifully illustrated. You can order the book on line. It is a beautiful book and is about inner values and learning these by taking a walk with Grandad through his very tropical Queensland garden. Eg the Think and Thank seat for values of gratitude, the Let Go Log for forgiveness and the Dream Table for generosity. Here is the website link to have a stickybeak. Price is good value at $19.95 (especially as a Christmas gift idea) and aimed at 3-8 year olds, even a bit older, maybe we can all benefit about learning values of selflessness in today’s world: www.grandadsgarden.com.au

A Match Made in Heaven!

2009-11-03T19:54:00.004+10:00

Vintage Vintage Everywhere!! Vintage is taking over the world! All over Paris vintage was the 'new black'... we stumbled across vintage clothing and furniture markets constantly - check out the gorgeous divine and very cooool vintage soft "foot stools" (pictured at Canal St Martin vintage markets, Paris)! And now it's come to Brissie too! On Sunday afternoon 15th November, one of my sister's friends "Carmel" is staging a vintage fashion parade at Brisbane City Hall like Brisbane has never experienced before! Amaaaaazing vintage fashions from French fashion houses, Australian fashion houses, some never worn (due to a 70s wharfies strike at the time), all of gallery and museum quality! Carmel is donating proceeds to an extremely worthy cause, the Children's Cancer Council, for all details please see www.a match made in heaven.com.au and tickets can be booked through QTIX I can't wait!!!!!

French Chic, French Chicks

2009-10-28T07:29:00.002+10:00

We absolutely LOVED observing the French women's innate style on the streets of Paris. Street fashion is as fascinating as that displayed in the exclusive shop windows of the boulevards. The way these chic young women just "throw" something together and it SO works! By the way, yes, this gorgeous young woman COULD actually walk in these shoes, we waited to see!

Rendezvous with Rodin

2009-10-25T14:04:00.003+10:00

One of the highlights (one of many!) for us in Paris recently was visiting Rodin's sculpture gardens. Stunning gardens, magnificent sculptures by one of the world's most talented masters. One of the facts that remained with me when we tore ourselves away from this beautiful environment was that Rodin married his life-long companion, Rose Beuret, in the last year of both of their lives... how interesting is that.

A Date with Paris!

2009-10-19T05:28:00.002+10:00

I have never walked so much in my entire life as we have done so in Paris in the last week! 7 hours yesterday! Naturally there are frequent coffee stops to boost the meanderings. We left the apartment and took a route down the most incredible cobbled streets of amazing cheese shops, next to gorgeous patisseries.. You name it, I could have eaten it! One of my favourites was a stunning florist called 'Happy'! I had researched the ancient passageway arcades before leaving Oz so we headed through new fab neighbourhoods to explore those, they are a wow! Tiny exquisite shops specialising in all sorts of goodies from contemporary Art to ancient maps, the specialty shops we just loved in these arcades included a wooden cane walking stick shop, a shop selling gramophones, a cotton reel shop, and a shop selling everything you need for dolls houses, all beneath these amazing arcaded ceilings. We stopped in the passageway specialising in food, of course, for lunch (rabbit) and glass of rose wine, more sustenance before culture over load set in ha! Very funny moment at 1 point, we asked a suited gentleman to confirm a street and he replied 'I dunno luv I'm from the Gold Coast here on a conference!' We all roared laughing! When we emerged from these amazing arcades we were suddenly in the trendiest area ever! My fave shop in that neighbourhood was a stylised black shop selling only white orchids and also a baby clothes shop called 'Not so Big' . The hairdressers in these groovy parts all look like 21st century night clubs. No matter where you go in Paris every bar, cafe, brasserie, restaurant is constantly buzzing! Our body clocks have completely re-set themselves too - we ate at 1030pm after seeing the divine Paris Opera ballet 'Giselle' and had to wait for table. Needless to say that the Paris Opera House left me breathless, especially Chagall's painted ceilings! A completely full house at the ballet too - with even pull-down aisle seats. I would hate to imagine if someone called out fire! And wow are Parisians in to their ballet or what! Such an enthusiastic crowd with men in dinner suits calling out bravo after each pirouette, fantastic! Home to our gorgeous rented flat in the Anvers district (9th arrondissement) after dinner and guess what, from the lounge we can see the very top tip of the Eiffel tower! The night markets set up tomorrow night outside our apartment, more food temptations to come! Saturday night we are heading to the famous Buddha Bar and Sun is lunch in St Germain at Coco and Co with my dear Parisian girlfriend. Apparently Coco and Co is set up like a farm as they specialise in eggs! Mind you brunch is at 3pm! Rodin's sculpture gardens today as we ran out of time yesterday, oh boy when am I going to shop??! panic! This trip is all about discovering new neighbourhoods moment by moment... ah!

Art Swap!

2009-09-22T15:40:00.003+10:00

Wahoo! The Racecourse Road Ascot street festival last Sunday was a screaming success and so much fun! Eccentric creative street performers with birds nests for heads; alternative bands, yummy food and of course amazing art stalls!! Thank you if you popped in to say Hi and buy, we really appreciated it. It was a scorcher of a day with a nice cool breeze by the afternoon. Brisbane sure knows how to put on a good street party in "Spring". My artistic sis Anne and I decided to swap a piece of each other's artwork at the end of the day, a great idea among artists and friends. I immediately knew which was my fave piece of hers: a piece entitled What's It All About (you'll see why when you see the pic), inspired by her urban overseas travels to New York and London in the past... and funnily enough she knew she wanted my PARIS painting (also pictured here). We both now get to enjoy each other's creativity every day. And of course soon we'll be in Paree, can't wait for more creative inspiration from the City of Lights and Love!!

Street Party!

2009-09-06T13:25:00.003+10:00

Come along and say Hi to my arty sis Annie and I at our art market stall at this year's Racecourse Road (Ascot) street festival as part of the Brisbane Festival - it runs from 10am until 5pm on Sunday 20th September and it's a blast! Street performers, fab food, amazing music not to mention great art (!) - fun for the whole family! Hope to see you there!

Vive Le France!

2009-08-11T07:09:00.005+10:00

I am very excited, I start my one-on-one hourly French lessons this Sunday at Cafe Bouquiniste, in preparation for our upcoming visit to Paree! I'm definitely still a beginner despite 5 years of one-on-one lessons in London when we lived there, and having our gorgeous little house in the Languedoc-Rousillon village of Villerouge-Termenes for 7 years! Not to mention all of those French films I record on SBS ha! Unless you were born in France or a French-speaking region of the world, maybe you're always a beginner? Even then, as with any language, it must still be difficult to pick up on those little nuances, sayings, figures of speech, and connotations that only a local would know, but that's what makes it so much fun over there!

I received the most beautiful pics via email today from my Irish friend Ian, who was our neighbour in Villerouge-Termenes - he truly is a Masterchef (he still makes the BEST cassoulet I have ever tasted!!) and superb host, and the house he is renovating in the village is looking superb (he got married there last year too). Anyway this is a photograph of a corner of one of the rooms in his beautiful house, isn't it just SO French, the simplicity made me just take a deep breath and remember all of those absolutely wonderful memories we shared there in that beautiful little village in France... aaaaaaaaah! Ian is an amazing talented muralist and extremely talented trompe l'oieil artist in London and has worked for the likes of Saudi Princes, Hollywood actors, you name it - you HAVE to check out his incredible work on his website www.ianharper.com (pics courtest of Ian Harper). Bonjour Villerouge-Termenes, I will be back one day!

Molly

2009-07-26T13:04:00.006+10:00

Very full on week with hangings (!) and Banx's art exhibition in the City. One of the newspapers featured his very large Banjo Paterson 10 dollar bill. What blew me away with Banx's research was finding out about Mary Reiby (aka Molly) who features on the front of our 20 dollar note. What an amazing inspirational woman she was and I am ashamed to say I had never heard of her let alone realised why she is on the face of our twenty dollar bill! She was sent to the colonies as a convict for having stolen a horse and it was the best thing that ever happened to her! She married well, but when her husband pre-deceased her, she went on to raise seven children and continue his shipping and property interests in Australia, becoming one of our Nation's wealthiest and most successful business women who devoted much of her time in later life to major charities. GO GIRL!

Angelic Weekend!

2009-07-20T14:33:00.003+10:00

HOw lucky am I ! I 'partnered' my best girl friend to a "famil" at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove on Friday and Saturday - pure luxury and indulgence and a stunning Hotel with second to none customer service (we were treated like royalty!) and elegant understated opulence. And the if that wasn't enough of a treat, my girlfriend then had two tickets to see the opening night of the musical CATS and tix to the after show party to meet the cast! What talented young dancers and entertainers, and we got home after midnight - a rare occurrence these days ha! And then to top off a perfect weekend, I was invited by my sis to an Angel Party, it was an afternoon of fun laughter creativity eccentricity dancing chocolate cake on Royal Doulton chinaware and pure unadulterated feminine pleasure! Ah! Don't we all deserve weekends like this more often! Banx had his own fun left to his own devices which involved Rugny, curry and Boys movies. So everyone was happy. It's all systems go now for the opening of his solo art exhibition in the city on Wednesday.

Kids & Creativity!

2009-07-11T08:01:00.003+10:00

Who was that famous person who once said "Never work with kids or animals" ha! Well we did both two days running this week - we dog-sat my niece's GORGEOUS and mischievous black labrador ROCKY and then yesterday, had a Kids Art Day in the backyard - we have never had so much fun in two days! wow kids and animals are so spontaneous and naturally creative! Sir Ken Robinson is one of my fave mentors on kids and creativity (check out his website)and yesterday I have never seen 3 such focussed creative kids In The Zone, aged 7, 9 and 13 - famous artists in the making and masterpieces produced yesterday, but most of all we had fun in the sunshine!

Off the Wall Banx Art Exhibition

2009-07-07T06:57:00.002+10:00

We are gearing up for artist Banx's forthcoming contemporary Art Exhibition "Off the Wall" in the Foyer of Central Plaza One, 345 Queen Street, Brisbane city, 22-31 July...all systems go at the mo!

Mad Men, Mad Women and Vintage Fashions

2009-06-26T14:09:00.001+10:00

Mad Men, Mad Women and Vintage Fashion
It never takes long once you start to watch an American TV drama series to become hooked… and we have.. on the award-winning Mad Men on SBS Thursday nights. I must admit though I am as fascinated by the props, set design, and most of all the vintage sixties fashions as I am by the storyline and changing social mores of the main characters. Set in Madison Avenue, Manhattan at the fictional chain-smoking sexist advertising agency Sterling Cooper, the show revolves around Don Draper the creative director and everyone that passes in and out of his life.
I adore the dresses the female actors wear throughout the series. I have always loved vintage fashions..(and of course now wish my Mum had kept all of her clothes!). Tonight I am off with a girlfriend who collects antiques to a Vintage Fashion Fair at Davies Park, West End, always fun to fossick amongst the frivolity of the fifties!

Hanging Around

2009-06-23T13:43:00.002+10:00

It's been a busy cuppla weeks of non-stop hangings, both Corporate and private individuals adding to their eclectic collections. Meanwhile artist Banx has been interviewed on the radio about his upcoming art exhibition in the City (345 Queen St) 22-31 July, and getting on with all of the illustrations for our client's new children's book, expected to be out by Christmas. It's a beautiful story - so watch this space!!

Bath Time

2009-06-13T14:51:00.004+10:00

Why does a very early morning bath filled with bubbles, scented oils and one glowing fragrant candle feel soooo decadent and sooooo luxuriously good?! Not sure, but that is exactly what I indulged in early this morning. It's amazing what creative thoughts I seem to have at that hour; what world problems I seem to solve; and what inventions I seem to come up with at that hour, that seem a tad ridiculous in the cold hard light of day hours later ha! It was chilly in Brissie this morning and the steam from the hot bath combined with the wafting candle scents was a heady combination. A dear girlfriend of mine the other asked me what my favourite saying/ piece of wisdom is (as she is collecting them in one of those old fashioned autograph books we all had as kids)and I immediately thought of: 'To Thine Own Self, Be True'... and that was what my bath was all about this morning, being true to the inner girlie inside me and enjoying every solitary moment. I think that is why I love Degas' series of 'bathing' paintings - he somehow captured the intimacy and sheer enjoyment of bathing. I just had to include this pic of one of the funkiest baths I have ever seen - UK clothing designer Selina Blow's bathroom in her UK house, how fab! And the gorgeous painting is by artist Banx, see his blog sometime too, www.artbanx.blogspot.com or his website www.banx.com.au....Mmmmm must almost be time for another soothing bath. There are so many different types of baths: relaxing after a day's work; soothing after a run/exercise; to get clean, romantic with another, or like mine - for pure selfish decadence when no one's awake!

Tapping into Creativity

2009-06-09T14:48:00.001+10:00

If only there was a tap we could turn on for creativity when we really needed it! Well this morning I tried a different way of tapping into the right-side of my brain… a NIA Class. It was so much fun. NIA is a holistic fitness practice that allows you to discover new, creative ways of moving. As an ex-ballet dancer and teacher of fourteen years, I have been searching over the years for something that isn’t aerobics or pilates. NIA combines free dance, with yoga and a bit of martial arts movement and healing philosophy thrown in for good measure. What was most fun was the laughter, the sense of community and self-expression in a totally non-threatening environment – all to really groovy uplifting world music. I could just let myself go! It literally is the ‘joy of movement’..you know, the kind of dancing you do in your own lounge room while you’re vacuuming. Julia Cameron in her book about creativity The Sound of Paper believes we should do morning pages/journal; morning walks and takes ourselves out on dates – I’d like to add dancing with ourselves to that list!! Remember how unrestrained we felt as kids, well that’s how I felt for an hour this morning.
(Photo courtesy of NIA Australia website).

Tree Change

2009-06-07T17:16:00.002+10:00

On Saturday we headed off to the Scenic Rim, a stunning day for our ‘tree change’ weekend. We drove all the ‘back roads’, the roads less travelled, and stopped at historical Harrisville, home to pioneer female filmmakers at the turn of last century. The thing that strikes me immediately as we leave the city behind is being able to ‘breathe’ again – yes, literally breathe! The air is crisp, fresh and so unpolluted, and we could tell the birds loved it too as they chirp louder! Whip birds, bell birds, hard to imagine that 20 million years ago this was the centre of a volcano. We arrived at Boonah and had a sensational dinner at Vue Restaurant in front of the fire: huge king prawns and barramundi by a very talented chef. Today after an early morning dramatic thunderstorm, we headed off to Queen Mary Falls via Spring Creek café. Sometimes two days away in the country feels like two weeks holiday.

The Alleyway

2009-05-30T11:18:00.004+10:00

'Rosemary' by Peter Hardie

We live in the inner city of Brisbane, in a very creatively vibrant, urban eclectic ‘Hood’. Our funny cottage which also houses our gallery is a very ‘old lady’ indeed, one of the original houses built in the 1930s by Italian immigrants who first settled in this area of Brisbane. We call the house a crooked old lady as our back lounge-room floor is literally at a slant! But ‘she’ has character that’s for sure! Underneath serves as Banx’s studio and on one of the concrete stumps under the house are the height measurements of every growing child who has once lived in the house, measurements from the 60s and 70s. The house backs onto an old alleyway. In days gone by, the outside loo man would bring his truck down the alleyway and change the sawdust etc (!) in all of the outside ‘dunnies’. Today when I stand on our back landing overlooking the alleyway I have witnessed the most extraordinary sights over the past four years we have lived here… you name it, we’ve seen it happening in that alleyway. It’s like a parallel universe that alleyway! This morning was no exception… bizarre but hilarious.. yes, three large garden gnomes, strategically placed overnight on the side garden beds on the alleyway. I LOVE the mysterious underground movement that is ‘Gnomes’! I loved them in the film Amelie… and several years ago, when my niece and her partner went to live in London, they snuck my Mother’s (her Grandmother’s) gnome off her front steps into their suitcases without her knowing and took him overseas with them. He sent ‘Nana’ postcards and pics from all over the world of his travels.. he even had his own email address! I just know when we wake up tomorrow those gnomes won’t be there anymore…. Mystery, and magic and the eccentric bizarre – the world needs more of it! This gorgeous photo of a Gnome is by my fab photographer brother Peter Hardie, check out his website sometime!

Tour of Duty

2009-05-29T16:28:00.002+10:00

Today we toured a massive building site that is about one to two months away from completion. Once the project is completed, in various stages, artworks, installations, glass art, you name it, will be required inside the building. We were invited to take a tour for photos and measurements in order to put our proposal together, what I hadn’t bet on was having to change into a hard hat (that kept slipping off my head!); huge work boots, about four sizes too big (I resembled a cross between an eccentric bag lady and Minnie Mouse!) and a very (!) fashionable fluro vest.. wow did I look a sight. Banx took these sneaky pics when I wasn’t looking! To say I am not accustomed to noisy dirty dusty building sites would be an understatement! If someone had given me a dustpan and broom at that point I would have started sweeping up that dusty mess straight away and that’s really saying something as I’m not a Domestic Goddess by any stretch of the imagination… so stay tuned for the “after” pics in a few month’s time….

A Good Cause

2009-05-28T16:59:00.005+10:00

Last night Banx and a lot of other Qld artists participated in the Cerebral Palsy yearly art auction. It is an extremely worthwhile cause for such a debilitating disease. The target this year was $45,000 – which is the money needed to support one child with cerebral palsy for one year. Artists are invited to donate and exhibit an artwork. The fund raisers at Cerebral Palsy work tirelessly all year making sure the evening is a success; the auctioneer donates his time and expertise; everyone pulls together behind the scenes.

The theme was ‘Colours of Queensland’ and there were stunning works all available for sale. Deputy Lord Mayor David Hinchliffe’s; Elisabeth Lawrence’s; and Cooper Wilson’s originals were just a few of my favourites. Previous year’s creative themes have included ‘The Doors’ (artists painted on old doors)… “Window of Opportunity” (old windows installed and painted on – see pic above); and “River City”, the fond nickname for Brissie The money raised helps go towards much needed equipment for sufferers. It is always difficult choosing which charities to support, there are so many deserving ones desperately needing funds or efforts.

When Banx and I visited Sri Lanka in 2003, where he was born and raised, I particularly wanted to visit Nuwara Eliya SOS Children’s Village. We went there and I met “Durga”, just a little bub standing up in her cot at the time. She and her two sisters had been left abandoned in a community hall by the parents who couldn’t afford to feed or look after them anymore, and now they live in the wonderful SOS Children’s Village, attend school and are growing up with a beautiful house mother. Each year I receive a photograph, it’s lovely watching her grow up.

Art is Good for Your Health!

2009-05-23T12:17:00.001+10:00

Yesterday we hung art at a very long-standing client’s premises… a hospital! They have been renting contemporary abstract art from us for a few years now and every three months, we change it over for them, for a whole fresh new look. It’s always fun for those in the medical suites choosing the new art as everyone has a different viewpoint, a real conversation starter and distraction from their everyday working lives, but it made me realise just how good looking at great art is for your health. There are lots of studies on the internet backing this up. Apparently looking at art lowers your blood pressure and stress levels, and one particular study in the UK found that participants’ saliva cortisol levels (the best indicator of stress) reduced by 32% after they spent their lunch hour viewing art. Cortisol is a very important hormone in our bodies but excess amounts can be very detrimental. And let’s face it, everyone these days seems to suffer from some form of stress in their working lives. We actually live in our gallery, surrounded by many, many pieces of amazing gorgeous constantly changing artworks, all originals, painted by around thirty extremely talented creative individuals, so we really have no excuse for high stress levels in our household!!

Rainy Day

2009-05-20T11:31:00.001+10:00

Rainy Nights
by Irene Thompson

I like the town on rainy nights
When everything is wet -
When all the town has magic lights
And streets of shining jet!

When all the rain about the town
Is like a looking-glass,
And all the lights are upside-down
Below me as I pass.

In all the pools are velvet skies,
And down the dazzling street
A fairy city gleams and lies
In beauty at my feet.

It's A Sign of the Times

2009-05-18T06:57:00.003+10:00

I just love these signs down by the river in my neighbourhood,they make me giggle each morning as I walk by

Funny Face

2009-05-13T15:57:00.001+10:00

Besides being one of my favourite Audrey Hepburn films, I actually saw the funniest face this morning on my morning walk… a Boston Terrier! How cute are they… it reminded me of the funny dogs we met on our travels through Brittany over a year ago, here are a few funny French faces, finishing with two of my favourite Aussie dogs, Rocky (otherwise known as Rock Star!) and artist Banx’s creation: Lady McBark, isn’t she a right regal hound!

A Big Bowl of Happiness!

2009-05-12T10:19:00.003+10:00

It really made me smile last Sunday (Mother’s Day!) when I read in the Brisbane Sunday Mail that Queenslanders are officially the “happiest” residents in Australia – all that great sunshine; fantastic beaches close by; enviable standard of living and relaxed lifestyle etc. It was interesting to read how they rated Aussies, and what questions they asked everyone to ascertain this statistic, things like: percentage of people who laugh every day; percentage who give or receive hugs; percentage who watch sunrises and sunsets; percentage who send thank you notes and emails (definitely a lost art!); percentage who swam in the ocean each week….. BUT this one was my favourite:
Percentage of homes in Australia who have ice-cream in the fridge!!! Tehee, and Queenslanders won hands down, or should I say, spoons down!
Gotta dash now, off to buy some chocolate ice-cream – apparently it’s very good for my psychological state of mind!
The best quote I heard recently was when a husband sat down and asked his wife ‘When are you happiest?’ and she replied ‘When my mind and my body are in the same room’… loved that! Being present in the moment and finding joy in the moment..

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T07:25:00.004+10:00

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the beautiful Mums out there - especially my own!
(Photo courtesy of Peter Hardie).

Pearls of Wisdom

2009-05-07T12:31:00.002+10:00

I went and heard my beautiful inspirational friend Moira Andrew talk today, and she suggested we can actually turn little ‘irritations’ that we come across in our lives daily, into ‘pearls’ – that’s in fact how pearls start out, as gritty irritations. My favourite pearls are those worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s!

Happiness

2009-05-06T17:23:00.004+10:00

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be".
(Abraham Lincoln)

Jump for Joy

2009-05-05T13:11:00.002+10:00

It’s the start of the working week after a long weekend, yippee! Australia is known as being the Land of Long Weekends – but we should embrace the working week ahead too. This joyful original painting by my artist sis Anne McLeay reminds me of one of my fave ads on TV at the mo is the ‘Un-worry’ series, cooking on the Barbie 5 nights a week instead of two… and all those other suggestions someone once sent around in an email eons ago, like using your best chinaware and crystal glasses every day not just on special occasions.. wearing your best silk lingerie and French perfume under your business attire to that meeting.. maybe that way we’ll embrace Monday’s and Tuesday’s like Saturday’s and Sunday’s, anyway here’s that email, an oldie but a goodie worth repeating:

"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion.

Now I read more and clean less.

I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.

I spend more time with my family, and less at work.

I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through. I no longer keep anything. I use crystal glasses every day... I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it…

I don't save my special perfume for special occasions; I use it whenever I want to. The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now.

Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives… And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day…

Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.

Ponderings

2009-05-04T20:39:00.004+10:00

How can I know what I think till I see what I say? EM Forster

(photograph: Peter Hardie)

A Grain of Sand

2009-05-03T21:10:00.007+10:00

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

This beautiful poem by William Blake epitomises the two days my partner, artist Banx, and my best friend and I just experienced at sensational Kingscliff, just over the Queensland/NSW border on the NSW coast. How ironic, that this weekend is our ‘Labour Day’ long weekend, and yet we all completely chilled, and relaxed, and I even purchased a pair of shoes from the I Love Billy range called Laziness!

The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the 8 hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest (thank you Wikipedia!) – and this weekend we figured we’d better ‘celebrate’ the rest and recreation part! Once again ‘merci’ and gratitude come to mind – only the weekend before we had attended the very moving ANZAC Day dawn service at the Eternal Flame memorial in Brisbane; saying the biggest thank you’s of our lives to those who helped make Australia a free and wonderful county to live in - to cherish every day of our lives. This weekend it’s thank you to our hard-working forefathers, who fought so valiantly for our worker’s rights, all those workplace "given's" we now take for granted that make our lives more tolerable and balanced.. but also, this weekend it is ‘merci’ for wonderful friends, grains of sand that stick between my toes as I walk along Kingscliff Beach, funny dogs on the beach chasing shadows, the beautiful sunset beach wedding I witnessed early evening under a hot pink sky (who could ask for a better start to married life!), and eggs sunny side up this morning at Salt Village as the crashing crescendo of the ocean echoed in the background… ah! Sheer bliss…eternity in an hour..
PS The stunning black and white surfer image is another by my talented Brissie photographer brother Peter Hardie, check out his website for more great surfing images Down Under!
http://www.pbase.com/pshardie/sun_n_surf
The other two we photographed at Fingal Head not far from Kingscliff, well worth a visit!

Beauty and the Beasts

2009-05-02T07:33:00.003+10:00

Last night we watched a fascinating documentary on SBS all about the amazing, beautiful, talented Brigitte Bardot (I love the way the French pronounce her name ‘Bree-geet’). What a strong-minded, passionate woman. Hailed as a sex siren in the 50s and 60s and hounded by the paparazzi, which ultimately caused her demise, she retired from the entertainment industry in 1973 to establish herself as an animal welfare activist. Her animal refuge in Normandy now looks after horses once destined for the abattoir because their body parts are used as aphrodisiacs in Asia, stray cats, and at 75 with two walking sticks BB still travels to Canada to push her campaign against baby harp seal slaughter, and to Romania to prevent the torture of dancing bears. Her life and her experiences, her loves and losses are now etched on her face but her true beauty remains steadfast on the inside. My favourite story on last night’s doco was her ex-husband buying back his whopping diamond engagement ring at one of her auctions to establish her animal foundation. His bid set up the foundation - now that is true love and respect. Thank goodness for people like ‘BB” as she was once known. It makes me think of new pop sensation BB lookalike, Duffy’s song, ‘Mercy’. Mercy on those animals, and ‘merci’ Brigitte for your wonderful animal-saving deeds! For more information on the Brigitte Bardot Foundation see http://www.fondationbrigittebardot.fr (the site is in 36 languages!)

Bonjour, Autumn!

2009-05-01T10:48:00.007+10:00

The 1st of May, and it’s now officially the last month of Autumn! I love the crisp Autumn mornings in Brissie, 25 degrees and sunny, how lucky are we - I remember when I lived in London for nearly 7 years and some of our summers over there never even reached these temperatures. There is just something about the change of seasons I adore, nature taking its course, reminding us that life begins and ends and begins again, not to mention being able to ‘rug’ up with hats and coats and boots and scarves…This beautiful Autumnal leaf photograph was taken by my very good friend Craig Holloway whom I knew when we lived in Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Craig now lives back in his hometown of Ballarat, Victoria and runs his photography business ArtFocus from there – his stunning photography can be seen on his website: www.artfocus.net.au or on his own blog: click66.blogspot.com

I take a morning river walk every morning around our local ‘Hood’, (the black and white pic above was taken by Banx over Easter in Abbott Street, New Farm just down the road from us here, one of our favourite streets in the neighbourhood), and each morning my reward is a cappuccino at a different café. One of my favourite cafes is ‘Bonjour Patisserie’ at 876 Brunswick Street run by Francis and Elvira. Francis is one of the most passionate people I have ever met. He starts works at midnight each evening, baking his delicious works of art fresh each day. We know, because we wake up to the delicious smells wafting through our window, talk about subliminal advertising! Ha!

Francis is a fully trained, experienced French pastry chef hailing from Paris and his artistic mouth-watering temptations are nearly all gluten free. His tiramisu dessert cake and his petit-fours are to die for, and would definitely be on my “last meal” wish list 

Julia Cameron, one of my favourite authors on creativity, says in her book ‘The Sound of Paper’ there are three things we must try to do every day to get those creative juices flowing: one is morning walks; another is journal (or blog!) writing; and another is taking ourselves out on dates/ romancing ourselves… I figure I do this most mornings!  Enjoy Autumn! Mmmm which café tomorrow morning..?

But wait, there's more!

2009-04-30T12:37:00.002+10:00

And here's Peter's winning finalist entries in the previous Churchie's, I Lean (2008) and Fish Lane (2006) - you might recognise Fish Lane cafe at West End and I Lean was taken during kerbside pick-up at New Farm!

FLUID is a Finalist!

2009-04-30T11:32:00.011+10:00

CONGRATULATIONS Peter Hardie!!

What wonderful news, my brother, a brilliant photographer is one of the finalists in this year’s National emerging art award The Churchie Emerging Art competition! CONGRATULATIONS Peter! He is one of the 98 finalists (including painters, photographers, sculptors, filmmakers) selected from 850 submissions. His entry 'FLUID' is pictured above, and in his own words:

“The shot was taken at the exit stairway to the Sistine Chapel complex in Rome late last year. I had already packed my camera gear away, thinking there would be nothing else to photograph, and then these stairs appeared. The action of visitors leaving down these stairs reminded me of fluid running down a sink plughole. It caught everyone’s attention as they exited the complex”.

This is his 3rd time as a finalist in the Churchie in 4 years! GO PETER! Winners are announced at a gala cocktail evening on Friday 29th May, for more details visit: www.churchieemergingart.com and for more wonderful photography by Peter Hardie, see: http://www.pbase.com/pshardie and stay tuned for more of his stunning pics on my blog, coming soon! One of my favourites is his pic of the flippers! 

Cherished moments, Friendship, and Ice-cream

2009-04-29T11:25:00.002+10:00

Isn’t it wonderful, I never got to see the film last night! J My girlfriend and I met up beforehand for a glass of wine and tapas at the lovely breezy spot where all the cruise ships dock, and we got onto our very favourite topic “Paris” and travels, and time slipped away and the film was completely forgotten. How I cherish such moments, nothing quite beats girlie chats after a busy working day. The film can wait! We have known each other since kindergarten days, so there’s always a lot to ‘workshop’! Naturally we couldn’t beat finishing off the night by taking home some delicious chocolate and crème brulee gelati! We are both lucky enough to be visiting Paris later in the year, so I was reminded of my absolutely favourite ice cream shop on Ile St Louis, the little island in the centre of Paris behind Notre Dame. The queues for their delish flavours, even in the depth of winter, extend far down the little cobbled street, but the dark chocolate (chocolat noir) and mango (mangue) flavours are my favourites. To sit and slurp one of these while 17^th century gargoyles look down menacingly from ancient buildings above, artistic performers busk on the bridge opposite, and chic Parisians rush past on their way to some fabulous long luncheon appointment, is to truly feel romantically ‘frozen’ in an era gone by. As one of my favourite authors and artists ‘Sark’ philosophises: Life is all about seeking out and exploring pleasure, lightly scooping it up and ultimately, getting lost in it.. “Let’s magnify our pleasures together, no matter what else is happening in our lives” (from her book Eat Mangoes Naked by Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) see www.planetsark.com for more of her amazing inspirational and uplifting musings and drawings.

Some time in the distant future I will visit the Ile Saint Louis ice cream café every week for a year (when I run away to France) J I do so already in my daydreams!

If, like me, you plan to run away to France at some stage in your life too, be sure to read the entertaining article published on the www.holidaygoddess.com website written by Jane de Teliga. Many of my favourite books by Aussie authors living in the City of Lights cover the subject too: like A Town Like Paris by Bryce Corbett; The Accidental Renovator by Barbara Biggs and the stunningly beautiful At My French Table by chef extraordinaire Jane Webster.

Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? (Mary Oliver, poet, 1935 - )

My First Time!

2009-04-28T16:38:00.003+10:00

Well how exciting is this, my first time 'blogging' :-) Welcome to my blog, I hope to create lots interest in the arts and travel and following your creative passions. I will officially start my blog tomorrow as I am dashing off to follow one of my passions now - film - I am off to see a new Australian film with a friend called Closed for Winter - I'll let you know what I think of it!