I have a secret for you. There is no such thing as “good” art. There’s only art that is good for you. Today.And the art that is good for you today, may not suit tomorrow. In the 30 something years I’ve spent as a full-time artist, I’ve had opportunities to write and speak about many…
As artists many of are very good at being inside getting better at what we do. This article gives us a chance to think of easy ways to extend our practice to include others.
Dawn is an excellent time to ponder the great problems of the world. Making tea over a camp fire, at dawn, mid-winter, during an off-grid painting trip, adds more layers to the experience. Also, read why Christine included this version of the words. It might surprise you.
As the pandemic and its strictures became less, suddenly the world that had been put on hold needed to get going again. Not as easy as it sounds…
Rural roads get Christine to her place of work. Places. Places on the beaten track, and off it. Sometimes the signs she encounters have a bigger message than at first glance.
Full Moon Art Retreat About twice a year, on a weekend when the moon is full, I run a three-day art retreat on a sheep station just west of Tenterfield. We use the shearing shed as a studio, sleep and eat in the shearers’ quarters, and go out into the field to paint and draw….
January the first has such a heavy load to carry. All those New Year’s resolutions (revolutions) promises made, inevitably broken. January two is easier, no hangover from last night, or last year. Just a day. Like any other day. If any day we live could e’er be called “just another day”. My grandmother emigrated from…
In it’s simplest form, Art is about making things. Usually that means paintings, sculptures, photographs etc each with their own skill set. In my opinion art includes everyday creativity as well. Crafts such as sewing, embroidery, scrapbooking, stonecutting or leatherwork are part of the art world, and activities like cooking, i-phone photography, gardening and flower-arranging…
I haven’t ever applied for a grant before. It always seemed an inefficient way to gamble. But when Arts Northern Rivers offered their fast turnaround Micro Grants – $1000 to help alleviate the direct impact of Covid – I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try.
Ok friends.Who wants to come up to Gympie on the 21st of March, a Saturday afternoon, and drink champagne with me to celebrate this exhibition? It sounds like the gallery has an afternoon of it planned. so it should be fun. I haven’t seen some of you for an age, so if you’ve got the…
They say that getting out of one’s comfort zone is “good for you”. I say that Variety – yes, capital letter there for emphasis – in whatever form, is the spice of life.
Twice recently I’ve been asked about how to write an artist cv. The first artist applying for a grant for a workshop, the second needing one to complete an entry for a juried art show. Time, it seemed, to share some info from my “Success and the Business of Artwork” professional development workshop that I’ve been teaching for a few years now.
Being an artist isn’t just starting at the beginning and moving forward in steady measured steps. (Though it can be, if that’s how you are). For me it’s a pattern of learning to notice what I’m attracted to, and running with that idea for as long as it takes.
For three months the fires have burned all around us. Everywhere is burning. The rainforest, the pastures, the houses. But deadlines still need to be met. It’s not easy.
In any business, there’s an ebb and flow of crisis and calm, overlaid with the day-to-day strategies that plod along getting things done. I realised that allocating time to the garden – a less important job in my week – took the worry of it not being done, and gave me more time for everything else.
Other days have their purpose within the broad scheme of the week. Sunday morning, with its short time of stillness, is as vital to the week’s productivity as the days of busyness.
