Somehow it is Sunday again, and we have spent the last two days talking and sharing and showing all about our art. As ever, it has been energising and fun - we have met some great people; talked about arty stuff till we are blue in the face and just had a general good feeling vibe going on. That sounds incredibly hippy-like, but it rings true - the feeling around the studio visits has been grand.
Over the past two days we have had about 100 people thru - a steady flow and not too many times when it got out of control. I always feels sad that I might not get to say good bye to somebody properly (Carol!) and also that some folk don't get the chance to ask all of their questions or follow thru on something - but you just do what you can do in good spirit.
A week or so ago I took some photos of the studio in advance of opening - quite orderly and organised and with different pieces set up to show what I do...
We moved the press into the kitchen area to make more room.
One working area and a display area - you can still see the cutting mats here.
A desk, all tidy and ready to burn pages.
Here are some shots I took after we had finished tonight - mayhem and chaos abound!
The kitchen bench has been overrun with these suminagashi marbling attempts and tray of water...
As many of you know the studio I now use is our 'shed' where we used to live. We lived here for about 18 months whilst we built our house and it has a lovely feel to it. After we moved into the house, the shed became home to a few different folk who need a place to stay and I have always loved the energy of it. It is a great place to work.
In between the Open Studio weekends, we have also celebrated International Day of Peace (Friday 21 September) and the weather-grams in the peace tree have been added to. We had quite a storm and a few fell to the ground, but I have re-hung them. Only the ones I find of course - those that get whisked away to other places simply spread their peace messages further.
Here you can see the storm has passed by and is heading towards Brisbane.
A peace flag that was knocked off by the storm.
And my indoor flags flying happily in the studio. That upstairs bit is where we used to sleep; but its now a storage area for our 'friend's life in boxes' until he returns to these shores...
I like the idea of the peace flag weather-grams weathering in the weather; they hold on and share their message quietly; but then they disappear back into the earth. It will be interesting to mark when the last one leaves the tree...
But now to dinner and a quiet glass of red and off to bed early me thinks!
PS - Our studios ARE NOT open next weekend (29 & 30 September) - my brother is getting married and we are off to party! We will be open again on 6 & 7 October - so please drop by if you are around and about.
Over the past two days we have had about 100 people thru - a steady flow and not too many times when it got out of control. I always feels sad that I might not get to say good bye to somebody properly (Carol!) and also that some folk don't get the chance to ask all of their questions or follow thru on something - but you just do what you can do in good spirit.
A week or so ago I took some photos of the studio in advance of opening - quite orderly and organised and with different pieces set up to show what I do...
We moved the press into the kitchen area to make more room.
One working area and a display area - you can still see the cutting mats here.
A desk, all tidy and ready to burn pages.
Here are some shots I took after we had finished tonight - mayhem and chaos abound!
The kitchen bench has been overrun with these suminagashi marbling attempts and tray of water...
The cutting mats have all but disappeared under the weight of paper and experiments and projects on the go...
The desk and burning pages now have folded books and journals and paper and pebbles and...
As many of you know the studio I now use is our 'shed' where we used to live. We lived here for about 18 months whilst we built our house and it has a lovely feel to it. After we moved into the house, the shed became home to a few different folk who need a place to stay and I have always loved the energy of it. It is a great place to work.
In between the Open Studio weekends, we have also celebrated International Day of Peace (Friday 21 September) and the weather-grams in the peace tree have been added to. We had quite a storm and a few fell to the ground, but I have re-hung them. Only the ones I find of course - those that get whisked away to other places simply spread their peace messages further.
Here you can see the storm has passed by and is heading towards Brisbane.
A peace flag that was knocked off by the storm.
Peace flags wrapped around the branches by the wind and rain, and the strings for others which became detached...
And my indoor flags flying happily in the studio. That upstairs bit is where we used to sleep; but its now a storage area for our 'friend's life in boxes' until he returns to these shores...
I like the idea of the peace flag weather-grams weathering in the weather; they hold on and share their message quietly; but then they disappear back into the earth. It will be interesting to mark when the last one leaves the tree...
But now to dinner and a quiet glass of red and off to bed early me thinks!
PS - Our studios ARE NOT open next weekend (29 & 30 September) - my brother is getting married and we are off to party! We will be open again on 6 & 7 October - so please drop by if you are around and about.
What a great turn-out!! Love seeing the many corners of the studio, and I really enjoyed seeing how your peace flags "weathered" the storm, they look really great in the tree. Have a great party next weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the good wishes Valerianna - I too am enjoying observing the changes to the flags in the tree; and the tree beginning to burst with buds - just wonderful.
DeleteGood mayhem! How wonderful that there has been a stream of interested/interesting people through your studio. It makes all your hard work worthwhile. The peace flag wrapped around the branch after rain makes a wonderful photograph!We had a hail storm here and my prayer flags still look as fresh as the day I put them up.
ReplyDeleteAh yes Robyn - mayhem of the good sort! I love that image of the flag wet and wrapped around the branch as well. It seems so fragile, yes still resilient. My sense of peace at times as well..
DeleteThat looks like proper creative space. Might see you on 6th.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Jo - the best spaces are the chaotic ones I think. Altho it makes it hard to show folk stuff or find stuff under these conditions at times! Laugh.
Deleteooo goodness all those work-spaces pics are giving me studio envy! ahhhh if only there wasn't all those kms between us I'd drop by one of the openings..... still - that's what's so great about blogs eh
ReplyDeleteHi Ronnie - yes the shed is quite a good space I must say; it has a great feel and energy to it as well. Some good friends have spent time living here and sharing its vibe. Distance can be a quite the bummer at times; but yep, blogs help us all keep fingers on the pulses...
Deletei had a real feeling of your place, thank you for that. lovely and exciting time, ending with a storm! yay!
ReplyDeleteThanks Velma, you do get a bit more of a sense of the place from this post. The storm was welcome here - it has been so dry. After all of the previous year's floods we are now facing a tough bushfire season....
DeleteLooks like lots and lots of fun was had in your studio. No doubt you felt exhausted at the end of the weekend, but hope you were uplifted too. I am certain that everyone would have enjoyed their visit. Lucky them I say!
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan - you have captured it perfectly, upliftingly exhausted! People did seem to enjoy their time here - lots of interested observers and questioners...
DeleteI'm not sure if I am the Carol referred to above but I loved the visit and was impressed with how you managed multiple visitors. Yours was the first studio on our list and ended up being a favorite.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Carol - I did feel as if I didn't get to say thank you or good bye properly; but suddenly things got into a wave of busy-ness. Glad you enjoyed your other visits too - go well.
DeleteI love seeing where other people work and think you are so lucky to have so much natural light to work in Fiona. I wish my press was as large as yours but it's all relative isn't it? Good to see those Keith Smith books lined up for reference.... it's great to see lots of ideas fermenting on those tables of yours. Time enough now to take a rest from the weekend and build up your strength for a party. Pace yourself!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lesley - I know I'm pretty lucky. There is a lot of light, not always perfect I must say, but I do think in Australia we need our light - we are so used to it I think. Yes I always Keith Smith within reach! And yes, time to let go of the arty stuff and play a bit more this weekend - will be a good gathering and celebration. go well.
DeleteHi Fiona, it looks like you and your studio had a great day of fun! I love your peace flags in the tree. Enjoy your weekend off and party.
ReplyDeleteHi Kim - yes we played very nicely together! It was all a bit of a hoot - busier than the first weekend. The peace flags are looking lovely on the tree still - I like seeing them each day, chatting to them, breathing in their messages....
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