A Big Weekend

 Well, we have made it through another Big Book Club weekend. A ever, it was a great day, with folk sharing their thoughts on books and listening to our special guest Kate Evans from Radio National's weekly fiction show The Bookshelf.

We discussed James by Percival Everett; and its predecessor/antecedent Huckleberry Finn; and then in broader terms what it means to re-write the Classics; the different ways it can be done; why it is done, and even what makes a book a Classic?

It was a great meander around the world of re-writings and re-imaginings and back again. We all learnt so much!

Here the two of us are having a cha,t and then me listening intently and wearing the pebble earrings made its Scotland recently on their first outing.

And the two of us after the show - relaxed and smiling.

Earlier in the week, in line with my attempt to promise myself to make some art each day (which nobody will be surprised learn failed at almost the first hurdle...) I decided I would use some odd moments to think about re-working a bunch of pebble forms that were lying around in packets.

Some of them were attached to earrings which I thought I could dismantle; others were just there, and I wondered could they all be re-imagined into something else perhaps?

Personally, I was a bit taken with this lovely arrangement  of forms.

And I played around and found some possible earrings, and some possible pendants in the mix.

I showed them to a friend, who thought they looked a bit dark, so in another moment that I found, I decided to buff and polish them and make most of them silver again... leaving just one oxidised one.

So there was some artiness this week. Also - Kate and I managed to spend some time in the workshop on Friday and she is the first person I have ever shown how to make pebble forms from silver wire and she made her own pendant (which you can see in the photo of the two of us together). What a talent she is!

It is now heads down and bums up this week as Barry and I prepare for our Studio Garage Sale!

We will be selling lots of things we no longer need or use, at very excellent prices! 

Next Saturday 26 July there will be cutting mats, bone folders, calligraphy pens, paper, some inks, rollers, book cloth and oh so much more for sale at the studio from 10am - 4pm.

We aren't in a position to provide detailed information or imagery about individual items, so it really is a case of come along and see.

Thursday Thoughts...

"Books are disruptors. Books are questions. I’m not talking about How To Manuals that pretend to give us answers. I’m talking about the noisy row that breaks out in our heads when we have to think past ourselves. 

 Do I believe this? How is this making me feel? Why am I getting angry? How come I suddenly recognise what I haven’t been able to put into words?"

Jeanette Winterson

I think the image I love best from this quote is "the noisy row that breaks out in our heads". I am often in awe of how swiftly our mind makes connections, jumping from one thought, notion or subject to another with lightning speed. And then back again  These words make me think about those time when you see with great clarity both this side AND that side. When you recognise the contradiction; but feel the great comfort of harmony simultaneously.

Ms Winterson loves books and all that they offer - after all that they offered her in a difficult childhood.  She is not one for the easy; nor the prescriptive; but she is one for the ideas and thoughts and challenges.

She is speaking here I think of when books take us out of our comfort zones and ask us to consider new perspectives. It might be the language used; the relationships developed; the perspective from which the book is written.

I know there are times in my life when all I want is the familiar, the cosy, the swaddling, of a book that I feel comfortable with. 

I also know I need to bring the other books into my life on a regular basis as well. How else does one continue to learn and grow? To be a better human? To understand life and others more fully?

And when making books, I have to sometimes explore the tougher side of things; the things that make me uncomfortable or fearful. And to constantly be learning from others.

Pebbly bits and Celebrating Books

 I have been working in a small notebook I made and designed in Scotland a few years ago. Its funny how it takes a while to realise how those wobbly pebble forms have been working away slowly in the back of my brain...

I  had a couple of commissions for large pebble pendants to do when I got back and this week has seen it all happen. 

I soldered six pebble forms, rolled them, oxidised a few and then got them onto cords. Now to catch up with their prospective new owners for a cuppa and a handover.

We are also busy with preparations for our annual book event - The Big Book Club. This year we are looking at re-writing the Classics - what it means to take a tale well known, and re-imagine it. 

We have focussed on James, by Percival Everett, and Huckleberry Finn. James tells the story from the perspective of Jim, a black slave in the original book. James was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, and won the 2025 Pulitzer along with the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the 2024 National Book Award in America and a wonderful book on its own; but better because of it's re-telling I think

We begin with small, facilitated group discussions about both books and then gather together as a larger group for the plenary session, where I will be interviewing Kate Evans from ABC Radio National's book program The Bookshelf.

Always a challenge interviewing a highly skilled and talented interviewer!

We will be discussing what re-tellings and re-imaginings do; how they work; when they don't work; and what it means to take somebody's story and tell it again, differently.

I am really looking forward to it but am still beavering away trying to make the interview flow...

I am sure it will be great event on Saturday 19 July 2pm - 4pm (doors open at 1.30pm for afternoon tea delights). Bookings here...

Serviettes

 Since returning we have been busy. No real surprises there,we knew we had a few things on and of course there is always the joy of catching up with folk and gathering and chatting.

I have been reflecting a fair bit on how to make sure that art remains a part of my every day. And my everyday.  I am working hard to spend time each morning as I write my To Do List to ask myself the question - what art will you do today? Or perhaps What creativity will you do today?

I have known for a long time that it's never just about making the art; there is so much support work and admin that goes with it. I think that knowledge has somehow been a blessing and a curse as they say. I have often found myself doing art admin things, and saying to myself that is what I did for my art today. And because I am who I am and how I am, I often prioritise the admin and the jobs and the chores, over the making time.

So I switched my brain a bit and have set aside time on Mondays for Art Admin. For all those follow ups, writings, ordering etc that might otherwise steal time from making. Monday is already our chores and life admin day and I am trying to add in Art admin too.

And so I have been doing bits of this and of that where and when I can. Mostly I have just been scratching the itch that is serviette making! Laugh. These things buzz into my head and won't go away until I do something with them and so I have managed to get to work on them this week.

Some of our sheets had come in these nice linen bags. I spent an enjoyable evening unpicking them, and then ironing them.

I watched a YouTube video about mitred corner serviettes with hem stitching and set about cutting out serviettes from the remnant bags. There were some seams remaining in a couple of them and I thought I would still give it a go to see if they could hem stitched.

The answer is that they could, but the machine didn't really like it and juddered across the heavier seam and stuttered and got stuck and I had to jimmy it along and so the stitching is rather odd in places. See last photo.

But generally speaking I did OK. I did a different stitch on each serviette. I have made a pair and there are two more in this fabric to go; and a few more to be cut from the grey bags, and two more ready to go in some remnant linen fabric from a dress, so I will be able to go along quite well when I have time.

In typical Fiona fashion, I forgot to attach the dissolvable stabiliser to the second serviette - too excited and enthusiastic to slow down and remember the steps! Probably because the linen was a mid weight, it didn't make too much of difference thankfully.

And here they are washed and ironed.

In all their wobbly, recycled glory.

And just because it has been a magical week for the moon - here are a few photos of where I found it in interesting places...

Thursday Thoughts...

“This is what one thirsts for, I realize, after the smallness of the day, of work, of details, of intimacy—even of communication, one thirsts for the magnitude and universality of a night full of stars, pouring into one like a fresh tide.” 

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I think this is so true. The ways in which our days are filled, how we move from this to that to chore to detail, to commitment, to appointment, to phone call, to cooking. And then, we lift our sights, we pause. 

We look up.

And the scale and wonder of the world is there for us - reflected by the majesty of the night sky. Whether stars or moon or cloud, it reminds us of vastness. Of eternity. Of never ending 'horizons', or content rhythms. Of endless turnings.

The ocean can do that for me too, but the sky reminds me of where I fit in amongst it all; that in reality what might seem big or huge to me is small within the universe. That my worries will pass. The world and the universe will keep turning and we can find a way through.

Our night sky on Wednesday night. It was mesmerising and time slipped away as we watched the slow, slow roll of the clouds over the almost full moon. It felt like an honour to watch it.

Starting afresh

 We have been back for a week, and it is always a week of going slowly, of taking time, of adjusting to sleep, to catching up with folk and ourselves; of reclaiming the garden and reminding ourselves where things are and what we do!

By Saturday I was feeling like I could do more than potter so as I tidied up my sewing stuff I remembered that I had wanted to test out hem stitching on my sewing machine, so that I could use up linen remnants and make serviettes. I love serviettes!

I found this bag with a few notes to self from past Fiona.

I recalled (vaguely) that I had purchased the magic pen, but the dissolvable stabiliser? Where would I have bought that? Did I get that? Where did I put it if I did? 

I came across this folded piece of what looked like interfacing. 

How would I know if it was dissolvable stabiliser? I did my own test. Highly scientific!

It dissolved in warm-hot water in seconds! So I was pretty much on track. And then I even wrote another note to myself and pinned it to the stabiliser for future reference.

I watched a couple of YouTube videos about wing needles and hem stitching and set out to discover how many hem stitches my old fashioned sewing machine would do and it turns out to be 4. I read up on the foot to use, popped the needle in and drew up four lines in removable pen. And off I went.

I was excited by the results.

The strips of dissolvable stabiliser on the back. It prevents the fabric from really puckering as the dog feeds move it back and forth and back and forth to make the stitches.

And then I dissolved it, dried it and ironed it, and here is my sample piece looking flat and tidy. I just love it.

So my next step is to work out how to make serviettes, maybe with mitred corners, and how to incorporate the hem stitching into them. That is where the magic pen comes into things I think... we shall see.

And some flowers from the garden...

A gradual and slow return, but with fun along the way! 

Thursday Thoughts...

“The twin purposes of art: 

1. To make sense of pain 

2. To fathom the sources of beauty” 

John Ruskin

One of the reasons I love poetry so much I think is that it brings things down to their essence. It oftentimes takes away the extraneous, the unnecessary, the fluff, the make up and the fancy dress and lets you look long and hard at the simplicity and the true nature of things.

These words do that for me a bit with art.

As we make we are so often trying to make sense of pain or darkness or troubling experiences. At other times we are trying to express the sheer joy and beauty of this world and this life. To investigate both sides and discover how they can be expressed and shared.

I am quite happy to think that in this case, things can be simplified into a binary of sorts. I know that there will be variations and modifications within these two categorisations, but again like poetry, they have revealed to me the essence and true nature of art.

James Turrell, "Within Without" Skyspace, Canberra 2018

Thursday Thoughts...

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." 

 Frederick Douglass

Being able to read most definitely opens doors and opportunities and in itself is a kind of freedom. A freedom to choose. A freedom to explore. A freedom to refute. A freedom to think. A freedom to debate.

Reading enables so many things and makes so many more things possible. I imagine if ever imprisoned, it would be the greatest of solaces to me - in my mind I could be free; even if my physical body could not.

In lots of ways this is exactly why education is so important. Why reading widely and reading things that you might not know about or understand, or even agree with, is so important to a full and rich life.

Education is also freedom.

Farewell and favourite moments

 My goodness. We have been at the cottage for three months and I can honestly not really believe it. It is somehow time to tidy, sort pack and head back to Maleny and our life there.

It has been, as ever, a joyous time filled with the beauty of the landscape, the generosity and warmth of friendships, and daily moments of joy and wonder.

As I remember back to the beginning and reflect on our time here, so many special moments appear. I have just edited this to say there are more photos than usual here - I just keep remembering lovely things!

Spending my birthday in this special place on Loch Fyne.

The daffodils, the bird and the lambs...

Our trip to Norway with my brother and sister-in-law

Weekly trips to our favourite bakery and book shop - Cereal at Tongue.

The warmth of community at our Pop Up Art Show

Our weekly Biblio breakfasts...

Special time spent with young friends

The joy of Spring flowers and rare finds

The satisfaction of some hard work and maintenance jobs done.

The light the light and the sky

The joy as our garden grows...apples and plums beginning...

Solstice sunset (10.21pm) with a BBQ on the beach with dear friends.

And the cove at 11.42 pm - that line of sunset light lingers, and the night is not dark.

And our happy place - the cottage on a beautiful big blue sky day.

And what you don't see is all the meals and morning teas and chats in the garden and cups of tea we have shared with dear friends and neighbours in the village and beyond. What a time it has been...

It feels a bit like this is a love letter to this time, and this place, and these people...