Armadale Pop Up 2026

 We had a marvellous weekend of art - chatting and talking and sharing and selling - and we were both, as they say in the classics, knackered by the end of it!

We went from an empty hall to a display and set up, with tea and coffee and tables for sitting and chatting and a warm welcome for everybody.

It was one of those misty grey days - but our signs were bright and cheery!

Such a great hall.

The kitchen area for self-serve tea, coffee and biscuits.

Tables for sitting and chatting and having a cuppa. Hydrangeas from our garden, plants gifted by a neighbour who had taking cuttings from her mother's garden in the Netherlands  - a long history and they are still giving.

Barry's watercolours displayed on the grey plinths we made for my exhibition Hame back in 2024. We gifted them to the Museum afterwards for their ongoing use and we can now borrow them back for art shows. Such a lovely circle.

Some of Barry's shiny stuff.

Some of my shiny stuff.

My display trick! I kept the earrings on their black inserts; but propped them on pebbles. Worked brilliantly.

My Conversations with Women Friends cards look great against the black with their mad tangles of red thread.

And my Glimpses.

It truly was another wonderful weekend. We were both amazed at how many people stopped by and by the way they engaged with our work and its stories, and how generous they were in their purchases.

It is nice to have such a great venue in our small village, and so great to have so many wonderful locals and visitors to share art with.

Now to do all the wrapping up and finishing up... have just washed the table cloths today; delivered artworks yesterday and returned the plinths; paying for the hall and doing the banking remain...

Thursday Thoughts...

“A photograph isn’t necessarily a lie, but nor is it the truth”. 

Martine Franck

I like the ambiguity of this one and I imagine photographers ponder upon these notions a lot.

Photographs capture a moment in among many moments, with rarely much reference to what went before and what happened straight after. For example a friend's child was recently snapped in a big family event photograph looking glum and as if he wished he was anywhere else on earth.

As I chatted with his mum I said I realised he may have transformed into a huge smile seconds later; or that this face, which to me suggested a sense of not enjoying large gatherings (projection Fiona???), may have been because he felt really poorly or had just stubbed his toe or...and yet this is the moment that was caught and that is the sense I took from it all. Lie or Truth?

Most photographs don't set out to set up a lie I think, yet we all know that they aren't, and can't be, the full story. I kind of love that about them.

These days of course the line between truth and fiction (or fake) is sometimes very hard to discern; and certainly some folk do set out to play with photos to deceive. Photoshop seems almost benign in its efforts to show no wrinkles or slim down a waist compared to some of the deliberately faked and forged images we are shown by AI on a daily basis.

With this quote I was certainly thinking more about the photos we snap; that we take; how we frame a shot to show what we want, not the mess to the side...those little moments along the spectrum of truth to lie. And how with my friend's son, I made up my own story about his expression... so much to ponder!

Moments after this shot, Alan Cumming roared onto the stage and enterained us.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” 

Andy Warhol

I oftentimes think this describes the friends we discover along the way. Not everybody thinks rusty old stuff is beautiful. Not everybody sees a gathering of sticks laid out and breathes a huge sigh of delight. Not everybody is going to think that the white on white on white of embossing is beautiful especially given they can't even see it...

The friends we gather are the ones who also stop and go back and pick up that rusty washer; who breathe a similar sigh; who look deeper  and beyond and delight in the softness and gentleness of the white.

I like that he is suggesting that there is beauty to be found in everything. That in fact most, if not all, things have an inherent beauty. If only we could look for it. If only we could see it.

So often we seem to be trained to think o beauty as a certain way. Each culture celebrates and venerates certain elements of appearance say or artistic endeavour. Sometimes these notions can seem a long way from our own ideas; and yet there is beauty in them all.

Lovely rusty stuff...

Thursday Thoughts...

“If you find something natural and enjoyable, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth anything. In fact, I would take it as a sign that you may be going in the right direction”. 

Ruth Ander

This quote made itself known to me as I scanned through my list, because it links closely to something I have been thinking about. The space between being comfortable in what you do and how you do it; and the other of pushing, challenging and extending yourself.

There are things that I do and make that feel so much like me - my colour palette, my materials, my sense of narrative as I make books, my love of words and stitching, and my analogue means of production.  I am comfortable in this world and enjoy time working in my zone. And then on the other side of this stream or gulf, lies a bunch of things that would extend me, challenge me, change me and my work.

Somewhere in this place are the rather muddled threads of an artist story - the satisfaction of knowing yourself and your way versus the risk of becoming complacent. The desire to continue to grow and learn versus the darker side of envy of wishing you could do what others do. Such a tricky place to navigate, and such tricky intentions to excavate.

With this quote I think Ms Anderson is giving us permission be ourselves; to follow our own paths and to do the things we are good at! Success should be a positive feedback loop! Struggle is not always necessary!

Isn't it strange to think that because we find something natural or easy that it is worthless? I imagine that says a whole lot more about how we think about ourselves, than about the art being made. Instead we should feel that it is a sign of our value, our experience, our skill level and our proficiency. Being good at something should feel natural and enjoyable.

Ahhh, feels very much me.

Thursday Thoughts...

"What's really good about the word 'art' is that 'art' is a word like 'love,' or 'god,' or whatever. It transcends so many things. "

Tracey Emin

I have been re-reading journal articles about the world of artists' books; and the Book Arts; and what makes a piece of work Book Art; and on and on in the attempt to characterise and catalogue artists' books.

These articles are nearly 20 years old so it has been interesting to see how they hold up - what is useful now; what fell by the wayside; what new direction took off afterwards etc. So yes, defining art is an interesting notion!

The openness with which Ms Emin describes art - the way in which it can encompass so much, can make room to hold and support diversity is a real strength of art I think.

Of course there will be divisions and categories within any gathering under the title of art; and purists will be annoyed by new things that purport to be art; and will no doubt say "yes... but is it really art"? And for me it broadly doesn't matter. I think lots of things are artistic and creative; does that make them art? It probably doesn't make them Art!

I am interested too in how she uses both love and god as the comparatives, and uses the words transcends. And yet I immediately read the meaning as to encompass and include. Whatever way it goes, I think art as a word, can be a very big umbrella.  Or many umbrellas.

Thursday Thoughts...

"There should be something revelatory about art. It should be totally creative and open doors for new thoughts and experiences". 

Tracey Emin

I have pondered upon this one for a bit, wondering why I responded to it. It's always interesting to stop and reflect on why did I even save this one into my Thursday Thoughts document?

I think what I like about this is that she is suggesting that art should not simply be descriptive. That it should be expressive. That it should ask questions; not provide answers.

It seems to encourage engagement with art and allow for ongoing questioning and wondering. It seems to want to keep the doors open to new understandings, new explorations and new learnings. It feels so generous in its offering. That art should be there for us for ever - for us to keep learning and exploring and enjoying.

The opening sentence suggests this as well in terms of art being revelatory. The second part suggests, to me at least, that this revelation can and should be, ongoing as I imagine doors opening leading to new doors, and to other doors and to....

Hub, by Do Ho Suh.

Thursday Thoughts...

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”  

Aristotle

I think this is a very thoughtful way of thinking about art making. Sometimes, representation of something just as it is, is important  and oh so beautiful. But oftentimes, art is about feeling. It is about expressing a desire or a need. It is about an attempt to share insight and understanding; to respond and give voice to thoughts and experiences.

Aristotle wrote this a very long time ago, and I am amazed at how apt it remains. 

I think he is suggesting that art is about looking beyond the surface and trying to explain/express/represent what the significance of that landscape is; or of those objects; or of the person. It is not simply about representing them photographically accurately, but more about representing them; and their meaning and depth.

A detail from Tenebrae...attempting to express light out of darkness.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Before I start carving the idea must be almost complete. I say ‘almost' because the really important thing seems to be the sculptor's ability to let his intuition guide him over the gap between conception and realisation without compromising the integrity of the original idea.” 

Barbara Hepworth

One of my first responses to this quote by the amazing Barbara Hepworth, is to stumble a bit on her use of "his" when referring to a sculptor's intuition. It may be that somebody has simply transcribed it this way; but because she herself was such a stunning sculptor, I would hate to think that she thought that only men were the worthy sculptors.

To go then to her thoughts on the process... I like how she has the notion of something almost complete in her mind before she begins; and yet leaves herself open to those moments along the way that allow her to respond. To intuition, to the work itself, to whatever it is that might guide her a little bit this way or that, off the main path.

This feels like a very real description the creative process to me.

I think it is also important that she returns to the idea that this diversion or alteration helps to be a link between the thinking and the doing; but that it also doesn't compromise the integrity of the original idea. She wants to make sure that the work still reflects her intention and understandings and that any deviation does not detract from that; rather it enhances it.

Sometimes we can get waylaid and diverted on such a scale that we end up nowhere near where we thought we were headed. Sometimes that's good; sometimes not. Sometimes we need to go back and work our way through the original idea again.

Oval Form with Strings and Colour (1966)

My first viewing of a Hepworth - The Met in New York, 2012.

Thursday Thoughts...

“To my mind one does not put oneself in place of the past, one only adds a new link.” 

 Paul Cézanne

I think I respond to the humility in this quote. So often, artists have the need to break free; to boldly go where no other has gone before; and to somehow prove themselves to be unique and original.  

Whilst I fully support the notion that we need to do our own unique work, that nobody but ourselves can do what we do, and that we can only do what we do, I really like the idea that this is not about individuals starring in their own show; rather we are about building on what has gone before; and building a platform for what may come after.

We are all links, this way and that. A bit like the internet with connections spanning across centuries, and the world. My work despite being mine; has been influenced and/or inspired by others who have worked with words, and books, and soft palettes, and letterpress, and lovely papers and threads, and...

That said, my work will possibly go on to influence or encourage or inspire others - when people respond positively to your work it probably means they have taken a little nugget of it into their mind, and who knows how that might appear down the track?

We are all linked, we are all connected, and so too is our art.

Thursday Thoughts...

"......collecting scraps of talk, setting them down like birdsong in my notebook, where someday I would go prospecting for my life." 

 Linda Pastan, Waiting for my Life

It interesting that I came across this one this morning.  Interesting only because just yesterday, I was putting together my presentation for the Artist's Talk I am doing in Brisbane on 28 March, and part of the chat goes something along these lines - "words are the way I make my way through the world. Some artists carry a journal around with them and make quick studies; sketch an outline or a scene. Me, I gather words. Snippets of conversations, beautiful descriptions. Clear and concise understandings". 

And lo, so too does this quote - altho far more poetically.

Perhaps Ms Pastan is speaking more of gathering and collecting scraps  of talk such that they can be used in the future to remind her of something in her life. To hold a light on a time which was important; people who mattered; or things that she learned.

For me; the words I capture spark something into the future. They act as some form of inspiration that might lead to work; they somehow describe something so perfectly that I want to respond to it artistically.

I really do like the notion of collecting scraps of talk and setting them down like birdsong...

from somewhere on instagram...

Thursday Thoughts...

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose".

Zora Neale Hurston

I write this post just after returning from one of our sessions of what we call Biblio - where we go out for breakfast, and sit with our toast and our coffee and read books and articles;  explore unusual things that are art-related; write poetry; and all other random type activities that make for an interesting art life.

And on return, this quote popped up as a true validation! I love the descriptor of poking and prying with a purpose!

The older I get, the more I think that curiosity is essential to staying alive. To being active and interested and vital and engaged and happy. Being curious about this that or the other random thing is great. 

Today at Biblio I was reading a book called You Are Here - a book about mapping and maps.

Mapping is only a small and tangential thing in my art life, I have done some work in the past about finding my place, and yet I am adoring reading the book and am bouncing ideas out of it left right and centre.

 I thinkI find myself on the cusp of curiosity and research. At the moment I am following the line of curiosity, but if things start to take shape in my mind; ideas coalesce into something that has a modicum of form; then perhaps it becomes research. As I am writing notes and jotting down names and websites and the like for follow ups, perhaps it already is...

Thursday Thoughts...

“Stop. I’m not going to take any more input until I’ve made something with what I’ve got” 

James Otter

I was reading this book recently - Do/Make - the power of your own two hands, written by James Otter. James designs and makes wooden surfboards by hand and this book is about making. It was an enjoyable read and validating about how important making is; and just how good using your hands is for your soul and your mental health.

That aside, this quote did grab me as I was going through the process of downsizing and decision making about what to keep and what to let go of.

It proved an excellent reminder about re-using and re-imagining. Re-imagining has become a big part of my vocabulary of late and a real touchstone as I move into a new phase of making.  Sometimes we can all get excited by the new thought, the new direction, the new materials, the new techniques... and off we go and pursue it for a bit. That might mean buying more paper, a different brush, a set of inks and so on.  

As I looked around the studio space as I packed up I realised there were plenty of half-prepped or partially done or saved for a later date packets of things sitting around waiting for their turn, and I promised myself that I would select the ones that had real potential, and take them with me, and work with them before I set off to accrue more things.

I think there is also wisdom in the notion of non-accrual. Of not getting more. Of understanding and accepting the word 'enough'.

So I am not going to get distracted by shiny new things whether they are courses, ideas, techniques or materials for a little while. I am going to sit with my things and re-imagine them...

Thursday Thoughts...

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” 

Michelangelo

This one feels as if it is for anyone who has ever overheard somebody saying about their art " oh, I could have done that" or "my six year old nephew could have done that".

I have heard it a few times about my, and others whom I admire's, work and it always makes me want to shake my head and say i only you knew or understood.

It seems as if Michelangelo might have been shaking his head all that time ago too.

The other times I try to explain to people what a piece of art is made up of is when they think that because something may not have taken ages to create (because, I don't know, you have mastery of your subject), and they think it is over priced. 

For me, I often reflect on what got me to making that piece is the years I have spent preparing for it. The times I have stopped, started again; thrown something out because it doesn't work until I learn and discover exactly what does work. It is all the years of practising calligraphy until you know you can can form a letter O just so... or its the skills you have built up over time and the understanding of your materials that enable you to do this whiz-bang thing without tearing your hair out.

People so often don't see what goes on behind the scenes. They so often don't know of all the fails, before the successes. They so often don't know the hours of practising and practising. And all of the testing and trialling to determine what goes best with what when you are trying to achieve a certain goal.

Until they sit down and actually try to do it themselves.

Teaching Western Calligraphy to Japanese students in Tatebayashi 20009.

Thursday Thoughts...

“Painting is a means of self-enlightenment.” 

 John Olsen

John Olsen was a celebrated Australian painter with a unique style. I am no art critic, but would use words like vigorous, bold, bright, whimsical and squiggly to describe his work. He died a few years ago, aged 95.

I responded to this quote I think because it seems to say to me that art, painting, and creating are really important things for us to help understand ourselves.

The word enlightenment is a bit more than I can necessarily chew; but he positions painting as a tool that helps him on his quest for self understanding; for digging deep and trying to get to know the what and the why of himself.

In small and non-at-all-comparable ways, I find I learn a lot about myself from my making. The things I choose to make about; the palette I use and the ways I tell the stories of what the art is about. All of these things give me insights into myself that might not have become so clear without the art and the making.

I am not sure I have had any major revelations from exploring my creating and making; but I have most definitely learned a lot about myself.

The Bridge, John Olsen.

Thursday Thoughts...

“A lifetime devoted to creativity is nothing but a scavenger hunt — where each successive clue is another tiny little hit of curiosity. Pick each one up, unfold it, see where it leads you next. Small steps.” 

 Elizabeth Gilbert

I have been pondering art and making and creating and have loved the notion of how we each express creativity. Because I think we can all express creativity. We might not all feel comfortable saying I am an artist; or I am a maker; or I am creative, but there is no doubt in my mind that we can all express creativity.

And so to this lovely description of a lifetime expressing creativity, being devoted to it in fact.

The strong link she makes I think, is that creativity is connected to curiosity. The idea that as we are curious, so do we become creative. As we consider new things and take on board new learnings, we begin to put this with that. We wonder what if? or Are they related? Could they become something together?

Curiosity leads and creativity follows.

Perhaps.

They certainly seem connected and supportive of each other and I think her approach to smalls steps, to gentle unfoldings, and to careful considerations is a lovely way to think about a creative life.

Thursday Thoughts...

“To be an artist, you need to exist in a world of silence”. 

Louise Bourgeois

How timely that my eyes fell upon this quote in my many pages of quotes about art today!

Silence and I are having a moment. I find myself thinking about it, exploring it, delving deeper into trying to understand it. Wondering is it even possible for silence to prevail?

So for Ms Bourgeois to say that we need to live within silence in order to create and make art, makes me wonder what that looked like for her. I wonder if it means that she worked in solitude (which isn't of itself silence); if she closed the door to the studio and kept the outer world at bay.

The essences of her words seem to me to be about the need for quiet moments. The quietude of mind and silence from which thoughts and feelings can come forward and into expression. It suggests to me that noise and frenzy are not at all conducive to her life as an artist. And I know it is so for me.  

I need quiet places and quiet spaces to let my thoughts slow, my mind unwind and enable me to focus on the work.

I am not so sure I need to exist fully in a world of silence, but I am pretty sure that silence is a prerequisite for my times of making.

Sentinel, 2010.

Art birds and beachside beauty

 Whilst we were away recently, I noticed a number of beautiful artistic birds - here they are in all their loveliness...

This one was just sitting in a random tree in Olinda in the Dandenongs

At the bottom of a garden in Melbourne. This bird is BIG!

Upon a wall in Melbourne

Above the mirror in a room that we stayed in...

A piece of mine in our friends' house. Memorial to Birds Having Flown...

It is always lovely see your work in its new home and I really do like this piece.

It sits alongside some very funky and contemporary art!

We visited friends who live along the Bass Coast and had a wonderful time - with so many moody memories of these windswept places.

And so much loveliness in their garden...

Tarra Warra and Rose Nolan

 We recently spent the week away - on the road in Victoria. We visited friends in Inverloch; travelled through The Dandenong Ranges and on to Healesville; and then back to Melbourne for an event and another stay with friends.

A fabulous time was had, and it was great opportunity to see country we hadn't seen before; and to re-visit some beautiful places.

A real highlight was visiting Tara Warra Museum of Art, and the exhibition Breathing Helps by Rose Nolan.

The location was stunning and the exhibition breathtaking. Plus it was a brilliant blue sky day.

The work by Rose Nolan was immense in scale, and showed so many hours of work. I also loved how she worked with words throughout.

You might just be able to discern B hiding here...

The backs of the thousands of circles were equally delightful.

I love how she makes you work for the reading.

This says awkward... 

What a joy to have been able to attend this exhibition in this gallery. We were there during the week with only a handful of people (except for a group of school children who were utterly engaged by it all). A real delight, and a reminder of the wonderful things that are out there in the world for us to see...