Studio notes

Continue this next painting 35x48x2"

Enjoying this and have reached a complete stage. The best is if I can just keep going and flush out this idea of architecture/building in remote places/ impact/consequences. As I keep painting i pose these questions. My challenge is to keep it simple and simmer it down to a main issue. (This may take several works to flush out this project.

. write a little each day in my idea book, documenting my painting--working and methods and struggles, thoughts and surprises.

I remembered to do twice, something to improve upon.

Take more videos and examine work methods and document Staggered through this one.

Gesso up 6 small linen boards.

Not yet. I needed to feel an outline for this mini series.

Continue on with "priming my morning" daily habit and getting out for an earlier walk or yoga/pilates practice.

Feeling good about this, easier to maintain than I thought. My new habit is to wait to read emails, news etc mid morning with coffee not first thing on waking.

So much better.

A short story

I’m motivated to create imagery and inspired by geological structures and observations. Years ago I dug for crystals in the mountains near Vail, Colorado, USA. I cut turquoise and made extravagant jewellery using rare specimens of the gem. I hand-fabricated metal and stones in my early career as a jeweller. All these achievements and life experiences feed into my art-making now in their various ways.

Topic fuelling current work...

Hello hello, it’s January 1 2024.!

Wishing you a superb year ahead, health and happiness to all my friends and subscribers. I do apologise for abandoning my blog or rather journal excerpts. Just had too much upheaval in 2023.

I plan to jot down notes and stories related to my work each month this year! now help me stay acountable to that pledge!

While travelling across Iceland’s fascinating landscapes I was compelled to query why many homes are built in remote, visually precarious and untamed locations. Are they chosen to defy nature's extremes by building homes at the foot of volcanoes or on precarious mountain slope?

This audacious endeavor, seemingly playing with the edge of catastrophe, invites reflection on the delicate dance between human aspiration and the formidable forces of the earth. These remote abodes stand as testaments to both the allure of Iceland's rugged beauty and the inherent risks woven into the fabric of living in such awe-inspiring yet unpredictable environments.

This tension and fascination has opened up more questions and this is a topic I’m unfolding in my work currently.

Austin Texas....Arrival

Sept 1st I flew into Austin TX from Santa Rosa California. The temperature was 104F or 42C.

A week before that I was in England.

A smack in the face for my cool-climate northern blood. My remedy was to head for Barton Springs, SW of the city where natural water was 68F. My daughter drove me there. I wasn’t capable of making any decision in such heat.

It’s Ocober 1st and temps are now averaging 90F or 36C.

It’s sub tropical with cicadas buzzing and sightings of monarch butterflies, road runners (birds) and cardinals. It’s also the migratory path of monarch butterflies as they come down from S. Canada and central US to winter in Mexico. That happens any day now apparently.

A slice of Geo….Geology of this area is karst, mostly limestone. Landscape design and hillsides make this evident as i see huge boulders of satiny whitish rock sitting around.

Unlike the California coast tectonic plates which is a STRIKE-SLIP; Austin was created by the Llano Uplift millions of years ago when coastal plains to the east bent downward while the more stable central Texas interior remained relatively stable. This fault episode created this hill country where i now find myself.

Yep driving along these hills can feel like being on a roller coaster too!

If this all sounds rather technical it’s because it is one of the topics I research when landing somewhere completely dfifferent. I think it has something to do with a need to know if the land under my feet will be more stable than my uprooted self! Importantly it fuels my art vocabulary.

The people I meet are super friendly and welcoming. Most everyone I meet is from elsewhere in USA or other countries. That is a huge plus, I value diversity of all kinds.

Relocating has an excitement factor mixed with a longing to be back in the familiar places amongst friends and community I love; with the roads I know the destination of; the supplies I know how and where to source and really good bread, and baked goods.etc.

Until a studio becomes available I will be focusing on promoting my prints of original artwork, developing works on paper and exploring new materials.

A paving stone of local limestone with my fav colour palette!

landscape sample