My biggest canvas ever

This was my biggest challenge ever. My daughter wanted a mural painted on my grandaughter's bedroom wall. 'You can do it mum' said my daughter, just think of it as a large canvas (a slight exaggeration). I started with trepidation but as it progressed I started to enjoy it and was a bit sad when I came to the end of it. Sienna is only six months old so I hope the painting will be around for a little while.

Digital Art

I've been playing around with Photoshop, I use it every day in my work as a graphic designer but don't get time to play very often. I scanned in one of my face drawings and one of my painted backgrounds. I then did some graphics in Illustrator, added text in Photoshop and this is the end result.

Still the Fires Burn

The fires are still burning across Victoria. This photo was taken from my back deck late this afternoon, there is smoke everywhere and the fires are miles away. Melbourne and the suburbs are covered in a blanket of smoke, the temperature is expected to rise tomorrow with strong winds, that will clear the smoke from here but will fan the fires, it's a no win situation.

New jewellery

My daughter and her family left today for home after a teary farewell from Jack, the four year old, he's such a darling. He knows he'll be back at Christmas but two weeks is a long time to a child.
I've been busy assembling this latest collection of jewellery to take to the gallery during the week. I now have to concentrate on the Christmas cards, I'm a bit late for my English relatives, I hope they receive them before Christmas.

We've been to see the Wiggles, now to work

What a concert, children everywhere. Jack loved it but the noise was too much for him. He spent most of the time with his fingers in his ears. It amazes me how children as young as eighteen months become so animated at the sight of the Wiggles.
They certainly have a captive audience.
We have been in a haze for the past few days with bushfires burning out of control across Victoria. the temperatures have been in the high thirties. We live in a very high fire risk area so we are on constant alert and have our bush fire plan at the ready. The fire season has started very early this year with everything being tinder dry through lack of rain. Now is the time to send the family photos and precious irreplaceable items to my daughter who lives in the suburbs away from the risk - we hope.

We're off to see the Wiggles, the wonderful Wiggles of Oz

My daughter and her family are arriving tonight from the country, they live about a five hour drive from here. Tomorrow she and I are taking my four year old Grandson to see the Wiggles, I can't wait to see his sweet little face when he sees them in person, he's been counting down the days. He's also hoping to get into my studio when he arrives. Our cat must sense they're coming as she has gone into hiding, she's just not used to the boisterous antics of small children, she's sixteen years old so I suppose you can't blame her.

Workshop

I've had a busy weekend filling Christmas jewellery orders and conducting a one day altered book and decorated paper workshop. We all had a great time with a terrific bunch of people, briming over with ideas, I can't wait until the next one early in the new year.
I had a phone call from one of my daughters yesterday telling me my four year old grandson, who did his first painting when he was seven months old, had spread his artistic wings and had painted their Jack Russell dog, bright yellow, the dog didn't mind, luckily it was washable paint, but he still has a yellow glow. The cat is getting very nervous.