Living with ART

                                             I am off to this opening this weekend.
                                       

                             Margaret Tuckson was my first pottery teacher in 1975,
                             when I was 15 and she was 50.
                             I started off going to her home/studio on Saturday mornings.
                             By the end of 1976 I had decided to leave school and focus on pottery.
                             I spent several days each week at Margaret's place potting
                             through 1977 and part of 1978.
                             (When she wasn't in PNG or busy with writing and other things)
                             I did this until my first son was born.

                            Margaret is the same age as my mum (born the day after )
                            and I feel like her life and art has influenced my life in
                            a different way but alongside my mum's influence.

                            I lost my mum in 2007 and although I don't manage to see
                            Margaret as often as I would like to I feel such a deep
                            fondness for this woman who gave me such great mentoring
                            and instilled a passion not only for ceramics and art but also for life.
                           
                            Margaret is 93 this year and her collection is wonderful.
                            I imagine there will be many, many people at this opening.
                            When I rang her last week to say that I would be there
                            and that I didn't imagine I would get to talk to her much on the day
                            as she would have a big fan club surrounding her ….
                            but that I would come and have a cuppa with her very soon. She said
                            "That would be great but of course I will have time to talk to you!"
                            She is amazing like that always so supportive and positive.

                            I am so grateful that our paths crossed at such
                            an important time in my life.
                            Love you Margaret!

                             

                           
                                                 photo by my brother Chris Donaldson

Crafty Kids

                                              One of the great things about being an artist
                                              and a grandmother is that the grand children
                                              are such enthusiastic studio visitors.

                                                      Last week we made play dough
                                 

I love the different tactile learning elements 

involved in making coloured dough.

First. 

There is the decision of which colours to make.

"Lellow, Boo and Wed pease GoGo"

(My grand children call me GoGo)

Second.

 There is the kitchen science 

of mixing the concoction.

"OK. Me do it myself GoGo"

Third.

There is watching it turn 

from liquid to solid as it is cooked.

"Yucky"

(wrinkle nose)

                                                                              Fourth.
                                                                   The joy of making.

                                                                       

                                                                                 Fifth.
                                                        Watching what other colours
                                                        come when they are combined.
                                                   
                                                              "Skoosme GoGo.
                                                               Why they
                                                               Gween, Purpoow, Owinje,
                                                                now GoGo? "

                                                       

         "Shhhhh!"

        ( For an extra bit of GoGo magic

               we also added coloured glitters

             into the initial mix of each batch.)

"Yeah YAY!"

Here is my favourite cooked play dough recipe 

I have used it since my kids were small

30+ years

1 cup white flour

1/2 cup salt

1 cup cold water

1 table spoon oil

2 tea spoons cream of tartar

food colour (optional)

glitter (optional)

Mix all together and stir over a low heat 

until it turns into dough (1-5 min)

Ready to use when cool.

Store in a plastic bag in an air tight container

Setting my House/Studio in Order.

                                                   Life is always full.
                                                   In a good way….mostly.
                                                   It is Autumn here now and the
                                                   weather is starting to cool.

                                                   Last week at this time I was excitedly packing
                                                   my bags and heading for Sydney to
                                                   look after my little grand daughter, Lillie,
                                                   as her mum had gone into labour.

                                                      

                                                   It is a good thing that they share their
                                                   house with another family as I
                                                   arrived 30mins too late.
                                                   Gopal and Suse had walked into the
                                                   hospital at 11pm and she was holding
                                                   her little son seven minutes later at 11.07.
                                                   WOOO HOOO!
                                                   What a woman!
                                                   

one week later :)

                                                   There is something about focusing on
                                                   the basics in life that I find very nourishing.
                                                   Things are put into perspective and a natural
                                                   order seems to be set in place.

                                                    Over the last few weeks I have had no time
                                                    to write on my blog or be creative in my studio.
                                                    Now that could have caused me great misery
                                                    however there are other, more basic, needs to fill
                                                    and studio time just doesn't rate on my 'to do' list
                                                    sometimes.

                                                    We had funeral for a much loved uncle.

                                                     Then…

                                                    Helping with a big move from city to country
                                                    for my eldest son and his family.
                                                     

         I did sneak in  a Cameron Williams 

           demonstration at the CSG and was filled with lust for his 

tandoori /pizza oven!

Then…...

                                                    The birth of my first grandson.
     
                                                     

Finn Kalani 

                                                   
                                                      In and around all of that there were HSC activities
                                                      for my daughter.

                                                      My step son returning from travel in the U.S.

                                                      Visits to my middle son in hospital.

                                                      And grandma duty.

                                                       Of course, in the mix, my essay was due this week
                                                       for my distance Grad Cert Ceramics ANU course.
                                                        That is life!
                                                       Fortunately, my attitude to work and dead lines
                                                       (which seem to be the story of my life)
                                                       has always been
                                                       'do it now because you might not be able to later'
                                                       With this in mind, as soon as I returned home from my
                                                       residential, I did a block of research work and
                                                       wrote up my findings as I went .
                                                      This made the finishing it off fairly straight forward.
                                                       However, I am sure if I had a simple life, I could
                                                       do much better.
                                                       It has been submitted on time
                                                       and I am pleased with that considering the
                                                       grand picture of life here at Lilli Pilli Studio.
                                                       If I can just pass each unit I will be happy
                                                       because in the scheme of things, it is the basics in life
                                                       that really matter to me and it will always be that way.

                                                       Art is essential to my life but only after the basics.


                                                                         This weeks harvest
                                                         

                      

                                                     
                                                   
                                                      and here is a little wool and silk MUD CLOTH test
                                                      that I put into a bucket of mud from out back NSW
                                                      in January and just opened today when I was cleaning
                                                      the studio.
                                                                     

                                                 
                                           and now my spring harvest of reeds and grasses
                                           is dry and ready to be made into paper so March
                                           will be all about plant fibre paper

                                         

                                                    and then my studio will be ready
                                                    for an April of throwing.
                                                   

2014 A year of Ceramics for Lilli Pilli Studio

                                       Having returned from ANU on the first intensive
                                       in my Grad Certificate Visual Arts
                                        I am full of a mixture of exhilaration
                                       and trepidation.
                                       I guess that's a good thing…?

                                       This unit of work is all about glaze development.
                                        It is something that has been on the top of my list
                                        of things to learn and here I am doing it!
                                        YAY!
                                        I feel so fortunate.

                                        When I started pottery in my teens it was all
                                         about the making of the form rather than the glazing
                                         and kiln control and I have never been in a position
                                          to learn this side of things formally until now.
                                          I have just muddled along in an experimental
                                          kind of way. Which has also been good.
                                          Amazing really that it has taken me until my mid 50's
                                          to be able to study ceramics again.
                                          Life is a funny old thing, and we never stop learning.

                                           When I saw Greg Daly at Clay Push in Gulgong
                                           in April 2013 and watched his slide presentation
                                            on glazes, I knew he was the potter that I
                                            wanted to learn from.
                                            As he lives in Cowra and teaches at ANU I knew that
                                            if I wanted him as a teacher I needed to go back to uni!
                                            How lucky I am that ANU are the only university
                                            in Australia that run a distance program in ceramics.

                                            I feel very blessed.

                                            So now my brain is hurting with glaze chemistry and
                                            I am busy on the research side of this unit of work.
                                            The studio is full of cups with different mixtures,
                                            test tiles, glaze materials and notes.                                          
                                             I am forced to be very organised!
                                            Or I lose track of my test runs.

                                            NOW THAT'S A CHALLENGE!

                                            So rather than show you my results I will show
                                            you the progress of work in the studio and perhaps
                                            next time I will have some fished work to share.
                                             It is a slow process and I am trying to get the kiln
                                             ready to fire in a few days time.

                                         On my way home from Canberra I dropped
                                         in to the Ian Jones and Moraig McKenna's studio
                                         and gallery at Gundaroo.
                                         I have heard so much about it but I have never
                                         had a chance to call in.
                                         Worth a visit if your in the area.

                                         http://www.oldsaintlukesstudio.com.au

                                           

                                         I came home with some lovely pots.

                                          The town of Gundaroo is beaut too.
                                          I had a fab roast veg salad lunch in a little cafe

                                                            

                                                  and found some lovely old hooks in an old wares shop.

                                                       
                                                               
                                                              

Sadhana's view of 2013 from the window of Lilli Pilli Studio

                                                                       January 2013

                                                     It was great to catch up with Michael's
                                              dear Uncle Ian who is now in hospital very ill.
                                                   I think of him daily and feel privileged
                                                   to have known him over the 18 years
                                                      that I have been with Michael.
                                                   Ian was a gentleman and a scholar.

 

Left hand drawing of Ian 

done a few years ago by me, Sadhana Peterson

We also met a lovely new family connection, Jill.

January'13 also saw an important birthday 

for my dear husband.

and we celebrated it later in the year 

at Darleys with this amazing meal

given to Michael by his work colleagues

We also had a sea side holiday for a few days

and one grand daughter looked like this

and the other ?????? 

was in Germany.

Feburary '13

saw the space around one side of the studio

paved and grassed all ready for use as an open studio 

it is also far more practical now for general use.

the grand daughters looked like this

and this

My She Shells had a lovely wrap in 'Textile Magazine'

Keeping in touch with my son in 

hospital is always on the agenda.

It is always good to see him.

He keeps life in perspective for me.

 I attended a Victor Greenaway 

demonstration day at the CSG

He is an inspiring guy.

Very dear friend Clair had her 70th

March'13

I got an awful spider bite in early March

made some wearable art with my grand daughter

Then….

April '13 

was a huge month

A photo shoot for my WOW entry

'Forbidden Fruit'

with Richard Walker

happened early in the month

Then they were posted to New Zealand

after an exhibit in the Mountains at Textile Forum

where Mara and I did a workshop

with the lovely Vicki Mason

Then..

A trip to 'Clay Push' in Gulgong was 

a big highlight for me in April 

It filled me with inspiration from 

potters around the world

March'13

the grand daughters looked like this

and there were coffee times with my sons

May '13

We had a very lovely and memorable 

music night at my brothers place 

in the Southern Highlands

and coffee's with Bala

Mara was playing lots of soccer 

and Michael was coaching

and the grand children looked like this 

and this

June '13

A group of Mud Colony 

blogging clay sisters went on 

an adventure to Victoria visiting 

pottery studios and exhibitions

It was a wonderful and inspiring time.

I came home full of inspiration.

Then and there was more soccer

and coffee mornings

and the grand daughters looked like this 

and this

and the daughter looked like this

July '13

The soccer kept happening

the coffee was topped up

the grand kids looked like this

and this

and I enjoyed a Gail Nichols

exhibition in Paddington

followed by her demonstration at the CSG

August '13

the garden produce was good

It was a very special month!

My eldest son was wed

to his long term partner the beautiful Emma

love these guys xx

So I made some pots

and cooked up a storm to fill them

and feast

and the kids and grand kids looked like this

and this 

and this

Mara was sculpting

and her team won the finals

YAY!

Well done girls :)

and we had a 70th birthday for my sister

with cake!

September '13

Started with some natural dyeing

A bit of practise on some small lidded pots 

working up to  making a big vinegar jar

Then...

Off to Wellington N.Z.

for WOW

Brunch at the Australian High Commission

with other Australian Designers

Brunch at the Gypsy Deli Cafe in 

Wellington with two special gals

Wellington lights after a lovely dinner with friends

in Upper Hutt

Trip to see my work exhibited at 

the WOW museum in Nelson NZ 

It was a very special year for me 

as I had my niece Sarah with 

me at Awards Night.

It was the first time that I have

had extended family with me 

to share this special night.

Returning home for  coffee catch up's 

and a birthday celebration with Bala

                                                and the grand daughters looked like this

and this

and the garden started 

to look like Spring

October '13

I made lots and lots of plant fibre paper

Mara had her formal xx

                                                         The garden was looking great.

the vinegar jar was taking shape

Then the cicadas came

 in a deafening flurry

and the temperature went up

 The bush fire season started

and the community gathered.

 Large portions of the mountains burned

this time we were lucky but many friends 

and acquaintances lost their properties.

I sat and twined lots of the grasses into rope.

I had been drying plant materials 

that could have been a danger in the fires

so it was time to turn them into art materials 

and a rope suggesting safety seemed appropriate

                                                   There is always soccer games to attend

and wearable art to make

and the grand kids looked like this

and this

but this one was in Germany

November '13

My gorgeous nephew Jed was married 

to his perfectly matched partner Alex

and the grand nieces looked like this

and the bride arrived on the 

back of her dad's classic ute

Then I went back to the studio

and kept making paper

and the garden was blooming

                                                     and my grand daughter and I
                                                         made more wearable art

Then my sisters book was launched

 She had been working 

on it for the past 25 years!

Time to celebrate!

So we cooked up a storm!

Then there was a visit to the museum

with my grand daughter

and lots of potting in the studio

Mara performing

and turning 16!!!

and the garden kept blooming

and a batch of red browed finches hatched

and a batch of chicks hatched

and there was coffee to be had

and the grand kids looked like this

                                                                 and this

and this

and  THIS!!!!!

December '13

The vinegar jar was finished and shipped 

and it is still on it's journey as I write this post.

I am hoping every day that it is safe.

My step son Gabriel finished his aviation course 

and received his "WINGS"

in a celebration in a hanger at Bankstown Airport

Brilliant Gabe!

Then all the family arrived for Christmas

time for FUN!

Christmas morning Luca couldn't 

believe her eyes when she saw the stockings all full

under the tree!

she made some portrait cookies of everyone

and the grand children looked like this

and this

and this

                                                    We met family that had been lost

and enjoyed sharing a bit of music

Farewell 2013

It has been BIG!

Wishing you all a wonderful year for 2014.