Artists Blog

Well the smoke has cleared but today the mountain ranges were covered by a different kind of cloud.

The early morning fog spills down the slopes like a great big doona.

At the base of those mountains is a disused Quarry. Now filled with water from a natural spring, it’s called Moore Lake.

I fossicked about here for a bit for my pigment-holding rocks. We’re to make our own paint tomorrow the old fashioned way of bashing rocks to a powder.

Unfortunately Cairns is granite/quartz/basalt based (from the mountains being eroded away), so not very condusive to giving up colour. I’ve a few promising rocks, as well as purple mollusc shells and dead pastels, so I should be able to put something in my expectant paint pans.

Can’t stay and play, the deadline for the “BIG” exhibition has been moved forward to tomorrow, so I’m off to grab my brushes!

Smoke blankets everything. They are Helicopter firebombing again with self igniting pellets over the mountain slopes. It’s a combined controlled undergrowth burn with bushfire  simulation involving several goverment depts.

Fire starters: The plastic balls dropped from helicopters to spark fires in hilly terrain.  – Courtesy Cairns Post

Can you spot the shiny helicopter in the photo below?

They were flying through such thick smoke clouds that they disappeared frequently.

Noty many people are happy with the situation. Doors and windows have to be shut tight, but the choking smoke still finds its way in.  My neighbour is having asthma attacks and everyone’s washing smells like cigarettes.

Still, we’re not as badly off as this family’s home. Even the helio was hanging around them, just in case the wind changed….

Here’s hoping for clear skies again soon.

Helicopters were firebombing today. “Bombs away” and the mountains were ablaze. 

Quite mesmerising watching that curling smoke.

Orange flames snaked their way downwards. In the twilight the mountains glowed a gorgeous orange against the darkening sky. No camera for that one sorry, but you can imagine how lovely it looked.

Busy, busy again, a longer post tomorrow I promise. I have to find my mortar & pestle - an email from Uni requesting I bring one next week, very exciting.

Makes spiders seem almost cuddly.

On Sunday the cat spent several hours looking up into the tree outside my studio. I went to investigate and found this.

When I showed my neighbour, he said ‘that’s only a baby python, I’ve got skins in the trees 4 mtrs long”. Very reassuring.

Not sure if I’ve shown you the photos he took recently of the python in the trees which overhang our yard.

I received a reply by email from the Tropical Zoo about this snake (see end of post). 

Well today I saw a snake that was not a python, a couple of metres from my car in the overhanging tree. Maybe the warmth of the car engine attracted him (it was pretty cold this morning for the Tropics).

When I sent off an email with photos to the Tropical Night Zoo, they kindly sent back this reply:

“These are all Common Green Tree snakes, nothing to worry about unless you happen to be a frog! Their diet is approx 90% frogs.

They won’t eat caged birds and your other pets don’t have to sleep with one eye open.”

 He was happy to have his photo taken, but watched every move I made. He’s gone now, I don’t know where. The manhole cover is off the ceiling now. I still don’t know what’s up there, unless I get up and crawl about with a torch. After the Zoo Man’s email (below), I don’t think that’s going to happen:

“This one is an Amethystine Python commonly called a scrub python or “Scrubby”. They are Australia’s largest python and regularly grow to six metres – the largest (unofficial) was believed to be eight metres.

You should lock up wee dogs and cats while they are around as these snakes find them very tasty. Hopefully they will take out your bandicoots.They are non venomous but can bite (they have about 90 teeth), and kill their prey (rats, mice, bandicoots, wallabies, pets etc) by constriction.If you think they are living in your roof, you could try the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Snake Hotline on 1300 130372. But I prewarn you – nobody will actually get into your roof cavity to remove a snake. I had a four metre scrubby living in the roof of my last house for around five years – I had no roosting bird problems and he left my Burmese cat alone.”

UPDATE:

Since this post we have been inundated with pythons, stalking, catching and eating creatures right before our eyes! To see click on the posts below:

“Python eats a Cock-or-two”

“Do I prefer pesky pythons, or slithery snakes”

“Snakes and birds revisited”

On Saturday night we were privileged to be asked to have “Dinner on the house” at a brand new Cairns fine dining restaurant. It hasn’t opened to the public yet, so we were the first to sit at the tables, read the menus and soak up the sumptuous atmosphere.

We had a table by the new gardens and waterfall pool, all beautifully lit with inground uplights. But the most beautiful light was rising a huge golden yellow behind the pyramid of Earl Hill in the distance. I did take several  photos, but as I had the antique 2megapixel camera, they are hardly worth even mentioning, let alone showing you. The other diners around us “oohed and ahhed” and all had their camers out. The glowing Full Moon cast a very special ambience that not even the brand new designer furnishings could match.

The menu was rather special as well, such choices!  For starters Plump Oysters of course.

 Two shot glasses, one of lime juice, the other chilli.

For mains did I go with the eye fillet of Wagyu Beef or Wild Barramundi?  I’d never had wild barra before, too tempting!

It was crusted with a fine layer of crunchy toasted sesame seeds – just delicious!

For sweeties (for me the most important part of the meal), I chose the mango cheescake covered in crushed berries. Heaven in a ramekin. So good there wasn’t even time for a photo to be taken. It demanded immediate eating!

Later we walked back to the car under the light of that lovely moon. It was such a balmy summer-like evening. The palm trees overhead cast wavy lines over everything, even way too full bellies! A delicious night.

PS. I’ve just come from another gorgeous dinner on the beachfront (interstate visitors provide a good excuse to eat out). First time I’ve forgotten to take the camera. I tried a whole roast Flounder tonight, another fish to cross off the list. PLUS a sampling of 3 decadent deserts. I’ll have to start exercising again at this rate….

ArtEscape – a whole week of being tutored by Australia’s best artists in a tropical rainforest – just bliss on  a stick!

The Red Bamboo Gate sits alongside the lower Tank where the Oil Painting  classes are being held.

Before I could whip the camera out, glossy black scrub turkeys with their lipstick red heads ambled past the tank doors and back into the rainforest.

Some beautifully inspiring big brush watercolours are being created in a class right alongside my miniscule brush watercolour class.

I’m doing Paul Margocsy’s class again this year – he has such talent, you can’t believe your eyes as you watch him create a masterpiece before you.

Working on his trio of owlets painting.

The finished piece soon after.

After a day of observing, and more tomorrow morning, we are all itching to get stuck in ourselves. I’ll take in my desk top compressor tomorrow,as the huge compressor at the Tanks scares the beejeebies out of us when it repressurizes itself. Just gotta find mine tonight. I know it’s in a box somewhere….

I’m so tired, but so excited still. I feel so inspired by this man who realised his true passion, no matter how late in life. We talked about it for a while -my admiration for his work ethic and self motivation. He had a studio purpose built by Ronnie Burns (the Aussie Pop star of the 60′s), which he treats as a place of solid work from 8.30 to 4.30 every day.

Discipline. Self Discipline. I need to get me more of that!

I’ve been invited to help with an exhibition installation this week at KickArts. It’s a real hub of activity for the Arts scene up here in the Far North. The exhibition opens Friday night, and I’ll post more details and photos as they come to hand.

Next week brings an event that I’ve been waiting for since I attended last July – The Winter ArtEscape at The Tanks. It holds a special place in my memory, as it a provided a catalyst for our move from the bottom left hand corner to the top right hand corner of this country.

I had no intention of coming to Cairns when Jeff’s conference was here last July. “Too far, why would I want to go all the way there?” I protested. However, when I opened my issue of The Australian Artist mag, there was an attention grabbing ad for the ArtEscape, with the exact same dates as the conference. Fate said “You gotta go”.

Never having left our son behind on any trip before (he’s travelled  as a baby and toddler across the oceans through many countries with us), it was a hard decision to leave him behind, especially as we would be leaving on his birthday. School and another family to have him was all arranged. He took it pretty well, although he was very sad when he said “You’re going to the city that has the BEST skatepark in all of Australia and  you’re leaving me behind” (he’s a dedicated skater).

So what does a parent do? 2 days before we leave, I change the day of departure (one day earlier), I book him a ticket and pack his bags in secret.  On the day we flew out, we all arrived at the airport (saying we had to drop off something) and he still had no idea. When we handed him his skateboard and packed bag, it still didn’t click. When we finally said “Happy Birthday, you’re coming with us”, the look of disbelief, relief and sheer exhilaration on his face was just gorgeous.

From that trip last July, we have since moved to this tropical wonderland. Surrounded by rainforest (full of wierd and wonderful creatures), reef, and a spectaular line of mountains, this new home (and I’ve had many!) has been the most absorbing, both mind and body.

But back to ArtEscape – last year I was taught some wonderful watercolour techniques by one of the best wildlife artists in Australia, Paul Margocsy.

Here we are on the last day. He was a cheeky fellow (and a rabid Essendon supporter), and a magnificient teacher. I’m once again taking his class.

There about 110 that attended last year, with renowned artists as teachers coming from all over the country.

Try and spot me and Jez in the group photo below.

Here is one of the paintings I did during the week.

I’ve ordered some Clayboard from Parkers in Sydney, as I’m keen to try that instead of watercolour paper this year. It’s like a laminex board, but one that takes and holds watercolour paint on it’s surface.

Busy busy this week, AND it’s still school holidays….

This morning I leisurely wandered out into the backyard with a steaming cup of tea. It was so quiet.  There’s time to dawdle when it’s only you and the yawning birds. Time to organise my thoughts, plan the day, and just savour it’s promise. When you’re up before the sun it feels like you can achieve everything, not just anything.

It’s times like these that I miss perhaps the favourite of all the houses I’ve lived in. It was a “Renovator’s Delight”, which we “delighted” in for over 9 years, on a high point besides the Canning River in Perth. We built and rendered courtyards, dug and mosaiced ponds, and painted walls in outrageous colours. This was one of my favourite places just to sit and daydream.

I painted holographic glitter over the mermaid’s tail, and at night we lit her up with an underwater halogen spotlight. Instant disco with the rippling, splashing water shadows!

What I don’t miss are the bazillions of tiny leaves falling into the pond from the overhanging Jacaranda tree from March through until November. But from then until well past Christmas it was just magical with the lilac blossoms forming a glowing carpet over everything. Just magical.

Purple was a continuing theme, with the 10mtr long water wall out the back swathed in a lustrous shade as well. Even the pots couldn’t escape the purple onslaught.

Our new Home is unfortunately also in need of a good reno. Though small, it has good bones, and a wonderfully peaceful setting. Bordered by creeks, mountains, and Coral Sea, it is just seething with wildlife. Something I’m grateful for everyday. And rather scared of sometimes!

And speaking of new homes, at long last I can call a new corner of the internet HOME. This time it’s with my own .com.au, so no more surprises, unless I spring them!

It’s like Christmas with your own site – photos as big as your heart desires, and no flashy corporations trying to flog you their products – sheer bliss!

Not much has changed in Canetoad Country, even though it’s supposed to be winter. Still around 28 C max, and even though the nights are cooler, I’ve only thought about putting the sheepskin slippies on. Opening up the camphorwood chest I said a brief “hello” to all the winter woolies that are living in limbo. Will I ever use them again? The locals suggest it takes 2 years to acclimatise, and that I should feel FREEZING like the rest of them come next June. I’m quite happy never acclimatising!

It’s good to be back….

To see the original Canetoads in My Coffee, click here.