Welcome to Life Images by Jill

Welcome to Life Images by Jill.........Stepping into the light and bringing together the images and stories of our world. I am a photographer, writer and multi-media artist.
Focussing mainly on Western Australia and Australia, I am seeking to preserve images and memories of the beautiful world in which we live and the people in it.

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Tuesday 20 February 2018

Blessings and Inspiration

 When I was pondering what to write about this week I was scrolling through some of the blog posts on Kim Klassen's page. Do you know of her? Beautiful still life photography, beautiful presents, beautiful thoughts. 

While I was strolling through I found Kim's post "Things Get Broken" - I am sure we have all had times like this ..... and here is a lovely quote Kim shared......

"things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life"


I am sure we have all felt like this at some time or other. I know I have. A friend of mine and her sister are going through a difficult time at the moment with a sick parent who is stretching them to their limits both emotionally and financially. I hope in time that they will find that life will rearrange itself.  I know my friend finds solace in dancing. I know I found solace in my photography when my father was gravely ill in hospital.

But that is not what my post is about today.......When I scrolled through the comments Kim received, this one in particular, from Terasazehr resonated with me ....
 
"Yes!! I woke up this morning thinking “my week is so full” but then thought “what if I spin that? And think of it as my week is so full of blessings? Or gifts waiting to be received ?”

How true this is in my life at the moment as I jump from one event, or task, or group, or creative pursuit, to another. There never seems to be enough time in the day to stop and smell the flowers. But how lucky I am that this is possible, that my life is so full, that I am not sitting on my own on a chair in the window, wishing that life would come to me. That there are people in my life that inspire, encourage, and support me. 

I met up recently with another friend who lost her husband unexpectedly in the last couple of years. Life took a dramatic turn which she was totally unprepared for, and she has had to make a new life without her husband. She was out enjoying an event with a friend when I saw her, and she said, "at least I am not at home curled up in the corner of a couch in front of the TV."

Wheat-belt wild flowers
 Last week we had a quick overnight trip to the wheatbelt to attend the funeral of my sister's husband's father. He was 95. And as I listened to his eulogy I thought about the full and interesting life, well lived, he had led.  His funeral, even though there was sorrow, was also a celebration of his life.  And I was reminded again of the importance of grasping opportunities as they come along and treasuring every moment, those around us and our blessings.


My life at the moment is consumed with creative arts, particularly leaf prints on paper. I'd been reading about the exhibitions on at our Art Gallery . I always find art galleries inspiring, so we went into town on Sunday afternoon for a look. 

 The first collection "Broken Places" by Christopher Young and Elisa Markes-Young was inspired by the work of two women, Rosetta Kelly who produced hundreds of watercolours of flowers as a way of dealing with her grief over the loss of her son in the First World War, and Georgina Molloy who lived an isolated pioneer life in the early days of Western Australia, and began collecting wildflower specimens, which now reside in the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.  I was particularly interested in this because of my love of wildflower photography, and more recently make prints of eucalypt leaves, and I late last year I had read - Geogiana Molloy, The Mind That Shines - by Bernice Barry





 Also on show was the collaborative exhibition "Salt", by two local artists, ceramic artist Tracie Anderson and painter Sharon Hinchcliffe. I had first met Tracie last year at the Dardanup Art Trail, where she was exhibiting next to me at Lyndendale Gallery. Tracie's whimsical use of ceramics and found beach pieces combined beautifully with Sharon's flowing colourful lines of her mixed media canvasses. 



Completely different to the two previous galleries, we were totally enthralled by the work of Noongar/Yamatji contemporary artist Lance Chadd who paints under his tribal name Tjyllyungoo, inspired by his culture.  His paintings were amazing. As you look at them, you begin to see other images within the main painting which draw you in.


Here is a video which will give you an insight into his work - 



There was also exhibitions by Sue Dennis and Yvonne Dorricott, interpreting the breaching of the Broke Inlet, a collection from the Australind Art Club, and works from the city's collection depicting 100 years of Bunbury's history. 

Following our tour of the Art Gallery we went down town for coffee and cake at The Townhouse Cafe where photographer friend Dennis Bear was holding as small photographic exhibition. Well done Dennis. 



How blessed am I to be able to view such amazing artistic work. Where do you find your inspiration?

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
Life in Reflection

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

And you can join up with Wednesday Around the World linky party at Communal Global right here! 






21 comments:

  1. Very inspiring art work. Making the most of each day is a saying worth aspiring to.

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  2. Lovely shots! Life does have a way of surprising us.

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  3. I love art galleries too, they are so refreshing. Its lovely to see these works which I would not have seen otherwise, thanks to your blog.

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  4. It's been a while since I was last in a gallery, I think it was L'Orangerie in Paris for the Monet Water lilies exhibition, we have wonderful memories of that trip. Thank you for sharing all this fascinating art work with the MM crowd this week.

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  5. This is a wonderful post, Jill. I'm touched by the many who find solace in creative pursuits when life slams them hard. I think we, as humans, are hardwired for creativity in some way - and that it can be through many, many outlets. I love the artwork you've shown and the bits and pieces of sorrow in the words in between. Such a great juxtaposition.
    I find inspiration in nature. When I retire in a couple of years, I hope to expand my creative pursuits. The leaf print you did is gorgeous.
    By the way, I couldn't visit last week because of the photo on MM - I'm rather paranoid about those slithery creatures.

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    1. A friend the other day said she wasn't creative - but she gives so much to so many other people in other ways, which I think is a wonderful thing.

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  6. what a lovely series of photos and video ~ hard to choose a favorite ~

    Happy Week to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  7. We are all broken in one or the other way. But it's okay when we can resolve that what if broken in our lives. Resolving that for others was my daily work, and it was very satisfying, but also draining.
    The art you saw is just beautiful! Tried to see the video, but internet here is probably to slow (with snow around). The wheat-belt flowers are gorgeous! I think (if they're the same) I've seen them in red. Thank you for linking up to All Seasons and have a slow and restful week, Jill:)

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    1. Yes, you are right, we all have something which is broken in our life. There are many many eucalypts which have a similar flower, and yes some of them are red.

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  8. Some times I have to work hard to prevent minor disruptions from robbing the joy from my day, so the comment about looking at things differently - as blessings, as opportunities, as gifts - really resonated with me! I am currently making a point each day to assess if I allowed joy to overcome those moments ... and if not, what am I going to do about it!

    You certainly have a lot of art to inspire you - I really like the work by Lance Chadd, and enjoyed the video about his work. Have an inspirational week!

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    1. I think we all need to work hard to turn things around into blessings, opportunities and gifts. Perhaps then there would be less angst in the world.

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  9. Very enjoyable and knowledgeable read. Will have to go to the Bunbury Art Gallery!

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  10. Awesome Jill, love the re-framing idea - and what a beautiful quote - must read that book. Rae also loved it :) Is the exhibition still on at the Art Gallery? Have overseas rellies here who would love it too.

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    1. yes, the exhibitions should still be on Jo. Lance Chadd's work is very Australia, so a great place to take overseas visitors.

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  11. I love Kim Klassen's work and I love how inspiring and positive she can be. Life is indeed full... of blessings. It is a matter of choice to see and appreciate our blessings instead of focusing on the negatives.

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  12. This was a perfect post for me to read today. I have been feeling overwhelmed with all the things going on....and going wrong lately. I love art and nature so I'm spending time in my craft room. And tomorrow I hope to get out for a hike. Enjoy your weekend and thanks again for these words of wisdom.

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    1. interesting isn't it when little messages come along when we need them.

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  13. I too needed your post today. We've been on a whirlwind six-weeks of travel and settling back in and doing chores and revisiting folks - and I got a new computer. . .sigh. . .I've just not had a creative juice anywhere in this brain or body. . .but I've had blessings and that's even better!

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    1. we are hoping for a short getaway soon to recharge our batteries and to maybe just sit (if I can find out how)...

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  14. I love exhibitions. Thanks for sharing the beauty :)

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I hope you have enjoyed your visit to my blog. Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to comment. I read and very much appreciate every comment and love hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return.