Art in Dardanup and the Ferguson Valley

This last weekend I have been a part of the Dardanup Art Spectacular Art Show and Art Trail. I was exhibiting with other artists at Lyndendale Art and Antiques, and I thank Denise and Lynton for once again opening up their gallery and garden for this event over the weekend of the art trail.

 Thank you to all the lovely people - friends and new friends - who braved the changeable weather over the weekend to come to Lyndendale Art and Antiques during the Dardanup Art Trail. To those stopped to chat with me and those who purchased from me, THANK YOU! Your support and encouragement means so much to me. 

We had sunshine and drizzly rain over the weekend, but managed to keep warm and dry. 
And it was a great weekend for visitors to come out to the beautiful Ferguson Valley for a weekend of art, food, music and wine! 

Some of my fellow artists at Lyndendale

Elizabeth Royce - Printmaker

Terry Madgwick - artist

Jackie MacFarlane - printmaker

Tracie Anderson - ceramics

 Lyne Mitchell and Denise Gillies - printmakers

 Thank you everyone for stopping by. Hopefully I will be back on track with my regular blogging soon! 

And thank you to my dear husband for carting me and my stuff around the country and encouraging me in my artistic pursuits.

Short break in the wheatbelt

We have just returned home from a three day weekend in the Western Australian wheatbelt. Primarily to look at some of the Silos Art Trail, but also to bush camp at a couple of new free camps we heard about. I'll be back next week to show you some more, but till then, here are a couple of pics.  This camp called Jam Patch is north of Lake Grace in the eastern wheatbelt. I love these salmon gums and York gums, which are common in the wheatbelt. There were a few big salmon gums near our camp and when I woke in the morning they were lit up with the early morning sun, so I was up and out with my camera in my pjs taking photos. Lucky for me, we had the campsite to ourselves. You can see our camp in the pic below tucked away on the back-right.

 Painted silos at Newdegate - part of the Silos Art Trail - more later.

 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.

Anzac Day - 25th April - Field of Lights, Albany

On 25 April, in Australia and New Zealand, at war memorials in small towns and big cities, on the shores of Gallipoli and in France, and places all over the world where Australians and New Zealanders gather we commemorate Anzac Day.  This day was chosen to remember our war dead as it was the day that the Allied forces landed at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, Turkey, 25 April, 1915. 

 The nine-month campaign resulted in the death of more than 133,400 troops -  47,400 allied troops and 86,000 Ottoman soldiers. This total included 8,700 Australians, and 2,700 New Zealanders, 2700 British Empire (other than Aust & NZ), 9000 French and French colonial troops.  Aust Dept of Veteran Affairs

I've blogged about Anzac Day before, and how on this day in particular I remember my Great-Uncle Norman Clayden who died at Gallipoli on 27 April 1915 (aged 19 - no known grave), and my husband's uncle Richard Ramsden who died in a prisoner of war camp in Myanmar (Burma) on 29th October 1943 in World War 2.  (aged 23 - buried at
Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Myanma)

Australian War Memorial, Canberra

Over 100 thousand Australians have died in conflicts since the Boer War.  In the light of recent tragedies, bombings, shootings, on the streets and in churches and places of worship around the world and the fighting between religious sects, I feel this message even more..... please God...that the sacrifices have not been in vain. 

However, I fear we have not learnt from the death and destruction of the past. I don't understand why we can't live in peace. Why we can't accept each others differences in race and religion. We all make up the wonderful diverse fabric of the world. We should celebrate and embrace this diversity instead of trying to stamp out our rights to freedom of thought and action.  Isn't this freedom what they fought for? Doesn't every race have the right to this freedom?

In February we had the opportunity to see "The Field of Lights" Avenue of Honour on Mt Clarence in Albany on Western Australia's south coast. This art installation, created with 16,000 lights by Bruce Munro pays homage to the 41,000 troops who departed from Albany on their way to World War 1. For some Albany would be their last view of Australia.

My photos can't possibly give you the feeling of walking along the avenue and viewing the lights which have been placed between the trees leading up to Albany's war memorial.  It really is a moving experience. An audio helps tell the story. 

Bruce has installed other lights displays around the world. You can hear Bruce talk about the Albany project by clicking here and then scroll down to the video - Field of Light - About the Project

Even during the day the field was moving to see. The avenue of trees was planted in 1955-56. There are plaques for locals who have died in military conflicts or as a result of conflicts.

Also on Mt Clarence you can visit the National Anzac Centre. It is well worth a visit - allow several hours.  The centre and the lookout you see in the images below overlooks the harbour from where the ships departed.

For more information:
Field of Light, Albany
National Anzac Centre, Albany
Gallipoli and the Anzacs - Department of Veteran Affairs, Australia

At the Dawn Service on Anzac Day I will remember them, and pray for peace. 

You might also like to visit my previous posts with more of the story:
 Anzac Day - we will remember them
25th April - Anzac Day - when we remember them
Anzac Day 25th April 
25 April - Anzac Day - We will remember them

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!

All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday
Friday Bliss at Floral Passions

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

An Easter prayer for peace

The Mottlecah - Eucalyptus macrocarpa

The Mottlecah - Eucalyptus macrocarpa - is a mallee eucalypt and one of my favourite Western Australian native plants. There are over 900 species of eucalypts in Australia, which have adapted to nearly every kind of environment. I am always excited if we come across a Mottlecah on our travels through the Western Australian wheatbelt. 

Please note: Since I wrote this post I have done some more investigation as there are several types of Macrocarpa. You might also like to read my more recent post - August 2020 - Is it Eucalyptus macrocarpa or a rose mallee

I believe this variety here is the Small leaved mottlecah - Eucalyptus Macrocarpa subsp elachantha

The name Mottlecah is the Aboriginal name given to the species.

August 2020 - I believe the flower bottom left is a relative of the Macrocarpa - Eucaluptus rhodantha - rose mallee

The Mottlecah is easily identified in the bush. It is a straggly sprawling bush/tree which grows to between 1-5 metres tall with thick, flat, silvery-grey leaves 5-8cm long and 3-6cm wide. 

The red flowers are 5-8cm across, with a silvery cap before flowering which occurs in early spring to summer and from late autumn to early winter. The colour comes from the stamens alone, as the flower does not have "petals".  
Below here you can see the flower starting to push off its cap.

The flowers are followed by large bowl-shaped "gumnuts" which give rise to the Greek-derived specific name macrocarpa – "makros" (large) and "karpos" (fruit). 
You can see the various stages in the image below.  

August 2020 - Can you see the difference in the leaves of these two images below - I believe the top image to be the small-leaves mottlecah, and the one below the larger leaved eucalyptus macrocarpa.

  Found in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, we saw them at Western Flora and also in the Corrigin region of the central wheatbelt. North of Enneabba, Western Flora is a great place to stay for a few days if you are interested in wildflowers as they have several wildflower walks you can explore.  

If you are visiting Perth and don't have time to travel afar, then you can see the Mottlecah in Kings Park Botanic Garden right in the centre of Perth.  

Western Australia boasts up to 12,000 known species and the Western Australian wildflower season spreads over several months starting from July in the north’s Kimberley region till November in the south.

For more information on the Mottlecah:

Flora Base - Euc Macrocarpa
Euclid - Eucalpts of Australia
Wikipedia-macrocarpa 

You might also like:
Once in 40 year wildflower extravaganza 
Hunting for wild orchids in Western Australia's midwest 
Photographing wildflowers 

Do you have a favourite wildflower? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

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!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday
Friday Bliss at Floral Passions

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.

Eco-dyeing - a magical absorbing art!

Who would have thought that playing around with leaves on bits of cloth and paper was so addictive? I guess thousands of people around the world would agree if you can go by the number of people who enjoy the art of eco-dyeing and printing. 

The first time I tried this art was at a summer school workshop  in January 2016 at the Stirling Street Art Centre with Jane Flower from Folios and Fibre. I loved it from that very moment, but in truth it took me about a year before I actually started to experiment at home. 

Since then I have played, experimented, read, researched, done a couple of workshops, joined a couple of groups on Facebook, learned, and generally had fun. It is an absorbing and addictive art! I love the serendipity of it - there is only so much control you have over the final product.  You can choose and place the leaves, you can bundle them up, you can simmer or steam them, but in the end it is the dye pot, the heat and the leaves that make the magic. You never know exactly what you are going to get. Sometimes you are disappointed, but other times you do a happy dance when it all works out as you expected or with luck better than you hoped! 

I shared with you some of my work a few weeks ago when I had a market stall at the Tree Street Art Safari. 

I won't pretend to be an expert, or give you the hows and how too's here. I am still learning. There are lots of great resources on line, but here is a quick look.

First select and lay out your leaves. They can be fresh or leaf fall.  There are many variables, including time of year and the water and fabric you use. I am lucky to be using mostly eucalyptus which print very well. Check that you know what the leaves are, you don't want to be using poisonous leaves. 

Make notes of what you did, what you used, and the results. This is invaluable, although you can never get a repeat of something. Each piece is truly unique and individual.

Roll it and wrap it up tight, or squish it between something flat ie tiles work well

Put leaves and water into the pot and simmer your bundles in the water or steam on a steaming rack. Use a dye-dedicated pot, not a pot you are going to cook your dinner up in. And do the cooking outside in a well ventilated area. I try and use rain water I have collected as household water might have other "additives". I have also found bore water works well if you have a bore.  Protect your hands with gloves. Some long handled tongs are very useful too.

Once they are done take them out.  The time depends on what you are cooking - I do paper for about half an hour simmering, and then leave in the pot for an hour, and silk scarves I steam for about 2 hours. People have different ideas about time needed. If I am doing cloth I leave in the pot overnight, and then leave it bundled up for at least a couple of days before unbundling. I unbundle paper the next day as you don't want it to dry out before yo do. 

Hopefully, enjoy the results!  I made some cushions on linen-cotton blend, which I then embroidered around the edges of the leaf prints.

 I recently went to a workshop to learn how to make paint from leaves. This has lead to a whole new dimension and exploration to my work! 

  Overpainted with marri bark ink and outlined with calligraphy pen. 

 I am also doing an on-line course with India Flint - who is considered one of the greats of eco-dyeing and conducts workshops all over the world. 

And I have joined a world-wide collaboration "How Far Does the Hand Reach" with Maria from Botanical Being in England who is completing her final Master Project for her Degree in Textile Design. 103 women from around the world have joined her for this project. She has sent us each two pieces of material - one silk and one cotton, which we will print with leaves from our local area and then send back to her.  These will be curated into a patchwork piece and a book showcasing botanical prints from around the world.   Of the 109 contributors we have 19 eco-sisters from across Australia. We are communicating in a private Facebook group as the project goes along.
I am so thrilled to be a part of this global project.  As Maria says:
 "Sisters we are creating something completely new and unique with a hundred and three global sisters!"

 I also belong to a couple a Facebook sharing pages where I find lots of help and inspiration, although sometimes it can be a little confusing as different methods work for different people.

Eco-dyeing with Friends
Printing with Botanicals
Eco-printing, dyeing and painting on paper

There are lots of other groups.  You might also like to check out Gumnut Magic.

I am lucky to have a little bush block near where I live where I can go and gather leaf fall for my projects and some private land where I have access to a range of eucalypts. 

Or just wander along the bush-land path and let the the eucalypt dreams fall where they may...

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!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday
Friday Bliss at Floral Passions

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.

Back next week

I'll be back next week to show you what I've been up to...