I've been busting to get into my studio this holidays now that all the Christmassy stuff is behind us. So one day while Jeff was watching the cricket & the kids were busying themselves playing Lego and scooting through the house [yes, we have lost control & they now scoot right through the house from the front door to the back, it really is a terrific house for scooting], I slipped out quietly to the studio to have a little play, or tidy up or potter around. Something creative, or at least surrounded by creative things.
Breathe. That sure was a long sentence.
OK, so anyway, I'm in the studio for less than 5 minutes before the kids notice I'm missing. Must have been the absence of 'Charlotte slow down, you nearly ran over my feet,' 'twinnies, make sure you look behind you before you start reversing those trikes', [yeah lost total control, theres trikes, roller skates & bikes too, crazy], 'Buddy stop eating the Lego!'
One little person trots in. 'What are you doing mummy?' 'Think I might do some painting' I say. 'Can I paint too?' So all 5 children dribble in over the next 3.41 minutes and I set each one up with canvas paper, art pencils, and then brushes & blobs of paint once they have their designs sorted & sketched.
Kate's art session is over.
Here's just a couple of the little artistes still finishing off.
So we have some trees with bird houses hanging off them, rolling hills & cute girls, a hot air balloon and a few other sweet paintings in progress. The bigger girls are quicker and always have a few pieces on the go. I'm always hugely inspired by the ideas my kids come up with. And sometimes they are inspired by what I'm making too. I'll share pics of their bits & pieces in a future post once their 'works' are more established.
Oh & Chelsea drew the sweetest table setting complete with a plate of veggies & chicken and a even a pear, all on the same plate - and why not?! Its amazing because a table setting is something that was on my art to do list last year. Of course I never mentioned that to the kids so she came up with the idea all on her own. I'm inspired to get mine started soon too now. Maybe an artwork that my customers would perhaps like to hang in their kitchen?
Because they are kids, they do a bit and then they wander off to scoot some more or to play dress ups or something. Eventually I'm left by myself to make a start. About 15 minutes left before I need to start dinner mind you. But I make a start.
And I've revisited a few times since to add more. Its a long process & lots of drying time in between. I've even been brave and played down in the studio at night! I've been pouring out bits of emotion into my art too. I've often tried to hide words & make them more scribbly & unrecognisable, maybe even coded them somehow but when I've made a piece with my actual words, they have resonated with others too. So I'm writing words & making pretty pieces with girls and thoughts & tears & colours. Art therapy perhaps.
Heres a few pics of works in progress...
Hopefully I'll have some finished before school goes back! Until then I'll continue to enjoy the little snippets of time I can muster to work away enjoying the process.












































