Old Building in a Rural Setting. 03/21/2010
 I have had some wonderful excursions in the Grampians this week. Reg and I have enjoyed ourselves so much we have booked to stay at the Grampians Gardens Tourist Park for another week and we will be putting Indigo into day care, every few days to go on one of the longer bush walks together.  In the Stawell to Halls Gap Road, there was this derelict house in a rural setting that makes a perfect subject for an artist to paint. I stopped to take photographs and was amazed that, with the house in such disrepair, the door was still intact on its Door Hinge. I loved the Door Handles made from old twisted wire.           Add Comment Where the B_____ H___ are We? 03/17/2010
 Reg and I just returned from a steady paced nine-kilometer bush walk, up and down hills. The instructions in the map said to ask at the General store in the country town for the detailed map. We did, and the store owner was rather vague about the walk, said it had, just been cleared, so it was passable and she had no brochures left. We set of, happily, in the direction she said, to go and this was backed up by the information on the map we carried so we were quite happy at that stage.  As I got within view of the mountain range we were supposed to scale in what was described, on the map, as a medium difficulty walk and rock scramble, I was having a few doubts about Reg’s choice of a walk, I did not think he was ready to tackle it.  After four kilometers and still nowhere near the mountain range base, I could see that, the information on the map was incorrect. This was no 3.8 kilometer walk over a mountain range as we had already covered a greater distance than that and I was concerned looking at the steepness of the mountain about Reg’s ability to climb it, so I suggested we turn back. Reg agreed that was a good idea. It proved to be a very good idea.  We were walking back the way we thought we had come, when we got to one of the many forks in the unsignposted, bush track and Reg, wanted to go to the right and I wanted to go left. He was so certain, I let him lead, and I think he was actually right at that point, I am not sure where we took the wrong turn. I knew there was a main road out on our left somewhere and we could always find our way out, by turning left. Just the same, when you begin to walk through areas you have not seen before on unsignposted bush tracks I do find it unnerving. Lol, we were not lost, we just had no idea, J, exactly where we were  We were within 5 kilometers of a little country store, somewhere vaguely to the left, or was that left right or right left? I steered us left and we found a road, not one we knew, this took us to the main road, not sure which way to turn from there, left or right, we turned right, knowing we could stop a car and ask if we needed to. Reg by now was favouring one leg, it had been the longest walk he has done since before he got whooping Cough last August. I was doing fine, the little bit of anxiety at not being sure where we were, had gone, now we were on the main road. Heaps of relief, when the little general store, appeared in the distance. Funny, but as I reached the car, my energy flagged. I felt ready to flop  To think that back in my thirties I never considered going for a two-hour brisk walk and healthy portion controlled eating as the way to becoming and maintaining a slim body, no I looked for solutions that took the work away from me. Diet pills, generic adipex, I think are versions of the phentermine drug, type, products I used to pop, hoping they could make me slim. What a long way, I have come since then. Reg and I probably should have turned back sooner, or not even have gone on that walk when the directions were so vague. I did follow the safety rule of making sure someone knew where we were going, by telling the people in the general store we were going to do the walk and I left our car parked in sight of the store so people would have known if we had had a problem and not returned. While the walk was not as we expected, we both feel great now, knowing we had a great exercise session, and we are both steadily improving in fitness each day with the exercise challenges we are giving ourselves.  I have illustrated this blog post about today’s walk with images of the art fridge magnets I have made from landscape paintings I have done. I saw some views, today, I would love to paint. How will I paint it, Impressionist style or romantic realist? I favour impressionist style and Reg and most of the public prefer romantic realism. When I begin a painting, the scene dictates to me, how it wants to be painted.  Lifelike Drawing in Colored Pencil with Lee Hammond  I proved I have overcome decades of ill health and injury and reclaimed my fitness by bush walking to the Pinnacle today, in the Grampians. I just missed a group of artists painting en plein air (in the open air), it would have been great to see them. Confront myself with what I once had the courage to do and did well. Today would have been a great time to paint outdoors, it was slightly overcast, not too hot and mid week, not too many people around, much easier to paint without too many on lookers. Privacy is not easy to achieve when you are painting, en plein air. I think I would prefer to create in private, like a hermit and only come out in public to exhibit or teach my art. Sneaking away, up a hill on a quiet bush trail, taking just a small kit of equipment, using the landscape itself as seating, far away from people, is my favorite on site painting location.  It is only now, that I have outlived my mum in actual age that I can totally free myself from feeling a twang of guilt when I disregard as I often do, all those instructions I was given as a child that no longer serve me well. lol, Reg says his mum would have said exactly the same thing. Lol J. Great to be older than your mum got to and feel OK about disregarding her advice on the basis of, ‘well mum, look at me know, I’m still going strong so I must be doing something right’ J, I think she would be pleased. J I WILL, make a commitment to overcome my inhibitions I have allowed develop these last few years and get out and en plein air, paint again, while I am here in the Grampians. Off my butt, stop talking about it, and 'do it'.  Should Friends Drop In or Call First? 03/14/2010
    My walking shoes and hat were on, my shoulder bag had the essentials, including the filled water bottle, when I saw Indigo, ‘stiffen’, and take up ‘pointer dog’ stance. I looked up and there quietly observing me was six guests who had dropped in without a warning, asking if they could stay for a morning tea with us. Hastily we reshuffled our plans and put the kettle on and they stayed for a chat or a photo shoot anyhow as they were exceedingly vain guests, primping and posing and for endless photos. After our coffee, they turned away in disgust saying they did not like my no left over breakfast scraps camp site and they moved on without telling us when they would next turn up totally treading so softly, unannounced and give me a start like that. Lol, it was funny. One moment they were not there, then the next thing these huge five baby emus and their daddy were in my camp. You have to love emu law. The fathers do most of the child raising work. So should guests arrive unannounced?. Lol J       Our Special Place: The Grampians, Victoria. 03/12/2010
 Reg and I had a whirlwind courtship after a friendship that began when I was fourteen and Reg was twenty. My darling man tells me he fell in love with me then but waited until I was an adult, before 'testing the waters', with a letters sent from where he was living at the time, Dampier in Western Australia. When I replied, he quit his job and set of to Melbourne sending me love letters about returning to his 'girl', from each overnight stop he arrived at. I fell in love on our first date, the first Wednesday in December 1967, the year I had turned 21. We were engages (secretly), on the following Saturday, our second date, then we promptly planned our honeymoon and lol, we left on the 1st of January, 1968 for our honeymoon in the Grampians. Oh yes, we did get married, a respectable, 6 months after our first date, in May 1968, we did not want to be foolish and not get to know each other a little more before making the commitment in a church in front of family and friends. lol. Well that is how 'we got together', and why the Grampians is such a special place to us. Reg and I also spent his long service leave there. Our daughters attended the primary school at Halls gap and we hiked all over those mountains for a second time. When I had my stroke at age 32, I set climbing to the top of Mount William in the Grampians as my goal. I did it two years later. I wonder if I could do it again at 63. WOW :-). that would be a challenge I might seriously think about :-). I think I might accept that challenge. I have painted heaps of art works of the Grampians as I LOVE this place. We will be staying for one week, from this Saturday night 13 March 2010, at the Grampians Gardens, Tourist Park.  Tinnies. 02/28/2010
 I thought these tinnies, laying above the high water mark at Phillip Island, were great material for an artist to paint so I am putting them here and letting my readers know they are welocome to use them if they wish. Remember though that unless I give permission for you to use them, other pictures on my website are copyright to me and should not be used.     Mobile Painting Studio Set Up, continued. 02/17/2010
Today was our last day in residence in our summer studio in Northern Victoria. Today I completed the packing and set up of the back of our troop carrier, making it a working artist's studio.  The photo shows the l shape table set up. the larger table is a light weight one, tied securely to the cargo barrier. Underneath it are lightweight, stacking, plastic draws filled with paints. On the table anchored in place is another draw filled with office supplies. My pastel pencils and my brush stand. To the right of the chair is the extra chest three-way fridge. I also have pastels, papers and canvas stored in there. Three lighting, 240 or 12 volt plus long life battery powered lighting means i will be able to work in my own private studio anytime, while on tour. This will be 'my area ` my space. :-). The items for sale will now go in the front part of the caravan where I used to tr to paint and I always had trouble, as it was hard to paint in a shared space. Artists will understand what I mean lol :-). The lower pictures show the set up of this space.          Setting Up A Touring Art Studio: The Start. 02/13/2010
   My incidental exercise this weekend will be to have fun, setting up the interior space behind the cargo barrier, in the back of our ‘troopy’, car, and convert this into a touring artist’s studio. I have begun to set up by attaching a lightweight aluminum table to the back of the cargo barrier, then attaching a florescent 240-volt light and an LED light fitting that runs from a long life battery that charges from the 12-volt plug in our car as we drive. This gives me a well-lit working table space. I have illustrated this post below, with some of the fridge magnets I have made, from the images of on location, painted, landscapes.             Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park. 02/11/2010
 Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park From: Sat, 9 Jan 2010 To: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 Time: 12:00 PM - 4:45 PM Melway Ref: 2M C2 Bookings Required: no Cost: Adult $2.00 Family $5.00 Further Information: Jenny Rickards http://home.vicnet.net.au/~hisaf/ 0418 971 897 Tucked away on the Yarra River in Toorak, Herring Island is a retreat for people from the bustle of the city just three kilometres away. Accessible only by boat, Herring island is a haven for Australia’s great wildlife too. On the parkland is Herring Island Gallery. The gallery is a converted scout hall - the fireplace and the marks on the floor are the give-away signs! Curator Maudie Palmer commissions artists to create sculptures from natural materials such as stone, earth and wood. The sculptures reflect the island's unique and tranquil setting and appear to be part of the landscape. A number of exhibitions are being held at the gallery over Summer. They include: * Ceramics Victoria (from 9 to 26 January 2010) * Association of Sculptors of Victoria (from 30 January to 14 February) * Contemporary Art Society of Victoria (from 20 February to 8 March) * Koori Heritage Trust (from 13 to 28 March) * Photography Studies College Melbourne (from 3 April to 18 April). Please join us on the island to view the exhibition. The exhibition is open from 12 noon to 4:45pm each day. Adults are $2. Children under 10 and those with a concession card are free and families are $5. Parks Victoria provides access to Herring Island via a punt (ferry) from Como Landing (Melway 2M C3). This operates from 11:30 am to 5 pm on weekends and public holidays. The punt costs $2 per adult. Guided Activities 1. Canoeing / Kayaking (B3) Volunteers 1. Friends of Herring Island Publications Links to other websites1. Sculpture Gardens/Art Brochures1. A new guide to Victoria's Parks: Parks Discovery Park Notes / Maps1. Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park - Visitor Guide 2. Herring Island - The Sculptures Books & DVDs1. Victoria's National Parks 2. Melbourne's Great Outdoors Permits & Licences1. Herring Island - Application for an Activity/Function Victoria's Heritage Stories1. Herring Island - The Island of Dreams  A wonderful meeting with Western Australian friends, during our West Coast tour. I need to begin making up a map showing where all my friends live so I will know when I am in their area, as I would love to meet more of my internet friends, and my blog readers while I am travelling in their area during 2010. It is a busy time right now, organizing the tour. Once I am nearing late Summer I know I need to get moving on completing all the maintenance jobs, the car is booked for service next Friday, We just had the air conditioner service, and the caravan service comes next.  Meeting Internet friends, with the view of South Perth, WA, in the distance. Lifelike Drawing in Colored Pencil with Lee Hammond | Artist currently not accepting commissions.
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