Autumnal musings

I am amazed (again) at how quickly the days and weeks go by. It's already half-way through March, and Autumn is beginning to be felt through the sun filtered trees and blowy winds from the ocean.

This year began with a rush and a sense of excitement: what does the year hold in store? what dreams do I have, what am I actually DOING? 

Karzan has been in Perth now for 6 months. It's a harder thing, this "settling", than I thought it would be. I was sure that he'd jag a job and be racing around in an old bomb of a car within weeks, busking in the streets on his clarinet and teaching a bunch of eager teens his oriental jazz vibes.

Thankful for his one clarinet student. I love it, listening to the two wind instruments blowing out gorgeous notes in the Saturday afternoon back yard.

And as for me,  here I sit, light filled shapes like mono contemporary screen prints, the sun through the window. Inside my gallery space with it's powdery concrete floors, which we spent days polishing to remove the horrible carpet glue, and white walls. I called the Gallery "Shirin", which means "sweet" in the language of Karzan: Kurdish, Sorani.

Textiles adorn the verticals: garlands of pink red orange purple green rust indigo mauve olive burgundy tassels swing in curves of colour. Twraka, ancient bags used by the farmers in Kurdistan, glow red brown orange pink golden in tartans triangles and zigzag pattern.

My eyes greedily lick the colours 

the colours sing

hand made olive oil soaps heavily scent the warm autumn air

 gypsy colours of Kurdish textiles

my small mixed media pieces in this little corner shelf

light hits colour through the gallery window

floor rugs of warmest reds and orange shot through with blues and purples

twraka bags

sara clarke painting

It's been a beautiful few weeks of Shirin. I've met heaps of great people, and made lovely connections. But, it's now time to move forward in other ways. Retail it seems is suffering from the economy, the job losses, the expensive cost of living out there.

I'll be here for another week or so... and then to pack up the gallery and transport these delights back home. The direction from then will be to set up my shop online, and hold art classes in my beautiful sunny back room.

my back room, close to garden and sun

Evening classes in my back room on Wednesday eves with a glass or two of fresh SSB or rough red.

Who's in?! :)

Making the time:

This can be difficult of course... maybe a litle too much of lying around.....?
There are always so many things to do, so much going on, plus important jobs such as the washing to be hung out ;), and re-re-organising my work space AGAIN.... However, as I have discovered (rather late in life), beginning something/anything is usually the right way for me. It is in the Process of the making/painting/cutting where my ideas emerge, and I feel a calmness overcome me, and I really Achieve something. 


SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS:

I seem to be having to constantly re-arranging my work spaces, and will say to myself "yes, that's it".... then days later, I take a different approach, and change it again. I have boxes and trays and cases of cards, arty pictures, articles of interest. Bookshelves on magazines and poetry and art books. I think I may have come up with something I love now, it's workable, things are stored well, and easily accessible. Now, for wome real WORK.....


SPENDING TIME WITH LIKEMINDED FRIENDS:
This is so important, and I've neglected to do this. I aim to spend more time with creative friends. I'd love love love to be in a group of artists/crafters who gather to work together often. It's in collaboration that fantastic things can happen :)
Last week, I spent days painting my good friend's walls with luscious soft pinks and mauves and blues! We had so  Much fun