fish pictures

A slightly new departure for paintings: fish.

These came from the fish market in Marrickville Metro. I'm not sure what they are but the one with the long spike thing from its lower lip is a garfish.

They were very fresh and shiny when I bought them - not so much now.

playing ladies

On the weekend about 15 of us went out for a morning tea in Sydney's iconic QVB building in the city to celebrate a birthday. There is a posh tearooms on the top floor and on Saturdays it is abuzz with grande dames having morning tea, shoppers having a break and some mothers/daughters - all with a sense of occaison and excitement over this very special treat.

Silver pots of tea were dispatched along with tiered trays piled high with tiny cakes and savories. Everything on rose patterned china and with flutes of champagne to accompany.

It has to be one of the loveliest ways to spend a cold Saturday.

New pendant designs

Myself and him indoors went on a long awaited break to Thailand. Him indoors sat around the lovely posh resort in Chiang Mai and I went on daily little forays to the local markets for exotic snacks, fresh fruit (it's currently mangosteen and lychee season), and of course all the stuff I use to make jewellery and gifts - that left all the locals scratching their heads as to why anyone would want such items.

Just before flying home we stopped off in Bangkok where I managed a trip to the world famous weekend market at Chatuchak and bought more beads, fabrics and silver bits to tide me over for the next few years.

New pendants and jewellery designs are being dreamt up.

First up is a new range of colourful tassel necklaces. The top one is Smoky quartz, Garnet and silver with a cotton tassel. The one below is Amethyst, Carnelian, Serpentine and silver with a green cotton tassel.

More boho chic.

salad and shrimp

For a long weekend.

From the markets in Sydney. The plate next to the beetroot was given to me from my sister in Brisbane - she's definitely getting better at presents!

camelias

I am eagerly awaiting this year's crop of winter camelias in Sydney. So far the smaller, single-row, petaled variety is the only type flowering - the lavish double blooms appear later in the year.

I think this variety may be the closer cousin to our friend tea - hence the teabowls in each painting.

I had to work so fast - as soon as you picked them the petals faded and dropped.

strawberries for winter in Sydney

Him indoors has finally gotten around to scanning new artworks

Here's some strawberries (painted in february)... to brighten a very wet Sydney day and hopefully cheer you all up.

The house got flooded today - one of the drains overflowed. I guess the positive is that the floors got properly washed for the first time in ages!

Have a fabulous weekend all.

New addition to the studio

As part of my fight to reclaim the kitchen back as my office/studio I've decided to try and make it a nice place to work in.
I've always loved fish tanks. There is something so soothing about watching a little underwater garden complete with fish and other living things going about their fishy business.

So I've installed a little tank, planted some water plants, put in some stones I collected from NZ and the NSW coast and a whole school of little mosquito fish that have been breeding like crazy in the pond in our front yard since I introduced them in February.

Aaaah. So Zen.

daisy chain necklace - shorter length

Here is a heavier daisy chain necklace made of coral, turquoise, carnelian, lapis, smoky quartz, cloisonne and sterling silver.

As it is a heavier weight I thought I'd make this one a little shorter. It sits perfectly outside your favourite roll neck.

Have a lovely weekend

sharing the studio - again

Well it couldn't last...

Him indoors got a friend over during the week to pull his project bike to bits so it can go off for a repaint before putting it all back together again.

The bike is in bits and sitting in the kitchen. Yes, I am working around it all - you can see they cleared my office space/studio - which is the table in the background.

You'll be pleased to know my painting output is still slowly progressing but some days I would just love a room of my own.

cakes and porcelain

On Thursday I backed some tiny cupcakes for a girl's morning tea which included a 2 year old. She loved them, in fact started climbing on chairs to get at more.

As I laid these out on a dish I bought at Chatuchak market in Bangkok many years ago I thought about the various pieces of porcelain I'd collected and kept with me over the last 15 years or so which have recently become features in my paintings.

Then on Friday, my sister sent me a lovely porcelain dish with delicate patterns all over it so I thought I should photograph a little collection.

You will recognise the ginger jar - this is one of several, and the plate from my sister is in the foreground.

Have a lovely weekend all.