 A commission for a friend this winter. She is Chinese and so, loving the act of writing, I wrote a short verse echoing her country's cultural appreciation for the natural world to accompany these two quintessentially Australian Willie Wagtail fledglings. "An enchanted innocence - and a new light is flashed upon the morning".
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And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazel nut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What is this?’ And it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.’ I marvelled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning by the love of God. In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that God loves it. And the third, that God keeps it. Julian of Norwich, 1342 - 1416  "What is this? It exists now and forever" Mother Julian was an English anchorite of the Middle Ages. She is remembered for her writings in “Revelations of Divine Love”, the earliest surviving book in the English language to be written by a woman. She is enshrined in the Church of St Julian, in Norwich. Johanna is an actress with a beautiful speaking voice - mellifluous and redolent with enunciation and purpose. She had in the 1980s made a talk for the BBC’s religious programme about Julian of Norwich. At the time, Johanna sent me a cassette of this programme (remember cassettes?) which I played often. It kept me company in the long hours of working towards an exhibition. So, when she commissioned a painting it came straightaway that this was to involve Julian of Norwich, as the reading was a high point in Johanna’s career, and my Australian Nature Finds series. This little painting is now available as a framed,
artist-signed print. (23 x 18 cm HxW) $45 + packaging / post Clinker boats having "conversations" with the gentle calm of watery ripples. Something soothing, touching to the soul. Water gently lapping. I thought you'd enjoy these three from my Mallacoota Reflections series. May your day be kind, Sue "Floating In and Out of Memory" "Betwixt and Between" "Blue Boat Waiting"
 Musings ..... Hoping to return to the Land of Art soon. I seem to have been up to my eyebrows in conservation work. Not that I've accomplished great things, but as the Main Everything for BirdLife Bunbury it takes up time. This bird of a mind of mine leaps from branch to branch with things I'd like to do. Nest paintings waiting.
A commission of wagtails for a friend's birthday in July. A commission of thirty calligraphed bookmarks for a priest friend who is conducting a women's retreat end of June. Calligraphic scripts: I'd like to do those lovely old-fashioned verses like "Monday's child ....." and "Thirty days hath November ....... ". Why? Because I'd just like to, no other reason. why not?, instead of why? Perhaps someone might like to frame these, and put them on their kitchen wall. I am to give a bird talk to ladies at St Boniface Cathedral this Thursday I never know what I am going to do. It should fall into place. An article to write for the local newspaper on sea-birds and plastics. There is mending to be done, and cushions to sew. Dishes to wash.  In my Mallacoota days Friends of Mallacoota produced "Stepping Stones", a guide to M'coota and the Wilderness Coast 1986. It's been highly popular and revised 1988, 1993 and 2018. I designed the FOM poster, still in use today. The Mallacoota Gum, a very rare species stands near the centre of the tiny town. Eucalyptus williamsonii Here's some SK illustrations from "Stepping Stones"  Many people built mudbrick houses in Mallacoota. We were no exception. For three years we lived in an old caravan with an annexe, outdoor shower and a "thunderbox" and this one roomed cottage. This eventually became my studio with a mezzanine visitors bed, access via a ladder. And the poster, which is also the frontispiece in the booklet  From the "Mysteries in the Life of this Bird" series. These are SERIOUS migratory birds. Red-necked Stint visits our shores every summer. This is one of the tiniest, weighing in at 25 gms, like a matchbox, RNS fly a round trip of 25,000 ks to their Arctic Circle nesting grounds. We have around 300 stints on our estuary. On Saturday into my 8th year as leader of BirdLife Bunbury I coordinated our part in the national Shorebirds S2020 Survey on Bunbury-Leschenault waters. 8 teams, 25 people covering 23 sites. Good fun! ADDRESSING ISSUES - As an artist I endeavour to address the issues, building relationships along the way. Over the years I went from being an artist who makes paintings, to an artist who makes things happen as my work engages people from many walks of life. Scientists, ornithologists, conservationists and viewers. It just seems right and it just happens! I painted this and several others for a Threatened Birds Exhibition in Melbourne - all were snapped up!   "Book-book and Larry"
This is departure from my first love, my signature nature art. I don't like to paint from photographs directly but there was something really appealing about the patient demeanour of Larry as he turned to see his rider, Book-book the family chook. Equine intelligence. This gave me the leg-up to bypass the constraints drummed into us at art school all those years ago of "Never-ever copy". In those Olden Days it was absolutely forbidden to copy from a photograph! However I could see this would be total f-u-n. Do you like it? Sadly you can't have it, because it is sold, sold even before it was framed! Photographer's consent : Julie Hutton of Windfall / Bonking Frog Winery, Dardanup See images and development of this painting so far .....  JANUARY Bunbury Summer School. I tutored three classes in Calligraphy and Nature Drawing
MARCH 2nd-31st. Manjar Art Awards My painting "Nature finds No. 48" (above) will be on show at Mandurah's Performing Arts Centre. The first award I ever won was a banksia and shell work, and it won Contemporary Watercolour Award in NSW. Do consider a vote for this artwork in the People's Popular Choice as it all helps to champion our beleaguered nature. Delivered with my thanks by artist friend Anna Komarnyckyji MARCH Saturday 23rd. Tree Street Art Safari You'll find me with my art and calligraphy at the graceful home of Amanda & Noel Whittle, 12 Banksia Street. Come and say hello! See "Upcoming" page for details APRIL Sat & Sun 6-7th or 13th-14th Teaching a watercolour workshop at my Bunbury studio. At present, all places are filled. MAY Sat & Sun 4-5th. Dardanup Art Trail Artist-in-residence at my favourite Ferguson Farmstay with Rosa and the Madigan family my hosts, where English High Tea will be served amidst the magic of Rosa's 1,000 roses, and if coffee is your thing ....... Again, come and say g'day. See "Upcoming" page for some lovely photographs
 ..... but this painting did! It went to live on a hillside in the south of Provence, in a stone cottage in an ancient olive orchard with an old friend Josee.
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