The Goddess In My Garden

Sitting outside on an overcast but warm day it was hard to ignore unmistakeable buzz of the bee's as they busily flew from bloom to bloom gathering pollen. The breeze gently moved the plants & grasses while I was planning what had to be tied back or deadheaded before what looked like the threat of rain became a reality.

Rather than stick with the job at hand my thoughts drifted to melting glass (isn't that always the way?!) then, in turn, to a gift I had received some time ago. Bear with me here.....

I've never had much by way of statuary in my gardens, but was rather taken with some of the Indonesian garden statues I had seen in Brisbane. They'd lent an air of calm grace & peacefulness to what were otherwise hot & vibrant gardens. I'd decided that "one day" I would have one.

The gift, which normally graces my windowsill in the kitchen where she sits framed against a backdrop of greenery & catches the light play all day long, that my mind went to was one of the lovely & super talented Angela Greer Garren's glass sculptures "Pillar of the Sun". I realised that I already had a beautiful piece of garden art - even if only while I was out there during the day.

So out she came to watch over me & enjoy some filtered sunlight.

Pillar of the Sun

Ang - if you read this I'd just like to say "Thank You" again - you've no idea how much pleasure this particular piece of glass has given me.

Art

Art in Nature

Nature in Art

A Mesmerizing and Fabulous Resource

Ever heard of "Phong.com"? Neither had I until, as is often the case on the web, I was looking for something completely different & stumbled across this amazing website.

Last month whilst focusing on colour & doing some research on something totally unrelated to hat I found, I ended up following a trail of crumbs & ended up here "astro.phong". There I discovered a plethora of online colour & pattern inspiration.


If you click on the link called /kscope & then the link with the .swf extension - you will find yourself in a mesmerizing world of kaleidoscope patterns for big people! (Your browser will have to be flash enabled to play here, most are unless it is deliberately turned off).

Aside from this 'adult' spending far too much time playing in a supposed 'childs territory' - I was amazed at the inspiration gained with the possibilities of colour combinations from simply exploring the subtle movements of my mouse over one image.
When the image displayed is affected by the most delicate shift of a mouse movement to display new possibilities using the exact palette as was available a second earlier, my mind goes into an overdrive of wonder at how much more there is to explore should I shift my mouse this way or that way.

Try it - you will be inspired. Just by observing how the amount of a colour affects the look of the end design - can give you insights into how it will impact on any art or craft we can create. From beads & paintings through to quilts & décor there is a lot to be gained & learned from looking at the way this particular kaleidoscope interacts.


The first image I loaded (the default when you go to the page) started subdued & innocent enough...

but eventually burst into a myriad of colours.

The next (image 2 on the site)performs similarly.

A simple black & white combination can be used for design idea's.

Take a look - explore the site further. There is some fabulous imagery & an absolute wealth of photoshop & flash tutorials.
Above all play, have fun....& remember to move your mouse v-e-r-y- slowly!

This Is Not Art…….

But it certainly spins my wheels!

I can’t blog about what I’d like to – for fear that the future recipients (my son & his lovely fiancé Kerry) see it.
What I can tell you is that I had an extremely wonderful offer yesterday from an absolutely fabulous lady. Having been at a total loss as to what to get the lovely couple when they swan down here next month for their engagement party – I had the PERFECT solution of the most perfect gift deposited right into my lap yesterday. This is something I looked at & immediately fell in love with about 6 weeks or so ago, & although I personally loved it – the second I saw it I thought of Kieran & Kerry. It was something that I would have purchased immediately had I had the means to do so – I didn’t & I still don’t. That is about all I can say for now though.

Over the years I come to believe that if something is meant for you than it shall be yours. If something you really desire for some reason doesn’t end up in your possession – then it was never meant to be.
Now I was just about to type “that still doesn’t explain my lost earring though” - & then had it pointed out to me that just maybe it does. For everything there is a purpose.

This is leading somewhere – even though I have left a rather loose end above. If you really want to know what it is I am getting & how it came about – email me & all shall be revealed! Sometimes having a son that is in Specialized Communications in the Army is a real bear! Lol!
I can just hear him saying “Mum – you can run, but you cannot hide “.

A classic example of things happening when they should do is the Tumbler that arrived from the USA this week. I had tried to get one brought back by a friend when she was visiting the USA in January – it just didn’t pan out, which I have to admit was quite disappointing at the time.

Thanks to some timely enablement by a certain person stateside & an equally timely cash injection from NZ’s beloved tax department I was able to procure one of these beauties at last! To those involved stateside in enabling, aiding & abetting & me – I am eternally grateful (well perhaps NOT the tax department – they were just giving what was mine, but late – as usual).

Now anyone who knows me – would know that tools do indeed spin my wheels.
Once I had managed to get the right power transformer the lovely Tumbler had it’s inaugural run &, Allan put some of his chainmaille pieces through. With a lack of steel shot on hand – we tried a suggestion he had found discussed by other chainmailler’s on a forum he belongs to…… Rice!


And it worked ...brilliantly!