Soul Art in Parkerville, Western Australia, Australia | Art school

Soul Art

Locality: Parkerville, Western Australia, Australia

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24.01.2022 Variations on a theme. Exploring the idea of a riverbed to contemplate resilience and the passage of time. #soulscapes #Brusho #Arches cotton rag paper #ironlak

23.01.2022 It's a perfect time to explore Chaos, Order and Meaning, as I take time away from work. Here's the first part: Chaos- a purely emotional response to what is happening. It's full of grief and uncertainty. The next stage will be to access the opposite of Chaos and represent that with colour and gestural marks. Bringing it all together will be the challenge. #Chaos, Order and Meaning #soulscapes #Brusho #A1Pigments

23.01.2022 Over the Top: Dichotomy Exploring metaphors of too much/not enough, abundance/lack, past/present. Sewing down the layers and building up textures. Much more to come. #soulscapes #inkandthreads #paintedappliquecollage #perthhillsmundaring

20.01.2022 Colours of Australia. Working on two pieces simultaneously in preparation to combine them. As yet I'm undecided on which to cut into, knowing the decision to deconstruct something brings uncertainty and the possibility of regret. The construction of something new holds the potential for growth and movement. The Edge. #soulscapes #perthhillsartists #coloursofaustralia #chaosorderandmeaning

20.01.2022 Abundance. Just popped this into an inexpensive poster frame to see how it looks. I have to admit that it turned out better than I thought it would, being an exercise in embracing dualities and uncertainty. After joining the first two layers I was very tempted to "file it away", but decided to really go over the top, adding many small pieces, filling spaces and finding some sort of balance. It may be too much for some, but for me the work harnesses the ideas of diversity/similarity, individuality/community, profusion/confusion, abundance/lack, personal/collective, and above all my appreciation of the landscape around me. #Chaosorderandmeaning #soulscapes #inkandthreads #expressivearts #perthhillsartists #perthhillsmundaring

20.01.2022 Colours of Autumn. First stage of layering. #soulscapes #ink and threads #morning walks

20.01.2022 Side by side: the two pieces are drying in the studio. I wasn't happy with what I created yesterday, but pieces of it will surface in other works later. In these I am leaving space for growth and connection as I strive to find meaning in what is happening. I think the green will be the bottom layer, with "windows" cut in the brown. Hope coming through? #soulscapes #inks #Brusho #ironlak #montana colors #Chaos

18.01.2022 Winter Walks: Morning light. Working on this today, first layers sewn. #soulscapes #inkandthreads #perthhillsmundaring

17.01.2022 Colours of Australia: Home The process of creating order from chaos and form out of formlessness; the desire for alchemy, transforming quotidien experience into something meaningful; and the impetus to journey to the centre of self, face the shadowy beast and follow the thread safely out again: sometimes successful, often not, making art is such a rich metaphor. #soulscapes #soulart #expressiveart #perthhillsartists #inkandthreads #chaosorderandmeaning #coloursofaustralia #home

17.01.2022 Autumn walks, second stage of layering, and choosing threads. I love this part: developing depth and texture. #soulscapes #inks #sewn collage #dmcthreads

17.01.2022 Over The Top: In progress. Perhaps a better name would be Profusion/Confusion, as the piece takes shape, then loses it again. Staying with the process, building layers, losing focus, finding direction and searching for clarity: this work has it all! It is testing me to consider intentional choice, the need for balance and self expression. Quite a journey. #soulscapes #inkandthreads #abstractart #Chaosorderandmeaning #perthhillsmundaring #perthhillsartists

16.01.2022 Spring Restlessness, abundance and growth. Testing times here, but making art is a haven. #soulscapes #Springinthehills.

15.01.2022 Looking forward to organising a few more workshops after a long break. The first one will be on June 30th, for adults. Here are a few things I've been working on.

14.01.2022 Entering the labyrinth: First steps. I've returned to a traditional 9 square quilt arrangement with reverse applique on paper. The squares are 7x7 inches, with the central square representing the heart of the labyrinth. I am slow to start the journey, swinging between resolve and procrastination, manifesting in fussiness and small details. The path isn't clear, the thread tangled and the fear of misstep holds me back. And that's life isn't it? Not just the creative life, but also the experiential, soulful life. I have to trust that my feet know the path and that the threads my hands hold will see me home safe. #soulscapes #thelabyrinth #threadsoflife #perthhillsartists

13.01.2022 This (metaphorical) painting life: Ive been working on a new painting for the past week and it has presented a few challenges. Im choosing to view these as metaphors for life. It started well: plenty of time, a tidy studio, clean brushes, the right paints and colours, a brand new canvas, and all was ready for creative expression! The initial drawing went to plan, and so, heartened by the preliminary success, I began to paint.... Metaphor 1: Prepare well in order to maximise the chances of success. The first challenge appeared almost immediately. It has been at least 18 months since Ive painted on a large canvas and I was out of practice. How had I started in the past? Which particular series of steps would lead to a successful outcome? Metaphor 2: Starting again means remembering what weve learned, through experience, in order not to repeat past mistakes. I mixed my paints and began: first the background and then the main figures. Gradually I built up the layers of colour, adjusting the tone and value. Having learned to step away from the canvas instead of over-working the paint and ruining the surface, I stopped for a while. Over the next two days I added washes and glazes of colour to achieve the right depth and balance of colour. On the third day I added the final glaze and stepped back. As the paint dried I saw that the surface was uneven and patchy, matt in some areas and shiny in others. Then began a process of sanding back, re-painting and glazing. I called in expert advice. I tried different products. I threw everything at it! Metaphor 3: If its something you really want, keep trying, find different ways of working and consult experts. Alternatively, cultivate an acceptance of imperfection. So now its Day 9. This morning I sanded back the canvas for the 3rd time and applied new paint. It looks worse than ever. I have no idea what has happened: is it technique or materials? A combination? Where to go from here? What options are there? Do I completely scrap this canvas and buy a new one to start from scratch? Should I continue the process of sanding and repainting, hoping that the desired result can still be achieved? If I retain the canvas do I gesso over the entire surface or just the background? Is it time to forget the whole idea? Metaphor 4: When do we stop trying to make things better/right? Is it even possible in some situations? How do we know when weve thrown enough at a challenging situation? When do we say Enough! and walk away? Emotion tells me to keep going, never give up: I can do this! Experience tells me that somewhere: there is an answer to the problem. Practicality tells me that Im fast approaching the time to admit defeat. But first, Ill do a bit more sanding.

12.01.2022 Winter Walks:Morning Light. These cooler winter days and fresh mornings remind me of why I love living in the Hills. #soulscapes #inkandthreads #Chaosorderandconnection #perthhillsmundaring

11.01.2022 Applying the metaphor. Ruminating on the idea of a botched painting as a metaphor, theres more to explore. How can we apply the metaphor to other parts of our lives? For me its the idea of creating an image and getting a result that doesnt meet expectations. Surely if I have the right tools and knowledge I will succeed! ... I bring the metaphor back to myself: what have I persisted in that doesnt work out for me? Where have I scraped and sanded and repainted in the belief that I can get it right this time? Relationships, work, creativity and self-image spring to mind. That constant dichotomy of perfectionism and self-doubt is very apparent when I look at this canvas. The self-talk of Im not good enough and Ill just try harder are right there on the canvas, not just in the image itself, but also in the actual paint, the marks, the sanding-back and redoing, the going over and over to make it right, whilst fearing that it just wont happen. The refusal to let go and accept that this time it just isnt working out. The feeling that if I stop, I have failed. The subject matter of this painting has relevance also. There are two figures, each holding a glowing sphere. They face the same way. The smaller figure is leaning slightly forward, moving out of the frame, continuing their journey. The larger figure is still, having passed the baton, letting go. If both figures represent outer expressions of inner experience, I am simultaneously moving forwards and standing still. The larger self is watching the smaller self take tentative steps moving out of this frame/story into another one. Perhaps thats why its so hard to get right? Im just not ready to accept this stage of life, and my outer artistic struggle with the painting reflects an inner anxiety about past mistakes. If my life were a painting, it would be patchy, and uneven, never perfect. But that smaller, less experienced self continues, despite being imperfect. And maybe thats okay.

11.01.2022 Forest Walk: New Paths Feeling that the new paper I'd painted hadn't worked, I flipped it over and changed technique. This is a quick expressive piece that is pointing to a new way of working. Serendipitous. #inksonpaper #expressivearts #soulscapes #Mundaring #perthhillsartists

11.01.2022 Colours of Australia: Green Beginning the exploration of the diversity of greens in the Australian landscape. #soulscapes #coloursofaustralia #inksonpaper #perthhillsartists

11.01.2022 Colours of Australia: Pilbara Landscape (preparation). Working with a new watercolour paper today (Baohong 300gsm cotton rag). It has a lovely rough texture and holds the ink beautifully without absorbing too much pigment or buckling. The Brusho pigments under the Montana (mtn) colours work well and when this first layer dries further additions will be possible. #soulscapes #coloursofaustralia #pilbara #abstractexpressionism #brusho #mtninks

09.01.2022 New workshop for adults: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chaos-order-and-meaning-ticket

09.01.2022 So nice to wake up to the news of work being sold! Thanks to The Lazy Corner @thelazy_corner in Mundaring. Great coffee, lovely people, delicious food. #Springinthehills #perthhillsartists

09.01.2022 Colours of Australia: Green Working to create a sense of variety, diversity and subtle contrasts: an invitation to look more closely and become aware of difference, but also connection and contribution. #soulscapes #perthhillsartists #personalnarrative #coloursofaustralia #abstractexpressionism #appliquedcollage #inkandthreads

08.01.2022 New workshops for the next school holidays! Bookings now open.

08.01.2022 Grace and Faith. This represents an aspiration, rather than a current state of being. The difficulty of achieving balance in this work reflects the daily struggle to stay hopeful, to find acceptance and to remain connected. I've tried to express the discomfort of not knowing and the tension of uncertainty in the soft, slightly blurred greys. My instinct was to make all areas clear and defined, but I also want to acknowledge doubt and a quiet sadness. Working with the colours of the natural world helps to express the shifting moods of an inner, mutable landscape. #Soulscapes #expressive art #Chaos, Order and Meaning #April 2020

08.01.2022 For more information: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/chaos-order-and-connection-

08.01.2022 Check out my new workshop on eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/chaos-order-and-connection-

06.01.2022 My year 5 and 6 students are exploring ink and wash techniques after looking at the work of Nathan Ferlazzo.

05.01.2022 Colours of Australia: Green Adding details and layers, ready for more stitching. #soulscapes #coloursofaustralia #green #growth #Chaosorderandconnection

05.01.2022 Colours of Australia. Working on balance. #soulscapes #coloursofaustralia #perthhillsartists #chaosorderandmeaning #deconstructionconstruction #inksonpaper

05.01.2022 Autumn walks. Watercolour, inks and threads, hand-sewn paper applique, 300gsm Arches cotton rag, approx 76 x 56cm. Ready for framing. #soulscapes #Mundaring #inks and threads #westernaustralia

04.01.2022 If you haven't booked your kiddos in for some holiday creativity, there's still time! Just message me.If you haven't booked your kiddos in for some holiday creativity, there's still time! Just message me.

04.01.2022 Very happy to be offering this workshop again. It will go live at 5.00pm today, and places are limited to 10. If you've liked the look of my recent art work and have a hankering to have a go at it yourself, or you fancy a bit of time-out, come and join me for a little art-as-therapy. Teachers can adapt this to use in the classroom and claim it as PL too! Not an "artist"? Not a problem! Never held a paintbrush or sewn a stitch? I'll get you started! Who knows where it might lead? Message me for more information, or follow the link to the eventbrite page. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/chaos-order-and-connection-

04.01.2022 Containment Containment. Thanks to a friend for the title, which really fits the motivation for creating this piece. It has helped to express and control emotions in a positive way, using the boundaries of a large piece of paper, working with no particular plan, and harnessing the power of art to process and achieve a modicum of calm. As we move through Spring, I'm reminded of rhythms and patterns in life. #soulscapes #abstractexpressionism #perthhillsartists ... #inksonpaper #abstractart #baohongpaper #montanacolors #ironlak #dalerrowney See more

04.01.2022 Colours of Australia: The Pilbara Working on this piece I remember arriving in Australia with my family, as 10 poms, in December 1970. Disembarking in Fremantle, my parents, brothers and I went to the South-West of WA, whilst my grandmother travelled to the Pilbara with her youngest daughter and husband who was working for the Main Roads Dept. They lived on the outskirts of Roebourne, in a caravan, for several months. Approximately 20 years later, I moved to Karratha wit...h my husband and two children to live, for five years, in air-conditioned comfort. We soon made the trip to Roebourne and nearby Wickham, Cossack and Point Samson. It was only then that I could start to comprehend what my grandmother had faced, moving from a small, familiar village in Yorkshire to be confronted with the alien, inhospitable landscape of the Pilbara. Living there myself I came to appreciate the harshness of the land and the richness of the earth, although never completely reconciled to the heat and isolation. It is an area of such high contrast: geographic, climatic, social and personal. Looking at my time there, what I remember most are the people, finding lifelong friends and adding child number 3 to the family. They form the cool oases of experience, threads woven into a personal narrative, connection and meaning. #soulscapes #coloursofaustralia #thepilbara #perthhillsartists #inkandthreads #chaosorderandmeaning #personalnarrative See more

04.01.2022 We can make such a difference in a child's life.

03.01.2022 Luscious new paints + long service leave = lots of paintings!

02.01.2022 Workshop bookings are open. Giving a quick plug for the workshop next week. I've been pondering the ways in which this process can be used. It's called Chaos, Order and Connection because it starts from an expression of chaos/imbalance/formlessness , then accesses an idea of the opposite. These binaries are brought together in a way that expresses a sense of unity, with the threads being an integral part of bringing everything together- literally and figuratively. The Conne...ction part of the process continues to evolve as an internal dialogue, eventually leading to a glimpse of Meaning. Writing can also be a useful part of the process, especially when teasing out personal meaning. Other themes to explore could be: Powerlessness, Isolation, Loss, Anxiety, Separation, Illness, Grief and Ageing. It could also be an artistic technique that is enjoyable in its own right! I'd love to introduce you to this enjoyable process, so if you'd like more information, follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/chaos-order-and-connection- #expressiveart #perthhillsartists #@bellevue_artspace #workshop #thingstodointheperthhills See more

01.01.2022 Colours of Australia: Progress and details. Creating connection, balance and unity. #soulscapes #chaosorderandmeaning #inkandthreads #perthhillsartists #coloursofaustralia

01.01.2022 Entering the labyrinth. When I was studying, and later teaching, Transpersonal Art Therapy, I especially enjoyed re-visiting myths and stories, gaining a greater understanding of their deeper meanings, both collective and personal. Some myths pulled more powerfully on my psyche and for a time I felt like I was playing out the story of Persephone, Demeter and Hecate on a daily basis. Joseph Campbell's archetypal Hero's Journey also struck me as a way of conceptualising and int...egrating particularly difficult life passages and transitions. Now I find myself turning to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, the hero entering the labyrinth in order to slay the beast and claim his prize. He is aided on his quest by the gift of a thread, from Ariadne, which will help him return to the outside world. Journeying to the centre and facing the beast within is a perilous task. We risk losing our way and remaining in the darkness, perhaps taking on the role of monster in turn, raging and (self) destructive. How can we ensure safe passage? Nobody really wants to face their own heart of darkness, the monster that we have shut away, the monster we try to appease with sacrifice. But sometimes we are called on to do just that. Remember the thread. Each of us has a gift, a life-line, linking us to the outer world. Finding the thread which weaves through our entire lives can be challenging in the darkness, but it is there. For some it is music, gardening, books, writing, art, movement or cooking- whatever helps you feel connected to your core self. The key is to find and strengthen the thread, so that even in the dark night of the soul we can return safely, to claim our prize, and re-join the world with a deeper sense of connection. What is becoming clearer to me is that the threads of life are strengthened and nourished by those who love and support us. Thank you to those who are journeying with us, as we move into the labyrinth. #threadsoflife #journeysinart #enteringthelabyrinth #soulscapes

01.01.2022 Colours of Australia: Green Two pieces, separate, then combined, waiting to be stitched together. Working to capture a feeling of immersion in the great variety of greens whilst moving through a Spring landscape. #soulscapes #perthhillsartists #coloursofaustralia #inkandthreads