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2017

2/1/2017

I have been away overseas, to Europe. I went to Iceland too and that was amazing. I loved the colours there, the muted tones with all that cloud, and I finally saw Arctic blue. And it was pretty much as I had imagined. I think that is is in all my paintings now, that clear clear blue.
I also saw Arctic Terns and Icelandic sheep and ponies. Having seen the film Rams, the sheep were no surprise, very woolly, but the Icelandic ponies were beautiful.

Little Penguins

26/9/2016

I am down at Collins Flat Beach on Monday evenings as a Little Penguin volunteer. This is a beautiful little harbour beach, and I see the most amazing sunsets against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour, with the ferries going past. However what I mostly seem to do is pick up rubbish whilst I am there, and I collect plastic as that is what concerns me most. So I see what washes in. These are the things that I would ban if I could. Lollipop sticks, you know, the small white plastic ones, balloons with long ribbons on them that get caught around anything, seaweed, birds. Have you ever tried to break or snap one of these ribbons? It is so difficult and there are so many of them. I hate them with a passion. Where do people think they go as they sail off into the sky? We could have paper ribbons on them which would solve the problem. And plastic straws, so many plastic straws on the beach. Water bottle tops and their plastic rings, I find more and more of these. The other stuff is more random.
Some people see us picking up rubbish and say that they do too, which is terrific. Some one asked me last night 'What can you do?' And I said that you could either pick it up, not drop it or both.

More Little Penguins

16/5/2016

I am loving doing this little bird. The more I look at it, the more fascinated I am.

This is a two plate etching and aquatint. It is in a show at the Avalon Art Gallery for a couple of weeks. 15.05.16

My studio

29/1/2016

I have been working on the little penguin etchings. These plates are in the process of being aquatinted

Little Penguins

23/9/2015

I have just become a Little Penguin warden at Manly. Tonight is my first evening and I am very excited to see these beautiful little birds. I have already started drawing them.

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I am Reading….

Salonika Burning bi Gail Jones.
This is a wonderful book, She writes beautifully and her work reminds me of Shirley Hazzard.

Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart.
I so enjoyed this book, it was funny. And the characters so exposed. July 2022

Our Shadows by Gail Jones.
This is such a good book. I had just read The Death of Noah Glass by her and both of these are so well written.
June 22

Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
I loved this book and it felt so modern even though it is 60 years old. Apart from the lack of technology in it, no mobiles, no emails and no computers.
March 22

Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust
This has taken me some time and I have another 150 pages to go. It has been a challenging read and I find some of it extremely funny. I will let you know when I have finished it. Read more Austen and Mitford as light relief during this period. As well as other less memorable books. 21.02.21

The Dutch House by Anne Patchett
Such a wonderful book, I loved reading this, a perfect joy.

Olive again by Elizabeth Strout.
Just saying - a fabulous snall book. Olive is such a plausible, flawed character.

Milkman by Anna Burns
I have so loved reading this book. You enter another world where the dial has been moved and you have to tune in and recalibrate to this fine tone. It is wonderful.

The Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
This book is brilliant. I had never heard of him, and thank you to Avalon Library for having him on the shelf. I started with The Spectator Bird, then Crossing to Safety and now this book. I think I have read them in the right order for me. He is no slouch, having won lots of prizes including the Pulitzer. His writing is exquisite.

Nutshell by Ian McEwan
This book is brilliant.

The Fish Can Sing by Halldor Laxness
I had never heard of Halldor Laxness before, but I loved this book, and found it extremely funny. And he did win the Nobel Prize for Literature, so obviously no slouch.

Rereading
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford - hilarious and some of it so clever and finely drawn.

Persuasion by Jane Austen. Again

The Transit of Venus. I reread this book almost every year.

I am not reading
My Brilliant Friend. Have I missed something here?

2017

Little Penguins

More Little Penguins

My studio

Little Penguins

I am Reading….

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