In Place

AIR - Oooooh. 
I could leave it at that really. It pretty much sums up having 2 weeks of blissful quiet time in my very own cottage overlooking the stunning Port Phillip bay thanks to the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
Yeah - this Artist In Residence thing is quite the thing. I'm wondering if its always that good, and if so why don't more people do it, and why has it taken me so long to catch on (if you haven't yet - you really should try one).
Day one started pretty much with me bouncing around the cottage in a joyful expression of the first opportunity in i dont know how many ears (ever?) to just do TOTALLY my own thing. I stayed up late making nets and knitting vulvas. What else?
By day three I guess the novelty had pretty much worn off though as the conversations running around my mind just seemed so ... pointless. But, here I was. What direction could I go except forward. So, by reading, walking and simply going slowly I observed the things that were catching my attention. A pattern. A colour combination. A bird. And slowly, gently a story began to unfold.

The rhythm of week two continued with drawing, ink and gouache, a few lovely visitors and many many cups of tea. Until it was time to come home...and prepare for the exhibition that Oakhill Gallery invited me to be a part of (in two weeks)...

And so - you can see In Place  - featuring work from the Gatekeepers Cottage Residency until June 28th. Hope you can make it.