New Blog

For those of you who want to follow my adventures in America again you can read all about it on my new blog which is part of my website http://utamooney.weebly.com/blog.html. See you there!

Finally

Thanks to April for telling me what she learned I am once more able to post pics here. I didn't realise you only get limited storage space for pictures and videos on your blog. Suddenly whenever I tried to post pictures I was told my space was full. I tried deleting old post and still it didn't help. So here's how it works ... well at least how I think it works. Pictures posted on your blog get saved onto Picasa Web Albums. The web address is https://picasaweb.google.com. You can log into your account the same way you log onto your blog and other google accounts (your email address and password). I found that even the images I had deleted from old blog posts were still stored on Picasa. The Artist's Way blog I used to belong to has been deleted but all the images I had posted on there over the years were still stored on Picasa. I deleted these and the images I had already deleted from my blog and hey presto it said on the bottom of the screen that I now have only used 927MB  (18.12%) of my 5120MB allowance. Woohoo!!!  So to celebrate I will leave you with a pic of my hearts desire. If you are reading this Santa, these can be found in Wittner and I take a size 8!

Heat in the Studio

I deleted all of 2007 posts and am still unable to upload pictures. I guess it takes some time for blogger to catch up with me. In the meantime if you want a sneak peek of my latest painting you will have to click here.

I am working feverishly to meet the deadline. Delivery is in just over 10 weeks aaaaaggggghhhhh! From the Gallery Walls of the Imagination opens at Gallery M, 287 Diagonal Road Oaklands Park South Australia, on February 8th, 2013 at 6:45pm. The exhibition runs till March 3rd. The weather is heating up and its getting mighty hot in the studio. The paint just about dries on the brush before it reaches the canvas. I am trying to organise some space inside the house where its so much cooler. Plus there is air conditioning for extremely hot days. I am just going to have to bite the bullet and make some room. Summer is fast approaching and the days are only going to get hotter. I usually take a break over the summer but as I just had three months off hanging around my cyber friends in America I need to keep working now. Plus there is that dreaded deadline!!!! Remember to keep checking out Glenn Stenson's blog. The idea of the exhibition originated from his work.

Down Memory Lane

I had to delete some of my old blog posts as I had used up all my blogger storage space. I saved them onto my external hard drive before deleting. I can't believe how many wonderful memories there are on here. Zoe just turned 11 yesterday. I started this blog 2 months before her 6th birthday. The pics that were on here of her were so adorable. She looked so small. She is quite grown up now and reading her first Dolly magazine. I remember when I got the first ever issue back in 1970 when I was a teenager. Where has time gone??? Julia always loved that magazine too and she bought Zoe her first copy as part of her birthday present. Tick tick tick, time just keeps rolling on doesn't it. I remember when I first made friends in cyber space. We shared our lives with each other, watched our families grow up through emails and through our blogs. Close bonds were formed without ever meeting in person. Amazing isn't it??? Even more amazing I got to meet you guys in person this year. I still can't believe it. It all came about through typing words on a little screen and sending them off into cyber space. Wow!

Sneak Peak

Glenn has written another great post on his blog about how he came to write his newly completed book. And he wrote I am a rising star in my community as a painter!!!! I didn't even have to pay him to write that hehehe. I love being an artist but it is sometimes very isolating. Long hours are spent alone in the studio. I think thats what made this collaboration with Glenn so much fun ... sharing our creative endeavours. Its time we break down the barriers between the different art forms and show how they influence each other. When I read, the words form images in my mind.  The writer's skill of weaving words together is therefore responsible for influencing my imagination. That is really mind blowing don't you think??? One person's imagination inspiring another's. I love this definition by John K. Hutchens - A writer and nothing else: A man alone in a room with the English language, trying to get human feelings right. After spending two months with Glenn I can tell you, that describes him perfectly!!!

I wanted to post little detail pictures of some of the paintings for the exhibition but apparently I have used all my storage space on the blog. I can either pay for more storage or I can delete some of the pictures on my older posts. While I decide what to do I will link you to my facebook art page so you can have a little sneak peak at the paintings. Glenn has also kindly put the pictures up on his blog. Its just a little tease, only little details .....

Adventure Revisited

There is another installment of the birthing of a book and how the concept for my next exhibition came about on Glenn's blog. Its worth a read. I love reliving this journey through his eyes. What an adventure I had!!! I am now working so hard to meet the exhibition deadline ... lucky I had a three month holiday first huh??? I don't want to post pics of my exhibition work and spoil the "ta-dah" of the exhibition but I would love to share a little with you. Yesterday a friend of mine came up with a good idea .... stay tuned. There will be more to follow in a day or two.

Exhibition Concept

As everyone who reads my blog knows, this year I met my online American friends - The Tribe. We originally came together on a group blog reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. All artists in one form or another we soon forged a close bond - a bond that went deeper than our artistic endeavours. One of the tribe shared his writing with us. We were all eager to read more. Chapter by chapter Glenn shared his story with us. Being an artist I began to visualize each scene. I was inspired ... my imagination was set alight. As text plays an important roll in my artwork I asked if I could possibly use Glenn's words in the paintings that were inspired by his story. He kindly agreed and our collaboration was born. I soon realised that a body of work inspired by a writer's story would make and excellent exhibition concept. I decided to lodged a proposal with Gallery M. The proposal went as follows:

The theme/concept for this exhibition has been inspired by a writer friend who shares with me, chapter by chapter, his journey writing a novel. Although fiction, I sense the writer’s struggle to rediscover how to fully live again after years of being lost and trapped in the lives of others and finally reclaiming his own identity. His words ‘paint’ images on the page that are so vivid in my mind that I want to put them on canvas for others to see. In the form of still life, interpretation of place and some portraiture, the proposed body of work is my portrayal of the writer’s novel. As text and language are prominent features in my work, the writer has given his kind permission to use his words in the background of my paintings. This not only adds to the visual complexity, but also hints at the layers of meaning and links directly to the writer’s story within.

It was accepted and the exhibition entitled 'From the Gallery Walls of the Imagination' opens on February 8th 2013.

Glenn has recently finished writing his book and is now in the process of publishing. He is recalling his 'book birthing' and how The Tribe met, which is an interesting story in itself. You can follow along on his blog Astute.

Surprise!!!

It was my friend Deb's 60th birthday and a surprise lunch was held for her at Lane Winery in the Adelaide hills. It was a perfect spring day with the temperature reaching 27C (81F) I believe. The hills are still all green from the winter rain and for the first time since I arrived back in Australia I felt lucky to be here. I realised I missed the grey/green of the gum trees and the sounds of Aussie birds. Its like the countryside said "welcome back" and I smiled a big deep smile. 

 the entrance to Lane Winery

 beautiful views

 waiting for the guest of honour to arrive

 a nice cold beer ... Coopers of course

 here comes Deb ... a Mercedes sports car was rented as a treat

 birthday hugs

 I even got to hold Deb's new grandson

 flowers for the table

 bloody hell Deb, you're 60 ... when did that happen???

 what's not to love huh???

 making love to the Mercedes hehehe

 the sports car really suits you Deb

 the winery dog cleaned the floor of crumbs when lunch was over

 back at Deb's having some more drinks

Happy Birthday Deb.

Vegemite

For those of you who don't know what Vegemite is here's a link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegemite

Homeward Bound 9th-11th September 2012

Leaving Seattle

Mt Rainier

South Australia

Adelaide Airport

Greeting Jack

Its spring ... my garden is blooming

see ya later ...

thank you to all my wonderful U.S. friends for spoiling me and looking after me so well. I love each and every one of you!!!

Cruising Lake Union and Lake Washington 5th Sept 2012

If I hadn't already fallen in love with Seattle I would have after this sunset boat cruise.