Art Gallery wander

It was a wet and windy Spring day on Saturday, the perfect day to wander around the galleries and catch up on what's happening in fine art in NZ. I must have slogged it through about ten galleries, and was almost the ONLY person in each gallery to my surprise. Still, it meant I had the place to myself, and the undivided attention of the attendant who was only too happy to point out features in the various works. My favourite first:
These are lovely layered paintings by Peter James Smith, who is a mathematician and artist, and happy combination of both. Featuring calculations and or maps of the places featured, or poetry. It was lovely to sit and gaze at them.

You can check out the website at: http://www.peterjamessmith.com/Auckland%202005.html

Another artist I really liked was more of a 'texture' kind of guy, but these grew on me, and they were huge. Bulging with material and a luminating glow. Really got better the longer you looked.


Enjoy.
Jen

Kite Day at Muriwai with Church

Today we decided to meet at Muriwai Beach as a church, to send up the kite the brothers had made and add some words from Ephesians to the tail of it. WHAT A GREAT DAY. This is Mark getting the box kite off the ground.

The kids all took part, either by writing some words on balloon and then Rawiri attached them to the kite, or just hanging on to their balloons. They also brought their own kites.

It was the first weekend of Spring, and a lot of folks were on the beach. Great weather, and freak waves coming in to sweep us away.

Tracey and Jan helped the girls with the balloons and writing, and a few new folks who were friend of Kohe and Rawiri came with their kids as well.

Rawiri attaching balloons to the string

Along the length of the kite. WHAT a miracle it went up in the first place. Up on the bank in the distance, Nana Moko and Kohe sat to watch and they were singing as well. Left two of the babies in the car sleeping.

Liam Morrison enjoyed getting his kite up.

Helen and Tracey having a go at keeping it up there.

. . . then it was Lauren and my turn.

Helen clambered up the iron sand bank and joined all the kids at the top. Mark Boyd raced up here a few times too.
At the end when we were all up in the carpark again, we all joined in a circle and sang a couple of songs.

Yesterday evening was Dad's birthday AND Fathers Day. So we all went out to enjoy 'The World's Fastest Indian' which he received as a gift, and had a pleasant evening for his 79th birthday.

Another walk on the FIRST OF SPRING!

I'm taking longer over this walk. It's the FIRST day of Spring here, and I am heading out of the house and along Yeovil Road.

. . .past the magnificent Magnolia tree on the corner. . .

. . . and at the end of the road there's the main road to the motorway, which I manage to cross. Look over my shoulder and I see my sister on her way back from the walk, just under the lawyer sign. . .

I carry on. . . seeing the endless line of cars going on to the motor way and town. . .

and finally into the lovely neighbourhood of newish homes, and along past the tiny ornate gardens. . .

the bottom of the hill and we turn toward the sea at last. . .you can see the glint of the sun on all the windscreens on the motorway

. . . the sun at last. . .

. . . and the first sight of Auckland in the distance over the inner harbour. Shall I go down the path or along it?

. . . along it I think. It meanders with breathtaking views to the right. . .

. . . past the lovely European style villas. . .

. . . and a flowering gum. . . you can hear the birds singing in the bushes all around. . .

. . . finally have to start on up toward the town again, but last view of the water. . .

. . . and over the shoulder there it is still. . .

. . . and here are the shops and the road again. . .

Down Yeovil Road and nearing home again, there's a lovely little English villa with lavendar hedge. . .

. . . and just beyond the bird of paradise bush, you can see our house. . .

HOME

Pork Roast at the Morrisons

My beloved sister had my flatmate and I around for a pork roast, along with niece Magda, who WAS our flatmate, on Monday last. What a great winter meal, and how nice to be with my two nieces and nephew for the night.

Okay I'm going ahead with these

I've decided at last to just run with these. . . going to leave it a choice of pink, blue, green or orange background depending on my mood, and get some cards printed. Hope you approve.

Here it is, I HOPE

Um NO, that's not it

Can't see the pics before I actually publish, so NO that's NOT the logo. Will put it up when I can get it working.

Wild Line Design

I'm doing this Small Business Course at the moment, to get myself up and running as a Sole Trader. I just found out I can't use my favourite INKLINGS name, because some marketing company in Whangarei are using INKLING LTD, so all my website and logo etc are no good. Sigh.

So, I'm working on a new name and logo, and so far got this. What do you think? It goes with the subject of my dissertation, on the Wild Line in NZ Illustration, but more than that, it also says design, and that there's a wild line in there somewhere. Still working on the logo, but I thought I'd keep you posted on the progress and get some votes for each one. This is todays.

Jen

Let's take an early morning walk together

Okay, let's wander out my front door at 6.50am and start walking. . . I always greet the Lord first and as I do, I can see the growing dawn ahead of me above the rooftops. This is what I saw first though. What precision. . .what pattern. . . what design.

The street draws me on, around its curves and through the mist, and I thought of how we now look in a glass dimly but then shall see him face to face.

Looking back at our house with the soft light playing on the foggy shape of it. The Rhodadendron tree from next door overshadowing it with splendour

And then I turn and see this lovely blossom tree, and a close observation of the blooms sends thrills through me. After the winter, there is the growth and freshness of Spring. His mercies are new every morning.

Seeeee. . . .

And this Early Cheer with its nodding head ready to lift to the sun. Aw, so beautiful.

But my favourite has to be Magnificent Magnolias. There's just something about a magnolia, the way it bursts forth in WINTER when all is so cold and cheerless, and all of the magnolias energies and life are poured into these glorious blooms that reach high and are so very sumptious. Ah, for that inner life.

I'm SOOOOO on line! So wired. . .

What can I say? There's nothing like a NEW cellphone that actually lets me have ALL my calls without deciding which ones to give me. Okay, so it's not ringing a lot, but hey, it can send pics, and it can do all sorts of fancy things I haven't worked out yet, and most importantly, it's RIGHT THERE if I should get any calls for work. Do I look happy? I am.

Peter's birfday. . .

Just finished celebrating a lovely weekend with Peter up from Ngaroto Nurseries to celebrate his 46th birthday in style. Here's the dinner table last night. . .

Did I say that flowers and gardens were the theme of the evening, in keeping with Peter's work as a nurseryman. . .

Peter and I getting into the spirit of his floral occasion.

John and Naomi came laden with their wonderful bright personalities. . .

And Gord and Cath made a colourful pair on our couch. . .

This is Cath and I enjoying the predinner nibbles and good conversation.

Daffodil tree

It's true! Daffodils DO grow on trees. I went up to this one on my porch and tugged at it, because I thought my nieces had been fiddling around dropping daffodils into it to trick me, and it was attached. Well, alright, it had to struggle up through the entire gardenia bush, but hey, I think it was a creative daffodil and deserves a photo. Roll on Spring.
Here is another one of both the daffodil tree and me in my new studio, which you will see I still am keen about. AND I don't have much else to photograph these days, so you see another version a few days later. Forgive me.