Everyday Insanity and Delight

I have moved.....

My blog has a new home now at www.nicolefinlayson.com/blog

Please change your links.

Thanks so much, see you there :)

Old Skool Cool!

I have lots to blog - I've been away on retreat, I've taken a gazillion photos, been gallery hopping, scrapping, all sorts of lovely happenings but I've just popped on here to share these with you.  The very brave Jan Maree, shaved her head for "Shave For the Cure" the Leukemia Foundation fundraiser.  Yes this is her real hair and yes it is pink!  In honour of this momentous occasion, we had to have a photo shoot as she thinks she probably won't ever do it again....I reckon she might - lol...these are only the tip of the iceberg, isn't she gorgeous?

I think she still has a few days to gather donations so let me know if you want to donate....:)

I'm not having a crisis.....honest....

...but I got this done last week....

The bar piercing that is - known as a 'scaffold' or an 'industrial'.  I already had the high ring piercing and the bar goes either side of it.  I know what you want to ask,"Did it hurt?" and the answer is, "Hell yes!"  It was a needle piercing so a cut to fit the bar.  It was worse after a couple of days  - OUCH - but today I've been able to lay on it.  I LOVE it and before you think I am mindlessly insane, I'd been thinking about it for ages and decided to just do it.  I love piercings and it's there because I feel like I'm going through some huge changes emotionally, spiritually and philosophically and basically it's there to remind me of what I've been through, to listen instead of speak, and to not grow OLD! It's a reminder that although our bodies age and we wisen and mature, we shouldn't forget the lessons of our youth - and that's the main reasoning!

So I've been busy busy as usual, have my finger in a few pies right now, one of them being a little job I'm doing in a soon-to-be-opened cafe/art gallery here.  I've been soooooo insatiably lucky to cross paths with artist-extra-ordinnaire Kimbaross.  To cut a long-ish story short, I finally met him in person last weekend and have secured some of his DIVINE pieces for display and sale in the gallery.  Here's a couple I have here that I do NOT want to part with.  Ever.

 

I've totally stolen these pics from his site (thanks K - lol) and will have a new section at www.nicolefinlayson.com where you will be able to buy the artworks I have in the gallery online if you'd like to.  If you're interested in either of these pieces, please contact me via the email link.  If you just want to drool over his amazing portfolio check out his work here. AND if you don't want to buy these pieces you can buy prints of the pieces at the same site AND he is generously donating all profits to bushfire charities.  Awesome eh???

Speaking of all things arty, I feel a bit inferior to post this right after that creative genius BUT I finally got a chance to scribble and here's this week's effort -

A quick charcoal on canvas paper.  Man I LOVE charcoal. Anyway it's title "Resignation".  You know when you fight the daily fight and you just give up?  Well that's what I was thinking here...

I have a sketch book full of ideas for art pieces, just life gets in the way sometimes...

At least I still get to scrap - here's the last few pieces I've done for Aussie Scrap Source

Isn't that Cosmo Cricket "Everafter" range totally DIVINE!!!??  I did a layout with it today as well but can't share quite yet :)

I spent last weekend with my favourite scrappy girlfriends making pages for Sarah's Memory Gifts appeal,a  crop organised by Cindy.  We made HEAPS of pages and had a FABULOUS night with drinks, pizza and laughs all around and lucky for me the lovely Suz let me crash at her house for the night. (Actually i should say thankyou to phoebe since it was her gorgeous pink room that I got to sleep in again :) -thanks Phoebe)

Here's a few pics stolen from Cindy's blog of us feeling festive...

 

He he heeee!!!

I've been very busy with photo bookings as well this month which is SO fantastic, I'm LOVING every second still!  I have a couple of exciting things in the pipeline so I'll be busy for quite some time I reckon.

Before I go I want to share with you some more of the 10th Anniversary photos of Tanya and Michael - they were SO adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

Hotties aren't they?

I have some other stuff I'd love to share but honestly I've been sitting here for SO long, I really need to do something more constructive.  Bye for now :)

Could they be more gorgeous?

Tanya and Michael, one of my weekend photo shoots in honour of their 10th wedding anniversary.

I had so much fun photographing these guys, and the way they look at each other - aaaaawwwwww :)

And a couple more from Valentine's Day....

More aaaaawwww looking at each other I can tell you!

And look at this angelic face - isn't she divine?

I'm really busy with photos at the moment, it's SO exciting and I'm loving every second!!

Hope you're loving the rain right now like I am, SO happy to be wearing long pants and a jumper today - hooray! The rain is a nuisance for one's "do" though I might add but no complaints from me.  Really. :)

More spark searching.....

In the search for my spark, my self-expression, my kick-start back to positivity, a day away from home was in order. Nothing fills me with ideas and inspiration more than a trip to the city and a day at the gallery.  I also have menu boards to design and paint for a new cafe and have no idea wha the trends are right now so it was the perfect excuse to take a day out to explore.

I dropped the kids at school and caught the first train to Melbourne.  I'm not one for public transport or crowds but the train is so EASY.  It takes me directly into the heart of the city, right to both of the major art galleries, costs me less to travel return than to PARK my car plus I get almost an hour and a half of uninterrupted relaxation with nothing but my book and my iPod.  Just for the record I read and finished this book on the train that day.

You might have heard or "Tuesdays With Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet In Heaven".  I've read those as well and loved this one just as much.

Anyway.........I had a lovely relaxing trip into the city, watched these guys in Federation Square.  No I dunno who they are but they did an amazing cover of "Don't Hold Back" by The Potbelleez - cool stuff!

Then I headed off with sketch book inside my newly refashioned jumper bag and sketched this painting by Charles Blackman. (I've raved and raved on here about this piece before, won't go now) It was amazing to sketch it from the real thing. :)  I'll post my drawing when it's more finished!

I tried VERY hard not to place my hands on this (it was so hard not to)  Makes my insides tingle with glee to see these strokes of genius!  Yep really it does ;)

and this -

Took even MORE photos of this AGAIN!

Stood gobsmacked looking at this

this

and this too...

There's something fascinating about going somewhere alone.  I would rarely do it - I'd take a friend or the kids, but it was so nice to be alone with my thoughts and sketch book and I was amazed how many people talked to me.  Total strangers telling me stories of their lives. 

That happens to me a lot actually, I think I must look approachable.  I'm convinced though that every person I cross paths with teaches me something and always try to listen.  Maybe that's a message to me from the Universe - maybe I need to listen more, or observe more, or something!

I had a fabulous conversation with one of the security guards who I was convinced when he approached me, that I was in trouble for either drawing in the gallery or for the enormous amount of photos, including close-ups I was taking.  Nope he was just friendly and we had a great discussion about Blackman vs Tucker and all sorts of narrative artists and it was wonderful! :)

There was a temporary exhibition there as well by Rosalie Gascoigne.  It was fabulously freaky.  Some pieces had me scratching my head, like this one....

Then others were awesome like these:

Here's some more of her stuff :)

How freaky are these??? Shudder...

Loved this, it is pieced crates -

I took heaps of photos of the city but mainly for drawing inspiration.

And I had a lovely wander around looking at menu boards in the endless amount of cafes and restaurants.  It's such a lovely culture.

Saw this in the gallery shop.  Made me wish I still had babies.  Maybe our kitten would wear them....

I hope everyone has remained safe today - it's smoky here and a water bomber just flew overhead.  Makes for an uneasy tummy I tell you.

I'm off now to check the CFA website and then to have dinner with my gorgeous niece and nephew and family!