The mountain…indigo sky and a mountain silhouette…the mountain shimmering, the snow highlighted and glistening in in the final moments of the place between twilight and total darkness…
A creatively modified photograph inspired by night time views of the mountain, it’s winter snow covering and the lovely night sky and a shadowy landscape.
Winter isn’t the normal time for roses to bloom. It is a time of dormancy and pruning, caring and quiet bare branches. Apparently my roses did not get this message as today, after all the recent cold weather and the torrential rain…I have roses blooming on bare branches…delicate, fragile and the palest pink…a perfect winter rose.
I have been loving Pinterest recently – getting loads of inspiration on a whole range of things including art and photography but also great ideas I have collected about up-cycling furniture, gorgeous patterns and colours and drawings, wish list interiors and gardens, and awesome inspiring words. Please have a look and share anything you think is inspiring for you, or just leave a comment or share a pin. It is so great to see all the other people’s ideas and collections and passions. Share the love I think.
Winter in Hawkes Bay.
Picture perfect.
Hard to leave for so many reasons.
This is just one.
Orchids are quite contradictory. They look exotic, appear fragile, are expensive and are apparently notoriously difficult to grow…especially where I live, an area known for its frequently rainfall, salt laden sea air and crisp mountain breezes. And yet, in a tiny corner in my garden where my roses and blueberries always fail, my very neglected orchid plant has again blossomed for the second time ever. And… not one, not two…. but incredibly four stems dripping full of gorgeous orchid buds. This one I cut and have brought indoors to enjoy.
So they may appear exotic, fragile, hard to grow and expensive, but in a little corner of Taranaki they are growing, quite literally, like a common weed! Not exotic or expensive, not fragile, not hard to grow….and I am thrilled to bits.
Although fairly well recognised around NZ and Australia in most parks and lakes, the black swan is not common in other places around the world and is regarded with some awe and mystery. Here it is almost regarded as a pest. But, the timeless tale of the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan still holds fascination for me. The black swan is undoubtedly a stunning and graceful creature, gliding effortlessly across the water with its elegant long neck craning and glossy black feathers ruffled as it searches for what…some food, a mate, her own “ugly duckling” babies? .
The fantail has returned. It seems that two have decided that the area round my home is a good place to live. I see them quite a lot, flitting about, chatting and flirting with each other like two love struck teenagers. I am thrilled. This little fellow followed me over to the hill, darting about and perching on the fence post. I am also thinking he is a very special little good luck token for my own “fantail collection” on my website at http://www.blackboxartstudio.com/index.html
A camera, a car window rippled with rain, stormy wet weather, a line of shelter trees and green, green grass, a long trip, boredom, I play with camera settings and mutter it is too wet to take any photos….and inspiration hits…
An idea….a passing view captured in a fleeting moment. Is it abstract? Impressionist? I don’t know…I just know I like it!
While it seems that it was only yesterday that we were frolicking at the beach enjoying the last of the summer sunshine, winter has officially arrived and in full fury. The mountain no longer green, but sporting a lovely white winter coat of glistening snow. It will melt off after this short sharp icy cold-snap ends, but it is a sharp jolt of cold air, and time to finally accept that summer is really over and winter is now on our doorstep.
It was time for a change. My studio inspiration board had gotten very cluttered, very colourful, very chaotic…full of images, colours, words, photos, and kids art. It was busy and bright and bold. But mostly busy!
But instead of feeling inspired, I started to feel cluttered and crowded. I wanted space to think. I wanted less, not more. So I took it all down, without thinking or reviewing, or analysing any particular item. I put them in a suitcase with my other papers. Then I put back up six items. Not six on purpose, just because these six images felt right for right now.
None of the images on the board are mine. One is a beloved print brought in Wellington a few years back that had been rolled up in a drawer – a watercolour sketch of a hummingbird. Another is a postcard of Paris – both for my dreams to go there one day, and also because it was from a dear friend. Another image is a magazine advertisement image that I like. The final blue image is a photo of the sea found in yet another magazine. The blues are intoxicating beautiful and a reminder of the inherent beauty in nature and beaches.
My “Start Something” paper mantra returned to the wall (as always) and finally, I added the brochure from the “One” exhibition – held in 2013, as a reminder of my past achievements and future plans.
When I look at the wall, I feel optimistic and calm and I can hear myself think. Right now, I like that.
Sometimes inspiration boards need a little inspiration too!
