Oh give me a home

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where the Art and Soul roam,
where the handcrafted miniatures play…

nest knitting art

part of a woven artwork by Margot Turner

…where silence is heard
in the tweet of a bird…

small art ceramic

ceramic by Pru Jobling
drawing by Cate Dudley

…and the city stress scuttles away.

(to the tune of Home on the Range)

pebble carving small art

bottles from Stresa, Italy; pebble carvings from Oamaru, NZ;
bone carving from NZ

I escape

for the weekend.

I land in an arty crafty sweet nourishing Airbnb home in Katoomba, Blue Mountains, a Cosy Cottage in the Clouds.
It is absolutely what the Art and Soul Doctor (myself) ordered.

There are views of eucalypt, mountain ash and tree ferns from every window.
Art nooks appear magically overnight.

Tiny pieces of creativity are displayed in every crevice.

woven small art

woven art by Margot Turner;
bedsprings

I am tired. Work has thrown me extra challenges lately.

I am tired, yet inspired.

miniature art

miniature artworks from various markets.
Did you know that Yodelling is Power?

I make myself leave the house to walk into town. My dazed brain gives the reins to my exploratory art-heart, which leads directly to a bargain bin outside an antique shop. The most perfect book jumps out of the bin and waves its arms around, saying ‘Choose me’.

tired therapist book

Can you believe it?
Bedtime Stories for Tired Therapists

Can you believe it?
Bedtime Stories for Tired Therapists. Two dollars only.

Back in the Art Home, my art-heart finds my pink tartan pouch of minimal materials.

Ohh, I groan to myself, I’m so tired. Keep it simple.

Keep it Simple 1
Sally Swain © original art

Now, some of you know, I am NOT SIMPLE. Simple is not my forte. Simple is very rarely me, with my curly-whirly thinking and multi-layered creations.

I aspire to simple.

I admire simple.

But I am constitutionally incapable of Being Simple.

On this occasion, I do the best version of simple I can manage.
I use scraps of leftover collage stuff that fall out of the pouch. There is an airline baggage sticker. There is a clothing label. There is the word ‘Play’.

small art watercolour

Keep it Simple 2
Sally Swain © original art

I work small. I use slow watercolour strokes.

I leave white space.

Art therapist, Amy Maricle of Mindful Art Studio, this week shared the following in her Creative Self-Care Facebook Group about simplicity. Lovely.

From Amy:

WEDNESDAY ART CHAT:

How do you use the concept of simplicity in your art?

If you don’t, what might happen if you made more minimalistic or simpler pieces?

And now from me:

Please tell…

how do you manage with regards to simplicity?
In your life? In your art?

PS The owner of the Katoomba Art Home, has given permission to share the photos with you.

PPS I succumbed to adding more colour. Just now.

simplicity art small

Keep it Simple 3
It might look busy, but for me this is simple

Words from Kahlil Gibran on a small container on the desk in the Art Home. 

Kahlil Gibran
and what is it to work with love?

And what is it to work with love?

It is to charge all things you fashion

with a breath of your own spirit.

Ahhhhh.

14 thoughts on “Oh give me a home”

  1. What a perfect place to be. As for the power of the yodel; Romania is hoping that its song Yodel It will power it to a winning spot in Eurovision 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlDzaRK8fSM Eurovision you ask? Yep! My daughter is following Eurovision with a mixture of admiration, horror, and amusement, and is educating me on all the entries. Yodel It actually makes me smile; that’s a little inspiring isn’t it!

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    • Thank you, lovely one. Space. Yes. I used to be quite good at leaving space in my creations. It’s my passion for textures and layering that has wrecked all that.

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  4. Hi Sally,
    What a wonderful time you had. Such fun and flow.
    I am in Berlin. Simply being with family and unfolding spring is enough right now.
    Best to you. Marita

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  5. Hello Sally….It’s funny to hear you are catching up with yourself in this post. I’m there too… bone tired. And yodeling simply showed up … it seems for both of us creative beings. What do you think? So odd… and humorous. Are we being yodeled back? I’m chuckling here….

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