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Summer’s Song

Summer is coming to it’s fullness. Garden flowers are showing their bright colours. The grass on the hills is turning a sunburnt golden hue. And we find ourselves seeking respite from her piercing rays. We pitch the tent under a tree. We enjoy the cool of the bush for a walk during the day. We cool […]

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Smiles on Stems

Sunflowers are indeed an old-fashioned flower. But good things are timeless! The warmer days are coming and we eagerly plant our seeds knowing that Summer will bring with it a host of smiles on stems just as it did for generations before. My dad was telling me the other day how his mother planted a […]

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Sunbathing Beauties

The warmth of the sun just oozes out of Sunflowers. It’s as if they are face forward and palms out sunbathing. Absorbing all those glorious rays and sharing them with us all in the sunburnt colours we love so much. Sharing the love! This study of three sunflowers is done in graphite and charcoal. Charcoal […]

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Be My Valentine

Looking up from the closing prayer I saw her standing by the door…waiting for us to finish. With a dash of willpower and a big breath she moved forward… “Would you like to be my valentine?” she asked the first. “For me?!” came the surprised reply. They take the red rose extended. She moved to […]

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Just a Couple of Sunflowers

I love Sunflowers! So, bright and happy, warm and carefree. A perfect subject to do a series of studies exploring different ways to use graphite. This first study is done with graphite and then pen and ink cross- hatched giving an elegant feel of simplicity. Clean lines and a contrasting palette of black and white […]

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Camping for Two

Sun beating down… My darling dearest asleep on a stretcher under the tree… Me lazily watching the breeze blow through the towels and togs (swimming gear) hung  between the branches. Us all cooled down from a dip in the lake. Ah! Camping for two. Lake Rere Whakaaitu you are working for us!!!! #Grateful  

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Nasturtiums in My Garden

Those round blobs of brightness yelling out “Yoohoo! Over here!” So easy to grow. So abundant in colour. So inviting to watch as they dance around the garden reminding us it’s Summer. I got to enjoy them as I sat outside in my little garden. Savouring their happiness today.

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Video Fun!

Christmas break has been a fun time at our place. You’ve gotta love the ‘Great New Zealand Shut-Down’! Imagine a place where virtually the entire country shuts down and goes on holiday for a month over Christmas, New Year and on until school goes back after the Summer break. Pretty cool. huh?! Everyone enjoying the outdoors […]

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Cool of the Day

‘And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (Gen. 3:8) Gotta say in Winter I have NO desire to go outside in the cool of the day, but come Summer I can be found out there in the garden everyday. Enjoying all the growing […]

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Surrender

We found this fallen tree trunk in the Opepe Forest. Trying to get a good photo as reference to paint it, I stepped on it trying to get over and found myself right through it. It had truly surrendered.  But it was in it’s surrender that it had given light to the other young trees […]

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