Archives

The Best Job ever!

It’s true. I REALLY do have the best job EVER!!!!! That’s if you can call it a job, cause most of the time I find it just pure pleasure, and today was no exception. We had decided a couple of days before that we were going to do it, so we jumped out of bed […]

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Sun-Filled Days of Summer

In between the storms rolling through you have to make the most of every sunny day. This week has been no exception. So, the dogs and I spent the afternoon at the beach on Lake Taupo, while the storm brewed further south. The wind was excellent at whipping up some waves that were pretty impressive […]

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What If…

‘Let’s go out Plein Air painting’, he said. He was gently coercing me past my fears. What if I couldn’t do it justice? What if it just didn’t work? What if I was a fraud and couldn’t paint this scenery in all it’s majesty? What if…? What if…? What if…?I’ve heard the talks on not […]

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Canterbury Plains

What a fun night! Fire roaring keeping our faces all rosy pink even after we derobed our hats, scarfs, jackets, etc., at the door. Pete’s fabulous baking to nibble on between strokes. Arthur’s Pass Alpine Motel were wonderful hosts. Fi had everyone laughing and feeling welcome. Chatter flowing freely. Enthusiasm abounding as they all tried something […]

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Sunrise

A good night’s sleep had improved my motion sickness immensely. Oh, how grateful I was! (Here’s a link for that story 😦 )And now before us lay two weeks of South Island adventure. Pretty excited is probably an understatement 🙂 Drawing back the curtains in our apartment had me immediately oh-ing and ah-ing and racing […]

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Intimacies With Another

Though it wasn’t as rough as on the day the Wahine went down, nor the last time we had crossed between the North and South Islands of our beautiful New Zealand, it was still far from calm. I tried so hard to keep it together…looking out the window, taking my jacket off to stay cooler, […]

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Painting Moments

All lined up waiting in your queue for the boarding call…what to do? Sketch! Cars all sitting nicely still in rows while I look at perspective and ratios. Little water jars sitting serenely on the dashboard awaiting my brush. No hurry. “Keep it loose”, she had said. I try. My darling dearest with eyes closed […]

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Acquiesced to My Request

I love the dictionary meaning of this word… ACQUIESCE: (simple definition) to accept, agree, or allow something to happen by staying silent or by not arguing (intransitive verb) to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively …and that is exactly what my darling dearest did when we arrived in Wellington with an hour to spare. He kindly […]

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Huka Falls

This was my choice of painting destination…the amazing Huka Falls. I was excited. Arriving at the arranged time at the top lookout I got myself organised and ready. Enthusiasm was flowing. Excitement for the next two hours of en plein air painting with Trevor Dowman, an amazing mentor. “Be bold”, I told myself. I tried. […]

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En Plein Air with Trev

When you get the opportunity to paint alongside an experienced painter you grab it and that is exactly what I did when it was suggested we go and paint out on location together. How much I have to learn and here is someone who has been on the painting journey for over 35 years as […]

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