SOEWN EARTH

The Earth Reliant Artist



Trace Willans All Natural Mixed Media







Tuesday, September 30, 2014

September Reading

September Books

I am very grateful this month for the solace and escape of books, I do not think I could have coped without them

Books that are helping me cope with loss

The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: Annie Kagan (Kindle)  ebook or book
The Happiness Project: Gretchen Rubin (Library) ebook or book
The Life You Were Born to Live: Dan Millman (Kindle) ebook or book
The Laws of Spirit: Dan Millman (Kindle) ebook or book
The Four Purposes of Life: Dan Millman (Kindle) ebook or book
Your Soul Plan: Robert Schwartz (Kindle) ebook or book
Becoming Magic: Genevieve Davis (Kindle) ebook or book

Non- Fiction

Eat For Health: Joel Fuhrman (Kindle) ebook 
Survival Lessons: Alice Hoffman (Library) book
Paradise in Plain Sight: Karen Maezen Miller (Kindle) ebook or book
The Kitchen Diaries: Nigel Slater (Library) ebook or book

Fiction


Some Kind Of Fairy Tale: Graham Joyce (Kindle) ebook or book

Disclaimer: The (book) links go to the Book Depository with whom I have an Affiliated Link  and so get 10% of the price you pay if you purchase through that link. 

(ebook) goes to Amazon kindle with whom I do not yet have a link.

Where the book is currently no longer  available there the links go to booko.com.au which is a favourite site that will show you where books are available and at what price. I do not get anything from here.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Autumn Gift


Kathryn Polanski 
25/5/79  - 7/9/14

I've been away form here for a while. Some of you may be aware through FB that I have recently had to deal with something really really difficult, probably the hardest thing in my life so far.
At 16 I had a beautiful baby girl who I gave up for adoption, seventeen years later I met her and we spent time together when we could but life got in the way as it does, so I never got to spend as much time as I would have liked.
On September 7th she lost her battle with depression and took her own life.
I did not even know she was struggling with depression. No one let me know.
The loss of the future time we could have spent together is overwhelming.
and no matter how I curse and swear and look at what I maybe could have done this is something that I cannot change and that is the saddest thing of all.

She was the Autumn Gift (from Charles de Lints Spirit Walk ) but I did not realise it until it was too late. So many people felt better for having her in their lives but she still felt like she wasn't special and had nothing to offer.

I have always wanted to emulate Esmerelda Foylan The Westlin' Wind ( again from Spirit Walk)and help people to find their way. I had hoped to be able to do Martha Beck's training course but the money was just not forthcoming at this time, but next time or sometime I will do it, I also plan to do the Art Therapy course through Phoenix and somehow make a difference. I have wanted to do this for a long time but I am hoping to use this as a catalyst to push me forward.

All I can take from this it to make sure my life is the best damn life I can live, not to take things for granted.



The best people possess a feeling for beauty
the courage to take risks
the discipline to tell the truth
the capacity for sacrifice
Ironically their virtues make them vulnerable
they are often wounded
sometimes destroyed

Ernest Hemingway

Goodbye beautiful girl
x te


Saturday, September 6, 2014

New Work off to WA





4 of 9 new small works hot wax on paper 
with hand made oil paint

They will be in an exhibition

a very nice winery 
just around the corner from home

as part of 

running from September 27th
to October 12th

x te

Friday, September 5, 2014

More Paint Rag Books


Raw Sienna
available here

Natural Indigo
available here

I am now working on some wax books


x te

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

New Book on Etsy


a small 10 x 10 cm book
made of recycled paint rags


The front and back covers 
are coated in encaustic medium
and home made natural indigo oil paint

inside each of the pages 

is coated in traditional rabbit skin glue gesso

enough to make a nice surface

but not so as to completely obscure the marks



Available here
SOLD

x te

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

In the Studio

I have been covering paint rags with
tradtional glue gesso

to use as pages 
in some new 
fabric books
I am planning

This is a small piece 
on wood
encaustic, xanthorrhoea resin, nacre, indigo

and this is the place on my floor
 where the pieces 
I think are finished 
live for a while 
until I am sure
a mix of cold and hot wax

Unfortunately they are too fat 
for cost effective overseas postage

But I might put them in the etsy shop
for Ozzie buyers
Or I may take them
travelling with me
only time will tell

x te

Monday, September 1, 2014

Workshops in Melbourne

Workshops at Open Drawer

1158 Toorak Road
Camberwell (Hartwell Village) 3124


Natural Dyeing

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATutor: Trace Willans

Date: Wednesday November 5th & Thursday November 6th

Time: 9.30 – 3.30pm

Cost: $295.00 

Spend 2 days learning to dye using plant material gathered from your home and local environment. Whether that is from the leftovers from last night’s dinner, leaves and flowers growing in your garden or those gathered from your street or local park, never purchase dye again. Create cloth and paper which is truly local and seasonal.


We will be using a bundling technique with boiling and steaming which prints the actual plants onto the fabric, giving excellent detail.
Expect to go home with many individual pieces of fabric to incorporate into your work.
You will also have the option of dyeing your thread/wool in the pots or in your bundles for great variegated thread or you can spend some time stitching into your cloth before dyeing for a wonderful integrated look.
There will also be the opportunity to lay some papers out for rusting and I will set up a small indigo pot to play with.
 More info here

Making Simple Paint and Tape Bound Book

Tutor: Trace WillansOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Date: Friday November 7th

Time: 9.30-3.30pm

Cost: $165

Begin the day by learning to make two simple paints from milk, flour, sugar and natural pigments.Then use them to paint a large sheet of watercolour paper on one side. While this is drying make a small sample tape bound book in preparation for tearing your painting into smaller pieces to make a one of a kind artist’s book which you will work back into using encaustic techniques.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
More info here