Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Having a long time obsession with making art with tea bags ( see previous posts September 2014 including exhibition invitation ) and with new inspiration from tea bag artist Ruby Silvious  , I started a very humble tea bag drawing project while on a break last month in Townsville, North Queensland, "Humble" is an apt description - I had a black felt tipped marker and five coloured paint markers and six dried used tea bags as my materials - all one needs for an 11 day holiday. As this wasn't really a sightseeing holiday to somewhere exotic, and more of a family visit, I recorded the minutiae - some of the trivialities which create memories.  These funny little drawings  were a few minutes each day of quiet reflection and single focus - no pressure, no deep meaning, no attempt at  artistry. Even now, a month after, just leafing through the little tea bag pages has a calming effect - just appreciating the little things in life. top row l-r : drinks at the airport,poi

I often wonder if perhaps I am  becoming a little more eccentric. When the last fortnight's Tag Tuesday themes were announced - Masculine and Feminine - my mind wandered all over the themes until I settled on using some cardboard templates I  already had and with scissors, glue, a couple of abandoned book pages and some magazine and stock images, I came up with these "Quirky Characters". I need to mention that the book page backgrounds were from a book of literary criticism, with the masculine ( apologies to Salvador Dali) about  Shakespeare's Richard III and the feminine background came from a page about the work of Jane Austen. Quirky, but fun!

On a recent visit to my home town, Townsville in North Queensland, I was really happy and super impressed to discover an arty place I hadn't heard of before...Renegade Handmade.  I visited this delightful  "handmade"  gift shop on a Saturday morning. It was  23 July 2016 - a warm day for Winter. The arcade was abuzz with people indulging in coffee and snacks, shopping at the fresh food market  and browsing and  enjoying  the various trendy and bespoke shops in the arcade. This scene was hardly the Townsville of my childhood and I am embarrassed to admit  that it surprised me that the atmosphere was so cosmopolitan , contemporary and "with-it". I applaud Renegade Handmade for its vision for both the shop and the markets - to offer "opportunities for makers to mix with shoppers in an environment that is supportive and nurturing of handmade."   That nurturing support was obvious - the art was well displayed, presented with style and respect.